The Ridge

Ethan took me to the bathroom and went into the room across the hall. I stood in the doorway to the bathroom while Ethan shut his door behind him. I did the same. The bathroom was made up in dark blue and wood. A large vanity looked like a wooden dresser with a sink built on top. The sink was an old metal bucket. The faucet was old too. A rustic look. Dark blue towels hung on hooks matching the blue rug I stood on. Before I could get much of an eye full, I heard raised voices from another room. It was Ethan and Ben. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean-” Ben’s voice was saying. “I don’t care. You know how I feel. I made no qualms about what I want.” “I still came tonight to try to talk to you. We were wrong to-” Ben tried explaining. Ethan’s voice got louder. “I really don’t care what you were trying to do! My son sleeps right here. Y'all messed up.” “Do you want to know? Or do you want to continue screaming at each other? You know I have to have a good reason for doing what I did.” Ben spoke softer but still stern. “What?” Ethan snapped. “She was looking for ‘her’. We caught her following...” Ben’s voice started lowering to a whisper. I could no longer hear. I reached over and flushed the commode. I looked in the oval mirror and scrunched my curls and wiped my fingers under my eyes. I slipped out of the bathroom and walked fast through the house. I almost ran right into Abbi in the kitchen... ...What a day. I held a breath in and slowly let it slip out of my lips. Now to sort everything out. The first thing I was sure of was Ben, Abbi, and Gabbi didn’t like Shane and Josh. That was clear, the body language was loud. Secondly, Shane and Josh were different, very graceful and elegant. Shane's interests on where I came from and about me and Kera were slightly alarming. Third, Ben and Ethan had a disagreement about Ben doing something that Ethan didn’t approve of. Ben did it anyway. Who was Ben talking about when he said ‘she was looking for her?‘ Whom ever it was, Ben had caught her. I just wished I could have heard the whole talk. Ethan asking me if anything weird was happening here, screamed at me from my conscious. Was there really something after me? Any hour, he said. Ben saying ‘her.‘ It was all clicking. Maybe I’m not so crazy. Jack's, ‘the situation is bad,’ rang in my ears. What is really going on? Everyone is involved. Ben, Jack, and Ethan. Why doesn’t anyone tell me? I’m the one that needs to know! Kera needs to be taken care of and if something is stalking me, where does that leave her?... ...“Ivy, one thing at a time. You need to be at home with your daughter. My dogs are house sitting for the night already. They are in the tree line watching. If anything goes wrong, they will alert me and I’ll be there. Be careful and get some sleep. There’s a lot to talk about tomorrow. I'll be there early. I’m sorry you got dragged into my world.” Ethan strolled down the bridge and put me in my truck. He never let go of my hand. I sat in the seat, frozen on the inside. All I wanted to do was just wake up... ...I knew there would be some ultimate price for me to find and feel love. This is it. I really am poison. Destroying all around me, never letting me love or find love, if I’m capable of it. Now I’ll never know. I scanned the tree line and saw nothing. That’s when I realized it had started to rain. As a matter of fact, it was pouring thick, long sheets of water. The rain drops were big, bigger than I ever saw. It must be a country thing. I got out of my truck and ran to the house. After I hit my porch, I saw that my front door was slightly ajar. I was so mad when I left earlier that I didn’t close it I guess. That familiar vanilla smell was oozing out the crack in the door. I pushed the door open with one finger and there he was. Standing in my living room, still as a statue. He was about 5’8”. Long black hair pulled back in a pony tail. Green piercing eyes staring me down. He had on a trench coat that was dripping water in a puddle on my floor. A white t-shirt peeking out from under the coat with a pair of black jeans on. His hands were balls of fists at his side. He was in my home! So much for the dogs warning Ethan. Oh my God, My daughter! “Who are you? Why are you in my house?” I spat through my lips trying to keep my voice down for Kera’s sake. “Where is my daughter?!” “You have been an elusive minx, my pet. I’m not interested in her. She sleeps upstairs soundly. Don’t worry.” He slithered out the words as he started to walk towards me. I tensed up all the muscles I could and took a step in his direction...