Twin Crucibles - Part III

(Part II: https://theprose.com/post/155121/twin-crucibles-part-ii)

Amy sat in her car with the engine off, the windows down and the surf providing a never ending backdrop of sound, interrupted only by the lonely cry of a gull circling the beach.

        She read the note again.

                leav him. yu are mine.

                dont make me hurt him.

                go bak to the park, or els!

         It had been written on a torn cereal box top in crayon. With the spelling errors and the crude way the letters were formed, it looked like it had been done by a young child who had poor motor skills. Either that or a right-handed person, using their left hand. She had found the note under her wiper blade this morning.

        She and Mike had spent a wonderful weekend getting to know each other. She woke early on Sunday morning on his couch, and found him softly snoring in his chair next to the window. The sound of him sleeping was bittersweet and nostalgic. He sounded just like Brandon when he slept... that same pause between inhale and soft snoring, almost like a cat purr.

        She felt a deep and strong bond with this small man and his mysterious gray eyes. She wasn't sure what "love" was - the only person she had ever really loved was her brother, but that love didn't carry any of the electrical energy that she could feel roiling in her chest when she thought about Mike, and what it would be like to kiss him.

        He had been a perfect gentleman. They had walked around town yesterday hand-in-hand, and she felt like she already knew him well enough to let him kiss her - but he hadn't even tried.

        She had waited for him to make a move last night. They sat on the couch together and watched a movie they had both seen before. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he had placed his cheek on her forehead. She was glad she had seen the movie before, because her mind was completely distracted by the feel of his slightly rough cheek on her brow.

        She had whispered to him. "Thank you for this weekend. It's been more than I expected to ever experience. I mean that."

        He had turned his head and quickly brushed her with his lips. She was afraid that maybe he didn't feel the same way she did. They had just met three days ago after all. It was almost as if he could read her fears.

        "Amy," he said quietly. "I need you to know something. I think I am falling in love with you, and while it scares me, the thought of not being near you scares me even more."

        That was all it took. She couldn't wait for him any more, and instead she sat up, turned, and wrapped her arms around his neck and ever so slowly, while staring into his eyes, she kissed him. He responded and she crushed him to her. When she moved her hand to his chest however, she felt him tense up.

        "What's wrong?"

        "Not yet." His eyes had pleaded with her to understand that this was killing him. "I'm not in any hurry... but I can hold you while we both sleep, if you'd like."

        That was when she had decided that it must truly be love. It wasn't like she was innocent. She hadn't been innocent since the night after Homecoming during her junior year. And then there was Howard...

        That thought brought reality, along with all of her fear and pain, crashing back into her soul. It had to be Howard that was responsible! Once again, she didn't have enough to convince anyone that it was him, but in her heart she knew. And now he had threatened Mike.

        She would rather die than let Mike get hurt because of her. She was afraid to even tell him about this.

        Help me Brandon.

        She prayed silently with her eyes crunched up and her hands folded in her lap.

        Show me what I should do.

        The seagull that had been circling the beach and parking lot, flew closer, and lit on the garbage can three parking spaces away. She watched as it reached down and grabbed something from the trash, then it looked up, staring directly at her. It started to screech the way they do, but what came out was more like a purr... or a snore.

        Suddenly it dawned on Amy that Brandon had already given her his opinion. With a new strength in her heart, she started the car and headed back to Mike's apartment.

        He would be home from work in a couple hours, and they could figure this out together.

Mike stood in the doorway of his bedroom and watched Amy sleeping on his bed. He had finally convinced her to get some sleep. Even if their plan went well, tomorrow would be a long day.

        Obviously her psycho step-father meant business.

        Mike had called the police as soon as Amy had shown him the note. The obvious (to him) ploy of writing it like a child, (and in crayon even!) just made it all the creepier. The police had been very polite as they took her statement, and they promised to track down her father, but it might take a while, since he was so far away.

        "Step-father!" The words were quiet but the tone was harsh.

        "Sorry, ma'am. Your STEP-father will get a visit from the police, but without more to go on, there's not much else we can do." It seemed to Mike that they were humoring her, exactly the attitude she had been afraid of.

        "My advice is to lock your doors and windows, and avoid the park for a while."

        Mike had heard enough. "Thank you officers for your time. Please let us know when you find out more about her stepfather. I will be checking back in with your commander. Thank you again, Officer..." He looked at the copy of the report. "Thurston? Is that right?"

        "Yes sir, and my partner is Jovanovich."

        "Very good. We will expect a call back soon. Thank you." He ushered them out the door, and closed and locked the door, threw the deadbolt and engaged the security chain.

        "They're not going to do anything, are they? I don't think they believed me."

        Mike crossed the room, and wrapped his arms around her. "Maybe they will. I know that asking for their names aloud can sometimes motivate people to do more."

        She laughed a bit. "And threatening to tell on them to the boss doesn't hurt either, I suppose."

        They had eaten salads for dinner, and Amy had actually put one of his sweaters on after sunset. It was still warm, but it probably made her feel safer. She had told him about the night before she left home... if you can call the hell she grew up in a home.

        Mike wasn't sure if he had ever felt such pure and unwavering hatred of another human, as he did for the monster that she had grown up addressing as Sir. The thought of him putting his hands all over her drove shards of ice into Mike's mind. It was then that he began to see a possible plan.

        Maybe it was time to turn the tables on the monster. He had laid out the plan for her, and why he felt it would work. It took some convincing, but she had finally agreed, and they were going to put step one into motion in the morning.

        Mike double checked all the window locks and the deadbolt one last time before he joined her in the bedroom. He slid into the sheets next to her, and as he turned, she snuggled her back toward him just a bit and he wrapped his arm over her. The smell of her hair in his face brought a feeling of contentment he had never felt before.

        He was ready to find the bastard who had hurt her. With any luck, tomorrow would be the last time she would have to wake up afraid of him.

        Ever.

(c) 2017 - dustygrein

** (Conclusion: https://theprose.com/post/155129/twin-crucibles-part-iv-conclusion)