21: Stay

Shyba—

As my consciousness fades in, I immediately feel the repercussions of last night. My body is sore, and my head still has a dull ache. After sitting up and looking around I realize I am once again in the room I first awoke in.

My eyes are drawn to the window and while there are still gray clouds hanging in the sky, there are a few spots where light breaks through. How long was I asleep this time? I pull the blankets off, noticing my clothes had been changed again and I am in pajamas. I feel around my body a bit, noticing my ribs are still quite tender, though nothing like they were before.

Slowly, I stand and my leg aches in protest. However, I can walk in small steps. I go over to the closet and notice the clothes that were in the bag are hanging inside. The shirt I was wearing is nowhere to be seen though. I cautiously head out into the hallway.

There are no sounds up here, but I can hear slight tinkering in the kitchen. As I gaze down the stairway, I find myself unable to move. What should I do? Even after all that I did, they still brought me back here. I don't even know what to say to them. Not to mention the fact that Jeremiah and Nicky know my identity. Surely, they do not want me around much longer.

The front door opens, and Jeremiah’s heavy footsteps enter the main room. “Y’all aren’t gonna believe what we just found out,” he says.

“What is it?” I hear Reba’s voice say from the direction of the kitchen.

Another set of footsteps enter, Nicky’s. “Dustin was arrested last night.”

“What?” Kiara’s voice asks.

“Yeah,” Jeremiah says. “My buddy that’s a security guard at the jailhouse told me. He said Dustin ran to the police station saying he saw a demon and that it was trying to kill him.”

“A demon?” Reba’s voice says. “That’s a bit dramatic.”

Jeremiah laughs. “Isn’t that crazy? He said it had wings and was covered in red fire and laughing. Turns out he had been drinking and doing a bunch of drugs last night. I guess once he got done with Shyba he decided to celebrate and started hallucinating.”

“To top it off,” Nicky starts, “he was saying it had cut him and broken his arms and stuff but couldn’t show where since there obviously weren’t any wounds or anything. And their hideout burned down, which explains the fire he was seeing.”

“Yep. Even his buddies are saying he’s crazy,” Jeremiah says. “With all the drug and vandalism charges he’s been running from he’s looking at a lot of time.”

For a moment I stand there, unable to believe what I am hearing. My stomach tightens. Then again, if he is in jail then I do not have to worry about him hurting any of them anymore. Still, what happened last night?

Suddenly, there is a pang in my head, and I cringe. I stumble back a bit, hitting the wall.

“What was that?” Nicky asks.

Crap. I made too much noise. Before I can move, Jeremiah is at the foot of the stairs.

“Hey, Shyba. You okay?” he asks, coming up the steps. “Your head still hurt?”

I simply nod, unable to find my voice yet. Next Reba is at the stairway, looking up at me. Jeremiah looks me over.

“You probably have a bit of a hangover,” he says. “Come to the kitchen and we can get you some water.”

“Hangover?” I mutter softly.

“Yeah. You were pretty drunk last night,” he says, averting his gaze.

I then remember the alcohol and the burning in my throat, quickly shoving the memory to the back of my mind. He leads me down the stairs as I slowly follow and upon reaching the bottom Reba shows me to a seat at the table. She pulls a chair up, sitting before me.

“How do you feel?” she asks.

“Ah… My head hurts,” I say.

“Are you dizzy at all? Is your vision blurry?” she asks. I just shake my head.

Kiara then sets a glass of water next to me. As I glance up, she smiles at me, such a warm and gentle smile, and I avert my gaze. Then I realize something upon seeing my hands. My brows pull together as I stare at them.

“How am I here?” I ask.

“What?” Reba asks.

“My hands were tied. I do not remember… how I got out,” I mutter slowly.

“You don’t remember what happened?” Kiara asks.

I continue staring at my hands. “I fell asleep and then I wake up here.”

“You must have blacked out from the amount of alcohol you ingested. Do you know how much it was?” Reba asks.

Once again, it is almost as if I can taste it and I shake my head. Then there is silence.

“Why did you leave?” Jeremiah asks quietly.

I hesitate. “I broke the rule. And it is my fault they attacked Nicky,” I mutter slowly. “I thought he would take his revenge on me, but then he said he will still go after all of you. I… failed.”

“You let them do this to you?” Kiara mutters, almost breathlessly.

Without a thought, my eyes are pulled upward to see tears in her eyes. I glance around, everyone else looking at me with pained expressions. My chest tightens more. I really caused nothing but trouble for them, and now they’re worried about being targeted more.

“None of this is your fault,” Reba says. “They’re just dumb punks who like hurting people. Nicky and Jeremiah told me what happened and that was not breaking my rule. Shyba, they could have killed Nicky and you stopped them. For that, I am eternally grateful. But what I said before about not fighting… I should have explained better what I meant.”

My eyes are stuck on her as she speaks.

“I meant that I don’t want you to be needlessly violent. In that case, you restrained yourself and didn’t cause any more harm than you had to. You understand what I mean, right?” she asks. “Before, with Kiara and the cat, you went too far. That is what I meant when I asked you not to fight anymore.”

For a moment everything is silent, and she takes a deep breath. “But Shyba… to just let them hurt you like this…” There are tears in her eyes as she speaks. “Do you not realize how heartbreaking that is?”

Her words cause my mind to go blank. “Ah…”

“We looked everywhere for you. We searched for you for hours. Do you realize what that means?” she asks.

