"My name is
Cherice. I'm 17 years, 59 days, 21
hours, 7 minutes, and 53 1/2 seconds old.
I lived in London with my mother, father, and sister until I was 12. Now I live with my grandfather in
Tulsa. I am unable to tell you more, it
is classified information and many lives would be in jeopardy, including mine,
if I did."
"Why were those
men chasing you? Who are they? Who are you?" a tall, thin guy, about
20 with soft blond hair framing his face and kind blue eyes asked.
"Why is everything
classified? We won't tell anyone. You can trust us," a blond with brown,
trustworthy eyes, and long hair. He was
about Cherice's age, maybe a little older.
"I'm afraid I
cannot trust you. You may not willingly
give away information, but it is too risky for you to know any of my
business. If you would give me the
diskman in your hand, which belongs to me, I'll be on my way," Cherice
pointed to the diskman, holding her hand out expectantly.
"Tell us what's
going on first," the blue eyed blond demanded, holding the diskman out of
her reach.
I'm sorry, I didn't
catch your names," Cherice said, ignoring the demand.
"I'm Taylor,
these are my brothers, Isaac and Zac.
Why were those men chasing after you?" the blond with the diskman
questioned again.
"I am not
permitted to say. Please give me the
diskman before you are in danger too," Cherice pleaded.
"Why would we be
in danger? Taylor asked, keeping the diskman far enough out of her reach so her
fingers could just graze the hard surface of the diskman, but couldn't grab it.
"I already said
too much. Please, just trust
me." Taylor looked into the
pleading blue-green eyes of the girl before him and slowly moved the diskman
toward her. "Thank you," she
said with relief and tightly clutched the diskman to her body. "Now I must go. Take care."
"Why'd you give
it back? Now we'll never find out what
she was up to," Zac whined as the tree branches swayed slightly, the only
evidence Cherice had been there.
"Because,"
Taylor said, but stopped. From the
other direction came loud thunderous steps.
In front of them, behind them, and to the sides were angry, gun-wheeling
men.
"Where is
she?" one man asked.
"Who?"
Taylor asked.
"Bind them, then
continue tracking the girl. Martin,
take these three back to the camp." Isaac, Taylor, and Zac were bound together by their feet and
wrists, and lead away by the man called Martin. They marched through the dense trees and foliage for hours. When they finally reached "camp"
the moon was on the other side of the sky, setting, and the sun was rising.
"Where are
we?" Taylor asked.
"Let us go,"
Zac demanded.
"Don't you know
who we are?" Isaac questioned.
"Of course,"
Martin said, tiring of their constant whining.
"Why do you think you're still alive?" The three captives were silenced, for now,
and took seats close to a small campfire their six captors had burning. The smell of roasting meat wafted on the
wings of the soft wind, making their hungry stomachs rumble. The men fed them and alternated watch duty,
making sure their prisoners had no opportunity to escape.
"Wake up. Let's move." All too early for his liking, Taylor was roused from his
sleep. The boot of one of his captors
caught him in the stomach and he let out a hiss of air.
"I'm awake! Quit kicking me!" Taylor cried. Stopping the pointed boot that came toward
him. The man released his foot from
Taylor and waited as he slowly sat up.
"Let's
move," he said, his gun pointed at Taylor's chest, inviting him to make a
move. Taylor rose to his feet in slow
movements.
At a fast walk they
marched through the thickly populated forest.
Unrelenting in the set pace they continued, briars branches, and thick
undergrowth caught their clothes, scratched at their skin, and tripped them. More than once one of the weary brothers
lost his balance and brought the trio crashing to the earth. Each time that happened they were roughly
brought to their feet and forced to keep moving. Toward sundown they made camp, built a small fire, and ate a
meager supper. For two more days they continued
the same routine.
"I need a
bath," Taylor stated more than requested.
He heard the moving water from the stream that was near their camp. The men guarding them looked at each other, and
finally Martin nodded his consent.
A young red haired
guard, James, led Taylor to the stream, which was more a tiny river than
stream. It stretched about 20 feet from
the bank on their side to the opposite bank, with the middle reaching a depth
of at least 6 feet. In position as
sentry James watched Taylor strip off his shoes, socks, shirt, and pants
warily. Not testing the water first,
Taylor dove into the water. On the bank
another man, Travis, joined James, while Isaac and Zac stripped off all their
clothes, save their underwear, and joined Taylor in the water.
"I'm gonna take a
leek," Travis told James. James
didn't take his eyes off the three water rats as he nodded. Once Travis was gone and James was alone
Cherice crept slowly out of hiding.
From behind she clubbed James with a rock and he crumpled to the ground
with a thud, unconscious.
"Cherice?"
