Vanished
It
didn't take too much longer for Sylvia to kiss her father goodbye and
watch him drive away. He was going to stay with her Aunt and Uncle,
who lived in town. She was going back to Jayden's. She strapped her
duffel bag of supplies to her quad and hurried back to Jayden's
house. When she got back, the little girl and the mother were gone,
and Jayden was sweeping up the glass.
“Feeling
better?”
He
showed her how he'd tied his upper arm to his torso so it wouldn't
move the shoulder. “Smart, eh?”
“Yeah.”
she said.
That's
when her phone rang. “Oh no.” she said, then answered it. “Hey,
Jake.”
“Hey!
Are you busy tonight?”
“Um,
yeah, I'm staying over at a friend's house.”
“Oh,
OK. I was just wondering if you wanted to go out to eat with a bunch
of us tonight, but have fun.”
“I
will. I have to go now.”
“Hey,
can I stop by later?”
“No,
um, I'm already there. We're spending the day together. I'll call
you later.”
“OK
bye.”
“Bye.”
she hung up the phone.
“Who
was that?”
“My
boyfriend.” she said, nonchalantly, sticking her phone in her
pocket.
“That
guy from the party last night?” Jayden asked drily.
“Yeah.”
Sylvia said, blushing a little.
“Figured.”
“What's
that supposed to mean?” she asked.
“Nothing.
It's just a little predictable though, don't you think?”
“I
don't care if it's predictable. Besides, why are we talking about
this? We have two dead people in this house and we're going to have
problems if someone calls, or the cops show up.”
“Right.
I say I call in and tell the cops we were attacked, but we don't
know who it was.”
“Sounds
like a plan. But, um, tell 'em you're staying somewhere other than
here.”
“Alright.”
and Jayden called the police.
Within
a few minutes, an officer was knocking on the door. Two cars were
parked outside.
“Hi,
you Jayden?”
“Yes,
sir. Come in.”
The
officer entered. He saw Sylvia. “You are?”
“Sylvia.”
“Are
you related?”
“No
sir. She's a friend.”
“What
happened?”
So
Jayden told the officer what he'd told Sylvia. Of course, he left
out the part about being elves.
The
officer called in a couple ambulances to take the bodies to the
hospital for autopsies. Jayden and Sylvia were taken in for
questioning. Jayden told the officer that he was staying at a
relatives' home, and that they could reach him by his cell phone. He
also told them that these relatives were picking him up at the old
house. Sylvia asked to be taken there as well, allegedly because her
quad was still there. And so both of them were left alone.
“We
have to go to the tree. Everyone's panicking that you're not showing
up.” Sylvia said.
“I
can't, Sylvia.”
“Please,
Jayden. The elves will be able to help you.”
“I
can't.”
“Jayden.”
“Sylvia,
I really can't.”
“Whyever
not?”
Jayden
sighed. “I don't want the fuss.”
Sylvia
nodded. “I'll take care of the fuss. Just please, let's go.”
Jayden
relented, and they left at midnight. It was strange feeling Jayden's
arm around her waist as Sylvia steered the ATV through the woods.
His bad arm was still tied tightly to his chest, and it pressed
against her back.
Jayden
was in too much pain to be exuberant about this arrangement. With
every jolt of the ATV he clenched his jaw and pinched his eyes shut
so the tears wouldn't leak out. There was one thing he'd hidden from
Sylvia: the stab wound on his side. The Mud Queen had used a piece
of broken glass to try and stab him, but he'd rolled so she'd missed
him. It was right above his hip, so walking was very painful, and he
could almost feel the scab ripping away. His black T-shirt had
hidden the blood from Sylvia, and she'd assumed the blood on the
floor was that of Sadie.
Just as
they were about to reach the tree, Sylvia slowed the ATV to a stop.
Brett's was still in the cave, so there was no room for hers. She
eased it forward, then thought about leaving it at her own home. But
no, if the Mud Queen was waiting, she'd kill Jayden first, then her.
She couldn't risk that. She would have to push Brett's ATV further
into the cave.
