In the Shadows of the Night

Chapter 11

It had been several months since my father had left. I didn't even think about his returning anymore. In fact, I prayed every day that he would never return, that eventually I would be able to live my life as I pleased.

I slipped out of the house one day undetected. It wasn't that I didn't want to be around Kyle, but more that I didn't want to be around Kyle if I had to pretend he didn't exist. I met up with Shelly and we took a walk in the park. We talked about everything that had been going on in our lives since graduation and all of a sudden, I asked, "Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course." Shelly said, sounding half offended that I would even ask.

"Kyle and I have been secretly meeting in the attic after everyone's in bed," I blurted out before I could change my mind.

"Why don't you two just run away together?" Shelly asked.

I looked up at her with a surprised look in my eyes. I was surprised that I didn't think of that. Why didn't I think of that, I wondered as I looked out at the lake?

"I miss you, Jessie," Shelly said after a long pause.

I turned, toward her, "I miss me too. Sometimes I feel like the only thing left of the old me is Kyle. I don't want to go out anymore, it just doesn't seem important anymore. The only reason I continued to go to school is because that's what kept me from returning with my father and now I don't even have that. It's a waiting game now, we wait for my father to show up and take me back with him," I explain.

Shelly sat there staring at me for a long time trying to figure out a way to help me, but she couldn't think of anything. "I don't know how to help you, Jessie." Shelly admitted wishing she could.

"Just be patient and remain my friend no matter what," I said, pulling her into a hug.

We sat watching a flock of geese by the lake all afternoon, neither saying anything to the other. We just sat there watching the sun fade into the evening sky, in comfortable silence. "Well I guess I had better take you home."

I took Shelly home, Once She was inside I traveled the last few miles home. I sat in my Jeep for a while and then reluctantly went back in the house.

"Where have you been young lady?" Charles screamed at me as soon as I stepped inside the house.

"What's it matter to you," I asked defiantly?

Charles slapped me just as Kyle came out of the den to see what all the commotion was about. Kyle raced over to Charles, grabbed him by his shirt collar and slammed him against the wall hard, "I don't care who you are, if you touch her again I'll kill you!" Kyle screamed at him as he held him up off the ground by his shirt. He nodded quickly as his breath was being taken from him. His own shirt was slowly strangling him.

"What's going on here?" Jessica's father asked when he entered the house and saw Kyle practically strangling Charles. Kyle set Charles back down on the floor and turned toward the king.

"Nothing I can't handle sir." Kyle said as he stood at attention.

My father looked at me and saw me holding my cheek, with tears filling my eyes. He stepped closer to me and grabbed my hand. When he saw the hand print on my cheek he quickly turned to Charles and Kyle. "Who struck my child," He asked although he already knew what happened because of what he walked in to? When he didn't receive an answer, he stepped closer to Kyle. "What happened here?"