Taylor asked. She didn't answer but
swam toward the three in the water.
They watched her, not moving or speaking
"Come on,"
she hissed when she was in their midst.
"I can't leave you here with them, and there's too much at risk if
I'm caught." She started for the
other bank, Isaac, Taylor, and Zac following.
"What about our
clothes?" Taylor asked, afraid to get out of the water while he was
wearing white boxers with glow-in-the-dark bananas that were wet.
"They're over
there," Cherice gestured toward the other bank. "Go get them if you insist, but I can't wait." Taylor looked at her, her expression
revealing her impatience. 'Zac and Isaac are already on the bank with Cherice
in their underwear. Isaac is in tighty
whities, surely they reveal more than my boxers,' Taylor thought to
himself. He shrugged and joined the
others. "Good, let's get out of
here."
Taylor walked behind
Cherice at a hurried pace. His feet
bare, the sensitive flesh covering them bruised and containing a few cuts and
scratches. With ease Cherice led them
through the woods as if it were an open street with nothing to navigate around.
"I need to use a
tree," Zac announced from behind Taylor.
Cherice stopped. Isaac and Zac
went in search of the perfect tree while Taylor took a seat on a flat
rock. He leaned his head against a tree
behind him and watched his guide.
"What?"
Cherice asked without turning around to face Taylor She knew he was staring at her, he had been since they started
out.
"Where are we
going?" he asked.
"Somewhere I feel
safe," she said.
"So we'll be safe
there?" Taylor asked. Cherice
shook her head and with a sigh turned around to face Taylor.
"I'll be
safe. You won't. That's why I'm only going to stay long enough
to gibe them what I found then I'm going to take you and your brothers to
safety."
"Why wouldn't we
be safe?" Cherice didn't answer
since they heard people approaching.
Isaac and Zac came into view, picking their way through the trees
carefully.
"Let's put as
much distance between us and Mitchell's men as we can before dark,"
Cherice suggested. She led them at a
steady pace. The sun had long since
risen and was making its decent when she led them into a small cave, hidden by
the forest. "We'll make camp
here." Greatfully Isaac, Zac, and
Taylor collapsed onto the dirt floor of the cave. Cherice made a tiny fire using the dry wood in one corner of the
cave, reminders that someone else knew of the cave's existence. Isaac's stomach rumbled, in the silence it
sounded like a distant thunder cloud.
Everyone turned their gazes to him and he blushed, embarrassed.
"What? I'm hungry," he said simply. "We've been marching for hours and
haven't eaten since yesterday night."
Cherice opened her back pack and pulled out some fruits; apples,
bananas, oranges, and some strawberries (in a container).
"All the food
I've got left. We'll have to make it
last or forage in the forest," she said.
No one was paying any attention to her, they were too busy devouring the
food before them. "Forage it
is," she said to herself and watched the others eat.
"You wouldn't
happen to have anymore food in that bag of yours would you?" Zac asked,
waking Cherice from her thoughts.
"No, sorry,"
she said with a slight blush as she realized she'd been staring at Taylor. He raised an eyebrow in a questioning
fashion, causing her to blush even more.
"Well that hit
the spot," Isaac said, leaning back against the cave wall.
"Cherice, can I
ask you a question?" Zac asked.
She shrugged and he continued.
"What's your last name?"
Cherice's face clouded over for a minute in a mixture of unreadable
emotions.
"Don't
know," she said with a shrug.
"How do you not
know?" Zac asked.
"It doesn't
matter. I don't need one, so I don't
have one. It's simpler that way."
"Surely a last
name matters. What do you tell your
friends?" Taylor asked, joining their conversation.
"Nothing. They understand."
"How do people
find you?" Isaac asked.
"They
don't."
"How can we find
you then? When this is all over,"
Taylor asked, his blue eyes betraying his anxiety.
"You don't. That's the point. No one can find me. I'm
just a nameless face in the crowd. It's
kept me alive so far hasn't it? Why
mess with something that isn't broken?"
In silence they sat, no one knowing what to say that would ease the
tension. "Maybe we should all get
some sleep?" she suggested finally.
"Yeah," Zac
agreed with a yawn. "The sun'll
rise before long." Cherice banked
the fire, stirring the ashes to make sure they were out and everyone settled on
the ground to sleep. With the sound of
the three steadily breathing sleepers Cherice got up. From her bag she pulled a bar of soap and a small towel.
At the edge of a small
stream, no deeper than 4 feet, she sat.
Quickly she took off her shoes and socks. Then she set her jeans and shirt with the towel and her
shoes. Soap in hand she waded out
toward the middle of the stream. The
clear, quickly moving water was cool to her skin, making her shiver. Cherice ignored her body's reaction to the
cold and began to wash her body and hair.
