Authors: Sonja Myburgh
“Leave me alone! I hate you!” He screamed at her and ran out the room.
“Owain, wait!” She felt her voice crack and she knelt down on the floor. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she gasped for air. She took a few deep breaths, wiped her face and stood up. “Owain?”
She walked through the house, and spotted him on the couch, curled up in a ball. She walked over to him and sat down on the couch.
“I don’t want to talk to you.” He crossed his arms. “You yelled.”
“I’m sorry, baby.” Hayley frowned at him. “I didn’t mean to yell at you like that. I was just scared and angry.”
“You never yell like that.” Owain frowned.
“And I won’t ever do that again.” Hayley looked at him. “I promise.”
“Why did you lie to me?” Owain asked. “Why did you tell me all this time that my dad left?”
“I just wanted to protect you.” She sighed. “He was a bad man and I don’t want you exposed to people like that.”
“Is that why we are here?” Owain asked. “Because Luke is a good guy.”
“Yes, that is exactly why we are here.” She answered.
“Do you have any pictures of my dad?” Owain asked.
“No, I don’t.” Hayley shook her head.
“When did he die?” Owain asked and looked at Hayley, his eyes dark and she frowned at the expression that was still haunting her dreams to this very day.
“It was before you were born.” She answered.
“That’s a long time ago. No wonder you don’t have any pictures of him.” Owain looked at her.
“I’m sorry I lied to you.” Hayley leaned closer and whispered against his forehead.
“
I forgive you, Mom.” Owain said. “People lie for a reason, and you were just looking out for me.”
“I just didn’t want you to miss someone that wasn’t worth being missed.” She whispered again and sat up.
“I understand, Mom.” Owain nodded. “And I don’t hate you, Mom. I love you, and I always will.”
“Thank you baby, and I love you too.” Hayley smiled at him.
“When is Lucas coming home?” Owain asked her.
“He should be back in a little while.” She looked at him and ran her fingers through his hair. “Do you want to sleep for a bit? I’ll wake you when he comes.”
“But I’m not sleepy.” Owain said, and yawned a few seconds later.
“Are you sure about that, my tough guy?” She asked.
“Maybe I’ll just sleep a little bit.” Owain nodded.
Hayley leaned close to him and held him tight.
“Sing that song again, please Mom.” He whispered.
“Why are the things that I want to say, just aren’t coming out right? I’m tripping on words, you’ve got my head spinning, I don’t know where to go from here. Because it’s you and me and all of the people, with nothing to do,
nothing to prove and it’s you and me and all other people and I don’t know why, I can’t keep my eyes off of you.” Hayley softly sang and Owain drifted off to sleep. She closed her eyes for a few minutes and also drifted off to sleep.
A few hours later, Hayley heard footsteps outside the house and she sat up sleepily. She rubbed her eyes and frowned as she heard the front door unlocking.
“Hayley?” Lucas’ puzzled voice came from the darkness.
Hayley stood up slowly, not to wake Owain and walked towards him.
“Lucas, I’m sorry. I didn’t know where else to go…” She frowned as she stopped in front of him.
He put his arms around her and pulled her close. “It’s okay.” He ran his fingers through her hair and she pulled away after a few seconds.
“What happened?” Lucas asked.
“Someone was following us from the store and I just thought that we would be a lot safer here than at my house.” She stuttered.
“You were followed?” Lucas’ eyes widened and Hayley nodded. “By who? Did you get a good look at the car? Year? Make? Color? Number plate?”
“It was dark, I couldn’t say.” She shook her head.
“It’s okay, you’re safe now.” Lucas spoke softly and held her again.
He looked over at the couch and smiled slightly at Owain, fast asleep, cuddling with his Spiderman plush toy. He kissed the top of Hayley’s head
and held her for a few minutes.
After they put Owain to bed in the spare bedroom, Lucas sat down on the couch, worry consuming every inch of him as Hayley paced around the living room, looking frightened. He looked at the clock on the wall and noticed it was half past one.
“Hales?” He whispered and she looked at him.
Her eyes were red and she looked completely exhausted, yet she was still pacing, chewing her bottom lip. “Luke, I have to tell you something.”
“Okay.” He nodded.
“I know who was following us.” Hayley said softly and looked at him.
“You do?” Lucas frowned and stood up.
“Yes.” Hayley nodded and crossed her arms.
“The guys who kidnapped you?” Lucas asked, exasperated.
“Yes.” She nodded.
“But why now?” Lucas asked. “They could have killed you when they read about you, or heard about you on the news?”
“It’s not just about me this time, Lucas.” She whispered.
“I don’t understand. What does Owain have to do with this?” Lucas frowned.
Hayley stopped pacing and looked at him. She ran her fingers through her hair and took a deep breath. “You remember how I told you Owain’s father died?”
“Yes?” Lucas frowned.
“I never told you how he died though.” Hayley frowned and paused for a few seconds.
“Hayley, you don’t have to tell me.” Lucas shook his head.
“I have to, Lucas.” She said simply. “He got shot after skipping town…”
“When he found out about you being pregnant.” Lucas nodded. “What an asshole…”
“No, he never knew about that.” Hayley shook her head.
“What?” Lucas frowned.
“He never knew.” Hayley repeated and looked at her feet. “He didn’t live long enough to find out.”
“I still don’t understand…” Lucas frowned again.
“Owain’s father is one of the guys that
kidnapped me.” Hayley blurted out and looked at Lucas. “It was his buddy that was following me.”
Lucas frowned and looked at Hayley. “But…” It took him a second to figure out exactly what she was saying. His hands dropped down to his sides as he gasped and stared at her in disbelief. “No…”
“Yes.” She nodded and all of a sudden two tears ran down her cheeks simultaneously.
