Hello everyone! Ready for cute things that might also make you a bit sad?
Chapter 3: Lost
Haven
Blue Earth, Minnesota, USA
November of 1986
Thanksgiving, Haven learned, was a holiday. Pastor Jim was busy for most of the day, but when it got late he brought in boxes filled with food and called them to the dining room.
It smelled really good. Dean set Sammy into a chair before beginning to pass around the plates. Haven hovered nearby, but when the Pastor smiled at her, she slowly sat down in one of the chairs. She watched him warily. He hadn't done anything but be nice to her yet. It was weird. She was waiting for him to laugh and then turn mean. But he didn't.
She got a little angry with herself, because when Pastor Jim was nice it made her happy. It wasn't gonna last. But she got happy anyway.
Pastor Jim piled food onto her plate while she watched. Dean was doing the same for Sammy, but she wasn't Sammy. She was Alexand- no, she was Haven. Was he going to take the plate away this time after making her think she'd get to eat all of that? Maybe he'd put something in it that would make her sick. No one would just give her all of that food, especially not when she'd done nothing to make it or help.
But as she began to eat, none of that happened. It tasted… good. She didn't feel sick. No one was taking her plate from her. They were busy with their own food.
Why didn't Pastor Jim make sense? Everything he did was confusing. It scared her more than if he just acted normal. It had to be a trick. No adults were nice to her. If they were, it didn't last. But Pastor Jim hadn't gone mean yet.
Why not? What did he want?
Haven tried her best, but was unable to finish the plate. She wondered if the reason there was so much was because she wouldn't be given any more for days or weeks. She managed a few more bites, but it only made her feel sick. Alexandria tried to convince herself, just one more bite- but she couldn't make herself do it. She stared at the plate and struggled not to cry. She wasn't going to get any more for a long time. That had to be it. Would Pastor Jim be mad that she was wasting food?
She froze in her seat, not daring to move. Alexandria couldn't draw his attention. She bit the inside of her cheek, waiting for him to notice. As soon as he got mad, she'd tell him it was his fault, she thought viciously. He shouldn't have given her so much if he didn't want her to waste it. He'd be even more mad, but the thought of yelling back made her feel better.
Only, once everyone else had stopped eating… Sammy hadn't finished his plate either. Dean had some left too. Pastor Jim just smiled and gathered the plates that still had food.
He walked out. No yelling. No anger. Nothing.
Haven began to shake despite herself. He'd come back and get mad. He was just trying to trick her. That had to be it. He'd come back in and-
Pastor Jim walked in with a smile. When Dean asked if they could stay up to watch tv, he replied, "Just this once."
When Haven didn't follow, he looked back and asked, "Are you coming, Haven?"
She didn't know what to think. She knew he'd get mad at her sometime. Why wasn't he? It made no sense. He should be angry but he wasn't. He was smiling and treating her like he treated Sammy and Dean. Haven didn't like it. Well, she did but she didn't all at the same time.
Haven sat on the edge of the couch. It was soft and comfy, but she was just waiting to be yelled at. She knew she wasn't supposed to sit on the couch and watch tv.
But it was warm. No one was yelled. They were wrapped up in blankets, Dean holding a sleeping Sammy to his chest, Pastor Jim with his head rested against the back of his seat and his eyes closed. Haven had a blanket, too. The room was dark and she was tired.
She wrapped her blanket tightly around and burrowed into the couch. She curled up into as tight a ball as she could to make sure she didn't disturb Dean.
Haven hardly noticed as she fell asleep.
It was gonna get her it was gonna get her she had to get away it was gonna get her-
Alexandria tripped and fell as she came to a dead end. She looked back, but quickly averted her eyes when she saw it. There was no way out. She was trapped. She couldn't run. What was she going to do?
Alexandria squeezed her eyes shut and pretended she wasn't crying as she heard laughter.
"I've got you, now."
"-ven! Haven! Psst! Haven! Wake up!"
She gasped and shot up. The whisper had been Dean. He was sitting next to her, hand on her shoulder. Alexan- Haven flinched back and he let go. She swiped a hand over her face to hide her tears. She wasn't supposed to cry over nightmares. She wasn't supposed to be scared. Dean was going to make fun of her.
"Nightmare? You okay?" Dean asked softly. He kept his voice quiet so he wouldn't wake up Sammy or Pastor Jim.
Haven frowned but nodded. She turned her head away.
"You didn't sound okay. Wanna talk about it?"
She glanced at him before looking away again. "No."
"Hm," Dean hummed. "Okay."
"Okay?" she repeated. She thought he was going to keep asking about it and make fun of her for having a nightmare like a baby.
"Okay," Dean said, "If that's what you want. You want milk? Dad makes me milk when I have a nightmare. I do it for Sammy, too. And dad."
Haven considered it. "Milk? How does milk help?"
"I don't know. It just does. Come on." Dean hopped off the couch and grabbed her arm. She yanked it away and got up on her own.
They went to the kitchen together. Dean flicked on the lights and made his way to the refrigerator. Haven hovered nearby as he poured the milk into a cup and then handed it to her. She took a sip.
Nothing happened. She didn't feel any different. She glared at Dean but took another sip. Then another.
"It's not helping," she said.
Dean rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Just drink it."
Haven pouted and took another sip. She would have argued more, but she didn't want to waste it. She didn't get to drink milk very often. Most of the time she only had it with cereal. It was special, but she still didn't see how it was supposed to make her feel better.
"Where are you from?" Dean asked.
Haven glared at him again and took another sip. She wasn't gonna say Privet Drive. "Why do you want to know?"
Dean shrugged. "Ok. Do you move around a lot, too?"
"No," Haven replied. The milk tasted nice.
