Tara's Story

Chapter 25

               The house phone ringing brought me back to reality and to jump up and off the couch. Seeing as no one else was around at the moment, I brought myself responsible to answer it. “Hello?” I asked.

               “Hello. I am looking for Conner.” said some serious sounding voice.

               “This is he.” I said, wondering what in the world this person wanted from me.

               “Hello Conner. This is Leah Clearwater.”

               “I’ve never heard of you.”

               “Well, it would be strange if you did. I’m calling about Tara. She lives near me now and I’m a good friend of hers. She’s mentioned you, and I have a question for you. Are you coming for her or not?”

               “Well,” I sighed “I’m not sure. I’ve seen the videos she’s sent to her mother, and she seems so happy. All I want is for her to be happy and if she’s happy there without me then I won’t come and ruin that by showing up on her doorstep.”

               There was a pause before Leah answered. “She’s not quite happy.”

               “What do you mean by that?” I asked, slightly confused and a bit alert.

               “She is happy on some level, but I can tell something’s not right. Lately she hasn’t been truly smiling; instead they seem fake. I’ve caught her staring off into nothing and crying when she’s alone. I don’t know why but my suspicion is that it has something to do with you. She needs you Conner. Don’t think for a moment she doesn’t ‘cause she does and I think you need her too. You are the key to her happiness. She will never be truly happy until you come. I can tell she’s ready to break down any day now if she hasn’t already. She needs you here Conner. And she needs you now.”

               My mind raced along with this new information. The vision of Tara I had, with her being happy all around, suddenly changed to a dimmer light and a broken Tara sitting on the floor crying, pretending to be happy on the outside but fooling no one. Just thinking about it made my heart sink. And I had done that. I was the one to blame. I threw my fist at the wall in frustration, creating a hole. Just in knowing I was hurting her every minute I was gone made me want to punish myself and run to her at the same time.

               “Conner? Are you still there? Is everything ok?” asked puzzled Leah.

               “I’ll be there in a few days.” I said bluntly, watching my bloody knuckles heal from the wall breaking.

               “Good.” She said and hung up.

               I grabbed my bag that I’d left fully packed and ran right into Ulric. “Conner! You’re back!” he smiled, patting my shoulder. “What did you find out?”

               “I don’t have time to explain. Basically I know where she is and I’m going. Now.”

               “Whoa wait a second.” Said Ulric, blocking my way out. I took a deep breath and tried to keep my temper and nerves at ease. “You just got back and you’re leaving so soon?”

               I nodded. Then, Zevi popped up from behind. “You’re going to Tara? Can we come with?” he asked excitedly.

               I sighed. “Fine. Pack quick.” I said exasperatedly.