Black as Night | P. Parker

Chapter Eighteen

Onyx's hands shook the entire time she ran home. Her heart pounded like a jackhammer in her chest and she could barely think past her plan.

Her plan was as follows:

Get home and get her stash of cash.

Go to the train station.

Buy a train ticket for as far away as possible.

Never look back.

Never go back to New York.

Most people, after coming to the realization that they were in love with someone, might feel happy, they might stare after the one they love or even tell the person how they felt. But Onyx was not most people and the thought of being in love with Peter scared her more than anything else.

It took Onyx a half hour to get home again and grab her money and put all the things she thought she'd need in her backpack and another bag she found. She grabbed clothes, some of her school supplies (not textbooks), and left her cellphone behind.

Once she had everything, it took Onyx an hour to get to the train station. There were so many people there, so many strangers, and for the first time in her life, this panicked the teenager. But Onyx took a deep breath and walked up to the counter where she could buy a ticket.

"One ticket to New Orleans, please."

"Four hundred and sixty-two dollars," the woman at the desk croaked without looking at her.

With her heart in her throat, Onyx counted out the money and slid it across the counter to the woman. A moment later, after counting out the money to be sure there was the right amount, the woman slid the ticket to Onyx, along with her change.

"The train leaves at 3:40."

"In the afternoon?"

"Yes."

"Isn't there one earlier?" Onyx asked desperately.

"No."

Defeated, Onyx took the change and ticket and left the counter. She had to wait another four hours till she could get away. What was she supposed to do for four hours? The longer she waited here for the train, the higher the chance that she was found. That someone realized that she was missing and came looking for her.

So, she took her stuff through the train station, gathering some food, a magazine and then found herself a spot to sit and wait.

Waiting for her train to come gave Onyx a lot of time to think. It gave her a lot of time to think about her life and what could have gone wrong that made her so terrified of loving someone. That made her run away when things got to be too intense, or too close to normal.

And her mind was inevitably drawn to her mother.

The one person who had always haunted her, no matter what.

She had been twelve years old when she ran away. Her life after killing her father and sister was not great. Her mother had covered for her, of course, like any mother would, but it was after that that things started to go wrong. Since she'd seen everything, witnessed her youngest daughter kill her father and sister, she took to alcohol to help her cope.

The woman would drink and drink and drink. She would shout vile things at Onyx, blaming her for what happened, telling her that she was a monster. For a long while, Onyx had been able to put up with it. Then, one night, she was drunker than she'd ever been before.

"Show me the monster that you really are."

"I'll show you what I can do."

Her mother had challenged her, and Onyx, filled with frustration and rage, had risen to her woman's challenge.

Afterwards, she'd run and never looked back, but those words had always stayed with her, always haunted her mind while she tried to sleep. That was the only one of all her kills that had ever stayed with her, until she moved in with the Parker's.

Even before killing her father and sister, Onyx's home life hadn't been great. It was nothing like Peter's. While her father hadn't ever caused Onyx or her sister to bruise, or bleed, or scar, he had been abusive. If the girls didn't get perfect grades, there were consequences.

Maybe that was the cause of everything. Why she had felt so out of place inside the Parker home. They had a genuine family, with love and affection for each other. It was the complete opposite of Onyx's own family.

Forcefully, Onyx pushed the thoughts from her mind and slouched in her seat, pulling the magazine into her lap and opening the cover.

Once she was away from New York, she would never have to think about her family, or Peter or his family ever again.