Then sound of a zipper
and someone moving woke Taylor from his shallow slumber. He saw Cherice leaving the cave and without
pausing to think, followed her. Behind
a wide-based oak tree he hid. From
there he saw Cherice pause at the bank and strip off her outer layer of clothes
and proceed into the water. His breath
caught as he watched her pale, sleek body submerging into moonlit water. He stood there for so long, watching her
methodically cleaning her body, wishing she'd turn so he could see her face,
that his foot fell asleep. He
transferred his weight to his other foot and resumed his watching.
"You do realize
you're standing in poison ivy and if you don't wash it off soon, you'll regret
it tomorrow?" Taylor jumped, she
knew he was there. 'But how?' he asked
himself. 'How did she know I was here? She didn't turn. Did she hear me or see me before?'
"Okay," he
said simply and without another word joined her in the water. "So," he said swimming up next to
Cherice. "Think I can use some of
your soap?" Cherice handed it to
him after rubbing it over her hands.
With the soap in her hands she washed her hair, while Taylor washed his
own hair and body.
"What are you
doing still up?" Cherice asked, turning to face Taylor.
"I heard you
moving around then leave." Cherice
nodded and rinsed her hair. Long and
dark with water her blonde hair with natural orange highlights hung over her shoulders
and down her back. She started to swim
around, working her muscles into exhaustion so she could sleep. "Taylor?"
"Yeah?" he
answered, rinsing his own hair then looking over at Cherice.
"What were you
guys doing in the woods?"
"When you
stumbled upon us?" Cherice
nodded. "We were camping."
"Without any
gear?"
"With an RV. We were out hiking. This is our first camping trip. We wanted to have a nice quiet, relaxing
vacation."
"So much for
relaxing," Cherice said with a smile.
"I guess you can't wait to get home."
"Actually,"
he said, moving closer to Cherice.
"I'm finding camping rather enjoyable. Good company." He
moved his head, tilting it at an angle so his lips were an inch from hers. "I think this is the most fun I've had
in awhile." His breath was a warm,
sweet wind upon her lips and the desire to kiss him and be kissed by him was
almost unbearable. "This is the
part where I kiss you," he said in soft, caressing tones. His lips connected with hers in a soft inquiring
kiss, tentatively searching for a reaction.
Cherice barely knew what her body was doing when she responded to the
kiss, deepening it.
With Taylor's hands
pressing her closer to him, his fingers running over the small of her back,
Cherice felt her skin heating. Taylor
could feel Cherice's hands on his chest and the sensation made him want more,
to feel her hands all over his body. He
groaned softly when she pulled away from his lips, his hands still holding her
to him. His blue eyes clouded with
desires held in check, stared down at her.
"What?" he
asked.
"I've
got..." her voice wavered, her pulse racing. "We should get back and rest. Day light'll be here before too long and we need to be
rested."
"Cherice do you
really want to go back?" Taylor asked.
He pulled her to him and brought his lips smoothly to hers. All thought ran from her head, leaving
Cherice free to follow her passions.
Taylor molded her willing body to his and reached the bank. They left their clothes at the water's edge. Gently he laid her on the bank and arranged
himself over her. Without saying
anything she watched his every move.
Taylor kissed her lips
fully before moving on, to her neck he went.
Slowly he made his way down her body.
Nipping here, licking there, kissing everywhere. He got to know her body intimately. Cherice ran her hands across his shoulders,
over his back and buttocks all the while.
Unable to take his barrage of teasing any longer Cherice brought
Taylor's lips back to hers. He entered
her then. Swiftly, not expecting
resistance he plunged into her tight canal.
"Oh shit!"
Taylor said, stopping all movement. He
looked down at Cherice, her eyes were wide open with pain. "Sorry sweet," he whispered,
kissing her nose, forehead, and chin before claiming her lips. When her tiny body adjusted to him Taylor
began the slow thrust and retreat movements that were as old as time. Slowly, tantalizingly, he brought her to the
brink of ecstasy. Together they reached
ultimate pleasure. Taylor collapsed
panting. He rolled off of Cherice,
still inside her, and looked at her.
The moon was shining overhead illuminating her perfect apricot
skin. She looked both fragile and
unconquerable to him. Taylor reached
his hand out and brushed a sweaty clump
of hair from her face. Cherice
looked at him with those eyes that reminded him of shimmering aquamarines, and
smiled.
"We'd better get
back to the others," she said, sitting up. Taylor watched as she waded back into the stream, quickly washed
and dressed. "Are you planning on staying
here?"
"Just till you're
done getting dressed," Taylor said.
