Inside the Fire by Heather Glidewell
“Yeah I think that I should. You two looked nice a cozy right when I came up.” I turned on my heel and I left them behind me.
I suddenly didn’t care what happened. He had lied to me, he had hurt me. The only reason I fell in love in the first place was to avoid having to deal with a broken heart. Speaking of my heart it was hurting as well. I felt like it was split down the middle. The pain in all honesty was excruciating. However it just made me realize that I was indeed alive.
****
“Dawn?” My mother was on me the instant I hit the door.
I looked at her and I crumbled. The pain was too much. I had convinced myself not to cry in the car. Walking through the door on the other hand, all bets were off.
“He’s with her.” I breathed as the sobs escaped.
“With who? Who’s with who?” She asked. She hadn’t touched me yet, so I had a feeling she couldn’t read what was in my head.
“Wesley. He’s with Miranda.” I sobbed.
Her arms were around me quickly pulling me into her arms and rocking me back and forth on the kitchen floor. She played with my hair and rubbed my back.
“It’s ok honey.” She soothed me.
“She told him I was like her. That I had gifts. He told me to leave. ME! After everything that I have done for him. Everything I gave up.” I felt the world collapsing. “He told me that he wouldn’t leave me. That nothing would come between us.”
“He meant it. I’m sure he still does. There has to be more to this than what you think is going on.” My mother said gripping onto me tighter.
“Like Hell he did. He has been seeing her for some time. At least since I got home from the hospital.” I was shaking and the pain.
“Why do you say that?” She asked.
“I just know Mom. I just know.” I stopped. “Did it hurt this bad when Dad left?”
“Oh honey.” She sighed. “It was a different pain all together.”
“Tell me.” I demanded softly as the sobs were less and less.
“My heart felt like it was on fire but I knew it was for the best.” She stopped rocking and looked at my face. “I’m so sorry honey.”
“What are you sorry about?” I groaned. “It’s not like you made him sleep with his ex.”
“The last time he was here there were images. I didn’t think much of them.” She pushed my hair from my eyes. “It’s nothing now. Go ahead and clean yourself up I need to make a phone call.”
“Who is this person you keep calling?” I asked as she helped me to my feet. I was still crying I just wasn’t sobbing.
“An old friend honey.” Was all she said as she touched my face and kissed my forehead. “I love you darling.”
“I love you to Mom.” I said sniffing.
****
I had been home for a few hours when Wesley came walking into my room with his hands in his pockets. His brown hair was tasseled, his shirt was wrinkled, and his jeans had tears in the knees that weren’t there when I left him this afternoon.
I looked up and glared at him. Wanting with all my soul to set him on fire. I had to control the urge before it took me over. He refused to make eye contact with me instead he just kept looking from wall to wall avoiding the anger in my eyes.
“Why are you here?” I seethed. My voice was bitter.
“I figured you needed to hear what happened from me before you jumped to conclusions.” He said softly finally looking at me in the face he had been crying. I could tell by the redness of his blue eyes. Those eyes once made me melt, now at this moment I wanted to pluck them out with a spork.
“I saw what happened, Wesley. I don’t think there are any conclusions left to jump to. Do not forget I was standing right there as you pawed her.” I growled I could feel the flames in my fingertips. All I needed to do was just will it to go. I felt my heart harden, sending a chill up my spine.
“I don’t know what happened. I left the school and drove to the city. I was so angry. Do you realize how hard it is to deal with those ass holes talking about you like that?” He looked at the floor, anger was in his voice.
“I ran into Miranda at the lake and we started talking, seemed innocent enough.” He shrugged. “I mean first I wind up in the woods all sorts of messed up, then you get attacked before Christmas.” He sighed, “Next thing I know we are in her dorm room half way through a twelve pack of Shiner Bach. I don’t even remember opening the first bottle.” I fidgeted, so he had been drinking. I hate it when my intuition is correct.
How was I to tell him that Miranda had been the reason that he wound up in the woods in the first place? I mean really he had no clue what the bitch was capable of, then again I only had partial knowledge of it and only the slightest idea of what she was.
“Did you sleep with her Wesley?” I asked cautiously. His answer would be my deciding point of if my relationship with Wesley would proceed or not.
He wouldn’t stop fidgeting. Then I saw his face change and suddenly I felt sick to my stomach. This knot formed making me feel like I was about to vomit, I could actually feel the bile rising. He had, he had actually slept with that red headed skank.
“Yes.” He whispered at me. Instantly guilt was in his eyes.
“Do you love her?” I asked choking, I squinted my eyes to hold back tears I wasn’t going to show him how much it hurt.
“No.” He didn’t hesitate. “I love you!”
“Really because from what I gathered after seeing what I saw this afternoon and what I hear now that your love for me has been nothing but one big lie. Because if you loved me as you say you love me you never would have been with her.” I felt weak, I needed to sit down.
