Bad Influence (Seven Deadly Sins #2) ✅ Completed

Chapter Thirty-Four: Along the Watchtower

  

"I'm not sure I can do this," Andy admitted. She wouldn't meet my eyes as she spoke, "My soul was gone. It was in that horrible place with that...creature. How do I even know it's really back? In here?" she asked, placing a shaky fist on the center of her chest.  

We were sitting on a weather worn park bench a few yards from the emporium. The wood had faded from sun exposure but it was long enough to fit three people comfortably and strategically placed for shopper convenience. There were about half a dozen of these benches sprinkled up and down Main Street but I never really saw anyone sitting on them. Then again, I was usually busy running around trying to avoid bad guys so I tended to miss the day-to-day stuff. 

When she showed up, Andy had knocked on the shop door but appeared too shaken up to actually step inside the emporium. I couldn't really blame her considering all she'd been put through with Celeste, Asher, and Lord knew what else. I figured talking on one of the empty benches would be easier than forcing her into a place that had turned into her worst nightmare. Besides the action tonight was happening behind the shop instead of inside it. There was no need for me to make anything harder than it had to be – there were plenty of other people (and things that weren't technically people) willing to do that for me.  

She'd actually arrived earlier than I'd expected, surprising all of us. I'd assumed she'd have a hard time getting out from under her mom's watchful eye. Then again, the relationship Andy and her mom shared was as foreign to me as the mating ritual of some long-extinct Amazonian tribe. For all I knew, Dolores was the one who dropped her off at the door, though it was more likely Andy was simply well versed in the teenage art of  'sneaking out.'  The important thing was that she was here and ready to go.

And she'd definitely came dressed for the part – all in black with her hair pulled away from her face. She wore no make-up but looked about as alert and awake as I'd ever seen her. The bags were still there under her eyes and her skin appeared a little too sickly looking, but I could tell she was trying to fight her way out from beneath the crushing terror that was haunting her.

For my part, I was still wearing the same jeans from earlier that day since they were dark enough, although I had changed into a black t-shirt that was similar to the one Andy sported only I was pretty sure mine cost a heck of a lot less.      

The sun had been down for nearly an hour and no other souls were out on Main Street tonight. Even though it was nearly full dark, we sat in the bright halo of the shop's outside lights. There were old-fashion light posts set up every few feet, their yellow lights keeping most of the shadows along the street at bay. Andy's eyes cut over to the darker spots every now and then but if she saw anything she gave no indication.

So far, all was peaceful on the Mid-western front.   

I looked up at the night sky and made a wistful sort of sound. I didn't think I'd ever get used to the beauty of it. The sky in this part of the country was amazing. It was so clear and full of so many stars, it was like someone had punched millions of holes in a large black blanket covering up the entire horizon. It was almost enough to make a person forget what sort of terrors lay just beneath the surface of such a quaint little place.

I wondered if my mother had sat on this same bench once upon a time and looked up at the same stars and wondered what her life would become. Could she have imagined the dark turns and disappointments this town and Celeste would imprint upon it for years to come? Maybe she spent her nights wishing upon the first star to come out, or maybe she talked to Chase's dad Justin for hours on end. Did she share her dreams with him, or maybe even her fears and secrets?

Did any of it really matter to her or had she simply sealed that part of herself off so she wouldn't have to be reminded of what might have been?

I sat in silence, thinking about my mother and Andy's question for a long time. She was worried about whether or not she was the same person – if she was whole again. I understood her fear all too well. The moon shone down on me as if sharing the secrets of the universe.