He stood and followed Cherice's example. After a quick dip in the cool water and put his boxers back
on. When he finished he noticed he was
alone and headed back to the cave where his brothers were asleep and he saw
Cherice had placed her things and left again.
"Hey
Cherice," Zac said, seeing her in the morning. She was walking toward the cave with something that looked like
apples in her hands.
"Hey Zac,"
Cherice returned the greeting.
"Hungry?" she asked.
Zac shrugged and she handed him an apple. "What are you doing up so early?" Again he shrugged.
"You?" he
asked.
"Couldn't
sleep," she said, this time she was the one to shrug.
"Cherice where
are we going?" he asked, taking a bite of the apple. The two found seats by a tree and sat with
the sun rising behind them as they ate their apples.
"Where I
live. I have to get something to
someone."
"What?" Zac
asked, curious.
"I have a disk
that is extremely important that ave to give to the right people," Cherice
said indifferently.
"What's on
it?" Zac asked.
"I'm not exactly
sure," Cherice admitted, "I
just know what I was told. I was
supposed to be helping Ryan and I failed."
"Who's
Ryan?" Taylor asked, coming to join Zac and Cherice, Isaac following.
"Hmm?"
Cherice asked, aware for the first time of what she'd said. "No one. Hungry?" she asked, handing Taylor and Isaac the leftover
apples. "We'd better get a move
on." Taylor watched her, curious
of who this mystery Ryan was.
"So when are we
getting back to our lives?" Isaac asked when he was through with his
apple.
"Tonight I should
be able to return the disk. Then a
couple more days till you're safe and secure in your old lives," Cherice
promised and went back into the cave to pack up her things. "Let's get going before we're
found."
The three brothers
followed her, having little to no other choice. Slowly but steadily the group trekked through the woods, Cherice
seeming to know instinctively where to find paths. As they made their way through the woods Cherice found fruits and
berries fro them to eat. They ate while
they walked, all too aware of the dangers around them.
"Can we
stop?" Zac asked with the sun half way to the horizon. "I really need to go to the
trees." Everyone went their own
way, to find a secluded area to do what they had to, staying within shouting
distance of each other. Regrouping they
continued their march toward a place only Cherice knew.
"Hey Rice,"
can I ask you something?" Zac asked from where he was walking between
Taylor and Isaac.
"What?"
"This place we're
going to. What's it like?" he
asked. "Can we call home? I need to get hold of my girlfriend before
she gets really worried."
"I might be able
to get you a phone, but you can't let anyone inside know you're there. Do you understand?" Cherice asked,
turning to look at them. They looked
confused but nodded anyway.
"Why?"
Taylor asked as they started walking again.
"You want to go
home, see your friends, family, and girlfriends right?"
"I don't have a
girlfriend, but yeah. So?" Taylor
asked, still confused.
If anyone finds out
you're there they won't let you leave.
Ever. It's too
dangerous." Silence ensued and
they continued walking. Some time after
dark Cherice snuck Isaac, Taylor, and Zac into the complex she lived in, via
secret tunnels.
"Where are
we?" Isaac asked when they entered a dark room. Cherice shut the door and turned on the lights.
"Make yourselves
comfortable," Cherice said as she rummaged through her back pack looking
for the disk. "I'll be back. Lock the door behind me, don't let anyone in
unless they know your names, okay?"
"Don't worry
about us," Zac said, rummaging in a small refrigerator he found in a
corner. Isaac was looking around the
room, inspecting various items as he went.
"Good luck," Zac called as Cherice went out the door and
Taylor locked it behind her.
"Hey look,"
Isaac said, coming out of a room that was joined to the one Taylor and Zac were
in. "I found another room, and
there are clothes in here we can probably fit into." Taylor and Zac went into the room. They made sure no one was in it, and found
the only access to the room was the door which they came through.
"Who's stuff do
you think it is?" Zac asked. The
only personal objects in the room were the clothes, which were nondescript
enough to belong to anyone and a picture by the bed. A picture of Cherice and a tall attractive man of 19 or 20, dark
haired, and blue eyed. Taylor looked at
the picture and saw the love the two in the picture felt for each other and
knew he couldn't compete with the guy.
Taylor went back to
the room he'd come from and sat on the bed.
He wondered idyll if it was Cherice's be he was sitting on. Gradually he noticed his surroundings and
picked up a picture cube that was by the bed.
He saw a duplicate of the picture in the other room, a picture of a
smiling couple with a baby in their arms and an older girl, he found a picture
of the older girl in a wedding dress standing with a man in a tuxedo, a picture
of the same couple with two children, a picture of Cherice and the girl in the
wedding dress, another girl, and two guys, and another picture of Cherice with
an older man. He put the cube back on
the table vowing to asked Cherice about all the people when she came back.
