Call Me Sarah
Chapter Eight
Her whistled notes hung in the cool night air as she casually strolled the city streets. She smiled as she looked down at her knife. She wiped the blade clean and laughed, remembering the look on Mimi's face. {Damn! That felt good.}
She stopped suddenly as a new thought occurred to her. "So now what? I took care of Jan and Mimi - so why am I still here?" She sighed and wandered the streets aimlessly.
"I've only been out a few hours and already I'm tired of this. Tired of popping up and playing "Avenger" every time someone hurts you." She found herself walking along a dark pier along the dock's edge. She walked to the end of the pier, drawn by the pull of the water. She sat down with a heavy sigh.
"Help me out here, C. What am I supposed to be doing here? Who has been hurting you?"
Marlena stood with her hand poised inches in front of the Lockharts' front door. To her surprise the door quietly opened before them.
"Looks like she beat us here." Belle commented worriedly.
"If she's still here, we will have to be very careful." Marlena told Belle and Brady. "Especially since your father's gone to pick up Chloe's case worker from the airport. Let me do all the talking." The three of them froze when they heard hysterical weeping from the floor above them.
They rushed to the sound of the crying and were stunned by the sight that met them. Mrs. Lockhart cradled her daughter's body in her arms while her husband held a conversation with police on the phone. The crying came from a very distraught Mimi who clutched fistfuls of what appeared to be hair.
Mrs. Lockhart soothed her upset daughter. "Shhh, it's okay Mimi. You're safe sweetie. She's gone."
Marlena spoke up, announcing their presence. "Mr. & Mrs. Lockhart, I'm so terribly sorry to intrude, but can you tell us what happened here?"
Mimi looked up then and pulled away from her mother. The three visitors gasped when her face finally became visible to them. Brady was still wondering why her head seemed so small when he saw the clumps of blond hair that littered the covers of her bed. Her hair had been cut, and badly so. It stuck out in uneven spikes all over her head - the longest pieces not even an inch long.
"What happened?!" she shrieked from fear, anger and embarrassment. Why of all times did Brady have to be standing in her bedroom now?! "She cut my hair!" she cried pointing to the spikes on her head. "That freak friend of yours tied me up and cut off my hair with a knife!"
The visitors breathed a sigh of relief to discover that Mimi was relatively okay. Brady stifled a snicker at Chloe's prank.
"Brady!" Belle hissed with an elbow in his side. She went forward to hug her friend.
"I'm so glad you think this is funny!" Mimi said in between sniffles with a glare at her childhood crush.
"Yeah, I think this is very funny. Considering that it could have been worse, considering what you did to Chloe." He replied coldly.
Mrs. Lockhart looked at her guests in confusion. "Excuse me Marlena. Don't get me wrong, but what are you doing here?"
"Something serious happened to a classmate of your daughter's tonight - Chloe Lane. She isn't.herself at the moment. We came here fearing that she would do something to Mimi, after hearing what she did to Jan Spears."
Mimi started at that name. "Jan? Uh.what does Jan have to do with me?" She asked, her face a portrait of innocence.
Marlena shushed Brady's angry reply. She smiled kindly at Mimi. "Mimi, we know the truth about what you and Jan did to Chloe. It would be better if it came from you." She suggested.
Mimi looked at her parents and bit her lips. Her father crossed his arms over his chest and raised his eyebrows. "Well, Miriam?"
In a low whisper Mimi haltingly told them of her part in the prank played on Chloe. She finished and braced herself for the inevitable explosion from her parents.
"Miriam Renee Lockhart! I don't believe this!" her mother said finally.
"That computer was a donation from Habitat for Humanity, and this is how you use it? To set up a pornographic website featuring pictures of a minor?!" her father cried. "Do you have any idea of the trouble you're in right now?"
Marlena interjected. "Well I know the three of you have much to talk about, but first Mimi, it is very important that we find Chloe. Do you have any idea where she is - or where she was heading?"
Mimi shook her head tearfully. "She didn't say anything. I woke up and she was on top of me and she had taped my mouth shut. She pulled out this evil looking knife and I couldn't even scream. I thought she was going to kill me." She whimpered.
"When did she leave?" Brady asked.
"About thirty minutes ago."
Outside the house they pondered their next move.
"Great. Just great. We're back where we started from. Chloe's out there somewhere and we have no idea where to find her." Brady said dejectedly.
Marlena rubbed her tired eyes and sighed. "I guess the best thing is to go home and wait for her therapist. Maybe she'll have some insight on Sarah's personality that will help us find her."
