part0034

L ike a freight train, determination mixed with some kind of old magic courses through my bloodstream as I shift and change into something else entirely. I feel it, the break to my bones when my arms are no longer there, and in their place are black-feathered, raven’s wings.

I’m flying; I’m actually, literally flying.

The air surrounds my tiny body, and the look on Ethan’s face is one of incredulous rage. My vision is no longer hindered by that of a human. I can see every crevasse of the room I’ve been kept in, the walls a glimmering, tan stone.

The beating of my wings trills through my senses, almost causing me to falter.

There’s a distant light, calling to me…This way, fly this way, freedom is here.

His howl is the last thing I hear as I fly forward. There are too many endless turns and twists, a never ending maze. A labyrinth of haunting shadows chases me until finally; the light is right before me. The exit to my prison is in the shape of a gaping hole that leads out into the night sky. A sky filled with brilliant stars and a moon hanging in the balance.

With one last look behind me, I make out a sign stuck in the ground. It reads: Private Property, No Trespassing Allowed.

That’s why no one knew where we were, that sneaky bastard!

Another ominous howl rents the air, prompting my wings into rapid motion. The wind aids in my escape, lovingly pushing me in the direction I must go. The fear that I’m lost never takes hold because up ahead in the distance are the safe lights belonging to the town of Elko, Nevada.

“Hannah!” he screams one last time, but it sounds more like a weeping animal.

But it is my own answering call that astounds me the most…Caw, caw!

S ense of time and rationality are all but gone when I finally make landfall. My body is strange to me as my tiny claws make purchase onto a quivering limb right outside my dormitory window. Thoughts pass through me, but they feel foreign, as if someone else has taken residence in my brain…

Fly again, think about your body and it will become one again. Become one with your legs, your arms will follow next.

I know things I didn’t before.

I am stronger, I am wiser.

Swooping down, I hear and feel a pop and crunch before my feet touch the cold cement. After testing my limbs, I reach up and touch my face with shaking hands. My cheeks feel as soft as they always have, but I realize one important factor when I hear footsteps approaching.

Jesse stands at the dormitory entrance, his handsome face shocked. “You, Hannah, you’re…naked,” he says, rushing over to me and taking off his jacket to wrap around my shoulders. “My God, Hannah, what’s going on?”

Licking my lips, I accept his jacket but take a step back. “I’m not sure, what day is it?” I ask, suddenly knowing that a certain amount of time has passed. “What’s happened?”

“It’s Halloween,” he reveals softly, his hazel eyes shining underneath the street lamp. “At the party…you fainted. Oddly enough, Mr. Winchester was there and drove you to the hospital.” He rakes his hair back, clearly agitated. “I wanted to come with you, we all did, but Mr. Winchester wouldn’t let us because of the curfew.”

“Ah, I see,” I say woodenly, the news that over a week has passed barely fazing me.

“He told us you were going back to your hometown to rest for a while, that you’d come down with a terrible sickness,” he says, concern lacing his tone. “Are you okay Hannah, are you still sick?”

My stomach sinks as I realize just how thoroughly Ethan had explained my disappearance. Next, the man probably would’ve delivered the news of my death, while he continued living a normal life and kept me prisoner on his private property. The man is pure evil.

“I’m…,” I pause, searching for the right words. “I’m not sick, just different. And I need to get inside my room, now. I’m freezing.” I shiver, pretending to be cold.

He nods emphatically. “Of course, c’mon, I’ll make sure no one sees.”

“Thank you, Jesse. You’ve been such a good friend to me.” I smile gratefully.

“Luckily, almost everyone is at the Halloween bash, so we shouldn’t have too much of an audience,” he laughs, steering us through the double doors.

“Lydia is there, too?” I ask as we climb the stairs to my old room.

Old room… that’s right, it’s not really mine anymore.

“Lydia?” he questions back, unlocking my room with a key from his pocket. “Oh…yeah, she’s not here. She’s at the party.” He smiles reassuringly as he holds the door open for me. “Let’s get you inside and put some clothes on.”

“Thanks,” I say, taking in the small bedroom and how everything is just as I left it. “Uh, wait out here, I’ll just be a minute.” Rushing over to my dresser, I pull out a pair of jeans and a hoodie, along with some undergarments.

After I’m dressed, a sense of urgency jolts through me, and I have to lean against the bathroom door to collect myself and the thoughts rushing at me. It’s hard to explain, but the thoughts are like flying paper airplanes all aiming for my brain.

Nearly stumbling, I open the door. “Jesse, I’m sorry but I have to go now,” I pant, the urge to run even stronger now. “I-thank you, for everything. I’ll always remember what a good friend you were to me.”

He’s sitting on my bed, seeming relaxed but his heartbeat is off.

It’s a little fast, faster than before I’d gone into the bathroom. In a flash, my eyes zoom in on his hand. He’s holding something, and I can tell he’s trying to hide it…my underwear. He has a pair of my underwear in his hands…

“Jesse?” I ask, walking slowly forward. “Why do you have my underwear?”

He coughs, his eyes meeting mine innocently. “I found them on the floor, over there by your dresser.”

“Can I have them back, please?”

Jesse grins as he stands. “You know something, Hannah? No , you can’t have them back. You know what else? I’m tired of playing your little waiting game.” He stalks closer, shaking his head. “I know you aren’t sick, you never were, so where’ve you been this whole time, huh?”

“Don’t tell me you weren’t with him,” he yells, suddenly in my face. “I know you were with Mr. Winchester this whole time,” he says, spitting with emotion. “And now…I have to kill him, too.” He taps his own head, pacing the floor like a maniac. “Hannah, Hannah, Hannah,” he repeats and then stops in front of me again, laughing. “Not you, of course…I have to kill him for almost ruining my plan.”

“Your plan?” I ask, taking a step back. “What plan are you talking about?”

“Us, me and you, Hannah,” he shouts, yanking on his own hair in frustration. “We are meant to be, and we will be once I deal with Mr. Winchester.”

It’s then that an earlier conversation comes back to haunt me…

“You killed Edward Turner and Jared Shaw, didn’t you?” I accused, hoping to stall whatever was about to happen next.

“Edward, yes,” he agreed indifferently. “I didn’t care for the way he was planning to insert himself into your life.” He laughed at my shocked expression. “Oh yes, he wanted you, just like the rest of them. You’re naive to your own beauty, my love.”

“You killed the librarian, didn’t you?” I ask, startled by the revelation. “You killed Jared Shaw.”

He mutters dementedly. “You’re not as dumb as I thought, not as dumb as I thought.” He paces away and then back, once again in my face. “I had to; I had to kill him after the way he looked at you that day. I know him, and he wanted you for himself. He does terrible things to girls like you.”

This is crazy. “You knew him?” I ask, my heightened senses more than keeping pace with his words. “How’d you know him?”

“You never once asked me my last name, Hannah,” he mocks, flashing teeth. “Shaw, my last name is Shaw, and Jared Shaw was my uncle.” Tilting his head to the side, he waits for my reaction.

“You’re Jesse Shaw...” I whisper, realizing how stupid I’d been to put my trust in him. “So, you killed your own uncle all because you didn’t like the way he looked at me. That’s so wrong, Jesse,” I tell him, shaking with anger. “So wrong, and I don’t want any part in it.”