Yes an early update, do enjoy it, I'm very fond of this chapter!
Chapter three: Her Name
He stretched his arms behind his back, loosened up his shoulders, and cracked his neck; he was standing in front of his starting block, number five, his favorite lane. He was in great shape, best shape he'd been in, in a long time, he was going to win this, hands down, he was going to win this on his own, the thought of using not even crossing his mind.
He needed this, he needed the adrenaline pumping, he'd forget about 'her' if only for a little while. The swimmers were told to get on the starting blocks, he shot the guy on block four, his main rival a look, he was good, fucking fast but also nervous, tot damn twitchy, a bad starter.
They got ready to dive in, it was quiet, he loved this, the moment before the race.
The whistle was blown: swimming time.
He took a textbook start, his strokes were fast but perfect, his breathing even, controlled, he was in complete and utter control. He was in the lead he could feel it.
The turn, flawless, he sped up, remembering what the coach had said to him: "That Evans kid has the best turn in the game".
The end was nearing, he was winning.
His fingertips touched the wall, first.
"Dead girl dances, she burns…the witch hunt…BURN this girl."
He was there again, in that fucking darkness that kept on enveloping him. But it was different this time; the air around him was clammy and seeped through his skin, something was going on.
And suddenly there was the chatter of a crowd.
"Order, order, ORDER!" A heavy male voice called from the darkness, struggling to be heard over the commotion. The murmurs stop, except for the soft sobbing of a girl, sobbing he was already quite familiar with, it was her, she was there.
He heard footsteps, heavy footsteps.
"Thomas, poor poor Thomas," she murmured.
"Milord Magistrate, this is a petition signed by fifty people signed on my sister's behalf,-"so Thomas was her brother?- "They all attest that she is a sweet and kind girl, a good church member brought up to live according to the faith by honest righteous folk." His voice trembles, as if he could burst out into tears any moment.
"Thank you Thomas," the heavy voice says kindly, "you may sit down."
Another voice sounded through the darkness: "You claim that the two young men you murdered assaulted you. Why would they, they the sons of two Lords, attempt to rape you? Sounds like the lies of a witch to me…How could a girl such as yourself fend off two young men in their prime without the help of the devil? You are a wolf in sheep clothing, a witch in the form of a young girl!"
The murmurs returned, and again the heavy voice called: "Order, order, order," over the chatter of the crowed.
"I didn't kill them…"
"Reid!" Someone was lightly slapping him in the face. "Wake up man!"
He opened his eyes, lazily, where was he? This wasn't his bed, his bed wasn't this hard, and god it was cold.
"What-?"
"You passed out in the water," someone replied. No it was Tyler, yeah Tyler for sure.
"He's okay!" Someone called and the crowd started to cheer and clap.
"Did I win?"
"Yes you won." Tyler answered sounding quite annoyed as Reid was lifted off the floor; apparently, he was lying on a stretcher.
"What happened?"
"The fuck if I know," Tyler muttered staying by his side as two burly guys carried him off. "You just fainted, you're a lucky Joe reacted so fast decide to get your sorry as out of the water."
"Joe?"
"That Evans kid." Tyler clarified. "You owe him big time."
"Hey dude, where are you taking me?" Reid asked no one of the burly guys in particular.
"Nurse's office," one of them replied curtly.
Reid swore under his breath, his eyes darting back to Tyler. "Hey no fair you're dressed."
"My race was done, Caleb and Pogue wanted to come too, but I told them I could handle it."
"You make it sound like I'm a chore."
"You are most of the time," Tyler said dismissively rushing ahead to open the door to the nurse's office to open the door for the two burly guys.
"We've got a patient for you." the burly guy with the black hair, the same one that answered before called. "Victim of the swim meet."
"I used to think swimming was a peaceful sport." the nurse called as the carried him in, through her office and into the "sickbay", which held a grand total of six beds which were separated from each other by thin white curtains.
The nurse or doctor or whatever she was, was a woman in her late thirties, early forties, Mrs. Robinson. She was tall but a bit on the chubby side, her blond hair was always in a tidy knot in her neck, her glasses always resting on the tip of her nose, she looked quite strict, but he knew from personal experience she was actually quite nice.
"Mister Garwin," She said pursing her lips as his two 'transporters' rolled him off the stretcher onto one of the beds in a rather rough way. "Pleasure seeing you again, did you and Aaron Abbott get into another scruff?" She asked while the two burly men plus their stretcher left the room.
"No," Reid said curtly.
"He swam, he won, he fainted," Tyler explained.
"Hello mister Simms my Garwin interpreter," Mrs. Robinson said friendly. "How are you feeling Reid?"
"Like I just fainted."
"Ha-ha, tell me Reid do you have a good breakfast?" She asked checking his eyes with her little pocket flashlight.
