When the Moonlight Hits Your Bright Eyes, I Go Blind

After my stuff was loaded I walked into the kitchen area of the bus.
“It’s going to be a day or so before we meet up with the guys so one of you is going to have to share a bunk,” Pete said, referring to Jez and I.
“I say Jez gets the bunk because she was invited,” Patrick put in sourly. Jez frowned and said,
“Well, I’m going to be here for the whole 6 months, I could do without a bunk for a night.” “Flip a coin?” I asked. Pete nodded.
“Anyone got a quarter?” He asked. Jez dug into her pockets and pulled out a quarter. “Heads or Tails?” Pete asked me.
“Tails,” I said. He nodded and flipped the coin and caught it in his fist. He opened up his hand and looked at the coin. He looked at me and said,
“Heads.” He turned to Jez and said, “You get the bunk.”
“But where’ll Ax sleep?” She asked.
“With me in my bunk,” Pete said. I looked at him and he looked at me with emotionless eyes.
“Pete, may I sit in your bunk for awhile?” I asked. He nodded and I walked off to his bunk and pulled out a couple of books that Father had approved of and sat back and started reading.

By the time I’d finished them it was dark and I was starving. I crept out of the bunk and silently walked to the kitchen and pulled out an apple. I had just bitten into it when my phone rang. I pulled it out, saw the caller ID and froze.
“Jez! Jez! Father is calling!” I panicked.
“Do not answer it,” she ordered.
“Oh, come on! What’s he gonna do?” Patrick scoffed. Jez and I looked at him with the same thought running through our minds; you wouldn’t say that if you knew.
C’mon, you know you want to…
He can’t do anything…
He’s never done much anyway, you’ve always lied to Jez and exaggerated everything. He could be a lot worse.
You need to be a woman. You need to taught a lesson. Men are best, always, and you, you the woman are the weak, pathetic slaves. ANSWER THE GODDAMN PHONE!
“I AM NOT A SLAVE!” I screamed.
“Beg your pardon?” Pete asked. I looked behind him and I saw the shadow people. They were laughing at me and grinning evilly. They were up to something. They had some sort of plan for me. I shook my head to remove those thoughts; I knew my mind was unraveling. I had to put it back together now. I put my phone on the bench and closed my eyes. I did some breathing exercises and calmed myself right down. I threw all the shadow people and voices out of my mind and made it go blank.

When I was done I was calm, cool and collected. My phone rang again and stupidly I picked it up.
“Hello?”
“Ax, come home RIGHT NOW!”
“I’m sorry Father, but I can’t do that.”
“Why the hell not?!”
“I’m travelling America, looking for the least musical place where I can start up my psychiatrist clinic.”
“Come home honey. I’ll help you, I can think of a few places, Utah, Wisconsin…”
I ignored the bait.
“Sorry Father, but this chicken is flying to coop. I need to strike out on my own.”
“If you don’t turn back THIS INSTANT—”
“What? You’ll hit me?”
“No. I’ll hunt you down.”
I felt my calm break as I realized he would hunt me down and I gripped onto the phone
“I’ll hunt you down like a cat does its prey. I will force you to run so far and so fast you will fall and then you’ll beg me to kill you and I’ll crush you like an ant. That’s a promise.” He hung up.

Tears were blinding and blurring my vision.
“Jezzie!” I cried out, using my nickname hat I gave her when I was little and couldn’t pronounce her name. I just needed her comfort. She came over and hugged me close. “He’s hunting me…he’s gonna kill me…I need to go back,” I whispered.
“No fucking way are you going back there,” Jez said hotly.
“But he’ll kill you! He’ll kill the Trickster! And Petey! And Froman! And the new drummer dude, just to get to me! I am not having everyone’s deaths on my conscience!” I yelled. “Hush. Hun, he won’t hurt you, I won’t let him. Cross my heart, hope to die, splinter from the headboard in my eye,” Jez murmured. I looked up at her and felt like a child.
“Promise?” I asked. I was disgusted with myself. I sounded so broken and fragile. But I couldn’t help it, my step father destroyed who I was. I shook my head and hugged Jez tightly.
“You’re the bestest friend anyone could ask for,” I whispered.
“I promise. And I’ll get you back to who you were,” She murmured.
I can only wish that would happen…