Chapter 4
Savannah
Waking Up With Eyes Wide Open…
“Mommy, Mommy, can Daddy take me on the Ferris wheel? Pretty please,” my daughter begs, her black curly hair whipping around her face. I bend down, tucking her locks behind her little ears before kissing her soft cheeks.
“Sure, baby,” I say, standing and looking at Tripp, who smiles at me.
He blows me a kiss, taking our daughter Olive’s hand, walking her toward the enormous light up Ferris Wheel.
The wind picks up and something pulls my attention toward the striped tents.
I begin to walk, and that’s when I see her, making her presence known.
An older lady with sky blue eyes stands between the tents, wearing a long laced black dress with a choker wrapped tightly around her neck.
She holds her hand out for me to take as her long white hair picks up with the wind while the moonlight shines down on her, showcasing her beauty.
But when she takes a step into the darkness, her features change into something monstrous.
Stitches cover her mouth, sealing her lips shut.
Her once sky blue eyes I just saw a moment ago are gone.
Now there's nothing but gaping holes. What the hell is going on?
It frightens me for a second as she steps into the moonlight again.
“Don’t be afraid, child. I will not harm you.
” Her voice comes in like a whisper as her breath tickles the back of my neck.
I whip around in a full circle, thinking she was right behind me, but there she is, still standing under the moon, her dress flowing around her feet as she waits for me to come closer.
A familiar laugh has my head snapping behind me, and that’s when I see her.
Tatum. My feet begin to carry me to her, but it feels like she just keeps getting further and further away from me.
“Child, this is not the time!” The shrilling voice behind me yells, startling me. She places her hands on my shoulders, causing shivers to crawl up my spine slowly, as if a million spiders are running up my back.
“No, I’ve been waiting all this time to get her! She’s always slipping through the cracks. She deserves to suffer!” I spit and go to take a step, but I’m stuck in place with her hands holding me still.
“Let me show you,” she whispers as the shivers become unbearable and my vision goes bright white and I’m thrusted into the middle of the street as chaos ensues.
“Where am I?” I ask, standing next to her as we walk through a neighborhood with the most perfectly manicured lawns, the cleanest streets, and at the end, inside the cul-de-sac, is my house, but it's overgrown with a million red roses on vines covering the steel metal gate.
I spin with tears in my eyes. “What is all this? Who are all these teenagers?” I ask as we watch them walk together as a group with dolls in their hands.
“This is what the future holds. You will get your revenge. The ones responsible for your pain will receive those dolls once they become pregnant. You will create the faceless porcelain demons and sing a twisted lullaby into each of their waiting souls. The dolls will take care of the rest. The torture and the pain you suffered will now be theirs to bear,” she tells me and a sinister smile crawls across her lips.
“But I want to be the one who makes their pain worse. Their torture unbearable.”
“Well, this is what your future will look like if you choose that route,” she says and once again the shivers become unbearable as my vision goes white and I’m thrusted into another place.
Looking around, I’m in a jail cell, but not any cell.
An institution. I’m sitting in the corner of a room wearing a straight jacket as I scream for help.
I look like a lunatic. Turning, I look at the old lady with a raised brow.
“You went after Jeremy and Tatum, and you were caught almost instantly. Even worse, Tripp died because of it. Is that what you want? To hurt him?” she asks, and my head immediately shakes.
“No, no, I don’t. I want him with me every step of the way,” I confess, and she nods, taking my hands into hers.
“Now choose, child. We are running out of time,” she says, and I take a deep breath as tears stream down my face.
“I choose the dolls. The dolls shall set me free,” I say, and she smiles.
“Your wish is my command. Stay away from the ones responsible for your pain. You live your life with Tripp for now. Once it’s time to enact your revenge, you will know,” she says, and I nod.
“Okay, I’m ready,” I tell her as the shivers race up my spine so quickly I scream, not being able to handle it anymore. My vision becomes clouded in black smoke and homecoming night replays repeatedly like a never ending reel.
“Soon, my girl. They will all pay. I promise you. They will all suffer for what they did to you. One by one.” Her voice getting further and further away.
Gasping awake, I take in a deep breath as powerful hands push down on my shoulders. I try to peel my eyes open as the beeping next to me gets louder and louder.
“Sav, I need you to calm down. Baby, it’s okay,” he says.
Tripp's voice alone slows my erratic heartbeat down a bit. I peel my eyes open, but the bright light over me automatically forces them shut again. “Slow down your breathing, Savannah. You are okay. You are safe. I’m right here,” he assures me as his fingers slide between mine, lifting them a bit, pressing soft lips against my skin.
“T-Tripp, how long have I been out?” I rasp in a panic. My throat feels like sandpaper as I try to speak.
“Two months,” he says, and my eyes go wide as pain laces both my eyes at the brightness in the room and it makes me want to scream.
“Shut off the lights so I can open my eyes, please. It's too bright,” I complain as I feel him moving around my bed, then the brightness dims beneath my eyelids. Opening them, I’m greeted with Tripp's gorgeous face and his big blue eyes staring at me with concern written all over his face.
“Two months? Did I hear that right?” I say, and he nods, bringing my hands up to his lips.
“Yes, baby. Do you remember what happened?” he asks, and I growl.
“Of course I do!” I spit.
“Y-yo—,”
“The baby?” I interrupt, and his eyes cast down, and that's all the answer I need. Tears fall down my cheeks as he squeezes next to me on the bed, bringing me into his arms.
“Savannah, I'm sorry, but the multiple stab wounds prevented the doctors from doing much. We are actually lucky you are alive right now,” he says as I lift the blanket and pull up my gown to see the scars left behind...
“Do you still want to be with me after everything that happened?” I ask, and he sits up abruptly, staring down at me. My body aches from being in the same spot all this time, but I need answers because I just want him. I want to feel safe again.
“I am not going anywhere without you, Savannah. When I told you I loved you, I meant it. I’ve been here day and night with you through this.
I prayed you would come back to me, and if you didn’t, I was going to come find you because there is no me without you, Sav.
Never!” he confesses, pressing his lips to mine.
“I love you too, Tripp, but what have you said to the cops? They must have been waiting here for me to wake up?”
“We were attacked. That’s it. We didn’t see anyone. It happened so quickly. That's the story. Do you know how bad I wanted to tell them everything and who is responsible for all of this? I keep fighting myself between doing the right thing and taking care of it myself,” he says, and I nod.
“If we tell the cops, they get off easy. Just rot away in jail. That's not enough for me. We need to find out when I can leave here. Are our parents at home or they didn't give a shit?” I ask, and he squeezes me tighter.
“It’s just you and me against the world. Can I just hold you a little longer before you start barking orders at me?” he asks, making me laugh.
“Yes, I’ve missed you, Tripp. Thank you for never leaving me like everyone else does.”
“You’re stuck with me forever Savannah,” he whispers, pressing his lips against my cheek.
I snuggle into his body, inhaling his scent.
Vanilla and chocolate. I swear this man smells like baked goods.
He brings up the blanket, covering us both, and it's not before long I’m fast asleep in his arms, dreaming of the day I finally get my revenge.