"Well, we do. For dad's work. We've been lots of places," Dean said. He paused. "Do you like dogs?"
Haven thought about it. Ripper, Aunt Marge's dog, was awful. She hated him. But most other dogs didn't seem so bad. Some of them even let her pet them and would lick her hand. That was nice. "Kind of."
"Sammy loves dogs. I think they're cool- well, not the tiny ones. I like the bigger ones. The little ones are annoying."
"Maybe."
"I don't really like cats, though."
"Me neither." She made a face thinking about Mrs. Figg's many cats. She didn't like how they smelled. They weren't as awful as Ripper, but she'd been scratched by them a few times.
Dean smiled. She realized that the milk had worked. She felt better. Haven scowled at Dean. She hadn't wanted him to be right about it.
Staring at what was left of her milk, she forced herself to say, "Thank you. For the milk. It does help." She was annoyed at him, but at least she wasn't scared anymore. The thing hadn't found her. Maybe it had lost her? They did drive a long way. She hadn't realized you could drive such a long way.
Dean's smile widened. "You're welcome."
Dean started disappearing off to school, most days. She didn't have to go. Haven spent most of her time sitting awkwardly in the same rooms as Pastor Jim while he was weirdly nice and tried to play games or ask questions. She liked spending time with Sam better. She didn't really get what his games were about, but it wasn't too hard to figure out what he wanted her to do. Most of the time she just sat next to him while he imagined the rest.
He was small and cute and smiled at her, so she didn't mind. It was more fun than she was used to having, anyway. He'd let her play with his toys if she asked him. Most of the time, he'd just hand her a few without having to be asked.
She was pretty sure Sam was her favorite. It didn't make sense for an adult to be nice to her, but Sam was little. Dean was a bit weird, too, but at least he got mad at her sometimes. Pastor Jim never really got angry. He'd have a serious face the few times she tried doing something wrong- just to see what he'd do, see if he'd act normally for once- but he never raised his voice. He never hit her. He never locked her in the cupboard. Why wasn't he normal? What did he want? Why would he act so nice? When was that gonna change? He couldn't just stay nice forever! No adults were really that nice. Even Mrs. Figg got mad and yelled. And she smelled weird.
Adults weren't supposed to be so interested in what she liked. In keeping her happy. She didn't trust it.
She was pretty sure Pastor Jim knew that, but it just seemed to make him sad.
"I've found you at last! Did you think you could run away from me?"
Alexandria screamed.
Weeks later, Dean's dad returned with a stack of wrapped gifts. She was pretty sure they were for Christmas. It was supposed to be coming up in a few days.
Not that she cared. She never got anything. She was more worried about the thing, and if he'd done something. He just said "I'm working on it."
He didn't stay long. He was gone again pretty soon. It seemed to upset Dean a lot that he left again. Sam was too focused on the gifts to care.
Nowhere to run nowhere to run she was gonna be caught and the thing would-
She was wrong. Haven did get something for Christmas. Pastor Jim got her some clothes, a few toys, a stuffed animal, and a soft blanket.
Haven hadn't been able to say anything back. She got presents. Actual presents. For Christmas. Her.
Stubbornly trying not to cry, she'd said, "No. I don't get presents. I'm not supposed to get presents. I can't have them." He was going to take the lovely things from her. The stuffed bear. The soft red blanket. The clothes. The toys. She couldn't have them and soon he was going to realize that and take them.
"They're yours," Pastor Jim replied. He looked sad again. Dean was looking at her weird too. At least Sam wasn't looking at her. She bit her lip and pushed back tears. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to cry.
"But I don't get presents!" Haven shouted, "I'm not allowed to have presents, stupid!"
"You are now."
She had to hide her head behind the soft blanket because she couldn't stop the tears any longer. It was such a nice blanket. She'd never owned anything so soft- but it couldn't be hers! Could it? She wanted it so bad. Pastor Jim said she could have it.
"Do you really mean it?" she asked.
He replied, "Of course."
"Stupid girl! Of course you don't get presents!"
Uncle Vernon took that lovely blanket and tore it apart. Dudley stomped on the toys. Aunt Petunia ripped the head off of the bear's body. She was screaming but they wouldn't stop. Dudley kicked her back onto the floor when she tried to shove him away and save the toys.
"Freaks don't get presents for Christmas."
"Wake up!"
She sat up. Alexandria could just barely make out Pastor Jim in the dark.
"Get dressed and grab your things. We've got to go," he ordered.
"Why?" she asked.
He said, "I'll tell you in the car."
Haven scowled but didn't argue further. It sounded serious. She yanked on some clothes and shoved her presents into a bag. She wasn't gonna leave them behind anywhere for someone to take them.
Everything done, she sat and waited for the others. Haven couldn't help but fidget impatiently. What was happening? Did they have to run again because the thing had caught up to her?
Soon enough Dean was there was his and Sam's things. He had Sam's hand gripped tight in his own. Pastor Jim didn't take much longer than that before coming in with a few bags and keys. He led them out to his car and they piled into the back.
They were driving in the dark again. How long were they gonna drive this time?
"What's going on?" Haven asked. "You said you'd tell me in the car."
Pastor Jim nodded and tapped the wheel with a finger. "John's tracked down whatever was after you, but it picked up your trail again. Don't worry. He's got it handled. We'll come back in the morning once it's safe."
Oh. It had found her again.
At least she hadn't had to see it.
"Silly girl. You thought you could hide from me?"
Alexandria whimpered and looked away.
"Leave me alone!" she cried. She heard the thing giggle.
"Hm, and why would I do that?"
When she woke up, it was to Pastor Jim shaking her awake. She blinked at him. The sun was up.
He was smiling at her. "It's okay, Haven. We're going back, alright? John did it. You're safe."
Thank you for reading! Have a nice day.
