Chap 21
Damian POV
After the lecture I'm surprised Anya wanted to continue on the tour of the university, although she does start to act a bit weird. She suggests the library which I don't mind since I spend a lot of time in the library at Eden. There's just something about paper research that makes it feel more authentic.
She said she wanted to do some quick research on the human brain. After hearing her question earlier I'm sure she just wanted to follow the idea.
She specifically asked for access to the basement, which I ended up name dropping my father for the key to the archives down there for her. But I'm not exactly sure what she's trying to do. But she's so determined in her strides and what she needs, I just fold and give it to her.
She went to the basement and grabbed some texts and told me she was researching brains and frontal lobes and other parts and the frequencies of them. Which all seemed like gibberish to me.
She seems so determined as she skims the pages I can't help but ask "Is everything okay Anya?" I reach across the table placing her hand on mine. She nods with a smile that doesn't reach her eyes, and it's the first time I noticed she lied to me.
I remove my hand as she returns to what she was researching heavily for the past almost hour. But it does bother me that whatever it is she feels like she can't tell me, but I try not to think too deeply into it.
We discuss the different frequencies and theorize on how they feel, though her descriptions were vivid and thorough. Almost something she could tangibly feel. I notice she keeps looking around. It's not her usual behavior so it's hard not to take notice.
She asks me to grab a different volume of a book when she says she's going to head to the basement to check the archives for an article, but I notice her demeanor changes her shoulders more tense as she heads to the lower level.
Something feels off but I don't let on I'm aware of anything, and go get the book she asked me to. The volume wasn't on the shelf, and I looked around nearby shelves in case it was put back incorrectly. After a few minutes with no luck, I go back to the table and shuffle the books around. When I see one under her chair where she was seated, the book she sent me off to look for.
Alarm bells start going off in my mind, and I decide to go after her to the basement archives to check on her. Since something is clearly up with her, when I get deeper I start to hear the voice of another mixed with hers.
A male voice is with hers and a pang of jealousy runs through my chest, which quickly turns to worry once I'm close enough to hear her shout at him "oh yeah? What was she worth to you?" hurt and pain clear on her voice even though anger is the emotion that's highest.
The unknown man scoffs. "You have no idea who you're dealing with." Anya's pauses before she responds, "Try me." her voice was laced with venom. "I'm only going to ask nicely once, who do you work for?"
Taking her lightly he chides "I don't work for anyone, Becky wasn't special she was just my flavor of the month."
I could hear Anya grunt then he groaned deep and I heard clatter, peering in the door. I see he was kneeling on the ground holding his groin while her foot was there.
So this was Becky's boyfriend…
I wanted to rush into the room; but I decided against it, Anya clearly didn't want me here. I'll only step in if I need to interfere. She grabs him by his hair and forces him to face her, her heel digging into his groin and he groans in pain "Stop please."
"Look at me!" she says and he looks at her fear filling his features in his weakened state, "What are you doing, you freak. Your eyes…you" He was about to stand but her voice rang out in such a command that I was frozen in place, as I watched. "Tell me what you did to Becky!"
He barks at her "I would never hurt Becky!" he says as if he can't tear his gaze away from her. Then his eyes glazed over, his shoulder relaxing, even as she held a fistful of his hair in her grip forcing him to look at her. He made no motion to move, he just stayed there and spoke.
"This guy paid me $10k to tell her to sneak out to see me. They said once her dad paid up they would let her go." she pulled on his hair urging more details from him "Who?"
I slowly started to realize what was unfolding before me. Anya is looking for Becky, she's interrogating this man like a police officer. She must be insane to do this alone, she really watches too much of that spy show. I want to step in, but I can't tear my eyes away from her.
He shakes his head still in a daze trying to remember, "It was one guy, no name. He had a tattoo on his arm… a hammer." She narrows her eyes at him as he speaks, I can see the beginning of a nosebleed as she continues on.
"Is that everything you know?" she presses her foot to his groin as she wipes the blood dripping from her nose. He says through tight teeth, as if he's trying to hold back the words, "No I saw the man on campus last week, and I followed him to ask about Becky… but I overheard them say something about a big shipment on Halloween Pier 42." Anya removes her foot and staggers back wiping the back of her hand across her face smearing the blood that flows through both her nostrils.
