I too had to work on myself before I could even think about others, and I think that not having him around was good for me.
There’s a knock at my door and I yell for whomever it is to come in.
My mom comes in with a smile and hands me a box. “This came for you earlier,” she says softly and turns around to leave the room.
My mind immediately goes to Tyson because he should have been coming home today.
What are the chances that he would send me something the exact day that he got home?
I shake my head and decide to open it. There isn’t any way I will find out who sent it until I open it.
Opening the box, I find a card on the top.
Camilla,
I’ve been missing you.
I hope you missed me too.
‘Til we meet again.
Yours.
Well that’s odd. A little presumptuous of Tyson. He’s honestly the only person I would miss right now.
I put the card beside me on the bed and look inside the box.
There is a knife in the box. Odd. Picking it up, I find that it’s engraved. I read the inscription. “For your screams.”
I can’t help but let out a scream as I drop the knife.
No, no, no. It can’t be.
I can feel my breath coming hard and fast.
There is only one person who ever said something about my screams.
They are all gone, aren’t they?
With shaking hands, I grab my phone and dial the one man who would know.
It only rings once before he picks up.
“Camilla? What’s going on, girl? I’m just waiting for Torch to get out of the center,” Derek says.
My breath comes in pants and I can feel my heart beating faster.
“You told me all of the Devil’s Souls were gone,” I say with accusation in my voice.
He’s silent for a second before his deadly calm voice comes on the line.
“They are all gone. I’m not a liar,” he says.
I feel my lips tremble.
“T-then h-how c-come I had a really creepy package waiting for me when I got home today?” I say.
“Explain.”
“My mom just brought in this box. There was a card that said they miss me and hope I miss them, and inside the box was a knife that said ‘For your screams.’ There is only one person who said that to me, and how would that be possible, if they were all gone?” I try my hardest to keep back the sobs trying to break free.
“Fuck. Who used to say that to you?” he asks in a cool tone.
“Reaper.”
Tyson “Torch”
It has been a long three months.
I’m glad that I get to go home today, though I know it’s going to be hard. I was able to talk to someone about everything that was going on in my head and how I was turning self-destructive, and then I was also able to get through the withdrawals. I honestly didn’t think I would have them because it had only been year since Stacey died, but I was wrong. It was bad. I was glad that my family didn’t have to see that. It wasn’t pretty and not a memory I wanted them to have.
I made sure to get the info for meetings for when I got home.
I talked and wrote letters to my mom and sister a lot. It was nice to be able to communicate with them in that way.
I felt like it brought me a lot closer to Ella. I confided in her about how I felt about everything and, in turn, she explained how hard it was for her to lose Jeff in a tragic way. She said that the only thing that kept her going were the baby and Stacey. Until the club came along that is.
She had felt hopeless and lost and didn’t know how to live a life without him. She had explained that it just got easier to breathe with time. What helped her was remembering the good times, appreciating the friends and family she had along the way, and reminding herself that it was okay to smile.
Just because she was happy didn’t mean that she forgot him.
In between those letters came the ones that read like lectures. Ella would write how Stacey wouldn’t want me to be like I had been prior to me entering treatment.
I read those letters over and over again.
I shake my head from the thoughts as I’m finishing the process of checking out. I know that my dad will be waiting in the car, but my mom is in the front entrance with a big smile on her face. You would think that it had been years since she had seen me and not months.
I smile as I wrap my arms around her and spin her around.
Fuck, I don’t remember the last time I was so happy to see my mom.
“I’m so happy to see you,” she says with a sniffle.
“Me too, mom,” I tell her honestly.
I walk with my arm around her and spot my dad pacing back and forth in front of the car. He looks like he’s having a heated conversation with someone.
“Fuck. Who used to say that to you?” I hear him practically growl out.
Whoever he’s talking to says something and he goes pale.
“Pack a bag. We will be there in an hour. Is your brother home? Good, put him on. I need you to keep your sister in your sight until I get there. She’s coming to the club. Pack a bag if you want to come with her. We will be there in an hour.” He hangs up the phone with a curse.