Taylor was asleep when
Cherice came back. He didn't stir when
she re-locked the door. He didn't move
when she looked in the other room and saw Isaac and Zac asleep. He didn't notice when she shut the door,
leaving her and him alone together. He
did however notice when she sat on the edge of the bed and leaned against the
wall.
"What's
wrong?" he asked, sitting up.
Cherice opened her eyes and looked at him for a moment, wondering what
he would say when he heard what she had to say.
"Everything's
wrong," Cherice said finally.
"Tell me about
it," he encouraged. He watched her,
waiting to see if she would open up to him.
"I can't you back
to Tulsa yet. I can't send you with
anyone else because the only person I could trust to keep you safe until you
got there is gone. Something isn't right,
and I can't figure out what it is," she said in a whisper soft voice.
"Why can't you
take us back?" Taylor asked in a voice just as soft.
"That's what I can't understand. I've been ordered to stay here. I'm not allowed to leave. I'd send you with someone else, but I don't
trust anyone, now."
"I don't
understand," Taylor confessed.
"Neither do
I," Cherice said. They sat in
silence for a long time before either one spoke. "I'm sorry Taylor.
I'm really sorry I had to get you, and your brothers involved with
this."
"I'm not,"
Taylor said, reaching out he gently brushed a piece of her silky hair from her
face. His fingers traced her jawbone,
their gazes locked.
"Taylor, I--" Taylor stopped her protest with his lips. Hungrily they pressured her lips to open. When they did his tongue invaded her mouth, exploring the soft flesh within. Cherice surrendered to him, she was quickly learning that she couldn't say 'no' when it came to Taylor. She was also learning that this was more complicated than she'd like it to be.
~ * ~ * ~
PART 2:
“Cherice, I need to
talk to you,” Taylor said a couple months after they arrived at her home. Cherice nodded and sat on her bed, waiting
for him to continue. “When can we
leave?”
“I
don’t know where my grandfather is.
If—“
“If
Ryan were here you’d let him take us back,” Taylor interrupted bitterly. He’d been through it all before. It wasn’t that he wanted to leave Cherice,
but he wanted to be home with his family, and Isaac and Zac missed the loves in
their lives.
“Taylor
let’s not—“ Cherice stopped, her hand over her mouth she ran to the bathroom.
“Hey!”
Zac cried, sticking his head out of the shower. Seeing Cherice hugging the toilet he forgot his anger. “Are you all right?” he asked. He wrapped a towel around his torso and
stepped out of the shower.
“Fine,”
Cherice said, wiping her mouth. Zac
handed her a cool washcloth which she placed on her forehead.
“Are you sure? It seems like you’re always sick, lately,”
Zac questioned. Cherice looked at him,
startled. “What? I’ve seen you turn green and run for the
bathroom. Are you sick or…?”
“I’m
fine. Just pregnant,” Cherice said with
a sigh. “Don’t say anything, alright?”
“Sure,”
Zac agreed with a shrug. Cherice got
up, threw the washcloth in a basket, and left the room. “Wow,” Zac said to his reflection. “Guess she’s really close to that Ryan guy.”
“Cherice,
are you all right?” Taylor asked when she came out of the bathroom. Cherice ignored him and crawled onto her
bed, curled up, and closed her eyes.
“Taylor
can you call home?” Isaac asked his brother.
For a little over two months he and his two brothers had not left the
rooms of Cherice’s apartment. He was
beyond cabin fever and well on his way to psychotic killer, his only sanity
came from calling Bern, his fiancée.
“Why
don’t you?” Taylor asked, looking at his brother. “I’m busy.” He turned
away from Isaac and back to Cherice.
“You
promised Mom you would call her,” Isaac reminded him.
“Alright! I’ll call her,” Taylor said in defeat. “Later.
I’m busy right now, so if you don’t mind I’d like to talk to Cherice,
alone.”
“Just
don’t forget to call Mom,” Isaac warned and went back to the room he and Zac
had been sharing. Taylor ignored his
comment and turned his full attention to Cherice.
“What’s
wrong Cher?” he asked softly. Cherice
looked at him, wondering if she could trust him with her secret without him
doing something drastic.
“I’m
worried about my grandfather I guess. I
can’t figure out where he is,” Cherice said, her voice quivering with fear.
“Maybe
he’s visiting family,” Taylor suggested, trying to be helpful.
“I
don’t think so. I’m all the family he
has,” Cherice explained.
“What
about your sisters and brothers?” he asked, referring to the pictures in the
cube that she had explained were of her parents, grandfather, Ryan, her
sisters, Nancy and Tracy, Tracy’s husband, David, their children, Brad and
Laura, and her brothers, Adam and Josh.
