S I M O N E
I don't know how long I've been in tears. But eventually Nick comes running upstairs. Nick is always here and it's starting to make me think he is my adopted brother. "Sim, Sim what's wrong?!" Nick's arm is placed firmly on my back.
I shake my head and cower myself in the covers. He shouldn't see me like this. I don't want him to. "I can't...."
Thirty...twenty-nine....twenty-eight.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" I'm covering my ears, my face buried into my bed. But it only makes me realize that to Nick, I just look like I'm crazy. He isn't speaking. The voices inside my head is me falling apart. I need to tell someone. My tears dry slowly and I sit up, looking into Nick's green eyes.
"I am just like him." Shut up, Simone! Shut your fucking mouth otherwise your dead!
"Like who?" Nick's brows knit together.
"Malachai Parker." The name comes out in sobs. My mind goes back to that night when Kai was found in Darkwood. The night where I recognized him from the newspaper- my newspaper- where our murders were both printed in bold.
Recognition clicks in Nick's mind as he pulls the pieces of puzzle together. After his moment of remembering, he looks at me with sadness."No...Sim, your not."
"He killed his family." I choke, and change the subject, "Evan is dead because of m-me!"
"He murdered his family...you-" Nick begins but I cut him off.
"I heard his screaming," The high pitched squeals that sounded like a pig going in for the slaughter, "And I didn't do anything. I didn't cry, hell, maybe I'm the psychotic bitch!"
"Stop!" Nick says and puts a hand on my arm. "Your nothing like him, Simone. I wasn't there but I know you enough to know that it wasn't your fault. But, listen, let's just go downstairs. I'll make you a cup of coffee and grab you a slice of pie."
I don't want pie. I want Kai gone. But I follow Nick down the steps and sit on our soft couch in front of the television. Nick brews hot chocolate instead and brings over to steaming cups. I hold it in my hand and hold back tears. My eyes travel over to the window and I cringe at the dark that is settling in.
"Where's Dad?" I croak but it's barely a whisper.
"Working late." Nick set down his hot chocolate and looked me in the eyes. "Sim, what has been going on lately?"
"What do you mean?" My throat is sore, why is it soar? From screaming.
"You have been more clingy, secretive, antisocial, different. And suddenly you are being picked up by friends? And now you've brought up Malachai Parker? Don't get me wrong, but you haven't been driven to school since I've known you" He is dead serious.
"A lot is going on." I cough and look up at the boy who worries so much about me.
"Like what?" He is so damn curious.
"I know him." Nick probably thinks I'm bipolar. And I've been changing the subject about why I'm crying a lot. I am messed up. I'm broken.
"Know who?" Nick is lost in my conversation.
"The person you are looking for. He goes to my school." I choke.
Nick jumps up suddenly, curious. "What?"
"I know the John Doe. He sits with me at lunch. He knows where I live. He is the one who takes me to school." Tears are resurfacing.
"You what? Why didn't you tell me? I need to call your dad!"
"No!" I yell and grab ahold of his shirt- quite dramatically I might add- and look him in the eye. "If you tell anyone, I'm dead. I'm dead either way, Nick. But he will come after you."
"Are you kidding me? You withheld this information because you don't think we can handle one guy?" His voice is strained.
"You don't get it, he is h-he's smart and knows w-what is going on." I trail off, he isn't going to believe me.
"Why are you telling me this?" He asks, "if you are in danger why would you risk your life?"
"I need to tell someone. You don't know h-how it feels when the only person you can talk to is K-" I stop myself, "him."
"We have a whole police force, and we can put you in protective custody. You would be safe."
Safe, safe, safe. There's that word. What is wrong with me? "No, you don't understand. He hurt dad and told me t-that he wouldn't just kill me, h-he would kill everyone."
"You don't have anyone, Simone." He says harshly. I don't want to cry, so instead I look away. It takes him a few seconds to realize what he has done, but I still don't realize what I have done. I've told him. Nick knows. Nick places his hand on my cheek and it burns from his touch. There is no tingle, but I can feel his hand on my cheek as he pulls me towards him.
His kiss is soft on my lips. But the flame, it's not there. The kiss is only a couple seconds, and it's more like a small peck.
Suddenly, I hear the yelling and pounding on the door. The doorknob jiggles slightly, then turns completely. My mind is struggling to gather my thoughts and push everything out of mind and just concentrate on what is going on. Then I see the blue eyes. The eyes that are definitely not Nick's.
"Here's Johnny!" The sickening eerie voice rings in my ears. The one that I'd screamed to this morning. The one that is still inside my head.
He is grinning, as he stares at the deputy. Something flashes in his eyes, and if I didn't know Kai as much as I do, I would've sworn it was jealousy. Or at least a sense of possession.
My heartbeat quickens as I pull away from Nick and stand up. Nick reaches for his gun but Kai immediately responds. Kai turns to me and sends me a glare. "So tell me, kitten, what was our agreement?"
My eyes are pleading him to not do this. It's like if I were pleading the devil to spare my family's souls and take me instead.
"If I told...y-you would kill them..." My voice does something funny out of fright. Nick holds up his gun finally and Kai smiles. Then he raises his hand and shows me the rusty blade he had been hiding.
"You don't want to do that." Kai says in a monotone.
"What? Are you crazy? I've got the gun." Nick says ignorantly.
"I've got the brains." Kai throws a knowing smile at Nick and steps forward. Nick hasn't shot yet. Why hasn't he shot yet? "And trust me, Deputy, I've got enough brains to know that that gun isn't loaded." Kai walks straight up to the barrel and looks Nick dead in the eye.
"You are insane." Nick spits at Kai and lowers his gun.
"We all are a little insane. Some of us just choose to show it." Kai's face is dead serious and shows no emotion.
"Who the hell are you?" It feels odd hearing a swear come out of Nick's mouth.
"Oh, so you haven't told him yet?" Kai turns to me. "Well, I'm sure it will come up now."
"K-uh-can you just please put the damn knife down!" I almost say his name, again.
"You told him, Sim. That comes with consequences. I warned you." He narrows his gaze directly at me.
"He won't tell anyone." I try a different approach.
"Huh, that's funny, isn't that exactly what you said when I told you?" He is curiously sarcastic now.
"I promise, Kai. Just please, please don't." I'm begging now, and I don't beg. Nick is slowly catching on now that I've used his real name.
"I don't like being told what to do." Kai says angrily.
"Fine. Then kill him." I smile. "Do it, Kai. Kill him and kill me. Why do you even keep me around?" I look him straight in the eye and walk in front of him and Nick. "Kill us both, it will be easier for you."
Kai cringes and lowers his knife just a little. "Don't play these games with me, kitten."
"Do it." The crying girl in the corner is long gone.
"No!" Kai screams loudly. Nick is trying his best to go along with what I am doing. Kai's cheeks are red with anger as he shoves me away and goes right for Nick.
Being the clumsy person I am, I stumble and try to get up. By the time I am, Kai is already hitting Nick in the back of the head with the blunt end of the blade.
Malachai looks at me for a moment and drops the knife where he had hit the deputy. Then he stalks out.
No goodbye, no nothing. He hit Nick in the head, and Nick is probably going to be out cold for a while.
But he is not dead.
Thanks to Kai.