Chapter 17: Take Me Home

Divia walked through the thickness of trees and bushes. She peered around the tree. There was nothing. She was sure she had felt a presence in the air.

Divia yawned. The night had overtaken her and made her sleepy. But she couldn't sleep; Zac depended on her. He wanted her to find the girl. And she must. She lay down on the earthy sod and closed her eyes, but only to rest, not to sleep. But she soon dozed anyway.


A girl stood before Divia. "Alanis?" Divia called out. Alanis nodded her head and her black hair bounced up and down.

"Where are you? Zac needs you"

Alanis opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. There was no noise. Alanis screamed silence over and over. Soon tears of frustration streamed down her cheeks. "Don't cry, Alanis, just calm down. Tell me where you are. Work with me," Divia said with reassuring eyes.

"Grantsville, southwest of where you are. The video store. Help me" a little voice cried out in Divia's brain. Divia nodded.

Then the vision faded and Divia's eyelids snapped open. Was it all just a dream? Or was it real? Only time could tell. An extreme sense of exhaustion and headache washed over Divia quickly. Her eyes once again sealed themselves and Divia drifted into slumber.

Divia awoke with a start. It was now morning and she needed to get on her way and see if the vision was real.

Divia balanced herself on the railroad tracks as she made her way toward the little town. Her sneakers constantly fell off and twisted around the metal to stay on. Soon she hopped off and walked down the main street in town. She didn't have to go far to reach the video store. She circled it, Alanis wasn't there. There weren't any girls there to be in fact whether they had Alanis's description or not.

Divia sighed and gave up hunt for the girl she sought. She wearily pushed on the glass door and stepped inside the air-conditioned building. She breathed in and the fake air seared her lungs. She opened her eyes and looked up. There were people staring at her. She gave a slight smile at herself. She probably didn't look that fit for public. Her hair was tangled and a bit dirty. Her clothes were torn and shabby. Her skin was scratched and a bit bruised. She looked like she had just been dragged out of a Dumpster. She stepped slowly toward the main desk. As she did, people avoided her gaze and body contact. She looked up at the girl at the desk, opened her mouth to speak then without warning she stopped in mid-word. Blue eyes flashed at her. Black hair glistened in the fluorescent lights and pale skin gave off its creamy radiance.

"I am Divia, Zac has sent for you. I must bring you home," Divia said to the girl. The girl nodded and stepped out from behind the desk. 

"So, Alanis, where are we? And how the heck did you get all the way out here?" Divia asked as they made their way back down the railroad tracks. Alanis gave a slight laugh. "I almost died after I ran from my father. I was to be sent to Tulsa with Zac and his family but my dad attempted to kidnap me by saying he was a police officer. I ran and jumped in a river then was sent over a waterfall. Then there was a bunch of weird stuff that happened" she answered. A wind brushed past them and Alanis looked into the fading sunset. "We need to call Zac. He expecting us" she said.

"I need money to make the call first, dopehead." Alanis said with a sour tone in her voice and the phone in her hand. "I don't have any money. I didn't bring much stuff with me. Zac told me to pack light. Plus besides that, I kind of left my pack at the police station" Divia hissed back. "Police station?!? You BITCH! You turned Zac in! You slut! I'll bet you slept with him too didn't you?? Used him then turned on him! What kind of evil are you?" Alanis screamed and wrapped her hands around Divia's neck and began to choke her. Divia grabbed Alanis's wrists and tried to pull her off. She could feel Alanis bruising her neck.

Finally she was able to rip Alanis from her. "STOP! You don't want me angry! Don't even try!" Divia screamed and began to run from her. Divia could feel all the evil trying to pump through her blood. "Coward! Don't run from me you slut!" Alanis screamed behind her. Divia ran for the forest.

Divia felt Alanis grab her jacket and savagely pull her toward her. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" Divia shrieked. But Alanis didn't. She clawed at Divia's eyes and tried to choke her. Divia pushed herself from Alanis and Alanis pushed at the same time. Both strengths of the girls sent Divia tumbling down the wooded hill.

Alanis could hear Divia grunts and groans. At first she drew an evil pleasure from it then horror as the thuds continued but no vocalization from Divia's part. Then there was a splash and the sounds stopped. The woods were silent.

Alanis almost flew down the hill. She knew she had hit the bottom when her feet settled in water. "Divia? Divia? Can you hear me? Hello?" Alanis called out over the trickling water. There was a moan a few feet from Alanis. Alanis ran to it. Divia was lying on her side and cringing in pain. There was blood flowing from her head and cuts and bruises all over her body. "Can you get up Divia? Can you hear me?" Alanis cried out.

"She's had trauma to the head. She may have a concussion. She has three broken ribs and a fractured leg. But other than that, she's fine" the doctor said and smiled at Alanis. Alanis peered into the hospital room where Divia had fallen unconscious. "Do you have thirty-five cents? I need to make a phone call," Alanis said. The doctor searched his pockets and fished out two quarters. Alanis thanked him and made her way to the phone booth. She dialed a number and waited for the answer.

Taylor and Zac looked up from the letters, startled that the phone rang. They looked at each other and both ran for it. Zac grabbed the phone off the hook.

"Hello?"

"Hello Zac"

"Oh my God…Alanis?!"

"Yeah Zac… it's me"