Safe for Now....

Chapter 9: Explanations

“Seth why did you do that?” I almost yelled.  

“Well I just told you.” He replied.

“I know but still.” I could feel myself getting more and more embarrassed.

“Are you going to get the door?” He asked.

“You’re the one that invited him.” I said.

“I know.” He said slipping into our room.

I opened the door to find Eddie standing there just as Seth said.

“Hi.” Eddie said obviously surprised I answered the door. His eyes were wide and his words stopped short. It sounded like he was going to say hey but then changed to hi.

I could see what Seth was talking about at the hospital, about his eyes and the way he looked at me. The same way I looked at him.

“Hi, come in. How’ve you been?” I asked.

“Good, how about you?” he replied.

“Getting better, it’s been a rollercoaster ride but we are getting used to this new life.” I answered.

“I bet I know what you’re going through. My mom passed away three years ago.” He said. “I had to move here with my little sister Scarlet. I had to grow up fast too, just like you. I got a job as a coastguard worker, well I volunteered, but they still gave me money because they felt sorry for me.”

“What about your dad? Doesn’t he help with paying for food and stuff?” I ask.   

“He makes a little money but not enough to matter. I pretty much take care of Scarlet by myself.” He replied.

“We have a lot in common then. Both our mothers are dead and our dads don’t do anything to help us.” I said.

“What does your dad do?” Eddie asked.

“Nothing absolutely nothing. He’s an alcoholic, he abandoned Seth and I when I was three and Seth was two.” I replied.

“Well then what about Sydney and Zara’s dad?” Eddie asked.

“He died when they were one. It was an accident with one of his airplanes. He was in the air force. He was a great man and I loved him ten times more than my real dad.” I answered.

“Oh I’m sorry. You’ve had a harder time than I have. Before I met you I thought I had a hard life.” Eddie admitted.

“Well I haven’t lived like this for long. It’s been an emotional few weeks.”  I really wanted to tell him about the shadow so he could see why I was like I was. Protective and uptight. He would just think I’m crazy though.

“Still that’s a lot to take in in just a few weeks. It must have been such an emotional rollercoaster.” He said.

“Well yeah I just said that it was. More than you probably think?” I said.

“How’s that?” Eddie asked.

That was a question I had hoped to avoid. The only way to explain it without me sounding suspicious would be to tell him the truth.

“Well if I told you the truth that would be a long story that might take a while.” I said. “ Not to mention you might think I’m crazy as well.”

“I have time.” Eddie said. He looked generally concerned and curious.  

“Well it all started about four weeks ago. My mom was warning me about this shadow and before you interrupt and tell me I am crazy let me finish. Anyway my mom was warning me about this shadow that would come. A week after my mom had warned me and told me what to do when the shadow came, which was to take my siblings here, my mom could sense that the shadow was on its way. My mom woke me up and put us in a cab. It was now up to me to get my siblings out of there and to here. We heard and saw our house blow up. We could turn back though and I did as my mother told me. Before we got on the boat that would take us here I felt him, the shadow I mean. I knew that the shadow knew we were alive and he was coming for us. That’s what made us crash. That’s when I met you. When I said my mom knew and I knew what was about to happen it’s like we had a sixth sense. We could feel it coming. That’s pretty much our story in a nutshell. You can speak now. Tell me what you think.”

I was waiting for the worst, for him to start laughing and telling me how crazy I was to think he would actually believe it all.