Chapter Nine: Unwanted Premonitions And Concern

I take my time trying to get my bearings. Knowing I need to deal with everything—Mamaw, Miss Ruby, and Miss Dixie—I am not sure there is enough alcohol in the world to handle everything properly.

Especially since I know Keiran was in the room with me and—technically—one might conclude, sexually assaulted me.

While he assumed I was sleeping, he thought it alright to touch me.

That's not cool—at all.

I am going to let that go. Hopefully, I can figure out what his text about Thursday is about.

A knock sounds that makes me smile, it's Jenna's special knock.

"Sorry, nobody's home!" I shout at my best friend.

Jenna laughs on the other end of the door, opening it then giving me a stink eye.

"I see someone is finally awake. Good to see you made it back to the land of the living."

I scoff in response to Jenna's comment.

"I mean, it's not like my life is crazy. Nothing life-changing happened today, not a damn thing. My Mamaw is alive when she was dead yesterday. My former teacher and her grandmother have known about this and said nothing to me. They could have truly saved me from many horrors throughout my life, but choose not to for whatever reason…"

It's not fair of me to be this negative to Jenna; she had nothing to do with any of it. Most of it happened before Jenna was born, the rest before her second birthday.

"Please forgive me, I know you have nothing to do with any of this…"

Jenna stopped me mid-apology. "Honestly, I was thinking I would walk into worse. Most of your life has been a lie. To say I can't begin understanding all this would be an understatement. I love you and if you need me, I am here." Jenna sits next to me on the bed, giving me a hug. I smile and hug her back.

"Thank you for understanding. You are my best friend, Jenna!"

Jenna smiles at my declaration. "And you are mine, dear Magnolia!"

We share a great hug between us and a few much needed giggles.

We hear another knock on the door; this one would definitively be Keith.

"Don't enter, dear husband!" Jenna screeches.

"Naked ladies in here!" I try to sound like it would scandalize us if someone tries to come in.

Jenna and I got under the covers, pulling them up to our necks, so it would almost appear we were naked. It took everything I had to not laugh out loud.

Keith came running into the room. The expression on Keith's face of sheer disappointment made me almost lose my composure.

"Damn you, women! I dreamed I was in for a treat! One of these days, I am going to have my way with both of you!"

Jenna and I laughed at Keith's declaration because we both know that ain't ever going to happen.

"I am sorry that you presume that will happen, brother, because you will never see my pasty white ass naked!" I throw a pillow that is behind me with a laugh.

Jenna is not much better. She takes a pillow and gets out of bed and starts a pillow fight with him. Keith grabs the pillow I threw at him and fights Jenna back. I glance around and find another pillow; I grab it before going toward the fight. With Keith distracted by Jenna, I jump on his back and put my arms around his neck, my legs around his waist.

This makes me giggle. We distract Keith enough that it is easy to take him down to the ground.

By the time we finish torturing Keith, I am laughing so hard that I nearly pee my pants. Jenna and Keith are also laughing hard.

Keith gets away from Jenna and twists me around his front and tickles me relentlessly. I am unsuccessful fighting Keith off.

"Keith! STOP!" I try to not cry or pee my pants with each breath I take or word I say.

Keith's reaction is to give me an evil laugh and a devilish smile.

"Only if you tell me I am the KING! I am the KING! MUAHAHAHA!" Keith continues his evil laugh, and when I glimpse Jenna, it almost breaks my heart.

Thinking about Keith and Jenna makes me thankful I have them in my life. Keith is the brother I never had, and while I have a sister in Cynthia, I could never really be in her life. So Jenna is the sister that I truly need.

A legitimately sobering idea.

Keith notices my change in mood and stops.

"Everything okay, Maggie? You look lost in thought."

"Honestly? Do you ever feel like things are going to change?"

Keith nods his head while concern fills his eyes.

"Call it a hunch…"

"I get it, Mags, my 'knower' has been going off for at least the last two days…"

Shit!

"This is not good, Keith, not at all." He shakes his head, helping me up off the ground.

A turn of my head puts Jenna in my sightline. The disposition she has scares me.

"Jenna, I am sure everything will be alright…"

She cuts me off. "Mags, by this time next week you will be gone, and life will get extraordinarily lonely for a year or two."

My mouth drops open in shock, Keith usually is the one that knows all, almost omniscient.

This premonition from Jenna is unexpected.

Keith and I stare at each other while we share a look that makes me scared out of my mind.

"You know that until I met you, Jenna, I really didn't know what family was right?"

She bows her head in acknowledgment.

"And my family was not complete without you in it, Keith." Tears fill my eyes and I try to get through what I am thinking.

"You are the sister I never knew I needed, Magnolia. I am thankful for you every day," Jenna declares through tears.

"If I had to share my wife with someone, I am glad that it was you that shares her heart," Keith replies.

"Thank you! Thank you for loving me when I deemed myself unworthy of anyone's love."

Keith pulls both Jenna and me into a group hug, and we hug and cry.

Cry for the hurt in all our pasts, the pain from each of our families, the family we have now, and the one—if this feeling is right—I will be losing.

Sooner than I would ever care to.

~VOF~

AN:

Hello everyone! Hope all is well wherever you are! Not much dealing with Keiran in this chapter. Keith's knower going off AND Jenna having a premonition? Will it come true? I don't know.

Any guesses on who each character are? I really would love to know in the comments!

I wrote a small chapter that I posted in a FB group called The Fic Lab that was in Keiran's POV. It almost makes me want to write more in his twisted mind. Please let me know what you think about this idea and I will progress as I can. Will post that chapter here after Monica looks at it and it fits.

Thanks can't be forgotten to Midnite for the idea and making sure it is what you dreamed of, Monica for making my words better, Izzy for your prereading, Dani for the banner, and Midnight, sakari-x, and musicdaydreams for your comments. They mean a lot to me!

And thank you all for your support in reading my little story.

I don't own Twilight or its characters.