Double Jinx (Wattys2017)

Chapter 14

Oh the things I'd do.

    Those words, strung together in my mind, hanging across every thought like garland around a Christmas tree.

    My eyes snapped open.

    The room was dark, blanketed by the shadows of a setting sun. I wiggled both my fingers, then my toes. Good, at least everything seemed to be working okay. I pushed myself up until I was sitting, ignoring the way my body ached and pulled at my muscles uncomfortably.

    My eyes roamed over the room. It was the same one I passed out in though now I was laying on the bed where Creston had been. But he was no longer here, neither was Holly. Ace, however, sat in a chair across the room beneath a small lamp. Reading.

    He didn't notice me until I accidentally bumped into the headboard, causing a loud thump to sound throughout the room. My gaze met Ace's as he looked up from his book. Then in one swift motion, he had set the book down and crossed the room to sit down beside me on the bed. He looked better, not as tired, but I saw deep concern carved into his countenance as if the look was permanent.

    "How are you feeling?" He asked this quietly but his voice was still loud compared to the otherwise silent room.

    I lifted a hand to my forehead, a dull but prominent headache growing, "I'm fine."

    Ace hesitated before he asked his next question, "Was that one of your panic attacks?"

    A quick jolt of fear stabbed at my gut upon remembering why I passed out. Those men, those vile men, and those words. I closed my eyes momentarily, nodding. There were a lot of things in this world that I disliked, but I loathed my panic attacks. They left me physically and emotionally exhausted, and each one added more stress to my weakening body.

    One of these days, my panic attacks were going to kill me.

    "Can I get you anything? Food, water?" Ace questioned.

    I nodded, hoping some water would refresh my sore throat. Ace left the room for only a minute before he returned with a glass of water. I took it from him gingerly then drank the entire thing. The cold cleansed my throat, dragging the remnants of my panic attack deep into my body where I could forget about it.

    When I was done, Ace set the glass down on the table beside me as I asked, "Where's Creston and Holly?"

    Ace turned back to face me, "I sent them back to Creston's house. He's probably safer in that neighborhood than he ever was here." He paused for a moment, staring down at the bed with a glare heavy in his eyes, "Genevieve ... I'm sorry."

    My hands folded in my lap, "For what?"

    He scrubbed two hands down his face, letting out a long sigh behind them, "For everything. For what happened when we were kids and what's happening now. I just can't seem to do anything right and now ..." But his voice trailed off before he could continue. He shook his head a few times, letting his hands fall to the bed in front of him. His shoulders hung low and his face was shrouded by guilt.

    He blamed himself.

    I scooted closer, my body urging me to be near him. Whether that was to eradicate his guilt or because I wanted to feel him in my hands, I'd never know. My fingers reached towards his and gripped them tightly for comfort. Ace lifted his head at my touch, finding my eyes with his. I smiled at him, offering what little reassurance I could, "I don't blame you. I never have."

    Ace's jaw clenched tightly, "You should. You should hate me for what happened that night. My dad was unstable and I should have ... I should have done something."