His eyes return and his shoulder square and eyes her narrowly "What the hell was that? How did you do that? What did you do to me just now!" He takes quick strides as he raises his hand. But Anya is wiping her face and doesn't seem fit to defend as he closes the distance quickly.
I dart out the door to make it to him and punch him square in the jaw knocking him out cold before he can reach her.
Thankfully he didn't see who I was, or I'm sure I would never hear the end of it with Father and getting into fights whenever I'm with her.
"Anya!" I tried to grab her by her waist but missed and pulled her up by her arm, "Damian.." She says her nose and teeth are covered in blood.
I grabbed a Kleenex that was on a nearby desk and cleaned her up a bit and did the only thing I could think to do at the moment as she passed out in my arms, I called her dad.
Thankfully when I called he was on campus doing a lecture, what were the chances. He asked about the guy who passed out, but I told him we don't have time to explain and we needed to leave now.
We carried her to his car. I kept looking in the backseat as she lay there unconscious, her face covered in dried blood. Guilt seared through me like a hot knife, but I didn't let the tears spill. I can't show her father how I failed to protect her. She could've gotten hurt, on my watch. I clench my fists in my lap, biting the inside of my cheek in frustration.
"Damian, don't you sit there and blame yourself for anything. Just tell me what happened." Dr. Forger tells me in a calm voice his firm warm grip squeezing my shoulder. I know I'm tense, I just hated seeing her like that.
I look over at her and back to him as he drives us to his house. He's concerned as he glances in the rear view at Anya's form. He's not like my dad…
I take a deep breath and I tell him everything, minus a few things. But from how she was fine at the lecture, then her recommendation to go to the library and research brains. He didn't respond, he was just listening intently, which makes it easier for me to ramble as I try to piece the events of the afternoon together for him. I wonder if this is how he is with his patients.
I continued and told him that I noticed once we were at the library she started acting weird. In the midst of all the venting I even told him how much her lying to me in that moment bothered me, yet I ignored the voice in my head at every turn.
As the events got closer to the basement incident my voice shook and I stopped talking.
"I understand this is difficult Damian. You may even feel like you're protecting her by not telling me. I assure you she won't get in trouble, I just need to know what she was thinking about going to that basement with this man."
The worry was evident on his face and I felt like I was to blame. I told her dad part of what I heard and saw in the basement and he was quiet for a long moment, before saying he was glad I called him. I felt like I failed to keep my promise to him.
"I'm sorry, for everything Dr. Forger." I say to him clenching my fists in my lap as we approach his house. He waves me off "Please call my Loid, and no need for apologies, it's not your fault."
When we parked outside her house I carried her off to her bed to rest, I know I could've left, I probably should've.
But I stayed because I just needed to see her okay, awake and not in the state I last saw her. Looking at my hands, although clean now; I could still see her blood staining my skin like it did in the basement of the library.
If I stepped in sooner, when I first saw the blood start, maybe whatever happened with Anya could've been avoided. The what ifs of the moment invade my brain. If I had not let her go alone, if I hadn't gone on the wild goose chase of a hunt for a book.
Her mom was tending to her in her room, staying with her until she woke. "Damian." Loids concerned voice cuts through my self deprecating thoughts, as he puts the tea down and places a hand on my shoulder as he has a seat beside me.
"I'm sorry, I just don't know what she was doing in the basement. I keep playing it back. I'm just trying to make sense of it all." I say lifting the tea, sipping it slowly. My hand started shaking, my nerves started getting the better of me.
Loid leans back on the couch, "Anya has been deeply hurt, about Becky's disappearance. Although her family denies it, which frustrates her more." he rubs his eyes with his hand as if he's frustrated himself. "I'm afraid of what she'll do if Becky doesn't doesn't turn up."
