Page 76 of Purchase Power
Noah saw nothing but red at the mere mention ofParis.“You don’t know why she’s acting that way? Don’t you remember what happened in the bathrooms?”
Tonya scoffed. “Nothing that didn’t happen here.”
Noah should have been shocked by his mother’s complete disregard for reality, but there were more pressing things to worry about – such as Stacey’s precarious state. She could easily turn into a danger not only toward herself, but the staff. When Candace kept distance from Stacey, Noah knew it was bad.
He was the only one that could possibly get through to her, and he had to try. Most of all, he needed to get her away from the stairs, lest she fall.
“Stacey?” He put one hand on the banister, his attempts to make meaningful eye contact completely lost as long as Stacey paced back and forth. She was so wrapped up in her awful memories that Noah didn’t have the chance to bring her back to the present, where she was safe.
Deep down, he knew she was never truly safe. Not as long as she had her memories.
“Stacey.” He slowly ascended the stairs, one hand extended to her. “Honey. Please. Let’s take a break and talk. Or we can go for a walk in the woods. The fresh air might do you good. Walk off this awful energy.”
“Can’t go outside right now!” That twisting tone wasn’t her voice. It was her imitation of a man who was long dead. An imitation good enough to send a shiver down Noah’s spine. “Someone might hear us, Stacey. We wouldn’t want to ruin such a beautiful moment, would we? Oh, how about we go on the carousel after this? Your brother is being so patient outside while we have our moment. Come, come on! A sweet taste my littleprincess!”
She grabbed a vase and chucked it down the stairs. While she hadn’t aimed for Noah, he held himself to the bannister all the same. The vase also didn’t break when it landed on the floor. They had all long learned to not put anything fragile within her easy reach.
“We’re not there.” Noah reached the top of the stairs, hand still extended. “We’re home. You’ve got me. That man is gone. We have each other. I’ll look after you. You know I will.”
The pounding of Stacey’s breaths came to a slow, but her teeth were still bared and her hands clenched. Slowly, she returned to the world. When she recognized Noah, now much bigger than he had been over twenty years ago, a relief came to her countenance and she slumped to the floor, tears falling from her eyes.
“It’s all right.” Noah knelt next to her and wrapped his arms around her. “Nobody is going to hurt you. Nobody will touch you ever again. I’m here. Your big brother’s here.”
He knew those words were cold comfort. He had always been there for his sister. He recognized the demons long before a boy his age should have known such words. That also meant he was a part of those memories. Although his role had been miniscule, there was always that worry in the back of his head that one day, his mere presence would be too much for a girl who had been so traumatized that she retreated into herself and was never the same again.
“I love you, Stace.” He held her closer. “Never forget that you have me.”
It was a great responsibility, being the constant calm in her storms, but it was something Noah had signed up for a long, long time ago. Back before he understood the lasting repercussions of one man’s evil and his ability to infiltrate a house like theirs.
“So much drama over nothing.” Tonya likewise had a faraway look in her eye as she puffed on her cigarette. She stood at the top of the stairs, looking at her two grown children crumpled on the hallway floor. “That was over twenty years ago. It’s time to grow up. I had to. So can you! Honestly…” She finally turned away. Good. Noah was about to escort her himself. “This is why I don’t come to this awful house. So much fucking despair. You’d think it was cursed. Well, your whole father’s family is cursed. Why am I not surprised he’d send the Devil himself to uphold his duty?”
As soon as Stacey was calmed, Candace rushed forward and took her away.
