darcie
Stacey and I fell asleep sometime later, but I was woken by a cold, wet sensation against my skin. Then I got a whiff of something bitter and chemical and began to cough. My eyes snapped open to the image of someone standing over me. It was too dark to see their face. But I tried to kick them out and push them off me. They were trying to push a rag with what I assumed to be chloroform over my mouth and nose. I still had on my shoes, so thankfully, they struck his shin bone, and he went down with a mournful groan.
It seemed he was injured. I grabbed my knife, which was always in the back of my pants, and jumped on the intruder.
That was when the lights came on, and I saw his face.
“Declan!”
But for now, I had to focus on my brother being here and not the fact that the boys had done it and turned on the power to the town.
“What the f…” Stacey exclaimed, the kerfuffle waking her.
“Stace, take the kids and run! Get out of here. Call for help.”
“But…”
“Go! I’ll be fine. I can handle myself,” I told her, looking down into the face of my murderous brother. He pushed against me, and I elbowed him in the nose.
Reluctantly, Stacey picked up little Lily Rose, put her on her hip, set AJ on the ground, and told him they had to run as fast as he could like the Flash, and fled the house. I tried to pin Declan by putting my knees on his thighs and my left forearm on his arm, but his right arm was free, and I didn’t have time to capture it with mine before the chloroform-soaked cloth was pushed over my face.
My vision blurred and darkened. I tried to grab him, scrambling for purchase, but it was useless. The effects of the chemical overwhelmed me, and I fell into unconsciousness.
* * *
I woke up sometime later and realised I was no longer on the floor of Dane’s mom’s house but was tied to the bed in an unfamiliar house. The sheets and bed duvet were white with blue seashells on them. And then I saw the notepad lying on the nightstand beside me.
The Sea and Sand Inn.
Declan had taken me to a bed and breakfast in town. Why?
I couldn’t see my brother but heard the tap running in the bathroom. The door opened, and he walked out. He wore a grey T-shirt and blue jeans. He had bare feet, and his hair was wet. Had he had a shower and changed while I was out of it?
“Oh, good. You’re awake.”
“Why did you bring me here, Declan? Why am I tied to a bed?” I struggled against the bindings, which were around my wrists and ankles.
“So, you don’t leave me again. I finally have you, and I’m never going to let you go.” he smiled, and in that smile was darkness but also a hint of something else, like the sun trying to push through a rain cloud. I realised it was sincerity.
Oh my god.
He meant it. He really didn’t want to lose me.
“You could have said so. I said I was here for you if you wanted to talk. You didn’t have to do all those horrible things to get my attention.”
He was standing at the base of the bed I was on, staring at me, but looked away suddenly when I said the last part about killing to get my attention. I realised I had him. I finally knew his motive.
“I’m here now. I’m not going anywhere. I want to talk to you as well. I want to spend time with my big brother. Do you think you could untie me?”
But he didn’t listen. He began to pace, waving a knife around in the air. I realised it was my knife. My heart pounded hard.
“No!” he yelled. “Because you’ll… you’ll just leave! I can’t have you leave, like him. Like her. You’ll tell everyone about me, about how crazy I am, like she did.”
It took a moment for my brain to catch up, and then I realised he was talking about the girl in the diary. Taylor. The girl he’d had a crush on who’d humiliated him.
“I’m not like Taylor,” I said, softer, quieter, almost in a whisper.
His eyes met mine, and he began to laugh menacingly. It was a cackle like he was a supervillain.
“You’ve finally read my diary!” He did something unexpected. He leapt onto the bed and stood over me, his feet between my legs.
“So, you finally know how I feel!”
“Yes, Declan. I do. And do you know what? I pity you. I wish I could have known about you earlier. I could have used a friend or a sibling when I was growing up, too. I was just like you. Alone like you. Abused and neglected, just like you. But do you know what? That’s not our fault. It’s his.”
Then he sunk onto his knees, his jeans brushing against mine. I wanted to reach out and comfort him.
“Dec, he is dead. I’m here. You’re not alone anymore. You can stop.”
He didn’t talk for a long time. He sat on his feet before me, and I continued to watch him. he reminded me of a vulnerable, lost little boy. He had ever wanted was love.
So had I.
Thankfully. I had found love and a family here in Summervale.
But there was still hope for Declan. After he first got some help.
“I’m here for you,” I whispered. “I can help you.”
I watched as he slowly looked up. His chin lifted, and so did the hand holding my knife.
But he did something unexpected. He cut the ropes binding my ankles and then moved over me and freed my hands, too. When my hands were free, I reached out and pulled him down to me, hugging him. I held my brother tight, hoping to show him what love was and that he wasn’t a lost cause.
He stiffened at first but then softened, and as his body sank into mine and he held me back, his body began to shake. Soft sobs filled my ears. He was crying.
“Ssh. It’s okay, Dec. It’s over now. I’m here.”
It was then the door to the hotel room burst open, and Bobby ran in holding a gun, followed closely by Sheriff Richards, another officer, and then Dane.
“No!” I yelled. Bobby met my gaze, looked at his father and Dane, and nodded. My eyes were wide and pleading. So, they let me gently get off the bed and arrest my brother. Bobby handed me some handcuffs, and I gently slipped them onto his wrists, binding his hands behind his back. As Sheriff Richards took him to the back of the van, Bobby stepped aside and let Dane run into my arms.
“Are you okay?” he asked me, kissing me hard and passionately.
“Yes. Surprisingly, yes. I am.” I smiled and took his hand.
But Bobby’s voice stopped us as we were about to walk to our car.
“Dane, wait. There’s something I have to tell you.”
“Yeah, what’s wrong, man?” asked Dane, immediately cautious.
“I… I’m really sorry. Dane… it’s your mom. She’s… she was found in the bath of one of the rooms here.”
His knees immediately gave way, and I struggled to catch him. I fell with him.
“Dane?” I cried. Reaching for him, holding onto him.
But he ripped his arm away from me, got to his feet and ran away from the scene, leaving me crying on the sidewalk.
“Dane!”