Brady paused momentarily and furrowed his brow in thought. Something was nagging at the edges of his consciousness - like a pull on his spirit. He looked around at the neighborhood and realized suddenly where in town they were, and what was nearby.
"You guys go on ahead. I'm going to check out a place I know near here - one of Chloe's hangouts."
"Okay. Just remember Brady, if you see Chloe, call me immediately." Marlena smiled at him, suddenly moved with tenderness fro her stepson. She reached up to cup his cheek. "Be careful son."
Brady looked at her quizzically, blown away by her unexpected act. She smiled and removed her hand from his face.
"I'm sorry." She apologized quickly.
"No it's okay. It's just - you haven't called me that in a long time." He replied softly.
"Even if I haven't said it out loud, I've still felt it inside." She paused, still smiling. "However, I feel that this is not the best time for a heart to heart. Come on Belle. Brady, we'll see you later."
He stood and watched his sister and stepmother drive off, a bemused expression on his face. She never failed to surprise him. {Enough Brady. You still have to find Chloe.} He reminded himself. He set off at a brisk jog, ignoring the shooting pain in his legs.
Sarah wound back her arm and let the stone fly from her hand, mesmerized by the ripples it made in the water. {I don't get it. There's got to be more to this than just that lame prank those two losers pulled. There's got to be some other reason why I'm here. Something else I'm supposed to do.}
She threw another pebble into the water. "Ya know, C. This whole 'avenging your pain' thing would be a lot easier if I shared your memories - or had some clue about your life. But every time it's the same thing. Something happens to you and you shut down, forcing me to take over and make things better. Only every time I wake up it's like starting all over again and I have to play detective just to learn where you are and what's been going on. Ya know, I only just learned the name of this dinky little town."
She sighed heavily. "It was so much easier before. I always knew who the bad guys were. Whether it was the drunk bastard who punched your face into a wall or the sick f*ck who raped you while others took pictures. Now." she trailed off as she threw another rock into the dark water.
"I gotta say C, it looks like you gotta pretty good life here in Salem. Of course I haven't met the parental units yet, but it seems like you have friends - such as they are. And that hottie Brady really seems to care about you. So what am I missing?" She mused in frustration as she hurled another stone into the air.
"Nice arm." A voice remarked behind her.
Chapter Eight
Her whistled notes hung in the cool night air as she casually strolled the city streets. She smiled as she looked down at her knife. She wiped the blade clean and laughed, remembering the look on Mimi's face. {Damn! That felt good.}
She stopped suddenly as a new thought occurred to her. "So now what? I took care of Jan and Mimi - so why am I still here?" She sighed and wandered the streets aimlessly.
"I've only been out a few hours and already I'm tired of this. Tired of popping up and playing "Avenger" every time someone hurts you." She found herself walking along a dark pier along the dock's edge. She walked to the end of the pier, drawn by the pull of the water. She sat down with a heavy sigh.
"Help me out here, C. What am I supposed to be doing here? Who has been hurting you?"
Marlena stood with her hand poised inches in front of the Lockharts' front door. To her surprise the door quietly opened before them.
"Looks like she beat us here." Belle commented worriedly.
"If she's still here, we will have to be very careful." Marlena told Belle and Brady. "Especially since your father's gone to pick up Chloe's case worker from the airport. Let me do all the talking." The three of them froze when they heard hysterical weeping from the floor above them.
They rushed to the sound of the crying and were stunned by the sight that met them. Mrs. Lockhart cradled her daughter's body in her arms while her husband held a conversation with police on the phone. The crying came from a very distraught Mimi who clutched fistfuls of what appeared to be hair.
Mrs. Lockhart soothed her upset daughter. "Shhh, it's okay Mimi. You're safe sweetie. She's gone."
Marlena spoke up, announcing their presence. "Mr. & Mrs. Lockhart, I'm so terribly sorry to intrude, but can you tell us what happened here?"
Mimi looked up then and pulled away from her mother. The three visitors gasped when her face finally became visible to them. Brady was still wondering why her head seemed so small when he saw the clumps of blond hair that littered the covers of her bed. Her hair had been cut, and badly so. It stuck out in uneven spikes all over her head - the longest pieces not even an inch long.
"What happened?!" she shrieked from fear, anger and embarrassment. Why of all times did Brady have to be standing in her bedroom now?! "She cut my hair!" she cried pointing to the spikes on her head. "That freak friend of yours tied me up and cut off my hair with a knife!"
