Page 6 of A Lesson in Obedience
He groaned, giving her his full attention from his place huddled on the ground. I knew that look, he was going to try to infiltrate whatever dream state she might have found herself in. I waited and watched, hearing Beau bark over and over again. Riley’s mom reached for her daughter’s arm and I could havesworn, smoke bellowed from under her fingers as she touched Riley’s skin.
“Fuck!” Asher shouted, shutting his eyes and violently shaking his head. She must have kicked him out too.
Beau whined, getting up quickly and clambering over Riley’s body. He laid all his weight on her chest, moving his snout towards her chin. He nuzzled against her neck, licking her. His tail moved rapidly, his whining becoming more incessant.
All at once, anything that was floating in the air came crashing down. The developing cracks in her window stilled and the sound of our breathing was the only thing present in the silence that surrounded us.
Mrs. Monroe tentatively touched her daughter’s skin, nodding. “She is still a little warm, but she’s okay.”
“Okay isn’t the word I’d use.” Asher helped me off the ground before rubbing his temples.
“Who destroyed her necklace?” Mrs. Monroe questioned, reaching towards Beau and petting his head. If what just happened alarmed her, she didn’t let it show. Or maybe it hadn’t hit her quite yet. I wasn’t sure.
“Just a student. We don’t know why. Then she disappeared after…” I looked down at the ground, clearing my throat. “And now she showed up again. Mrs. Monroe, did the necklace have something to do with Riley having magic?”
A sad smile graced her face, but she didn’t respond. I wanted to know what she wasn’t telling us, so I started to slip into her head, but my attempt was halted when my brother gripped my forearm. He spoke in a low voice only I could hear. “She disappeared after your little shadow wielder friend took her. He brought her here and don’t you dare give me some bullshit response in his defense. We need to find him.”
I pulled my arm out of his hold. “We will okay, for fucks sake Asher…”
A groggy sound came from Riley’s bed and all our eyes turned tolook at her. Her fingers twitched and her eyelashes fluttered as she tried to open her eyes. She let out a shallow breath causing Beau to shift himself off her chest; he remained firmly at her side, waiting patiently.
“Riley, honey.” Mrs. Monroe grabbed her blood-stained hand, holding it to her chest. Riley turned her head slightly, her eyes widening when she saw her mom.
“Mom?” Her voice was small and laced with concern. She searched around, noticing Beau and then me and Asher. Riley looked down her body, seeing the blood and her body jolted up, backing up into her headboard. She snatched her hand from her mom and attempted to try to rid herself of the blood that soaked her jeans. She lifted her hands up, shaking them and wringing them out as if that would make them clean again.
Beau lifted his paw and swatted at her. She had tears in her eyes. I started to walk over, but Beau snapped his head towards me and gave me a look that told me to back off for now. He lifted his paw again, attempting to move her hands out the way so he could crawl into her lap.
Her breathing slowed and she swallowed, pressing her eyes closed. She touched the top of Beau’s head, running her hand down towards his back.
“Riley, we will get you cleaned up, okay? Can you tell us anything that happened, honey?” Her mom spoke in a soothing tone that it even started to ease my racing heart.
Riley nodded, looking up at her mom. She didn’t open her mouth to speak though, she just remained quiet.
Asher hadn’t looked away from her since she’d woken up. His eyes were trained on her, following nearly every movement she made. I reached into my pocket for my phone. Grayson hadn’t messaged me back, so I sent another.
RIVER
Call me. I know you took Riley somewhere, but she’s back now. Please just explain it to me.
I tried to casually find him in my mind. When I heard his ramblings in my head, I stopped waiting for something to lead me to him. I heard his mind halt and then the sound of his parents echoed in my head. He was at home.
I opened my mouth to alert my brother when Riley’s voice grabbed hold of my attention. “I know I’m safe now.”
Mrs. Monroe furrowed her brows, trying to reach for her daughter’s hand again. “Who are you talking to?”
Riley mirrored her mom’s expression. “What do you mean?”
“Riley, I didn’t say anything just now. You just spoke as if someone was talking to you.”
Riley cocked her head to the side. “I heard ‘you’re safe now’, so I was just responding. It was loud and clear, are you telling me you didn’t hear someone say that?”
“No, Riley, we didn’t. How about we get you cleaned up now…” Her mom tried to be helpful and change the subject.
Her mouth opened slightly as if she was trying to find more words to explain herself, then her eyebrows lifted, and her eyes looked as if she was thinking. “Did you guys hearthat?”
“Hear what?” Asher sounded frustrated.
“How can you not hear…” With a slowness I didn’t think was possible, she looked down at Beau. The pitbull wagged its tail and barked once, his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth. “Oh my god.”
