Page 8 of Journey To Sunrise (Protectors of Jasper Creek #6)

Chapter Five

Chloe

As soon as the door closed behind him, panic set in.

The fire no longer felt soothing—it looked like it could jump out of the hearth and engulf me.

My gaze careened around the room. Nothing seemed familiar.

Somebody could get in at any second. I needed Zarek, but it would be even worse going outside.

It didn’t matter; I would be safer with him. I shoved off the couch and ran limping towards the door. I tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Hurry!” Finally, the door opened.

I winced with pain as my bare feet met hot pavement.

“Zarek!”

No answer. I called his name out louder.

Why didn’t he answer? I looked up and saw the blue of the sky. It was the same blue that had painted the sky that day at Cherokee Lake. I clamped my hand over my eyes and took a deep breath. Then I peeked down at the burning pavement. I could handle looking at my feet.

My breath caught as I saw the flowers beside the path. They were red like blood.

“Zarek! Where are you?” I hollered even louder.

Why wasn’t he responding? Maybe something bad happened to him.

I looked up. The lodge wasn’t ahead of me. I was moving in the wrong direction. I was moving towards the ski slopes. I stumbled, crashing to my knees. I was so small and the trees were so tall, towering around me, laughing down at me.

It wasn’t safe.

“Zarek!” This time I screamed. I knew it was useless; he wouldn’t hear me.

I clapped a hand over my mouth. I wasn’t supposed to scream. It would bring Evie, then they’d hurt her. But if I didn’t scream, they would keep hurting me, and the pain in my foot and my knees were nothing compared to what would come next.

I whimpered and covered my head.

“Chloe?”

Wave after wave of color dripped across my vision. Birds screeched, they were going to claw at me. I ducked, trying to get away from their vicious talons. They were going to make me bleed even more.

I heard screaming.

Oh God, someone was being tortured.

“Chloe.”

“What did you do to her, Zarek?”

Was that Trenda?

Blessed darkness.

* * *

Chloe

I lifted my forearm up in the semi darkness and turned and twisted it until I could see the pretty vein clearly.

It popped out just a little, so easy to see even in the evening light.

How often had I admired it? Contemplated it?

Oh, I never really was going to do anything like harm myself, was I?

That’s not what an Avery did. But it was a pretty vein, so inviting. And wouldn’t it make everything easier?

I took a deep breath. Then another. Moving my arm in the light.

Calm. I needed to find calm. My breath hitched.

God, everything hurt. I just wanted it to stop, but checking out wasn’t the answer. I knew it down to my soul..

I had to push through.

But how?

I hated waking up. Sleep was so much better. I felt tears trying to form behind my dry eyes, but there weren’t any. I’d used them all up.

I rolled over in the hotel bed, conscious of the fact that Zarek had to have carried me after my freak-out. I clamped my hand over my wrist. I couldn’t keep looking at it. If I considered the ultimate escape after every crazy episode, how would I ever improve my score on Candy Crush?

I snorted out a laugh.

Great, I can’t even laugh like a normal person.

I heard a commotion from the other room. Two voices— a man and a woman yelling. I crept out of bed and went to the door to listen. It was Trenda doing the yelling and she sounded out of control. Maybe it was in the blood.

“You are out of your mind! You are not taking Chloe to Dallas!”

“She needs some time away.” Zarek’s voice rumbled like low thunder.

“She needs her family,” Trenda countered.

“Like we’ve been any help,” Zoe said. “She’s locked us out of her life. Literally.”

“I don’t care what you say, she’s coming home with me.”

It was funny hearing Zarek use such a commanding voice with Trenda. When he used his steely voice with me, it was always laced with more caring and kindness, with Trenda it was razor sharp.

“Zoe shouldn’t have called you,” Trenda said. “We’ll take care of her. We’ll get her into counseling. We’ll get her fixed.”

With that last phrase, I felt like I’d been gut shot. It hurt to think that my sister saw me as something that needed to be fixed, like some broken piece of furniture.

“For the love of God, listen to yourself,” Zarek roared. “Chloe needs time, space and care. She needs somebody with her who understands her and will listen to her, not someone who thinks she needs to be fixed!”

“I didn’t mean it like that. She’s been hurting for so long, and I just want what’s best for her.”

