Healing Hearts

I barely noticed that Sebastian didn’t get into the car with us as Blake drove away. I rested my head against the headrest, my face turned to look at Blake. I sort of zoned out while we drove, not thinking about anything. I was trying to keep the images out of my mind but failing miserably. I could still feel the steady stream of tears falling down my cheeks but didn’t brush them away. I felt like I was allowed to cry right now. Blake glanced at me every now and again. I was probably annoying him by staring at him but I didn’t have the energy to move my head. My whole body felt heavy and I could feel my eyes slipping close.

I jerked awake when Blake slammed on the breaks. I sat up straight, looking out the front window to see why he had stopped so suddenly. When my eyes rested upon what his headlights were illuminating I wished I hadn’t woken up. Blake was already jumping out of the car and I stumbled out as well, making my way slowly. All I could see was the bright red hair fanned out on the road. Blake was checking for a pulse while I knelt down beside him, taking deep breaths.

“Can you hear me?” Blake asked.
Willow’s eyelids fluttered slightly and I gasped slightly, relieved that she was still alive. Her leg was bent in a funny way and I could see the blood seeping out from under her shirt. Her eyes didn’t open but I heard her take a shaky breath.
“What happened?” Blake asked her.

There was a long silence and I thought she didn’t have enough energy to talk. Blake quickly whipped out his cell phone and dialed for an ambulance. I took Willow’s hand, wondering how I had ended up in this situation once again.
“Jordan.”

I bent my head down to hear the word but I knew I hadn’t mistaken it. Why would Jordan harm Willow? How did he even know her?
“What did he do?” I whispered.
“Asked me… to… bless his… day ring,” she panted.
“Did you do it?”
“No,” she gasped.

She started shaking madly and I jumped back, unsure what to do. Blake grabbed a hold of her arms, holding her down. She went still under his grip and we both heard the last breath pass through her lips. My breathing became frantic and Blake held me against his again. I felt like tearing out my hair. I felt like screaming, anything for this horrible pain to end. Willow hadn’t deserved this. My dad hadn’t deserved to die. I knew that if I ever got the chance, I would kill Jordan without blinking. He had killed my dad and my only friend all in one night.

We didn’t move until the flashing lights arrived and people filled the scene. They didn’t seem to notice us until the police came to ask questions. Blake did most of the talking. I was in too much pain to open my mouth. They let us go after a while, noticing how distraught I was. They did say that they would come around tomorrow to ask more questions. Blake told them that we would both be at the Harris mansion. He led me back to the car and we drove off, headed for his house.

He didn’t bother giving me a tour when we arrived. Lucas must have known something had gone wrong because he took one look at me and hurried to get the guest room ready. Blake led me to a room on the ground floor that was near the back of the house. I took one look around the room before turning back to Blake.
“I don’t want to be alone,” I said, feeling the tears springing up in my eyes.

He nodded and picked me up, noticing how my feet were barely dragging along the ground. He carried me upstairs and into his room, placing my gently on the bed. He pulled off my jacket and my t-shirt that was covered in blood. He pulled out my pajamas from my bag and pulled them over my head. He pulled off my shoes and closed his eyes as he pulled down my pants. I managed to somehow pull on my pajama bottoms before slipping under the heavy covers on his bed. He went into the adjacent bathroom to change before he came back into the bedroom. I was silent as he climbed into the bed beside me, already drifting off to sleep.

I vaguely recalled waking up some time during the night screaming but couldn’t be sure if it had just been a dream or not. I sat up in Blake’s bed, noticing that the sky was dark outside behind his curtains. Had I only slept for a little while? I noticed that Blake wasn’t in bed with me anymore and slowly got up. I carried my bag into the bathroom. I took a long hot shower before getting dressed. I walked downstairs and found Sebastian and Blake in the parlor. They both looked up at me, surprised. I guessed neither of them had expected to see me up considering I had lost two people in the same night.

“Did you want something to eat?” Blake asked, watching my every move as I walked over to a sofa.
I sat down heavily and shook my head at him. I wasn’t hungry, only tired still.
“You slept for nearly a whole day. I think it would be wise for you to eat,” Blake said.
No wonder I felt sluggish. I shook my head at Blake again.
“I think it would be good if you ate something,” Blake said, insisting.
“Blake, leave her alone,” Sebastian said sternly.
“But she will be weak without food,” Blake argued.
“Just leave her alone.”

Blake huffed like a spoilt child not getting his way while Sebastian stayed calm, his eyes never once leaving the book he was reading. It was strange to see them act so normal when it felt like my world had just fallen apart. I figured that the world must keep spinning even after someone close to you dies. I had felt this way with my mother but somehow it felt worse now. I had been in the house when it had happened. I could’ve stopped it. I could’ve done something to protect him. But I hadn’t. I hadn’t done anything. How could I have left him alone with a murderous vampire?

“What happened?” I finally asked.
“I called the police and said that I had come around to see you but the front door had been open so I had gone inside. I told them that I had found him like that. I had told them that I hadn’t known you were staying at ours for the night so you weren’t there when it happened. They came around this morning but Blake had told them not to disturb you. He said that we had already told you. They also wanted to ask about Willow but Blake answered all their questions instead. They still said they needed to come back to ask you for your account of the events,” Sebastian said, understanding what I had asked.

“They said that it might have been an animal attack since the back door was wide open and your house backs onto the forest. I guess they don’t want to believe that a person could commit such a crime,” Blake said sadly.
“Also, Lucas wanted to know if you were sleeping in the guest room tonight,” Sebastian said.
“I… I still don’t feel safe on the first floor.”
“You can stay in my room for as long as you need,” Blake said.
“My room is also available if you get sick of Blake taking all the blankets while he sleeps,” Sebastian said calmly.

I met his gaze and nodded slightly, telling him that I was grateful for the offer. It was strange to think that I felt so comfortable around these two to sleep in the same bed as them. But it did feel safer than sleeping in a room on the first floor on my own. I stood up slowly, still feeling groggy. I swayed a bit on my feet and both of the boys stood to catch me. I tried not to feel the tension crackle around the room.

“I’m going to head back to bed. I feel awfully tired,” I said quietly.

Sebastian nodded and sat down though his eyes burned when Blake helped me out of the room. I felt like a frail old woman as he led me up the stairs. I sat down on the bed heavily. Blake watched me for a few minutes before he left the room. I curled into a ball and let the tears free that had been threatening to spill over ever since I had walked out of this room. I rested my head on the pillow and slowly fell back to sleep, too tired to dream.