Chapter Twenty-Four #2
“I know you like to think she’s broken, but she’s more like…
splintered . I mean, do you even know your own daughter?
Sure, some days are harder than others and I have to force her to eat or drink.
But I know she loves the rain but hates lightning.
She loves purple - all shades of it. She likes coffee at the beginning of her book, tea in the middle of it, and watered down juice at the end, which is weird and kind of disgusting, but I don’t mind.
She doesn’t cry when humans die in a movie, but she will if the dog does.
She likes her yolk to be a little runny or not at all.
She’s adorable when she’s mad, and she’s infuriatingly stubborn.
But when she laughs my god, even though it’s silent, it’s the most beautiful fuckin thing I’ve ever seen, and I hope one day I get to hear it.
“So yeah, some days, it’s hard but I get to make it better.
So, I don’t know, Sir, but if I were you, I’d be happy my daughter found someone like me, that shows her kindness even when her mind is a mess and she feels chaotic on the inside, unlike you or your wife that tried to discard her as soon as you found out she had a flaw and was no longer your perfect little doll.
” I clear my throat. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think it will benefit us all if I take my leave.
I believe your only daughter, the one that’s mine now, and no longer yours to care for, is waiting for me. ”
I turn to my dad, who’s stunned into silence like the rest of them, including Axel, who has tears in his eyes. I nod at him and head out. Fuck whatever it was he needed to tell me.
I’m halfway down the steps outside the brownstone when I hear Axel’s voice. “It’s incredible.”
“Huh?” I ask, putting on my helmet and then swinging my leg over the bike.
“Her laugh.” And suddenly, Axel looks devastated.
“I used to think it was the most annoying thing I’d ever heard,” his voice gets thick and he swallows.
“She’d throw her head back and it was, so loud and like it came from deep inside.
She would laugh so hard it would echo throughout the mansion.
Sometimes, she would topple over and hold her sides from how hard she laughed and God, I hated it…
” Tears spill from his eyes and something like guilt or regret passes over his face.
“Until I missed it. God, please. Jonas, can we please just talk?”
I jerk my chin to the bitch seat.
“Really?”
I shrug. “It’s this or nothing.”
I drive us about a mile down the road, where I know there’s no possibility of us being heard. It’s almost dark out, thanks to the length of the meeting. We both climb off and I take off my helmet. “Well?”
“I… I’m the one that outed Tyler.”
I roll my eyes. “I know. You treated my sister like shit over it. Not to mention you cheated on her.”
“I know. I’m sorry. Look, I found out what Tyler did to Raven, and if I thought you were just fucking around with her I wouldn’t have come clean to you.”
I nod. I’m about to tell him that we know it was more than just Tyler that attacked Raven when my phone rings.
Dr. Douche pops up and I answer. “Yeah?”
“Where are you?” His voice sounds panicked .
“I just got done at the funeral. What’s wrong?”
“You’re in Salem?”
“Yeah.”
“You see that big cloud of smoke over the lake?”
My heart drops. “I’m leaving now. I’ll be there soon. Where are you?”
“I just pulled up. She’s with Maverick.”
We hang up and I shove my phone in my jacket pocket, push my head through my helmet and slide onto the seat. “Sorry I have to go. Can you walk back?”
“Yeah, are you okay?”
Without answering, because I don’t owe him anything, I kick on the engine, and fly out, watching the smoke billowing over the trees into the night sky, racing to get to my girl. Swerving like an asshole, cutting people off, I watch as I get closer to the lake house.
It's like a scene from a movie. Sirens are going, firemen are calling orders out, the entire neighborhood is standing outside, along with Raven, who’s in Harrington’s arms, her arms crossed over her chest, and we watch our safe haven turn to ash before our very eyes.
“Baby?”
She turns to me and those big, beautiful eyes of hers burst like a dam breaking. She sobs so hard, big, soundless gasps rocking her, as she falls to her knees and I go down with her. I look up at Maverick. “What happened?”