The visitors breathed a sigh of relief to discover that Mimi was relatively okay. Brady stifled a snicker at Chloe's prank.
"Brady!" Belle hissed with an elbow in his side. She went forward to hug her friend.
"I'm so glad you think this is funny!" Mimi said in between sniffles with a glare at her childhood crush.
"Yeah, I think this is very funny. Considering that it could have been worse, considering what you did to Chloe." He replied coldly.
Mrs. Lockhart looked at her guests in confusion. "Excuse me Marlena. Don't get me wrong, but what are you doing here?"
"Something serious happened to a classmate of your daughter's tonight - Chloe Lane. She isn't.herself at the moment. We came here fearing that she would do something to Mimi, after hearing what she did to Jan Spears."
Mimi started at that name. "Jan? Uh.what does Jan have to do with me?" She asked, her face a portrait of innocence.
Marlena shushed Brady's angry reply. She smiled kindly at Mimi. "Mimi, we know the truth about what you and Jan did to Chloe. It would be better if it came from you." She suggested.
Mimi looked at her parents and bit her lips. Her father crossed his arms over his chest and raised his eyebrows. "Well, Miriam?"
In a low whisper Mimi haltingly told them of her part in the prank played on Chloe. She finished and braced herself for the inevitable explosion from her parents.
"Miriam Renee Lockhart! I don't believe this!" her mother said finally.
"That computer was a donation from Habitat for Humanity, and this is how you use it? To set up a pornographic website featuring pictures of a minor?!" her father cried. "Do you have any idea of the trouble you're in right now?"
Marlena interjected. "Well I know the three of you have much to talk about, but first Mimi, it is very important that we find Chloe. Do you have any idea where she is - or where she was heading?"
Mimi shook her head tearfully. "She didn't say anything. I woke up and she was on top of me and she had taped my mouth shut. She pulled out this evil looking knife and I couldn't even scream. I thought she was going to kill me." She whimpered.
"When did she leave?" Brady asked.
"About thirty minutes ago."
Outside the house they pondered their next move.
"Great. Just great. We're back where we started from. Chloe's out there somewhere and we have no idea where to find her." Brady said dejectedly.
Marlena rubbed her tired eyes and sighed. "I guess the best thing is to go home and wait for her therapist. Maybe she'll have some insight on Sarah's personality that will help us find her."
Brady paused momentarily and furrowed his brow in thought. Something was nagging at the edges of his consciousness - like a pull on his spirit. He looked around at the neighborhood and realized suddenly where in town they were, and what was nearby.
"You guys go on ahead. I'm going to check out a place I know near here - one of Chloe's hangouts."
"Okay. Just remember Brady, if you see Chloe, call me immediately." Marlena smiled at him, suddenly moved with tenderness fro her stepson. She reached up to cup his cheek. "Be careful son."
Brady looked at her quizzically, blown away by her unexpected act. She smiled and removed her hand from his face.
"I'm sorry." She apologized quickly.
"No it's okay. It's just - you haven't called me that in a long time." He replied softly.
"Even if I haven't said it out loud, I've still felt it inside." She paused, still smiling. "However, I feel that this is not the best time for a heart to heart. Come on Belle. Brady, we'll see you later."
He stood and watched his sister and stepmother drive off, a bemused expression on his face. She never failed to surprise him. {Enough Brady. You still have to find Chloe.} He reminded himself. He set off at a brisk jog, ignoring the shooting pain in his legs.
Sarah wound back her arm and let the stone fly from her hand, mesmerized by the ripples it made in the water. {I don't get it. There's got to be more to this than just that lame prank those two losers pulled. There's got to be some other reason why I'm here. Something else I'm supposed to do.}
She threw another pebble into the water. "Ya know, C. This whole 'avenging your pain' thing would be a lot easier if I shared your memories - or had some clue about your life. But every time it's the same thing. Something happens to you and you shut down, forcing me to take over and make things better. Only every time I wake up it's like starting all over again and I have to play detective just to learn where you are and what's been going on. Ya know, I only just learned the name of this dinky little town."
She sighed heavily. "It was so much easier before. I always knew who the bad guys were. Whether it was the drunk bastard who punched your face into a wall or the sick f*ck who raped you while others took pictures. Now." she trailed off as she threw another rock into the dark water.
"I gotta say C, it looks like you gotta pretty good life here in Salem. Of course I haven't met the parental units yet, but it seems like you have friends - such as they are. And that hottie Brady really seems to care about you. So what am I missing?" She mused in frustration as she hurled another stone into the air.
"Nice arm." A voice remarked behind her.