Once again, I apologize for this taking so long to write the next chapter. I've been incredibly busy, since my grandparents are coming tomorrow and we've been getting ready for them all week. Anyway, here is the much-anticipated Chapter 4. Enjoy!
After talking a little more, we headed back to the barn. Just as we reached the edge of the cornfield, Josiah blew out the lantern. "The preachers might be out tonight," he explained.
I
nodded and grabbed his hand. We managed to find our way back to the barn in the
darkness, never meeting up with any of the preachers. Once we were inside,
Josiah relit the lantern and took me back to the room I had stayed in the night
before. He handed me the lantern.
"Want
me to go get you some food?"
I
smiled, "That would be great. Thanks."
"Be
right back…" He hurried off. I sat on an overturned bucket and waited for him
to come back. I hadn't realized how hungry I'd been until now. Then I
remembered why. I frowned, trying to put Rachael and Papa out of my head. I
needed a vacation not only from them, but from thinking about them.
Josiah
came back a few minutes later with a full plate of food. I smiled, "That was
fast…"
"We're
staying in the tents set up not far from here. They were all asleep, so I could
get to the food unnoticed."
I
nodded, "Well, since they were asleep, could you stay with me a little longer?
I can't tell you how much I miss having company during meals."
"Sure.
I planned on staying with you for a while anyway."
I nodded and started eating. The food was better than what he normally have at home, and I finished it quickly. We talked for awhile after that, about things that were going on this week. I was glad that he avoided talking about Rachael or Papa. That was something I did not want to discuss, not even with him.
"We'll only be here a two more weeks and then we'll be off to the next town," he told me.
My heart sank. I frowned, not knowing how I would get along without him, "I'll miss you…"
He smiled, "Yeah, I'll miss you too. But don't worry, we'll be back next summer. The preachers told me we would be back, since business has been so good here."
I nodded, "Yeah…" Not knowing what else to say, I leaned back against the side of the barn.
After a pause, he said, "Well, I should be getting back. You can sleep in late tomorrow, because I won't have the chance to bring you breakfast until after everyone else has already eaten."
"Okay…I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodnight."
He smiled, picking up my empty plate to take back with him, "Goodnight…sweet dreams."
"Thanks…I'll need it…" I murmured to myself as he left.
It took a long time for me to fall asleep that night. In truth, I didn't want to fall asleep. I knew I'd have bad dreams and I definitely didn't want that. I fought to keep awake, my eyelids getting heavier every second. Finally, I gave up and succumbed to darkness…
I was standing in front of my house, walking towards
the door. A voice inside me was screaming, 'No! No! Don't go in there!' but I
couldn't stop. It felt as though someone was pushing me, though I didn't dare
turn around to see who it was. I walked inside and saw Papa sitting at the
dining room table, his back to me. I swallowed hard, as I was pushed further
towards him.
"Papa?" I said.
He turned around, his steady glare affixed on me. He
was scowling, making him look even more menacing. His eyes showed no trace of
life. They were so dark, like pools of ink…
He stood up and took a step towards me. He towered over
me, his height well past six feet. "Where have you been, Rebecca?"
"Oh, I was just…staying with a friend for a few days."
I answered, sounding much calmer than I really was.
He nodded, taking another step towards me, "Is that
so…"
I swallowed hard, but tried to remain calm. I couldn't
show him I was afraid. It was then that I noticed a bloodstain on Papa's shirt.
I stared at it for a second, dazed, now realizing it wasn't his blood.
I suddenly felt faint, but fought to keep
consciousness. "Where's Rachael?"
His scowl changed into a twisted smile as he moved
closer towards me. The bloodstain seemed to darken, until it was nearly black.
"Papa, where is Rachael?" I asked more insistently.
"You won't have to worry about your sister anymore," he
replied. "I took care of everything…" His voice began to change.
It sent a shudder through me. I knew that voice, I had
heard it somewhere before. I willed myself to move towards the door, but I
couldn't. It was as though I was glued to the spot. As he came closer and
closer towards me, I did the only thing I knew to do: I screamed. When I felt
his hand clamp over my mouth, I closed my eyes, willing him to go away.