Reid just shrugged.
"No he didn't, all he ate was an apple."
"Reid you know that's not enough to sustain you, not even on a normal day let alone when you have to physically exert yourself," Mrs. Robinson said shaking her head in disapproval. "Now sit up for me will you."
"Tattletale," Reid grumbled to Tyler while Mrs. Robinson put a stethoscope to his back causing him to cringe. "That's fucking cold," he whined.
"Sorry, sorry, I thought a big boy like you could handle a little cold." Mrs. Robinson said. "Deep breaths, Reid."
"Honestly I'm fine." Reid said relieved when she took that cold thing of his back.
"What about sleep? Had a goodnight sleep?"
"Sure," Reid muttered rolling his eyes.
"Tyler?" Mrs. Robinson said turning to Tyler for a more honest answer.
"He's been having trouble sleeping."
"You're such a tattletale Baby Boy," Reid muttered shooting his friend a glare.
"My diagnoses: you asked too much of your body today Reid," Mrs. Robinson stated putting her hands on her hips. "I'm keeping you overnight, Tyler if you would be so kind to get Reid some clothes and things he might need."
"What?!" Reid started. "I'm not staying here, I-"
"It wasn't a request Reid, it was an order."
"Fuck."
"Don't worry Reid, I'll be back soon and so will be Pogue and Caleb, we'll keep you company," Tyler said friendly.
"I don't like this Baby Boy."
"You'd better deal with it Reid, because I'm not changing my mind." Mrs. Robinson stated before leaving in a huff.
"Fucking Hell."
(Two hours latter, the sickbay)
Reid, now dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, had just finished recounting what he had heard in the darkness to the other Sons of Ipswich, who had claimed the two beds on each side of Reid's bed, they could talk amongst themselves freely, Reid was the only patient, and Mrs. Robinson was out.
"So when you were passed out, you had another 'dream' about her?" Caleb asked, he and Pogue were sitting on the bed to Reid's right.
"No shit Sherlock," Reid said rolling his eyes. "It was her trial this time."
"It wasn't much of a trial, seems to me they already had decided she was guilty," Pogue remarked crossing her arms.
"Still don't know her name?" Tyler asked, he was occupying the bed on Reid's left, laying flat on his back, and eyes fixed on the ceiling.
"If I did I would've told you Baby Boy, all I know is she has a brother called Thomas, I told you," Reid said annoyed. "Try to keep up yeah?"
"She was burned right?" Caleb asked, eyes burning into Reid's.
"Yes."
"I looked it up, only one female Garwin was ever trialed a witch and she wasn't burned, she was hung," Caleb said his eyes darting to the window above Reid's bed. "But John Putnam's aunt was burned a witch only months before his birth, John Putnam's father was named Thomas."
"You're insinuating Chase is behind this?" Reid asked.
"I'm not saying he's behind this, I'm saying this girl could be John Putnam's aunt, but it could be just a coincidence, we don't know enough to be sure. If she's not, there's no way in hell Chase could be controlling a spirit like her if she wasn't his relative."
"What was her name?" Reid asked. "What was the name of Thomas Putnam's sister?"
"Annabel, she was twenty-four."
"It's not her," Reid said setting his jaw.
"How do you know so sure?" Pogue asked.
"There's no way in fucking hell the girl in my dreams is twenty-four, she's eighteen tops."
"Maybe she just looks young," Pogue argued.
"Yeah she looks young, too young to look anything near twenty-four," Reid stated surly.
"There's only one way to be sure," Tyler said.
"Tyler's right," Caleb said with a nod. "Reid, keep trying to figure out her name, it's important."
"She's not Annabel Putnam," Reid said sounding annoyed that they were ignoring his opinion: he was the one having the dreams; he was the one seeing her, hearing her screams, not them. "She was innocent. And some guy could've proved it but didn't."
"What?" Caleb asked.
"She told me he wouldn't help her."
"He?"
"He who saved me, he who doomed me." Reid said repeating her words which were etched into his mind.
"Great more riddles," Pogue said with a sigh.
"Reid, is there anything else, a detail, no matter how small, that you can remember?" Caleb asked.
"No," Reid said briskly.
"Reid didn't you tell me she was tortured?" Tyler asked giving his friend an accusing look, which was without second thought ignored.
"Reid," Caleb said with a sigh. "If you want to solve this, you'll have to tell us things like that, now let's try again: is there anything else that you remember, some detail?"
Reid crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared up at the ceiling, thinking back on every vision of her he ever had.
"Her eyes, they're emerald green and…she was burned on a hill, at night. And oh she keeps on singing things like: dead girl dances, she burns, witch hunt, witch hunt, burn this girl, something along those lines, something morbid like that," Reid said his gaze returning to Caleb. "Satisfied?"