He shakes his head, eyes still on the scene before him. “We went for a run. We went for a run and when we came back, we… were… in the downstairs guest room and all of a sudden there was fire. Everywhere. It spread so fast. We grabbed our clothes, I had to break the window open and we jumped out.”
“Repeat that for me.” Damon says, no longer looking at Raven but staring hard at Maverick.
“I had to break the window so we could jump out.”
“Why did you have to break the window?”
“It was screwed shut. From the outside. I thought maybe you did this to keep her from finding a way to get out during a sleepwalking episode.” Maverick looks between us, then down at Raven who’s pulling her phone out.
Damon shakes his head. “Never. ”
They continue talking softly.
I look down at Raven’s phone as she pulls up an app that I recognize as her security camera app. She plays back the footage from today and pauses it over and over again, using her fingers to zoom in over the screen from all angles.
Her and Maverick making out like teenagers at the front door, she turns to type in her code, slipping inside, and Maverick kicks the door fully behind them.
“About fucking time.” I murmur. Raven ignores me as I huddle in closer as we see a hooded figure carrying a gas can, punch in her code that I don’t even know yet and sneaks in ten minutes after them.
He leaves not even five minutes later, the camera captures his face for a total of three seconds, leaving too quickly to forget about the camera.
Unmistakable blonde hair and haunted blue eyes stare back at us.
The anger that flashes across her face, leaving her phone in my hands, she flies out of my arms and onto her feet and shoves at an unsuspecting Damon.
He's thwarted backwards into Maverick. “Hey, little bird, what the fuck!”
I told you! I told you there was someone following me and you told me I was crazy!
“I never said you were crazy.”
Fuck you! You said I was manifesting a shadow due to my subconscious and you made me feel crazy!
Damon looks at me and I shake her phone at him. “Someone came in ten minutes after them.”
Tears are flowing out of Raven but not from sadness. From frustration and anger. You made me feel crazy, Damon.
I’ve never seen a speechless Damon. He looks at me and I hand him her phone, rewinding it. “Raven,”
Do you know how shitty this feels?
“No.”
Do you know how much I hoped you were right?
“Amourette- “
I can’t even say I want to go home, anymore . She points to the smoldering wreckage. I have no home anymore. Where do I go? What am I supposed to do?
At her agony even Maverick’s mask of cool indifference fades, his brows bunching together as she sinks back down to the ground, turning to face the fire, left over embers glowing in the dark, plumes of white smoke faintly rising, the serene black lake in the background.
Raven begins to rock herself back and forth, her arms around her torso, the hand on her back rubbing up and down, soothing herself.
Damon gets down to his knees beside her, facing her. “Amourette, I am so sorry. I should have believed you. You’re right. I have… I’ve been a complete asshole in disregarding your feelings.”
She stops rocking for a moment, not daring to look at him. It doesn’t matter at all anymore, does it? It’s gone.
“She… can come home with me.” Maverick speaks up and we turn to face him.
“Absolutely not.” Damon growls.
“You all can.”
Before we can answer, the fire chief comes waddling to us, his uniform drenched, heavy, boots thudding in the wet, sticky mud and he looks completely exhausted. “The owner of the home?”
We all stand up.
His face scrunches up.
“She doesn’t talk. I’m her boyfriend, I can translate.” I say.
“Wrong. I’m her boyfriend. I can translate.”
“I thought she was in there with you?” He says, pointing at Maverick.
Maverick rolls his eyes. “I’m also her boyfriend, and I can also translate… somewhat.” He says in monotone.
Raven’s jaw drops. My jaw drops. Damon cackles.
“Listen, I lived in California for five years and then lived in New York for ten. I do not care. What I do care about is letting you know that the way the fire spread, it seems there was an accelerant. We usually see fires that spread this quickly, kerosene is involved. Plus, the smell is usually an indicator.”
“Okay?” I ask .
“Unfortunately the ruins to your home are now a crime scene.”
Raven flinches when he says ruins. She eyes me and I lift an eyebrow. With one short nod, she gives me permission. “We know who did it and we have proof via camera footage.”