Witness: See Series (Volume 1)(27)

“So…it’s obvious that you can see what we see. Most of us use music as an escape, a way to deal with it…Madison uses art…what’s your escape? Do you play like your brothers?”

An innocent smile came to the corners of her lips. She reached for Draven’s necklace, which was still wrapped around my fingers. I let her have it. I wanted to let her know I was her friend. Once she had it, she reached in the pocket of her hoodie and pulled out a miniature version of the rock she had placed on my night stand, as well as a few small rings. Her long dark hair fell around her as she looked down, and I had a hard time seeing what she was doing with her hands.

A few minutes later, she looked up, smiled slightly, and reached for my hand. I held it out for her, and she hooked a newly made bracelet around my wrist. The cord that held the necklace was wound three times along the leather cord. There was Draven’s pick, the small tan rock she had in her pocket, and a charm. It was an Ankh; I assumed that Madison had gotten the inspiration to sketch Ankhs from Monroe.

“I make jewelry…sometimes, anyway…I like to create new looks.”

“Well…that’s a beautiful escape; almost as beautiful as this,” I said as I pulled my wrist back to myself so I could admire how perfectly this bracelet was put together. I had no idea how she had connected it. There didn’t seem to be a way to take it off. I didn’t intend to anyway, though, so that didn’t bother me. Oddly, I felt safe wearing it…full of energy.

Monroe reached for the cord that led to the rock on my nightstand and turned a switch on. The rock seemed to glow slightly in response to the power that was going to it.

“Do you feel the energy?” she whispered.

I nodded, realizing that I did feel something. It was almost like a hum in the air.

“Now to speak to him,” she said, looking up at me.

The sound of the guitar around us grew a little louder.

I smirked as I smiled. “Dad…feel like showing yourself?”

At that instant, he appeared beside Monroe. He wasn’t as faint has he had been the last few times I’d seen him. There was still a glow about him, but he looked more real. My eyes grew wide with surprise as I looked from him to the rock, then at Monroe. She was rising to her feet. She never acknowledged that my dad was standing there.

“Your sister was right, though…words are for the living…no rock will bring to life that aspect…they commutate on a much higher level…you just have to listen.” She let her eyes fall as she made her way to the door.

Once she was gone, I looked up at my dad. He smiled slightly as he sat down next to me on my bed. I looked down at my wrist and fumbled with the charms that Monroe had placed there.

“Kinda had a bad day…” I whispered.

I felt the energy of my father’s arm go around me, and I leaned into him.

“Is he gonna be OK, dad?” I whispered in a tearful plea as I let my guard down and faced the fear that Draven was either fighting his demons or turning into one.

I felt a calm come over me and somehow held on to the answer of yes.

“I don’t want to hide from Britain…I don’t understand why you were screaming at me with your music…it’s not like I planned running into him…I don’t even think he’s a bad guy.”

I looked up at my father to see him carefully moving his head from side to side as if to tell me that it wasn’t the reason he was mad. “If you were just warning me…that doesn’t make sense either.”

The look in his eyes told me I was still wrong. “I like words…I don’t like one-way conversations.”

A sad smile came to the corners of his lips as he reached for my eyes. I felt the hum of his fingertips gently move across my lashes. He was telling me I had to see his words.

“Trying…” I whispered.

He nodded as if to tell me that I was doing well.

My phone began to vibrate on my nightstand. I half-heartedly glanced at the sound, but when I saw the words ‘fire’, I reached for my phone.

The text was from Britain. It read” “first he breaks my phone, then he sets my house on FIRE.”

My heart began hammering against my chest as a sick feeling ached in my stomach.

“Oh my God – what did he do?!” I yelled. I looked to my side at my dad, sure that this was what he was trying to tell me about. How did I misread his anger this badly?

My father stood, and his eyes locked with mine as he vanished. I pulled the charger loose and ran down the stairs. Monroe was unpacking her bags, and Aden was sitting in one of the big leather chairs, playing on his phone.

“Arson! He committed arson! Are you happy?!” I yelled at Aden as I ran to the wall by him and plugged my phone in.

“What?” Aden said, not bothering to glance up at me.

“That is what Britain just said.”

“You’re talking to him?!” Aden said as he tried to get my phone away from me.

“Stop it! This is my phone – your mess I have to clean up,” I said as I turned my back to him.

Aden started dialing on his phone as I texted “???” to Britain. I figured playing dumb was the best way to do this at first.

Aden stood up and began to pace the floor in-between the beds. “Dad – where’s Draven? He’s not answering,” Aden said into the phone.