A Stolen Soul

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Connecticut  

Twenty One Months Ago

I was half asleep in Eli's arms when I heard Sammie's frantic voice and bright light coming from my window. Why the hell was she in my room?  

"Oh, my God, Elijah's in your bed... Okay, wait that doesn't matter right now. Get up, please. You have to get up now!" she screamed as she pulled the cover off of us.  

Why was she acting this way? What was she doing here? 

I buried my face in Elijah's shoulder, trying to block her out. "Hello, privacy, Sam. We're practically naked here. Look, I know you're probably mad I skipped school today but you can't tell my parents Eli was here."  

"I don't care about any of that right now and neither should you." She grabbed my arm trying to pull me up.  

"Sammie!" I groaned. 

"Bren, it's your dad. Get up!" she almost sobbed.  

"My dad? What's wrong with him?" I asked beginning to panic. Why did she sound so upset? I sat up covering my body with the quilt.  

Eli sat up too and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Her dad?" 

"Your mom has been tearing her hair out. She called the school and obviously you weren't there. She tried both your cell and your home phone but you didn't answer. So, she finally sent me here."  

I moved out of Elijah's arms and picked up my cell from the nightstand. I'd left it on silent and I had several missed calls. I looked down to find the house phone on the floor, the wire had been pulled from the wall.  

"Why did my mom ring me so many times? My dad, is he okay?" I asked worried. 

She sat on the bed beside me and took my hand in hers. Hey brown eyes were too serious. "Oh God, I don't know how to say this," she whispered.  

"Say what? Sammie, you're scaring me." 

"Um... Bren, your dad was found in his car... He was at a deserted parking lot of an old warehouse a little out of town... He'd shot himself in the head... he's dead..." 

I shook my head not wanting to believe her. "What? No, my dad wouldn't kill himself. No. You're lying." I got out of bed and picked up my robe from the floor pulling it on absentmindedly.  

"She's right. This doesn't make any sense, Sam. Her dad wouldn't kill himself, he just wouldn't," Elijah said speaking for the first time.  

"Bren, honey, I wish I was lying but it's true. You need to be at the hospital with your mom and Chris."  

Suddenly, I felt Elijah behind me. He pulled me into his arms. "Come on, I'll take you to the hospital."  

"This can't be happening," I sobbed against his shoulder. 

"I know, I'm so sorry," he whispered.  

Sammie gently took my hand pulling me from his arms and she handed me some clothes. Too anxious to care what they were, I absentmindedly put them on. Elijah pulled his jeans and tee on which he'd left on the floor. 

As the tears ran heavily down my face, I let him take my hand and lead me to his car with Sam following behind us. 

I ran into the hospital my heart pounding and my eyes sore from crying. My mom was waiting in the doorway, her face red and puffy. I ran straight into her arms. "Is it true?" I whispered into her shoulder.  

She tightened her hold on me. "Oh, my baby girl, it's true. They found him dead. Why would he do that to us? Why would he leave us?" 

I shook my head, I didn't want to believe it... the words didn't sound real. They couldn't be real. I pulled out of her arms. "I'm so sorry I didn't go to school today, Mom. I shouldn't have lied to you."