“Josh,
Tracy, Nancy, and Adam are adopted. My
parents couldn’t have children. My
grandfather didn’t want anything to do with any of them. Somehow they managed to conceive me, and I’m
the only one my grandfather talks to.
Besides, Tracy would have called me,” Cherice said, her eyes half
closed, taking on a dreamy haze.
“So
you keep in touch with your sister?” Taylor asked, thinking there may be a
small chance he would be able to keep in contact with Cherice.
“It’s
against all the rules and if I were caught the punishment would be brutal. I couldn’t just forget about my entire
family though. She calls me every once
in awhile to tell me how Brad is doing in school and how much Laura has
grown. She keeps me up to date on how
the rest of the family is too.”
“Do
you ever visit?” Taylor asked, his body tensed, waiting for her answer.
“No,
it’s too far away,” Cherice said as she tried to stifle a yawn. Taylor smiled as he watched her. She was curled into a ball, almost in the
fetal position, her head resting on the pillow, her brilliant eyes nearly
closed.
“Where
does she live?” Taylor asked as he climbed onto the bed, next to her. He put his arm around her and pulled her
closer to him. Quickly she relaxed and
stretched her body to his.
“Tracy? In Idaho,” she whispered. Her steady, even breathing told Taylor she
was asleep. He reached up, turned off
the light and fell asleep himself.
“Cher? Cher are you in here?” a voice called
softly. The man belonging to the voice
shut the door and turned on a small lamp.
His eyes scanned the scene before him and he had to smile to
himself. “Cher, wake up. I need to talk to you,” he whispered,
shaking her gently. Cherice opened her
eyes slowly. She didn’t want to wake
up. Sensing something was out of
balance she sat up, at once awake, and looked around.
“Ryan?”
she asked not sure she could believe her own eyes. “Is that you?”
“Who
else would it be?” Ryan joked. “I came
back to get you out of here. We have to
leave. Now.”
“I
can’t,” Cherice said. “I need to see my
grandfather before I can go.”
“Cher,
now is not the time to argue. We have
to leave,” Ryan insisted.
“I
can’t leave. They’re keeping me under
surveillance. If I leave they’ll know
in the morning. I’ll be caught, you’ll
be caught, the guys’ll be caught. We’ll
be punished. All of us. It won’t be fun, I’ve seen it, first
hand. I won’l let that happen to everyone. If you can do me a favor,” she asked him,
looking at him, hoping.
“Cher
you know I’d do anything I can for you.
We have to get out of here.
Soon. Before anyone knows I’m
here,” Ryan said, pleading with his eyes for her to agree.
“Take
my friends back to their home,” Cherice pleaded. “They live in Tulsa.
Please?”
“We
can take them back together,” Ryan said, solving the problem.
“Someone’ll
know I’m gone,” Cherice said, shaking her head.
“Cher
I don’t want you to worry, but I’m in trouble. No one knows where I am and I want it to stay that way. They’ll try to get to me through you and I
can’t go away knowing something could be happening to you. Please, let’s just go,” he pleaded. Taylor remained where he was, laying on the
bed, eyes closed, forcing his breath to remain steady and dream-like. Although he was awake and listening he
didn’t want anyone to know, afraid they’d stop talking.
“I
can’t. I now understand why they’ve
been keeping tabs on me,” Cherice said thoughtfully. From where she was now sitting on the bed she looked at Taylor,
seeing him sleeping so peacefully. He
looked so beautiful and perfect that she wanted to reach out and touch him, to
make sure he was real. “Where are you
going to go?” she asked, looking up at Ryan.
“I
don’t know,” he said, the idea finally sinking in that she wasn’t going.
“If
you want to see Idaho I recommend ‘Green Springs.’ Tracy always kept an immaculate house and she loves
visitors. Tell her I sent you,” Cherice
offered. “She’ll love to have you
there.”
“Thanks
Cher,” Ryan said, hugging her quickly.
“I think I’ll take you up on the offer.
First I’ll do you that favor, and take your friend home.”
“Thanks,
I’m sure Taylor, Isaac, and Zac’ll appreciate that,” Cherice said. “Isaac and Zac are in your room, could you
wake them up? Give me a minute to talk
to Taylor,” she asked. Ryan nodded and
went into the other room, closing the door behind him, leaving Taylor and
Cherice alone. “Taylor,” she said
softly, her fingers resting lightly on his chest.
“What?”
he asked, his voice husky from sleep.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking up at her with eyes as blue as the
morning sky. Cherice’s eyes clouded
with tears that she blinked away, watching him, laying there so perfect, made
her heart ache to know she had to say goodbye and never see him again.