"Rebecca…" I heard sharp whispering in my ear and finally opened my eyes. I could just make out Josiah's face in the morning light. He was the one who had his hand clamped over my mouth. He removed it, peering at me with concern. I immediately hugged him, aware that I was crying. He ran a hand through my hair, whispering softly, "Shh…it's gonna be alright." I buried my face into his shoulder and took a deep breath. I felt safe again with him here.
It was the reality of the dream that had scared me so much. Papa has gotten violent before with us, but I didn't know how far he would go if provoked enough.
When I'd finally calmed down enough, I moved back and brushed the tears away, "I'm sorry…it was just a bad dream."
He nodded, still looking concerned, "Must have been a pretty bad one. You nearly gave yourself away."
"Sorry…" I murmured again.
He paused a moment, then said, "It's alright. You want to talk about it?"
My eyes widened as I realized it was Josiah's voice that my father's had changed into. 'What does that mean?' I wondered. "Um…no. I'd rather just forget about it."
He nodded again, though he looked skeptical, "Okay…here, I brought you breakfast."
I took the plate from him, "Thanks…what time is it anyway?"
"It's almost 11 o'clock. You slept a long time."
"Yeah…it took me awhile to get to sleep," I lied.
He frowned, "Maybe from now on I should stay with you until you fall asleep. That way maybe you won't have bad dreams."
I nodded, smiling a bit, "I'd like that."
He smiled back, "So would I…"
I quickly finished breakfast, then turned to Josiah, "Now what? Do I just stay in here all day?"
He shook his head, "Not if you don't want to. As long as they don't see you with me, they won't get suspicious."
I nodded, "Alright. What are you going to be doing today?"
He shrugged, "I've got a lot of rehearsing to do. You can come watch if you want. Some of the people here do that."
"Yeah, I'll come watch." I replied.
"Okay. Anyway, I should be going now. Wait a few minutes and then come over to the church. We'll be starting then."
"Alright. See you in a few minutes."
"Bye…" He hurried off to the church.
I sighed and pushed my empty plate to the side. I stood up and brushed the hay off my dress, making a mental note that I'd have to go back home and get a change of clothes and some other things. I could probably get in during the afternoon, when Papa and Rachael were usually both gone, Papa at the bar and Rachael. At least I wouldn't have to worry about them noticing that I'd taken anything.
I tried to make myself look as presentable as possible and then walked out of the barn. As I reached the door of the church, I met up with Robby's mother, Mrs. Larsen. She was really sweet and friends with practically everyone in town.
She smiled at me, "Hello, Rebecca. Haven't seen you in awhile."
I smiled back, "I've been a little busy lately. How's Robby?"
"Oh, he's doing much better, but the doctor says he should still stay in bed until it's all over. It'll only be a few more days."
I nodded, "That's good."
Mrs. Larsen suddenly frowned slightly and lowered her voice, "So how's your father? Is he still drinking?"
I sighed. Whenever any of the adults talked about my father, they lowered their voice, as though his name was a curse in itself. "Yes, some. It's alright, he's not too hard to handle," I whispered back.
She nodded, her voice now at its normal volume, "Well, that's good…"
I immediately changed the subject, "So, are you coming to hear Josiah rehearse too?"
The smile returned, "Oh, yes. He was just wonderful last Sunday. With him here, I could go to church every day of the week and I wouldn't mind."
I laughed, "Yeah, I know what you mean…"
We walked inside the church. Josiah was already at the front, talking to some of the preachers. He glanced up and smiled when he saw me. I smiled back and sat down with Mrs. Larsen in the middle row. A few people were already there, but I didn't know any of them especially well.
He started out with a sermon on Satan's temptations, which I found especially interesting. I thought Josiah delivered it perfectly, but that didn't stop the preachers from making him do it a couple more times. By the fourth time, I'd almost had it memorized. Then, right in the middle of the fifth time, he stopped. I frowned and gave him a concerned look. Our eyes met and that's when I first noticed the dark circles under his eyes. He looked as though he hadn't slept in weeks.
For the second time in 2 days, Josiah collapsed.