“After everything that guy…?” Lucas asked and scowled. “You still had him?”
“I did. I had no choice. I found out too late.” Hayley frowned, tears still flowing.
“Does Owain know?” Lucas wiped his face and pointed towards the bedroom.
“Of course not.” Hayley shook her head.
“But…” Lucas asked.
“But nothing.” She snapped. “How would you feel about yourself if you were told that you were conceived under such violent circumstances?”
“You’re right.” Lucas walked towards her and put his arms around her. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” She whispered. “I don’t know what to do, Lucas…”
“We’ll figure this out, okay?” Lucas tilted her chin upwards and looked into her light and troubled eyes. “We’ll talk to Nick in the
morning and sort everything out.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “Is it alright if we stay here?”
“Hayley, you and Owain can stay here for as long as you want.” Lucas whispered to her, running his fingers through her hair. “I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”
“Thank you.” She sighed and held on to him.
“Come on, let’s get you to bed.” He whispered.
She smiled at him with a nod and they walked into his bedroom. She sat down on the bed and took off her shoes. She watched as Lucas changed out of his clothes and pulled a white t-shirt over his head. She smiled slightly when his gaze caught hers and he tilted his head at her.
“You’re staring again.” He raised an eyebrow at her.
“I’m allowed.” She smiled slightly. “Besides, you make it hard not to stare.”
Lucas walked over to her and took her hand. “I could say the same about you.”
Hayley rolled over in bed the next morning and opened her eyes slowly. She could hear Lucas and Owain’s voices coming from the kitchen and smiled slightly. She slid out of bed and quickly pulled on her beige capris. She
walked barefoot down the hall and saw the two of them sitting on the carpet, each with a bowl of cereal, watching cartoons. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. Owain and Lucas were whispering to each other and laughing. They looked so happy and that made her happy because Owain’s happiness was the only thing that mattered to her. She smiled to herself and walked into the living area, just as they shoved a spoonful of cereal into their mouths. She let out an amused laugh and the two of them looked at her simultaneously. It was amazing how similar they looked at that moment, both of them wearing white t-shirts, their hair messy and their eyes bright and innocent.
“Morning boys.” She smiled and knelt down next to Owain.
“Morning!” They said, both their mouths filled with cereal.
She kissed the top of his head and he squirmed away, like he always does.
“Where’s my kiss?” Lucas frowned, and she sighed.
“You don’t have to pretend, Mom. Just kiss him.” Owain said with a mouthful of cereal.
“See? You have permission.” Lucas laughed.
She giggled and leaned forward, kissing
Lucas on the mouth. “You taste like Fruit Loops.”
“You want some?” He held out the bowl towards her.
“No thanks.” She shook her head and stood up. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be in the shower.”
“Have a blast, Mom.” Owain said and she looked at him, then at Lucas.
“I will.” Hayley shook her head with a chuckle and walked down the hallway, back to the bedroom.
Lucas smiled as he watched her go back into his room and looked at Owain. Owain had one of his eyebrows raised and Lucas frowned.
“What?” Lucas asked.
“You love her, don’t you?” Owain asked.
“Yes, I do.” Lucas admitted. “And I love you too, buddy, but not the same way.”
“What a relief.” Owain let out a relieved sigh and
Lucas could not help but laugh.
Hayley entered the bedroom and sat down on the bed. She stretched her arms out in the air and let out a satisfied groan. She looked around the room and noticed a couple of photo frames in the corner. She stood up slowly and walked closer. There was a picture of him and Nick at a baseball game, one of Lucas with his parents and one of him with her
and Owain, in his parents’ kitchen. Hayley smiled slightly and continued looking through the frames. She stopped suddenly and she felt her blood freeze in her veins.
“Oh my god!” Hayley gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.
She took a step back and stared at the picture frame in front of her. Her heart started pounding in her chest and tears filled her eyes. Even though it had been more than six years, she would never forget that face. Those eyes, those dimples and that smile. It was Chad, with his arm around Lucas’ shoulder.
“No…” She breathed.
She felt groggy as she opened her eyes and she raised her hands to her face. Her wrists were still tied together and she could feel the pins and needles in her fingertips. She winced as she clenched her fists and looked around her. She was in what looked like a bedroom in an abandoned house and there was a
moldy smell that filled her nostrils. The old musty wallpaper was peeling off the walls in some places and the windows were barricaded with wooden planks, making the room dark and eerie. Slivers of sunlight fell on the floor in front of her and she wiggled herself into an upright position. Her jeans were torn and she had scratches all over her arms. A throbbing pain in her ankle was still there and she remembered how she fell while trying to get away. Suddenly, her heart stopped for a second and she looked around her.
"Jess? Are you here?" She whispered, but there was no answer. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead on her fists. "Please God, let Jess be okay."
Tear began streaming down her cheeks and she cried softly. Never had she felt so alone and helpless. Not even the cross pendant her dad gave her for her eighteenth birthday was able to console her. She knew she was in trouble, and the chances of her getting out of there unscathed, or even alive, was not very promising. She heard approaching footsteps and she went silent, holding her breath. The door flew open and the two guys that shoved her in the back of the van stood in the doorway.
"Good morning Princess." The one smirked at her and she looked up at him.
He had a cruelness about him and Lee felt her chest tightening, making it difficult to breathe. He walked over to her, slowly, menacing and she felt her heart pounding in her chest. He crouched next to her and looked at her with dark eyes.
“We definitely picked the hottest one of the two.” He said. “Don’t you agree?”