“You
can leave tonight. Ryan is here. He promised to take you and your brothers
home. So you’d better get up and get
ready,” she said, standing up and waking across the room, her back to him.
“Are
you all right?” Taylor asked, standing and waking over to Cherice. She shrugged, keeping her back to him, not
wanting him to see her teary eyes.
“Cher look at me,” he commanded, gently turning her to face him. He saw the tears and wiped them away with
his thumb. His stomach knotted up,
seeing her so upset made him want to put his arms around her and make all the
pain go away. “Come with me,” he said
softly, his hand under her chin tilting her head up so she was looking up at
him.
“I
can’t,” Cherice said, looking down, away from his oceanic eyes.
“Please,
we can go away together, just the two of us.
No worries. No one to bother
us,” Taylor suggested, running his thumbs over her low lip. “Please, I’ll take care of you.”
“I
can’t. I don’t want you to have to take
care of me, I can take care of myself,” Cherice declared, her independent
nature flaring to life. “I don’t need
you to pay my way.”
“I
know,” Taylor said, trying to sooth her.
As soon as he’d said it he knew she would be angry at his offer. “I still want you to come with me. Don’t you want to see me again?”
“Taylor
it’s not a question of whether I want to be with you or not. I can’t leave,” Cherice said, trying to make
him understand. “Please, don’t be
angry,” she pleaded.
“Angry? Why should I be angry? I only opened my heart to you, offered to
enfold you in my life, and you turned me down flat. Why should I be angry?” Taylor asked, dropping his hands and
stepping away from her. Cherice watched
him, knowing it was better this way, if they walked away without any feelings,
no one would be hurt any more than necessary.
“Bye
Taylor,” she whispered, the hurt she felt, mirrored in her eyes. Isaac, Zac, and Ryan came out of the other
room, quietly. Cherice looked up at
them, unable to face Taylor anymore.
“I’m sorry that you guys have been confined here. I hope you know that I never meant for any
of this to happen. If I could have
gotten you away any sooner I would have.
I doubt we’ll see each other too much in the future, so I’ll just tell
you now that it’s been fun, even if it was all life-threatening. I’ll never forget you guys,” she said, her
eyes drifting back to Taylor as she said the last. Taylor looked away, not wanting to face her, the girl he was
hopelessly in love with who didn’t seem to return his feelings.
“I’ll
miss you Rice, but I’m glad to be going home,” Zac said, not callously, just
honestly. “Why don’t you come with?”
“She
doesn’t want to,” Taylor said, looking at her accusingly. Zac and Isaac missed the look and Cherice
flinching as if she’d been struck, but Ryan didn’t. He noticed it and contemplated it, the only thing that he could
make of it was that Taylor wasn’t happy with Cherice’s decision of staying. Ryan didn’t blame him, he didn’t want Cherice
to stay either, but there was nothing that he could do about it.
“Bye
Cherice,” Isaac said, waving to her from where he was standing next to Zac and
Ryan.
“Cher,”
Ryan said, looking at her, pleading with her one last time to come with
him.
“I’m
not going,” she said, shaking her head.
“They would know, you’d be in jeopardy, I’m not going to risk the safety
of everyone to disappear. I haven’t
even found my grandfather.”
“God,
why do you have to be so damn stubborn?” Ryan asked her rhetorically. He hugged her goodbye, knowing that he
wouldn’t be able to change her mind, and started explaining to Isaac, Taylor,
and Zac the plan to get out. After
fifteen minutes they were ready to go.
Ryan went out first, scouted the way, then came back for the guys. When they were gone Cherice was surrounded
in silence. Wondering why everything
seemed so different. It was so weird,
the fact that in the short time that the guys had been in her life they had
left a forever lasting impression. She
knew that for as long as she lived she’d never forget any of them, especially
Taylor. He had left her forever, never
to return, carrying her heart with him unknowingly.
Tired,
ill, and thoroughly depressed Cherice laid down on her bed, tears running in
rivulets down her cheeks, onto the soft fabric of her pillow case. She remembered all the times that she had
spent with Taylor and every word that they had ever spoken to each other, most
clearly the last ones. In despair she
tried to fall asleep, but Taylor’s special smell surrounded her. It was all over the bed, permanently
impressed into the sheets, and she continued to inhale the smell. The tears came steadier than before. Eventually she fell asleep, surrounded by
Tay’s essence and she dreamed about him.
~ * ~ * ~
~ * ~ * ~
Part 3
(Six months later) “Tay, do you want to come with us?” Isaac asked, sticking his head in his younger brother’s room. “We’re going to the mall,” he said as if that were supposed to entice him to leave his room, where he liked to stay and dwell on his loss of Cherice.
