Eternity (Circle of Light) (10 page)

“Bailey?” He said. 

“Yes.”  I opened my eyes and answered him. 

“Were you sleeping?” He asked.

“No Sir. I have a bit of a headache.  I thought maybe if I laid my head down for a little while it might go away.” I lied.  I hated lying. It makes me feel terrible.

“Alright, if you need to go to the nurse for so
mething for it just let me know.” he said.

“Thank you.”  I replied. “I think
I’ll be okay.

I laid my head back down on the desk and tried to co
ncentrate on finding the person’s mind that had been pulling me to it before.  The closer I came to finding the source, the more I sensed fear and disgust.

I followed the fear until I was in the mind from where it came from.  Her thoughts rambled out of control.  I could only catch tiny bits and pieces of thoughts.  I used my power to calm her mind so I could find out what was wrong with her.

She was frightened to go home.  Pictures of a man surfaced in her mind.  As the thoughts and images came together in my mind I realized the man she was afraid of was her uncle.  The girl had considered calling the police and telling them what he was doing to her, but she was terrified that he would get out of it and hurt her.

I backed out of her mind slowly, hoping not to disturb her thought pattern.  I searched the room for the girl I had seen in my mind.  For some reason I couldn’t find her.  Desperately needing to establish who the mind belonged to, I used my power once again. 

Lead me to the girl so I can help her,
I said with my thoughts. 

In an instant, I had found her.  She had been sitting in the row next to the dry erase board.  It was Katrina.  I was shocked.  Never in my life would I have thought that the thing that was causing her to act so differently was this. 
No! Not this!
My mind screamed.

She started acting strange a few weeks ago. 
Everyone had noticed. It was hard not to. Katrina had stopped talking to me.  I had seen that she would avoid everyone, but I never dreamed this could possibly be the reason.  She began to sit alone in the cafeteria every day. This was completely out of the ordinary. Usually, Katrina was an outgoing, sweet, well liked girl.

I had tried to find out what was going on with her, but she would push me away as soon as I tried to.  Katrina became more and more distant with every day that passed.

My fear for her became uncontainable.  Not being sure of what else I could do, I got up from my desk and walked in the direction of Katrina s desk.

Mr. Greene asked if I was feeling better and I told him yes and thanked him for allowing
me to rest my head on my desk. Swiftly, but calmly I made my way through the class.

Finally, I reached her desk.  It seemed to take forever and I could feel Eric
’s eyes on me.

“Hi Katrina
.” I said as I sat down in the empty desk in front of her. 

“Oh.  Hey, Bailey.” She replied in a low tone of voice. 

She didn’t act like she was much for talking so I did most of it.  It was hard to get her to engage in any type of conversation.  She was so withdrawn that I was surprised that I even got a hello from her.  But she was trying hard, too hard in fact.  That made my apprehension grow.             

“Are you cold?”  I asked
. Her arms were wrapped around herself in a tight hug. Her hands were shivering.

“A little.  He always keeps the air on too low
.” she said.  That was true. Mr. Greene had always kept the class a little cooler than we liked it to be.

“Well class is almost over for the day, so you can get outside and warm up before long
.” I told her hoping to ease her mood, but it didn’t work.

“Yeah I guess it is pretty warm out today
.” she replied as she looked out the window.

She grew more quiet the closer it came to time for school to be dismissed.   “Do you want to come to my house for a while after school?”  I asked hoping she would say yes.

“You haven’t been over in so long.”

Katrina accepted the invitation without any sign of hesitation.  That worried me even more.  It was like she was looking for a reason to not go home.

“Meet me on the front steps when the bell rings.  I have to wait on Eric.  He has to get some papers from the office on our way out.” I explained. 

“Ok
.” she said as I went back to my desk and gathered my things. 

Eric came back to his desk a few minutes later.  He looked at me funny and it kind of made me nervous. 

“Are you alright?” He asked genuinely concerned. 

“I’m fine.”   I explained to him that Katrina was going to walk home with us today. 
             

“The more the merrier
.” he laughed as the bell rang.

“Go ahead and get your stuff from the office and I'll meet you out front
.” I said as I gathered my things and walked to the door. 