Caleb simply nodded, pleased that Reid was finally cooperating.
"I'm staying here tonight," he suddenly stated causing the other three to give him a look of confusion. "If Chase is behind this, this would be the perfect opportunity to get to Reid."
"I can handle myself-" Reid started but Caleb cut him off.
"You haven't ascended yet Reid, Chase is strong, and if this is his work he's already messing with your mind. I know you don't like hearing it but you wouldn't stand a chance in the state you're in now," Caleb reasoned. "I'm staying here tonight."
"He has a point Reid," Pogue said agreeing with Caleb as per usual.
"What do you say Baby Boy?" Reid said turning to his best friend for some support.
"I'm sorry Reid, but Caleb's right."
"Fucking hell, I'm not a baby you know; I'm perfectly able to handle myself."
"This has nothing to do with you not being able to handle yourself," Caleb said trying to pacify the hotheaded blond. "Chase is dangerous Reid, and I don't want to take a chance here."
"You and your Chase obsession," Reid said irritated, visibly fuming. "He's DEAD, Caleb, dead dead dead, you killed him, he's dead!"
"There's nothing you can say to change my mind Reid, I'm staying tonight, and you'd better deal with it."
Caleb staid true to his word, that evening he actually convinced Mrs. Robinson to let him keep Reid company that night after profusely promising he wouldn't keep her patient from getting some rest. And so he had claimed the bed on Reid's left, though the blond had refused to even think about having a conversation with him, his pride still bruised from the conversation earlier that day, and had turned his back and had forced himself to get some sleep.
He was standing in a valley next to a creek, the sound of the waterway was soothing and beautiful, he could hear crickets, annoying little crickets.
Here and there stood a tree, green leaved and in full bloom and the wild flowers were slightly towering out above the carpet of fresh green grass.
The sun was shining and there was only a faint breeze, making the taller grass rustle every now and again.
"He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me…He loves me."
He froze, it was her voice, but…there was something missing, the sadness the despair, was missing, her voice had lost it's sickening element, and was now only the sugary sweet voice of a young girl.
He spun around and saw her sitting in the grass. She looked, different, still pale, but healthier looking. The more meat on her bones and a pink blush on her pale face gave her a more lively appearance. Her hair was still dark but shinier and curly, less dull than he remembered it. And her eyes…they were alive. She looked so innocent, with her round face and her virgin white-sleeveless dress; she looked like she just ran out of a picture in a magazine.
And suddenly she saw him, a guy completely out of place, she smiled, showing off perfectly white and even teeth: "Hello," she said friendly.
"Hey," Reid said unsure of what to say or what to do...
She looked at him, a smile still on her face and her large doe-eyes staring into his.
Her name, he needed to know her name…
"What's your name?"
"I'm Margret, Margret Day," she said smiling friendly. "But everyone calls me Maud. What's your name?"
"My name is Reid Garwin," he said and as soon his name left his lips he regretted them, the sun disappeared behind dark clouds and the wind picked up. She stood up, her eyes regaining their frightening quality and her cheeks losing their healthy pink flush.
"Garwin," she repeated breathlessly, her eyes wide as her hair became a toy to the wind. "Garwin, Garwin, Garwin!" She cried. "Curse that name, I curse that name, I curse that bloodline!"
He didn't know what to say, what to think, so he just stood there watching the sky turn black as if the world was ending, watching her change before his very eyes: the girl he had seen minutes ago was gone, she was back to being the disparate shadow of herself.
"How could he?" She cried, turning her face away from him. "How could he let me burn! It hurt, the flames they erased me, it burned, so much pain…-CURSE YOU GARWIN! You and your name! You should've let me die that day it would've spared me of the flames… Why didn't you tell them?! Why did you let them burn me?! COWARD, COWARD, COWARD! I hate you Gabriel Garwin!"
"Reid, wake up, Reid!" Caleb called, clutching Reid's shoulders and shaking him, forcing him to wake up.
Reid's eyes shot open, breathing heavily, bathing in his own sweat: "It was us," he said between pants.
"What?" Caleb said releasing his death grip on his blond friend's shoulders.
"I hate you Gabriel Garwin," Reid explained sitting up whipping the sweat of his brow. "It wasn't Annabel Putnam, her name's Margret, Margret Day, and it was Gabriel Garwin's fault, he was the one, who could've helped her, Caleb it was our fault."
TBC
I hope I'm not confusing you, or making your brain crash or something with all of this, I just had a craving for some drama :D
Her name "Maud" is a nod to the song "The Rape of Maud Bowen" & "Day" is a nod to "Where the Wild Roses Grow".
Well anyways, this was a fast update,
A happy author is a productive one, so do tell me what you think of this little thingy!
Love,
Anne!