I look over at him, a father who wants nothing but happiness and safety for his daughter. Becky who doesn't deserve to be thrust into the drama of our fathers business happenings. Clearly my father has gone off the deep end, and if I'm going to get Becky out I'm going to need some more help. Since he's a Dr. that talks through people's feelings about situations, maybe he can help me make sense of this enough to help me tell Anya.
"Can we…go for a drive…I'd like to talk in private." I ask before I lose my nerve. He looks at me and nods, "Sure why don't we pick up a treat for when she wakes." I nod and smile small knowing she'll love that.
He must be good at his job, or because he's driving the car and he's not looking directly at me. I just find myself wanting to tell him things, as if these things have been weighing so heavily on my chest, and I want to be free of them.
I start off by just telling him "My family life is really complicated and I don't want to drag Anya into it. But I can't help how I feel for her." He nods, "Protecting the ones you love is common, it isn't something to be shied away from." I blush a bit at that. I know what he means, but for him to just mention that I love his daughter nonchalantly, leaves my face feeling warmer and I'm questioning the topic of conversation.
"I… have a secret, that if she were to know. She probably wouldn't want anything to do with me. But if I don't tell her, I don't know if I could live with myself and keep going on as if I don't know, you know?" For a moment I question if I even made sense.
He nods listening intently, no bias in his features. I sigh heavily leaning back in the seat and look out the window.
He responds thoughtfully, "In my experience it's never the secret that we're afraid of telling, it's always about the vulnerability that comes with telling it." he glances over at me but I hold a stoic face as he speaks. "It's as if the secret opens the door to a side of you that you think will have her running for the hills." I shrug "more or less." I say noncommittally, even though he is spot on.
Man this guy is good at his job.
"It's up to you to decide what you want to do. But I think in your heart you know how she'll respond." He says parking outside a small market gives me a small encouraging smile.
"What if that's what I'm afraid of, too?" I unbuckled my seatbelt, and almost wanted to glance in the backseat as if she was still there. The memory of her unconscious body laying there comes to mind and my heart tightens at the thought.
"Knowing Anya, she'll be more upset that you made a decision for her than rather let her choose herself. I say be honest with her." he says in a comforting voice, leaving me with more thoughts than solutions.
"Any ideas on what to get her?" he asks, taking the keys and motioning to the store.
Without hesitation, "Definitely Peanuts." I say knowingly, which he nods agreeing..
I smile to myself thinking about her and seeing her smile again. My heart physically aches to see that again. I run my hands through my hair almost wanting to pull at the strands and yank.
When my phone vibrates in my pocket as we are exiting the car, I see Demetrius' name and motion that I'm going to hang back and take it.
"Where are you?" Demetrius says immediately no pleasantries, "I'm at the store with Anya's father." I say simply offering no more information willingly.
"Katrina said you were on campus earlier, did she speak to you?" He asks curiously, "I didn't think my academics were interesting for you." He scoffs knowing I'm purposely giving him the runaround.
"If you must know, I left after the lecture, Anya spoke with her briefly and we left for the library." I tell him wondering what the point of the line of questioning is.
"Hmmm" he says gruffly, "were you there when a student got attacked?" my spine straightened and I said immediately feigning surprise "Someone was attacked? Who?"
If he had known we were involved this conversation would've been shorter and more along the lines of come home now. Which shows he doesn't know about Anya's involvement.
"No matter." he says quickly, "Anya had a bad nose bleed and passed out. We must've left before the commotion." I tell him half truths hoping he'll leave it alone.
"Is she alright?" I was shocked that he even inquired with a shred of concern for her. I shake my head remembering the ordeal, "I hope so." I say honestly.
"So, when are you coming home?" He asked which I wasn't really sure how to answer. "I'm not leaving her, till she wakes up." I say firmly, not sure how he's going to take it. He doesn't answer for a moment, then says "I understand, if Father asks… I'll cover for you."
My brother has been many things in my life. The measuring stick that my father measures me against, that overtime I think I started to resent. But hearing him, not be the perfect first son and just be… my brother in my time of need, means everything.
"Thank you." I say earnestly and he hangs up. I head in the store and join Loid as he pays for the snacks, the cashier might now be all there. He weirdly started meowing after us. Odd.