Split Person (Last Part)
Split Person
J. N. Cloutier
The next day, Nicole was going through her phone contacts. "Oh! Nate? Maybe I'll text him," she thought happily. "But, wait. I should let him text me first. I'll call Therese!" As soon as she decided to let the boys chase her, and not the other way around, a text came in.
hey, it's Nate😃
hey! I was just thinking ab u😏
Oh, ya?
yeeaahh...😊
so... u wanna do something 2gether tnt?
yes! definitely:) give me a min so I can ask my father...
ok😎
She padded softly down the hallway. Stepping into her father's room, she hesitated. Even though it was only 5:30pm, her father came in, smelling of smoke and alcohol. He stumbled in his room as soon as he entered the house and had stayed sleeping ever since. She prayed that would continue. Her keen eyes noted a partly burned newspaper in the trash can by his bed (it sat right next to the nightstand). Quietly, she stalked over to it. Barely breathing, she cautiously eased the paper out of the trash can; it rustled, causing her to plead, "Please don't wake up...please."
After quickly grabbing the paper, she rushed out of the room. Biting her lip, she jotted down a short note, saying she was meeting a friend at the nearby park.
alright. I left a note... wanna meet at the nearby park?
sure... see ya in a bit😄
awesomesauce😆
She then pulled a grey hoodie over her tank top, slipped on skinny jeans, and laced up black high-top converse. Leaving her hair down, she looked in the mirror. "Hmmm... I'll put on some mascara." She thought about putting on lip gloss, but stayed reasonable and put her favourite chap stick on her lips instead. "Time to go," Nicole's insides shook a little from the excitement.
. . . . .
Nicole had no idea where Nate would be, so she began walking down the path, pretending she knew what she was doing and where she was going. "It's all about confidence," she assured herself. Spotting Nate sitting on a wooden bench, she quickened her step and smiled. He was laughing as he pet a medium-sized German Shepherd.
Not being used to such bluntness, Nicole blushed and cast her eyes down. "Thank you," she spoke after a moment.
"Uhhhh… this is Christa: my dog." Nate's face burst into a proud grin, making his eyes dance with something she couldn't name.
"She's beautiful. Ohh and soooo soft." Nicole knelt down to rub the friendly dog.
"Want to walk around a bit?"
"Sure," Nicole replied.
They strolled down the path and took turns walking Christa. Their conversations consisted of music, sports, books, movies, video games, food, games, school, moving, etc. Nicole was sad to see it end. Nate was... refreshing. Everything about him made her smile: his voice, laugh, smile, jokes, and thoughts on different subjects. He was smart, adorable in his nervousness, and genuine.
"I gotta get back," Nate reluctantly relayed. "I sill gotta get a few things from the store for my mom."
Sighing, Nicole said, "Alright..."
"Walk ya home?" Nate offered like a gentleman.
"Thank yo, but no. I think I'll walk on a bit longer."
"Okay. Until next time, Nicole."
"Yeah," she smiled casually. Inside, she was screaming, "He wants to do this again sometime?!" The very thought made her shiver with delight. "Thank you, Nate. I had fun."
"Me too, and thank you."
Laughing, she said "Anytime."
She watched him go, then turned to continue walking. It was getting dark now, the time being around 7:30pm. As she neared a thick, strong oak tree the alert feeling crept into her heart and goosebumps prickled her skin. She was wearing her sweatshirt, so she was not cold; she was... scared. Everything seemed to cast shadows that had minds of their owns. Trees, rocks, and even the path itself seemed to come alive with a desire to instill fear in the hearts of the beholders.
Rounding the bend, she came upon another oak tree; this one was bigger, taller, thicker, and darker than the others. Just when she tried comforting herself by saying she was only scaring herself, a masked man jumped from behind the oak. Nicole screamed. Although she barely understanding what was going on, she knew she had to run.
. . . . .
Nate heard Nicole's scream. He was so startled that he accidentally released his hold on Christa's leash. Leaping across the field, Christa ran with the speed of a bullet... or a dog about to protect a helpless human. Pulling out his cellphone, Nate ran towards the scream.
"911. What's your emergency?"
Stating his name and destination, he spoke "I was just walking with my friend, Nicole Hills, and then I left to go home. Just a few moments ago, I heard her scream. Now, I see her being chased by a man in a mask. He is approximately 5' 10" and is wearing dark blue jeans and a navy blue sweatshirt. I can see a grey t-shirt sticking out from underneath."
"Is there anything else-"
"Oh, he's wearing black and orange sneakers," Nate interrupted.
"No. He has what looks like a piece of paper in his hand."
"Okay. Keep calm. Stay on the phone and remain where you are. We are dispatching people now. They are on their way."
"Yes, ma'am."