I walked to my desk and sat in my chair turning it to face him. I wasn’t going to sit somewhere where he could be near me. I had to keep my distance.
“I had a lot to drink last night.” He admitted, like that would soften the blow he had just given to my heart. “I don’t know how it happened. All I know is that it did. I remember it starting and then I remember waking up this morning when her phone started to ring.” So it had been him that had accidently answered the phone when I had called.
“That was you!” I screamed then snapped my mouth shut, he looked at me confused.
“No wait what?” He said taking a step towards me.
“I had a text message from that number so I called it, I heard you two talking. I hung up once I realized it was you.” I said dryly.
“How did you have a text from Miranda’s phone?” He questioned me getting down on his knees so he could look me in the eye.
“Do you really think that you can turn this around on me? That I’m going to be all sympathetic that you were a dumb ass last night?” I asked shooting daggers at him from my eyes.
“I would tell you. She knows it meant nothing. How could it mean anything? I mean I love you, I’m with you.” He noticed I wasn’t buying it so he changed the subject. “Is it true what she said?” He asked sharply. “She said you were just like her. That you had the same gift.” I let out a short laugh.
“Don’t turn this around on me again!” I saw my fingers spark and instantly sat on them.
This was proving to be difficult, every part of me wanted to set him on fire. If not him then something needed to go up in flames.
“I told you she had issues.”
Was he changing the subject on me again? He better not start trying to pin the whole incident this afternoon on me.
“Yeah, well that succubus bitch just better not get in my way.” My ass was starting to get hot this meant that the fire was about to explode.
“Dawn, I came here to ask you to forgive me. Don’t let my one night of drunken stupidity end what we have.” He said looking at me curiously.
“Seriously!” I screamed. “Your indiscretion has torn a huge void in my soul. I gave you my heart with the understanding that you would not break it. Instead
“I was hoping you could.” He sulked.
I had a distinct feeling he didn’t think that he actually did anything wrong. He thought he could use the whole ‘I was drunk and didn’t know what I was doing’ line on me. I watched my mother go through that for years, the constant excuses of why her ass of a husband found it necessary to sleep with other women while married to her.
“I don’t know Wesley. You really hurt me. In fact I think you need to leave. I cannot be in the same room with you right now.” I demanded. The temperature had gone up a bit more.
“Just tell me if she was right? Is there something about you that you haven’t told me?” He attempted to ask one more time.
“LEAVE!” I yelled my eyes felt like they were on fire.
He nodded at me and got up to leave. I heard my mother come in the back door and speak briefly to him but I couldn’t make out the words. As soon as he had walked out my whole body had burst into flames with scalding hot tears running down my face. I heard my mother enter the room, but I didn’t look at her.
“Honey,” she said quietly. I could feel her beside me. She was concerned. I looked at her as the flames lapped at my hair I knew I must have been a horrifying reminder to her.
I was the constant memory of my father, exploding into flames and all. She just sat here and held my hand through the fire. She asked no questions said no words just sat there as I cried. And cry I did until the flames dissipated and the tears wouldn’t come anymore.
Part Three:
Life after Wesley
Chapter Twenty-One
Alone
I spent most of the next few days in a daze. I went to school, came home, did my homework, ate a silent dinner with my mother, took a shower and went to bed. I just sort of went with the motions. Life didn’t seem as exciting when your heart was solid stone.
Wesley hadn’t spoken to me since I told him to leave my room, not that I expected him to in the first place. I would see him in class but in my robotic state it was like he wasn’t there at all. I didn’t make eye contact, didn’t allow a single smile to appear. I just sat there took my notes and left before he could say anything, that is if he would say anything at all.
I know my mother was concerned. I was acting weird even for me, but something within me was gone. Where my heart was once was this black hole filled with a heart shaped stone. I had never been in love before, and the one time that I let my heart go he slaughtered it. I vowed right then that I would never do it again.
Every night before bed I would lay there staring at the ceiling telling myself that love isn’t worth it. All it does in the end is hurt you. All it does is leave you hollow and alone, I will never love again. Life is easier to lead when you can walk through it without caring. Only God knows how long I’m going to be on this earth, so might as well put up the wall and throw everyone else out. My eyes had darkened again, this time instead of a deep brown they were almost black, the ice never tingled my fingers anymore it seemed. I was finding myself drawn to the fire, the tantalizing darkness of it.
****
About a week after Wesley cheated my mother sat me down at the table to go through his mother’s old sketch book. My issue was with Wesley and not with his family. I still had a soft spot or two for Greg and Melissa, probably always would. Wesley, on the other hand, could just take a long walk off a short pier.
My mother had been pining over this sketch book since before the attack but this was the first time that she was allowing me to see the pages. Apparently Mrs. Jensen was one Hell of an artist, her drawings were amazingly detailed and looked almost life like. I was amazed at the first image my mother showed me.