It was
a slow process, trying to be quiet with two ATV's. But finally,
Sylvia helped Jayden off the seat. They rubbed their dog tags
together, and she pulled his arm over her shoulders, wrapping an arm
around his waist.
Jayden
sucked in his breath when her fingertips just barely missed the stab.
He knew fresh blood was oozing into the black, elven shirt he now
wore.
“Does
that hurt?” she asked.
The
tenderness in her voice and the concern in her eyes melted Jayden.
“A little.”
“In
boy language, that means it hurts.” Sylvia said, as they walked
carefully to the tree. When she opened the door, and they walked in,
all the eyes of the elves were turned to her.
“It's
Jayden!” shouted Isa.
As the
crowd began to mass toward them, Sylvia shouted, “Stop! He's hurt
bad, so clear the way to the moon room! Questions later!”
The
elves backed away, leaving a path to the moon room. Sylvia and
Jayden made their way toward the door. It was then that two things
happened. First, Jayden's loss of blood was finally catching up to
him and he lost his balance and nearly fell. Sylvia caught him just
in time, and their faces were only inches apart. Second, Lucia came
down the stairs and saw everything. Her uncontrollable feelings for
Jayden overcame her, and she ran down the stairs and started fighting
her way through the elves toward the retreating pair. She reached
Frederick's door just as it closed behind them.
Unaware
of Lucia's passionate fury, Sylvia half dragged Jayden into the moon
room. Her dark dress hid the stains of Jayden's blood as well as his
black shirt.
“Frederick!”
Sylvia shouted.
“Jayden!”
the old elf cried, coming down the stairs at a rapid rate. “What
happened?”
“Mud
Queen.” was all Jayden said.
“He's
fading, Frederick.”
“Jayden,
stay with us now.” and Frederick began unbuttoning Jayden's shirt.
“He's lost too much blood.”
“Blood?
What blood?”
“The
blood he used to have.” Frederick said, now taking off the shirt,
revealing the wound Jayden had hidden from Sylvia.
“Oh
Jayden.” she whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks. “Why
didn't you tell me?”
Jayden
forced his eyes open. “Sylvia, I'm sorry.”
She
moved to his head. “What do you have to be sorry for?” she
asked.
“I'm
sorry for everything I didn't tell you. I know I'm dying, and it's
because I wanted you to think I was OK.”
Sylvia
caught her breath. “You can't!” she turned to Frederick, who
nodded his head slowly.
“He's
lost too much blood. I'll do what I can, but it'll take a miracle.”
Sylvia
looked back at Jayden. He smiled weakly. “Sylvia? I—” and he
lost consciousness.
“Jayden!”
Sylvia cried. “Jayden wake up!”
“He
passed out. He's not dead.” Frederick said. “Now help me sew
this up.”
Sylvia
was glad for her strong stomach. Jayden didn't stir the whole time
they sewed up his gash. Frederick and Sylvia then put him on a bed
in the moon room. She refused to leave him for any longer than it
took to get something to eat or drink and return. It was ten days of
this and still Jayden barely showed any signs of life.
One
night, Jake called her.
“Sylvia?
It's Friday. We were going dancing tonight. I'll be at your house
at six.”
“I
can't go, Jake. I'm sorry. A friend of mine is really sick. He
could die any time now. I can't leave.”
Jake
sighed. “You said that last Friday, Sylvia. Every night you're
doing something. When can I see you?”
“Look
Jake, I know this is kind of weird, but I'm not seeing anyone. No
one except Jayden.” as soon as she said it she regretted it.
Jake's tone was filled with frustration and jealousy.
“Sylvia,
I don't think we should do this anymore. You don't have time for a
boyfriend. I need someone who will do stuff with me. Someone who
will actually see me. I'm sorry.”
Before
she could answer he hung up. At first she stared at the screen of
her phone in shock. Then the tears came. Without realizing it she
laid her head on Jayden's chest and cried into her arms.
Almost
anyone who saw Sylvia at that moment would have been touched. She
was so exhausted after ten days of constant nursing, that she soon
cried herself to sleep. I say almost anyone because it wasn't
Frederick who came to relieve her so she could eat, but Lucia.