“No
thanks,” Taylor said, moving not an inch.
“Come
on Tay,” Beth, Isaac’s fiancée said, standing next to Isaac, trying to get him
to leave his room which he hadn’t, basically, since they got back from their
adventurous camping trip.
“I
don’t want to,” Taylor said, his voice muffled from the pillow his face was
pressed up against.
“Tay,
phone! Some girl named Lacey,” Zac
said, yelling up the stairs as he ran up them, cordless phone in hand.
“Tracy?”
Taylor asked, hopes rising.
“No,
Lacey,” Zac said, looking at his brother strangely.
“Tell
her I’m not here,” Taylor said, his head hitting the pillow once more. Zac did as he was asked then joined Isaac
and Beth in their curious watch over Taylor.
“What?” Taylor asked, irritated that everyone seemed to find him most
interesting when he was so depressed and even more irritated that they pitied
him. “Just leave me alone, please,” he
pleaded, closing his eyes so he couldn’t see them and they couldn’t see his
eyes which depicted how he felt and every turmoil that was going on in his
head.
“What’s
going on Tay?” Isaac asked, concerned.
“I
don’t know,” Taylor said, the sadness in his voice masked by the muffling
pillow.
“Are
you still hung up on Rice?” Zac asked, broaching the forbidden subject. It had been an unspoken rule between Isaac,
Taylor, and Zac that the subject of Cherice never came up.
“Rice?”
Beth asked, confused. “Is that the girl
that you met on your camping trip?” she asked, looking at Isaac.
“Yeah,”
Isaac said quietly. Taylor groaned and
rolled onto his back.
“Can
you all just go and leave me alone?” he asked, staring at the ceiling. In his head he replayed the last things he
and Cherice had said to each other. He
just wanted to see her again to hug her and hold her, to tell her how much he
loved her and needed her and that he was sorry for the way he had acted.
“I
don’t understand why you are so hung up on her,” Zac said off-handedly as he
stood in the doorway. “She had a
boyfriend so what were you to her? I’m
sure that she’s not pining for you.”
“What
do you mean she had a boyfriend?” Taylor asked. “I know she didn’t. She
told me and I know she wouldn’t lie to me about something like that.”
“Well
how else did she get knocked-up? She
didn’t strike me as the type to just meet someone randomly and fuck them, but
hey, maybe my opinion was a little off,” Zac with a shrug as he followed Isaac
and Beth who were leaving Taylor to his pity party for one.
“What
did you say?” Taylor said, coming out of his daydream, his eyes pinning Zac to
the spot he was standing in.
“I
didn’t mean to imply that she was a slut or anything,” Zac said, trying to
sooth Taylor who was obviously displeased with his comment.
“What
did you say Zac! Damn it! Just repeat what you said!” Taylor yelled,
his heart rate all but stopping along with his breathing rate as he waited to
hear what he thought that Zac had said.
“That
Rice had a boyfriend,” Zac said. Taylor
shook his head, knowing that part already.
“That she was pregnant?”
“Oh
god!” Taylor said, his face paling, his stomach doing cartwheels with his
breakfast. Faster than he had moved in
many days Tay jumped from his bed and ran to the bathroom where he lost every
meal that he had had since leaving Cherice.
“Tay? You okay man?” Isaac asked, opening the door
to the bathroom but going no closer to his brother. Taylor hovered over the toilet bowl, not moving to even respond
to his brother’s question. It was
obvious that he was not okay so he felt no need to confirm that there was a
problem.
“Tay?”
Zac asked, coming after his brothers, stopping outside the bathroom like
Isaac. He could smell the pungent aroma
of Taylor’s acidic regurgitation.
“What’s
going on?” Isaac asked, trying to take charge of the situation. Taylor slowly moved away from the toilet,
flushed it, and holding his stomach, trying to sooth away the irritated sick
feelings floating around inside he went to the sink to wash his face and rinse
out his mouth.
“Zac
are you sure that she was pregnant?” Taylor asked, turning from the mirror, his
face pale.
“Yeah,
that’s what she told me. Why?” Zac
asked suspiciously. It was all starting
to make sense he thought. Taylor and
Cherice sleeping in the same room, smiling at each other when they thought no
one could see them, the way Taylor wanted her to come with, why he was all
depressed since she was gone, his brother was in love with a girl who was
having sex. Who was more than likely
having sex with his brother, which meant…
“Oh my god!” he cried, everything was so clear to him now that he
actually thought about it. It made
perfect sense! “She wasn’t sleeping
with Ryan was she? She was sleeping
with you! It’s your baby that she was
carrying!” Taylor stared at Zac, unable
to deny or affirm the claim he had made.