My mother said nothing as I thumbed through the pages. Drawings of Melissa and Wesley, even a few of Miranda were in the starting pages. Then things started getting dark, Miranda with a knife posed over Wesley’s bed.
Wait, were those fangs?
It was almost like she was caught in mid movement as if she was about to hurt him.
There were several disturbing pictures of Miranda with a sinister smile on her face perched over Wesley, then Melissa, and finally Greg. In each image it looked like she was taking something from them, it appeared like smoke in the drawings but I had a feeling it was bits and pieces of their souls.
What had Greta seen in their old home?
It was almost as if she drew exactly what she had walked in on as if the image had been ingrained in her memory.
Suddenly the pictures went wild. There are images of my mother and father holding hands. Several drawings of my mother holding a newborn. Finally a sketched image of me, my eyes were blacked out and my hair hung in waves around my face.
How could this woman know what I was, how could she even know what I looked like?
I mean there was no way for her to know my face at all she had never seen me. I flipped to the back of the book and instantly threw it to the ground like it was on fire.
“What is this mom?” I asked my voice trembling. I felt like I had just seen my future.
“She saw something. I’m assuming it has to do with this girl.” She had picked up the book and turned it to the first page that had a picture of Miranda drawn on it. “This being must have been feeding on her family. She witnessed it on several different occasions. This is the girl we saw in the woods. The girl that was after Wesley.” She flipped to multiple pages pointing to each instance. “Greta was always special, she could see things. I thought it was human superstition but the fact that she has you drawn throughout the end of the book tells me that she was far more than just a human. I think she was a Harbinger.” My mother looked at me.
“You mean like a psychic?” I asked raising an eyebrow.
“Something like that.” She sighed. “Remember when I told you that she told me that our children were destined to be together but there would be a force stronger than their love that would keep them apart?” She opened it to an older image of a girl with no face. Her hair was white, and she was dressed in elegant clothing. “I don’t know if this is you or someone else Dawn all I know is she saw you and she saw me. She knew we would find her family again. However this girl, is she the one that you saw him with?”
I nodded my head. “Yeah that’s her.” My throat felt dry.
“Well it looks like we have a vampire on our hands.” My mother frowned. “I hate dealing with vampires, they are cruel unfeeling creatures.”
“If she is a vampire then how is she able to walk in the day?” I asked thinking of all the stories I had read about how they could only come out at night.
“Oh she is not just any ordinary vampire I’m sure.” My mother smirked. “I have a feeling there is some demon blood in her veins, ancient blood I’m sure. She has latched herself on to Wesley, there must be some tasty emotions running through his body if she isn’t willing to let him go.”
She sighed again. “Usually once their subject starts to wander away from them they will let go and seduce another victim. This one though she’s persistent. She may actually feel that she loves him, that she needs him.”
She looked at me, “Remember that vampire you killed several months back?” she asked. I nodded yes, “That was your run of the mill normal vampire, nothing special to her. She could feed on anything that has blood, but she was not strong enough for much else then just walking the earth. This one,” she pointed again, “this one is special. She has age and presence; otherwise she wouldn’t be able to get in your head, hence why I think she has demon blood in her veins. She knows your plans and plays you like a pawn, each time she appears she is studying you. That is why the next time it is harder to
“What are you saying Mom?” I asked glancing at her face.
“She’s feeding on him again while also using him as bait so she can study you.” She put her head in her hands and started rubbing her temples. “You are not ready for this battle Dawn. You need your dad for this one.”
“Why do I need him?” I asked glancing up at her from the picture.
“Your father deals with this kind of thing. He would be the most knowledgeable in this area.” She stated. “I could try to tell you how a demon strikes down another demon but I do not know.”
I made a face at her.
“Dawn, you have my blood in your veins too but right now you are more your father than you are me. That softness that you used to have is gone. Right now you are just a shell of what you once were. I blame Wesley and this girl for that. If you face off with this damned being now she could kill you. She makes your attacker seem like a kitty cat compared to what she can do to you. Do not engage her now because she does not know what you are yet, she is still testing.” I nodded at her.
“I assume that is what she did with Greta. She tested her until she killed her. Drove her mad I’m sure.” She groaned. “Greta saw what this girl was doing to her family and tried to fight back but lost her life in the process. If Greta was right you and Wesley will find your way back to each other. I have a feeling there is a long painful road ahead of you two.” She reached over and took my hand as pain pulsed once through my body.
****
I had my answers finally. I knew what had killed Greta Jensen. I knew that Miranda in her sinister plot to control Wesley had killed his mother. Maybe she had seen too much and Miranda found it necessary to get rid of the threat.
It didn’t matter though he was still with her. In my eyes he had made his decision the day after he left the school. Maybe it was the words that got to him. What if he actually believed what the other students were saying?
I had wanted to question him more concerning the images. I had a feeling though that he had never seen them. If he had it probably would have thought twice about what happened between them again.