"They're almost there. Stay on the phone until they arrive."
So that's what he did. Two cop cars and one ambulance pulled into the parking lot; three policemen jumped out and started towards the man that held Nicole. The mask could not hide his demonic grin as he whispered into her ear. Nate called out Christa's name. The dog released the pant leg and trotted over to him. Her innocent face brought a smile to his face, but it was quickly smothered because of what happened next.
One of the police demanded the man to let Nicole go. He did not. Instead, he began running with her. Trying to slow him down, Nicole went deadweight. Grunting, the man tried pulling her along. Realizing she was slowing him down, he dropped her. Immediately, he began running. The chase was on.
. . . . .
"Nicole? Nicole Hills? Is that you, baby?" A woman in a pink sweatshirt and blue sweatpants ran towards her.
"Who are you?" Then, images of the woman in the photograph and in the dream came to her. Everything fell into place. "Mom?" Nicole whispered with a desperate hope. "Momma?"
"Nicky!" They fell on the ground, holding each other. Tears mixed with joy, laughter, and hugs.
"Shhh… It's all right," Liv Hills cooed. "You're safe in my arms."
. . . . .
"Were is he?" Liv demanded when the police returned empty-handed. "Where is that dirty, lying, no-good son-" Liv stopped, remembering Nicole was listening attentively.
"We lost him in the alleys," one police admitted awkwardly, but honestly.
"So he had to have known his way around here," Nicole spoke up, trying to be helpful.
"Nicole, baby, do you know who that was?" Liv turned to her daughter.
"No, Momma. But-" Nicole gasped as she realized how gullible she had been. "Oh no... I have a lot to tell you..."
. . . . .
At Liv's house, people gathered in the living room. The police sat watching Nicole in surprise as she began her story. Nate sat beside her and occasionally reached out to pat her hand.
"That's quite a lot to take in, little Miss," said the officer.
"Is that everything?" another questioned.
"Uh... he dropped this. My father, that is." Nicole held out a picture of her mother so all could see. "He told me to tell you, Mom, that-" she choked the tears that had begun brimming in her blue eyes.
"What is it, honey?" Liv and Tyler glanced at each other, then at Nicole.
"You can tell us," Tyler spoke up.
"He said that I will always... always be his little girl... and that he will always find me." Nicole let the sobs take control of her. Nate held her hand as the tears ran down her cheeks. Then, Liv and Tyler walked to her and enveloped her in a hug.
"Baby, it's okay. I'll keep you safe." Liv began quietly singing the lullaby she had sang to Nicole when she was a baby.
After the police left, Nate did as well. The police left with the knowledge that Nicole would call if she remembered any other important details, and Nate with a promise that he would be by tomorrow to see how she was doing.
. . . . .
"Why did father-" Nicole grimaced at the word, "abduct me, his own kid?"
"Well, he began to have an addiction to drinking; he really started to go crazy. I knew it wasn't good for you... for us, really. So, I decided to separate and get custody of you." Liv took a sip of her coffee. "A few weeks later, he came to the house, drunk of course. He forced himself into your bedroom and went to pick you up. I called the police, but he got away."
"Oh my," Nicole was speechless.
"A few years later, we were at the park and you went off running. I called to you not to go to far, but you must not have heard. Then- well, you know the rest."
"I absolutely do," Nicole thought. "But I will no longer let it control me..."
. . . . .
Five months later, Nicole came home from school. Liv and Tyler, now married, greeted her with smiles and hugs.
"We're glad you're back! How was school?" Tyler Sterling kissed Nicole's forehead. They sat down one day and discussed what she was comfortable and uncomfortable with him doing. She said he could kiss her forehead, hug her, and even find a new nickname for her. But he was not allowed to call her his little girl. Not yet.
"School was great! Nate, Therese, and Ryan want to hang out later. Is that a-okay?"
Liv and Tyler exchanged a glance and Liv consented.
"Awesomesauce!" Nicole raced to her room, dropped her bag on the floor, and flopped across her four-poster bed. On the mirror, the words "I love you, Nicole Sterling, my best friend" glittered as a quiet reminder of Therese's loyalty.
"It's weird," Nicole shared with Therese once. "I feel like I'm two people: the one in real life and the one in the dream. Like I'm a split person or something..."
The dreams/ nightmares had not stopped, but they were not as frequent or intense. "Boy, am I grateful for that! I'm glad Rodney's gone and I'm here with Mom and Tyler. I hope I will never see Rodney Hills again." She had long since stopped calling him "father."
Nicole kept telling herself that she was glad that he was gone. Yet, as much as she did, she could not get herself to fully believe it, to get herself to stop hoping he would find her and not stop until he did. Not because she wanted him with her, no. But, because she did not want him to ruin another life by moving on to his next victim.
*OMADG
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