My eyes return downward. “I am a burden.”

“No,” she says and balls her fists up. “It means we care about you.”

Her words hit me like a train, and I stare at her, unable to speak.

She leans in. “You had nothing but the clothes on your back, not even knowing much about the place you’re in, and you left. We were worried sick over you. I thought we were never going to see you again and it would be my fault because I made you believe you were no longer welcome here.”

She continues, “And then we finally found you beaten all to hell and so drunk you couldn’t even finish a sentence in the same language. And here you say you did it to protect us. How do you think that makes us feel?”

I remain silent, her words running through my mind over and over.

“We feel guilty and heartbroken,” she says. “Do you understand that? You said you did this to keep them from hurting us anymore, but did you ever stop to think that maybe we wouldn’t want you to? That putting yourself in that position would only get you hurt?”

I lower my head. “I did not know what to do.”

“Did you really think you deserved that?” she asks, her voice breaking.

My mind whirls. “It was… my fault…”

“That’s not true. They were the idiots that started it. You were trying to defend Kiara and they saw an opportunity to hurt you and Nicky and Jer over it. That’s all. Yes, it could have been handled better, but your intentions weren’t bad,” she says and takes a breath. “Just take this as a learning experience, okay?”

I keep my head down, my breath short. What is this?

“You’ve been by yourself for a long time, haven’t you? You can come to me when you have a problem, or Jeremiah or Kiara or Nicky, any of us. We can help you,” she says. “You’re not alone anymore Shyba.”

Again, it is like an arrow in my heart, and I feel breathless.

“Listen, I know I said before that you can leave whenever you want,” she tells me. “Just don’t leave like that again. Let us say good-bye and give you a proper send-off if you ever decide you want to leave. And come to us when you have a problem.”

My hand covers the brand on my arm. “I should not be here,” I mutter. “I-I was… I…” The words stick in my throat, not wanting to move.

“It’s okay sweetie,” she tells me. “You don’t have to tell me right now. When you’re ready, I’ll listen to whatever it is you need to say.”

Would she really listen? Then again, Jeremiah and Nicky did.

“But I would like it if you stayed with us. We can make the spare room you’ve been in your own room. We’ll make you part of the family,” she says, and I feel a strange twinge in my heart.

She continues, “I do have a few conditions of course, but you already know the first.”

“To not fight without reason,” I mutter. “And not harm more than needed.”

As she smiles, her eyes crinkle. “Right. As for the other conditions, first off, while you’re here you will need to do your share of work around the house like washing dishes and helping with laundry, along with the garden and animals,” she says.

“I do not know about the garden or animals,” I tell her.

“That’s alright. We will teach you. Does this sound fair to you?” she asks.

I nod. It is an understandable arrangement.

“I’ll give you a bit of allowance for your work too,” she says. “That way you can spend it on whatever it is you need or want.”

“No. I will work for food and shelter,” I tell her. “No need for more.”

She smiles. “I want to. You might find something you want one day,” she says. “Lastly, I want the two of us to talk once a week, just between us. Does that sound okay?”

Once again, I nod. Her conditions are not difficult to achieve. Though I do wonder what she means about talking to her once a week. What does she want to talk about?

“Oh, also since it was you and Kiara that first saved the cat, I’m putting the two of you in charge of taking care of her and the babies,” she tells me.

I glance back up at Kiara who smiles at me once more. Again, I find myself quickly looking back at my hands. “Okay,” I mutter.

“So,” Reba starts, “would you like to stay with us?”

For a second it is as if I am unable to believe I am hearing these words. I never thought someone would ever say them to me. My heart aches. Is this really happening?

From behind I hear tiny footsteps and we look back to see the twins with hair all in a mess as though they had just awoken. “I want him to stay!” Jade says.

Through a yawn Harmony adds, “Me too.”

They hurry over. “Stay with us Shyba,” Jade says, her eyes pleading.

“Girls, settle down,” Reba says. “It’s his decision.”

Upon hearing her words, it is as if something suddenly clicks into place. I have a choice. When was the last time I actually chose something for myself? I find myself glancing up at them.

Jeremiah looks at me for a moment before giving me a single nod and while Nicky remains unmoving, he does not show any rejection toward me. The twins gaze at me eagerly while Reba patiently awaits my response. Kiara gazes with anticipation, picking at her thumb.

“I…” Somehow the words are so overwhelming I cannot convey them any louder than a whisper. “I want to stay.”

The twins smile like when I gave them the charms and giggle. I look up, Reba and Kiara smiling. Jeremiah and Nicky glance at each other, Nicky seeming nervous. My stomach churns. Will they really keep quiet?

“Great,” Reba says, beaming. “Welcome to the family.”

There is a twinge in my heart and for a moment I am unsure what to say. “What work will I do now?”

 “Don’t worry about chores until your leg gets healed up, okay? For now, just relax,” she tells me. “I don’t want you hurting yourself more.”

A flurry of emotions well up within me. I nod but feel a nagging in the back of my mind. Everyone goes about their day and Reba gets me something to eat before leaving. My chest is tight as I eat so I finish quickly, returning upstairs.

As I enter the room I pause, glancing around. I live here. This is my room now. It’s a lot more open than my old apartment and the two windows are huge. I cannot believe they are giving it to me. Will I ever be able to repay them?