I looked around the room for Katrina, but she had already left. I went straight to the front steps of the school.  She was standing there waiting for us. 
“Where’s Eric?” she asked. It was impossible for me to ignore her voice quivering.

“Oh, he'll be out in a minute.  Will your parents mind if you come over or should you call them and let them know?”  I asked. 

As she replied I saw that she was staring at the ground.  “My parents are out of town until Friday. My uncle is staying there while they’re gone.” She looked away at something off in the distance, but quickly turned back. “Just to watch over the house and things. I can’t wait until they get back.” she said. 

I felt the overwhelming need to
rescue her.  I just couldn’t let her know that I already had a slight idea that she was in some kind of trouble.

Eric came out and we all walked to my house.  We talked and Eric picked up on how Katrina was acting.  He told some of the most idiotic jokes I had ever heard. 
I mean, they were horrible. We couldn’t help but laugh at him.  They weren’t funny at all, but the way he was telling them made listening worthwhile.

We came to the street corner at mine and Eric’s houses.  Eric gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and went home.  Katrina and I went in my house and put our things on the counter.  It was too nice of a day to stay inside, so I asked her if she would like to go out to the garden. 

“Sounds good to me.” she said.  I think she would have agreed to anything at this point in time.

  “I’m real sorry about the way I have been acting lately.”  Katrina said.

“That’s ok.  Things happen I guess.”

The silence from her had begu
n again. This is my chance to get her to open up. That is the only way I am going to be able to help her.

“What's wrong Kat?”

“It’s just some stuff going on at home.”

“Are you and your parents fighting?”

She took a brief moment before answering. “No.  Not at all. They’re great.”

“Is it something I can help out with?”

“I wish you could.” She sat there in silence and I was trying to think of something to say to her that would get her to talk to me more.  But what could I say that was not going to give me away?  Nothing, nothing at all.

“Kat, I can’t help you if you won’t tell me what
’s wrong.” I said, knowing that it was all that I could get away with at the time. Every word that I spoke was carefully calculated. She remained silent.

CHAPTER 6

What Katrina said next will be something I will never forget. Not even if I lived to be one hundred years old.

“My uncle keeps making passes at me.  I’m scared he is going to do something to me.  I just wish Mom and Dad would hurry and come back home. ” She said as she started to cry. 

I didn’t know what to say. 
What could I say? I instantly became sick to my stomach. How could anyone want to hurt her?  Her uncle, her very own flesh and blood wanted to do such a despicable thing to her.  Bile rose in my throat as my panic set in, but I had to think of something that could help her.  I had to.

“Have you called your parents and told them?”  I asked her swallowing hard.

“No.  He said if I told anyone he would make me wish I hadn't.” she sobbed.

She explained that her grandmother was ill and her mother went to make sure she was ok.  She didn’t think it was anything serious, but her mom decided it was worth checking out.

Katrina’s phone rang. It was her uncle.  I heard him telling her she needed to come home right now.  I tuned in to his voice.  He sounded angry.  She told him she was visiting a friend and would be home shortly.

“You will come home right now!” I heard the voice on the phone demand. 

“I’m on my way.” she said through the tears. “I have to go home.”  I gave her my cell phone and house numbers and told her to call me if she needed me. 

“I will
. I promise.” she said as we walked into the house.  She got her things off of the counter and walked out the door. She didn’t look back or say a single word to me. Her sobs were all that I heard.

I had a sick feeling in my stomach
telling me something terrible was going to happen to her.  I tried to figure out a way I could help her, but the only two things I could come up with was calling the police or calling my parents and telling them what was going on.  I couldn’t decide what to do. 

If I called her parents that might not be the right thing to do.  Katrina needed to be the one to tell them what was going on, not me.  And if I called the police, well, that would
surely make the situation worse for her.  I was stuck.  I didn’t know which way to turn and I couldn’t seem to find an answer.

A couple of hours passed and I
hadn’t heard from Katrina.  I hope everything is alright.  The empty feeling in the pit of my stomach is telling me otherwise.  I picked up my phone and decided to call her.  What would it hurt? 

The phone rang until
her voicemail picked up.  That made me even more troubled than before.  I sent her a text asking if she made it home alright.  I was afraid to ask her if she was okay in fear that her uncle would see the message.  She definitely didn’t need any more trouble. Especially, not because of me.

