Page 10 of Vexed
Something feels off. Something changed.
CHAPTER SIX
Lily
I have only been back home for three days, and already there’s tension between Mom and me. The constant arguing started when I insisted on her donating Dad’s belongings and reached its peak when I mentioned the man who haunted my childhood.
In her eyes, it was all in my head. I knew as a kid, I hated it when she made me feel like I was crazy. But the more I think about it, the more I wonder if it really was just in my head.
As we sit down to eat, I notice the dark circles under her eyes, it is clear that she’s been crying. She places a plate of pizza infront of me—which is not like her. She’s never been one for junk food.
“Is everything alright?” I ask, my voice laden with concern, before taking a bite of the cheesy slice. “Um, yes, sorry for not cooking. Today has been a blur,” she responds, her voice quivering. I raise an eyebrow, silently urging her to elaborate.
“This morning, I went to a shelter and donated your father’s belongings,” she finally confesses, a single tear trickling down her cheek. My heart aches at her words. Though I had pressured her to let go, hearing her say it now breaks something within me.
“It’s for the best, Mom,” I say, squeezing her hand tightly.
After dinner, I insist she goes to bed early, taking it upon myself to clean the kitchen before heading to my room. Loading the dishwasher and wiping off all the counters and the table before making sure the door is locked and all the lights are off.
As I settle onto my bed, my best friend Hannah’s voice emanates from my laptop while I tie my hair up and slump onto the bed.“How long until you’re back, Lil?”
Since becoming friends, I can’t think of a single day that we haven’t spent together. We were practically inseparable, either at my house, overflowing with my family’s chaos, or at hers, a haven of quiet and calm.
She was the first true friend I made after Vex left a gaping hole in my life, and she remained the only friend I have ever truly had.
“Only two weeks. Stop being so clingy,” I jest, laughter bubbling from within me as I dismiss her puppy-dog eyes.
“I am not clingy. I’m just bored,”she retorts, our chuckles filling the air. However, our laughter abruptly stops as a sound from outside startles me, and by the look on Hannah’s face, she heard it too.
“What the hell was that?”
“I don’t know. I’ll check it out. Call me tomorrow, yeah?” With a nod and a wave, I end the call and shut my laptop. Slowly rising from the bed, I make my way to the window.
Peering through the blinds, the streetlights cast an eerie glow upon the silent street. I strain my eyes, searching for any sign of movement. Just as I am about to release the blinds, a black crow lands gracefully before my window, causing me to let out a startled yelp and stumble backward onto the floor.
Gasping for air, my lungs heaving, I fixate my gaze on the window, my heart pounding in my chest. I slowly get to my feet.
That was odd. Birds fluttering about at this ungodly hour is not normal. Just as I turn to make my way back to my bed, a searing pain jolts through my skull, causing me to wince. A deep, growling voice reverberates in my mind, sending shivers down my spine.
I’m here, darling.
Gripping my head, I squeeze my eyes shut. As I try to pry my eyes open again, with blurry vision, I behold the same sinister silhouette towering in my room, casting an ominous shadow against the moonlit window. And then, darkness engulfs me.
Startled awake by the shrill ringing of my phone, I jolted upright in bed. My surroundings blurred as I desperately tried to orient myself.
Finally, my bleary eyes landed on the source of the noise—my phone displaying my boyfriend’s name. With a voice thick with sleep and a parched throat, I answered, “Hey, Austin.”
His concerned tone cut through the fog in my mind.“Hey, baby. Don’t tell me you were still asleep?”After high school, Austin and I still fooled around for a while. ‘Fuck buddies’ ashe called it, and then finally—we made our relationship official about six months ago.
Although, sometimes it still feels like we’re more fuck buddies than boyfriend and girlfriend.
I chuckled dryly, rubbing my gritty eyes as I held the phone between my ear and shoulder. “Yeah, I was,”
“It’s almost two in the afternoon.”
What? His words hit me like a speeding bus, and I glanced at the clock above my desk in disbelief. How did I sleep so late? Why didn’t mom wake me up? I never sleep in. I’m always up before the sun is out to take a morning jog. And that’s when it hit me.
Last night.
