MagicAnimalClub: Happenings

24: Certainty

Joes POV

When we arrived at the beach Nicole, Beth, David and I got out of the car. It was warm, not extremely warm but warm for England.
I took Beth by the hand and stood facing her slightly separated from the rest of the group.
"You're gonna be the best mum ever." I whispered, running my hands through her silky brown hair onto her rosy cheeks. Her bright blue eyes beamed up at me.
"This is going to be the start of something wonderful." I told her as she smiled at me, bringing one arm around my neck and one hand pressed against my beating chest as I pressed my lips against hers, feeling her nose brush against my cheek before we pulled apart with the sound of David's mum and the kids arriving in the other car.
"I love you more than anything." She whispered to me, "never leave me again."
"I promise you. I'll stay with you, always." I breathed, kissing her forehead before she left to help the kids out of the car while David walked towards me.
"So, Joe.." David said standing beside me. I looked over at him,
"Yeh?" I responded.
"What you gonna do for the next.. Nine months?" I blankly smiled,
"I wanna travel." I admitted, "I wanna go to New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii.. I wanna go somewhere."
He looked at me and rested his arm on my knee as we sat on a stone wall.
"You told me once that you were obsessed with work." He looked at me in the eyes.
"Not anymore." I smiled. "I've got a life. So have you. We only happen once. We gotta enjoy life."

"I'd go with you." David said, I looked at him, "to Hawaii or New Zealand or wherever. But.." He looked out at Nicole who was letting her two children out of the car. "You know I can't. And you and Beth need some time to yourselves."
I nodded. This is what children do to you. They restrict you from your dreams. But.. They are your dream, I suppose. You love them. more than anything.

We walked into a bar beside the beach. I noticed a man in a white shirt and black trousers, wearing sunglasses. I swear I had seen him before, maybe in hospitals or something.
It looked as if he was alone.
He sat on a bar stool, but he didn't drink. He had his phone out. I watched as he asked the bar manager the wifi code. "Joe- what you staring at? What do you want for drinks?" David asked,
"Oh-" I turned back, "oh sorry, uh, sparkling water, please." I responded,
"You not drinking tonight?" Beth asked.
I turned back and looked at the man, who seemed now to be staring at me.
"No. I'm not."
I narrowed my eyes. Was he some kind of stalker?

I was handed my drink and sat down at the table beside the rest of the family.
"So how are we all?" Davids mum asked. Beth and I looked at each other and smiled.
"Great." I replied. Nicole smiled.
I sat beside David, and we broke back into a conversation.
"Joe. " he said, "I feel like I'm being watched." My eyes widened. I looked behind to see the same man in the white shirt staring at us. I turned back again to cover it up.
"It's him, the guy in the White shirt." I whispered.
I heard footsteps come closer and closer towards us. I looked at David and our eyes widened. We just pretended to drink and act normal before someone banged into our table and knocked my drink over.
It was him. The man in the shirt.
"Oh, oh I'm sorry I-" he said. I stood up, trying to get a good glimpse at him.
"No, no it's fine, it's fine, could have been worse." I reached to get a napkin and started to clean the mess up. The man walked away. I noticed that there was a bit of paper on the table.
I lifted it up.

Wine shed, asap.

I showed it to David. He looked up at me,
"You sure about this.. Should we both go?" He asked,
"I'll go, if I don't come back in half an hour, call the police." I said.
"Just off to the loo." I said. Leaving the table. My heart tensing. I made my way to the wine shed.

There he was.

"What do you want?" I asked, walking to him.
"-sorry about the.. Spillage." He began.
"Who are you? I've seen you before."
"Joseph." He put his hand on my shoulder, "the Seekers."
This meant business.
"The guys who blew you up, have you any idea who they were?" He asked,
"No, no I haven't a clue."
"What did they ask you?" I tried to recall,
"Like.. What is my name, did I kill the seeker leader.."
"And what did you say?" He asked,
"My name is Joseph Garret and Yes I killed him." I replied.
"Why the hell did you tell them this!" He pressed me up against the wall, I felt slightly threatened.
"Because he had a bloody gun planted against my face and he said he'd kill my family!" I shouted in reply. He loosened his grip on me and I put my hands over my face.
"Who was the Seeker leader of whom you killed?" He asked me.
"Who are you." was my only response, this could just be some spy.
"Who did you kill, Joseph?"
"What is your name!"
"Just tell me who you killed! Did he tell you his name!?"
"I won't speak his name until I know yours." I dictated. Folding my arms and narrowing my eyes.
"My name is Mark Slone." He growled, taking out his ID to prove it.
"Thank you." I replied. "The man I killed is called Finn Ball."
Mark took out his phone.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Joseph. You definitely killed this man?" He said,
"Yes. He was dead, people were mourning." I replied. Wait..
"And it was one-hundred percent, Finn Ball?" 
I was slowly but surely starting to doubt everything I had done.
"Yes! Yes I killed him! So what?! What's the matter?!"

"Joseph."

"He's not dead."