I waited for what seemed like forever, but she never answered back. 

My phone rang and I answered it before I looked at the caller id.  It was Eric.  “I’m sorry, but there’s something I have to do that can’t wait.  I'll call you back in a few minutes.”  I told him as I rudely hung up the phone.

I closed my eyes and thought of Katrina.  
Please let me see her.  I need to know if she’s alright.  If she's not I need to find a way to help her.  Please help me see her.
 

My feet felt like they were no longer on the floor, but moving swiftly through the air.  Images swirled before my eyes and made it hard for me to see where I was going.  Soon, I was at her house.  My mind was there, but my body seemed to still be firmly planted back at my room.

I saw Katrina just as I would if I were there in that room with her.  She was backed up into a corner and crying hysterically.  I heard her begging him to leave her alone.  “I won’t say anything to anyone if you will just stop!”  I heard her scream.              

Her top was ripped to shreds and I could see blood coming from her lips.  It
wasn’t hard to see her entire body shaking.  They were more like tremors than anything. Rapid jerks of horror is a more justifiable way to describe it. I don’t think I had ever witnessed anyone so frightened. 

I turned my attention to her uncle.  His thoughts were wild and going
far too fast for me to understand.  His mind slowed just enough for me to catch occasional thoughts. The excitement that he was feeling over hitting her was tremendous.  The sight of her blood was giving him sensations so evil I was terrified for my own safety. Although, I’m only present in spirit. Not in physical form.

He thought
vaguely of his sister, Katrina’s mother.  He was sure he would be in trouble for what little he had already done to Katrina.  The thought of him knowing that Katrina’s mom would, without a doubt, kill him over this made no positive impact on the decision he had made.  He thought that since he was going to die he might as well have what he wanted.  He had already gone this far.  Why stop now?

He shuffled closer to Katrina and I cringed at the sound of her screams.  She was
begging for someone to help her, but there was no one there.

With my mind
I tried to call the police.  I wasn’t even sure it was going to work. I had never attempted something so complex before. Surprisingly it worked.  I was talking to them like I would have been if I were on the phone with them.  Somehow, I managed to remember the address of her house.  
My friend is in trouble! Help her!
  I screamed as the connection broke abruptly. My power is strong, but it’s still not fully mature.

I focused my mind back on Katrina.  He had her by the throat and was ripping what little shirt she had left off.  I wanted to be there.  I wanted to help her
. To hurt him in any way I could.   

S
irens screamed in the background.  The relief that I felt was short-lived. He rushed to her closet and jerked a shirt off one of the hangers.  He tossed it at her and told her to change.  “If you tell them anything I will kill you.  Do you understand me?” He asked her as he heard the knock on the front door. Every movement he made was frantic and stressed. Quickly, he went to the door to answer it.

I heard the officer in another room.  He was talking to her uncle. “We had a report that someone needed help.” The officer said as he looked around the room for any sign of an altercation. 

“There’s nothing going on here.” her uncle said. “You must have the wrong house.”

“Then you won’t mind if we take a look around.” The officer said as he started searching the house. His statement wasn’t a question, but more of a demand. Katrina’s uncle had no other choice but to agree with the officer.
  He agreed.  Katrina came out of her bedroom.  “Is there something wrong?”  Her voice still shook.

“Looks like it was a prank call
.” the officer told her.

While the officers were there, Katrina told her uncle she was going to go visit a friend and she would be back soon.  

“Ok.” her uncle said. What else could he say?

I watched her as she hurried out of the house and down the road.  She got out her phone and called her mother.  I was expecting her to tell her everything, but to my am
azement she didn’t.  I think she was afraid he really would hurt her.

I heard her ask her mom if it was ok if she stayed the night with me.  She must have said it was alright because I heard Katrina say thanks.  I watched over her until she walked up to my front door.

I was standing by the door when she rang the doorbell.  I stood there for a moment so it would seem like I had been in another room.  She flew inside and locked the deadbolt behind her when I opened the door.

Katrina looked horrible, to say the
very least.  She wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug and started crying uncontrollably. “What's wrong Kat?”  I asked trying to sound like I didn’t know what had happened. 

“He almost raped me, but the police came. They said that someone had prank called them she sobbed.  Thank God they did.”