“Zarek, don’t yell at Trenda. You know she’s only trying to help. It just came out wrong,” Zoe intervened.

“She’s coming to Dallas.”

I went back to bed and slipped under the covers, holding my wrist.

Dallas. It was something to consider.

Maybe it’s my way to escape.

***

Chloe

“Chloe?”

I looked up and saw Zoe standing at the door to the bedroom. She looked guilty. My sister was so easy to read.

“Can I come in?”

I reached over and turned on the bedside lamp.

“Can I come in too?”

I nodded at my oldest sister. Both women sat down on the bed beside me.

For just a moment I flashed back to the days when we all lived together in our family home.

Usually there was Maddie and Evie on the bed too.

Not Piper—we always tried to protect her.

Keep her in the dark about all the ugliness.

I didn’t want to think too much about the past.

“Zarek thinks you should go to Dallas with him,” Trenda said baldly. “I think it’s a bad idea.”

“Yeah, you think I should be fixed,” I said bitterly.

Trenda winced.

“How much of that did you hear?” Zoe asked.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I got up when you were arguing and listened to some of it, then I went back to bed. I needed to think.”

“I’m sorry you heard me say that.” Trenda reached out to grasp my hand and I jerked it away.

“I can’t even hold your hand?” Trenda asked softly, the hurt clear on her face.

“I’m sorry,” I said, reaching out and grabbing my sister’s hand. “It was reflex.”

“Honey, you need help. We need to get you into counselling. It helped me after I was held hostage. I made an appointment with my therapist. She’ll see you the day after tomorrow.”

It took everything I had not to pull my hand back.

“Trenda, you’re pushing,” Zoe admonished.

“You know I’m right,” Trenda said. “Zoe, we have to help her. Look at her, she’s fading right before our very eyes. I refuse to let her deteriorate and do nothing about it. Not on my watch.”

This time I was able to pull away from Trenda’s grasp. “Don’t talk like I’m not even here. Like I’m not even a person.” I shoved out from beneath the covers and stood up beside the bed.

“Get away from me. Both of you!”

“What did I do?” Zoe whined.

“Out!Both of you!Out!”

“Trenda was the one out of line. This is so not fair.” Zoe protested.

“I hate you both.” I was vibrating with rage.

Where had that come from?

“But I didn’t do anything,” Zoe said standing toe to toe with me.

“No shit you didn’t do anything. You never do anything. You’re never where you should be, you’re always shirking your responsibilities. You’re always gallivanting around and just leaving it to the rest of us to shoulder all the hardships. Get the fuck out of here, Zoe!”

Zoe went rigid.

“You don’t mean that.” Trenda stood up slowly from the bed.

“Get.Out.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw the door open farther and Zarek stand in the doorway.

“Please, Chloe, let’s talk.” Zoe begged.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” My breath was sawing in and out. I felt like I was going to pass out, but I’d be damned if I would sit down. I wasn’t about to show any weakness; they’d use it against me.

“Chloe, if you’d just―”

“Time’s up, Ladies.” Zarek said as he stepped into the room. “Chloe made her position perfectly clear. She’s coming to Dallas with me.”

I turned away from the people in the room and eyed the solace of the bed. Couldn’t I just crawl under the blankets and hide?

“You’re not going with him, are you? You know that’s the wrong decision. You need us.”

Trenda managed to say the exact wrong thing. I looked my sister dead in the eye. “I’m going with Zarek.”

I turned to see if Zoe had any arguments and saw that she was hunched over, holding her stomach like she’d taken a body blow. It took a moment to remember what I’d said to my twin that had left her with such a stricken expression.

“You hate me,” Zoe gasped.

I shut my eyes, trying to block out everything.

“Everything hurts, Zoe. Everything is a reminder, and I’m angry about a lot of things. Zarek’s right. I need to get away from here.”

Zoe slowly straightened up and stared at me, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “Come on Trenda, let’s go.”

“At least let us help you pack,” Trenda offered.

Zoe and I both let out identical weary laughs. Trenda couldn’t help herself. She was a big sister until the bitter end.

“Come on, Tee, our work is done. Let’s bail before Chloe decides to leave and never come back,” Zoe said, dragging Trenda out the door.