When I finally convinced her that she was safe she calmed down some.  “All the doors are locked and he’d have a hell of a time getting to you here.” I reassured her.

I told her that she had to call her parents and tell them. “This has gone too far Kat.  You are in real danger and you need to tell them now!”  I told her in a harsher tone than
I should have, but I couldn’t help it.  She is in real trouble and I have to help her stay safe.

“I know.  Just let me catch my breath for a minute
.” she replied. All of my sympathy washed out of me as I stood quietly in front of her. Her hands were on her head, eyes closed tightly, and she was working hard to control her breathing.

After a brief moment, she got o
ut her phone and dialed her mom’s number.  I heard her mom pick up.  Katrina told her what had happened and Carolyn told her to stay with me until she got here.  She was on her way back right now.

It was hard not to hear her mom.  She was nothing short of screaming into the phone.  She said that she would be here within a couple of hours.

Katrina held the phone out to me.  “Hello.”

“Bailey?”

“Yes, Carolyn.” I replied.

“Don’t let her out of your sight.  Do whatever you have to do to keep him away from her.  Will you do that for me?” she asked desperately.

“Of course I will.” I responded. “I'll call Eric to come stay with us until either you get here or my parents come home.” I knew Carolyn was crying from the sound of her voice.  But that wasn’t the part that upset me.  She had a weird flow to her thoughts.  I couldn’t understand it.  The edges of her mind had become frayed and irregular.

"I'll be there soon.
" Carolyn said as the phone went silent.

I
, immediately, called Eric. When he answered I didn’t give him much time to say anything. I needed him to be here with me. I am just as scared as Kat is. “Something happened and I need you to come over here.”

“
I’m on my way.” he said. He didn’t even end the call. I could hear every step he took and the rapid closing of the front door as he blew through it.

It took no time at all before he was knocking at the door.  I opened it and let him in, locking it behind him.

“Bailey, why is the door locked?” Eric asked with a strange look on his face.

I asked Katrina if it was alright if I told Eric what had happened.  She nodded in approval.  I told Eric about what Katrina’s uncle had done and the more details that I told him the angrier he became.  His face was bright red and his anger was unmistakable.

He done his best to console Katrina and to let her know she was safe now and that he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her while he was around.  His confidence in himself to be able to give outward love to my friend was mind blowing.

She thanked us both as she struggled to calm herself.  There was absolutely no way I could be able to imagine how she was feeling right now.  The
anger and disgust that she must be going through must be consuming.  I wondered to myself how she was still speaking to us.

A couple hours passed and I heard Carolyn pull into the driveway.  She didn’t take the time to shut her car door when she got out. Her movements were jerky and not thought out at all.  She was moving as if she were being pulled by strings and not wanting to move voluntarily.

Eric opened the door to let her in before she could even get to it to knock.  She rushed to Katrina and held her for a moment.  The sadness I felt in this moment was beyond crushing.

She pulled back and looked at her.  Every new scratch or blue spot had her complete attention.  I sensed her anger growing. Caroly
n cried as she examined Katrina’s busted lips. 

“He hi
t me Momma.” Katrina said as she started to cry again.

I pulled Katrina’
s torn shirt from her bag and handed it to Carolyn.  She looked it over and stood up. I had never seen someone’s demeanor change so quickly and I was frightened by it.

The light disappeared from Carolyn’s eyes.  The bright white glow of happiness had now been replaced by a dark hate.  The aura around her body was twisted in black and red.  Hate, rage, and anger all at the same time.  The longer she stood there the more volatile she became.

“Bailey, would it be alright if she stays here with you and Eric until I get back?” She asked. “I need to find my brother.”

“She can stay as long as she wants to stay.”  I told her with a sick feeling that something terrible was going to happen. 

I took a minute to scan her thoughts.  Carolyn was really going to kill him.  She had quickly planned it out in her head and I could see everything. She was going to make it look like he had killed himself.  Her plan was to act like he was already dead when she found him.

Make it look good,
she kept telling herself. 

I was frozen in a silent panic.  All I could do was listen to her words.  My mouth wasn’t working the way I wanted it too.  I wanted to scream out and tell Carolyn not to go, just to stay here with us and we would let the police sort everything out.  But I knew that she wasn’t going to agree to anything like that.  She was out for blood.  Her own brother.