Forsythe returned his hat to his head. “Really? You’re telling me all this time you’ve been back, I haven’t helped you heal at all?” He shook his head. “No, you’re running. Just like you did back then. Running away from everything here, not because you want to heal, but because you’re afraid of what could happen if you stay.”
“No.” I shoved past him and shot from the bed. “I–I’m just trying to keep a level head and make a decision based on facts instead of emotions. And the fact is my life isn’t here. Not anymore.”
He stood and faced me. “So you’d rather take off the first chance you can, leaving all this behind without even giving it a chance to work?” He scoffed. “Tell me, what’s that sound like to you?”
My cheeks burned with emotion. “It’s reality.”
He huffed. “Yeah, maybe for you, but that sounds an awful lot like running to me.” Forsythe stepped closer. “No more lies, Lucille. Admit it…you’re running from me.”
Everything inside me, every emotion, all my fear, it boiled over, and I felt a rush of anger surge through my entire body. I couldn’t control it, couldn’t stop myself from reacting like I did, and I snapped, unleashing all of it onto him.
“I think you should leave.”
“Lucille—”
“Leave! Get out! Go!”
He refused to listen. “I’m not going to leave you alone like this.”
“Yeah, well I don’t want you here.” I spun around and grabbed his leather jacket from the other night and threw it back at him. “Take your shit and get out.” I pointed to the door, but Forsythe just stood there. I could tell he was furious, hurting from what I had said, but deep in his eyes there was a look that told me he was worried. For me.
Why is my chest so tight?
“Lucille.” Forsythe ignored my demands and hovered over me. “I’m not leaving you alone right now. You don’t want to stay? Fine. But stop pretending you don’t feel the same way I do. You might lie to yourself, but don’t lie to me.”
Oh, you want to talk about lying?
“You’re one to talk.” I stepped away. “You want to talk about lying? Really?” I walked around him and reached under my mattress, yanking the vest out before throwing it at him. “How’sthatfor lying?” Forsythe’s face dropped at the sight of the vest in his hands. “Yeah, I’m the one lying.”
He didn't speak. He just stared at me with a horrified look in his eyes, telling me the answer to the question I feared asking.
“I might not want to face my past, but I’veneverhid any of it from you. You know everything, Forsythe. I’ve spilled all my secrets, told you my pain, laid myself bare before you! For the first time in a long time, I was beginning to feel safe…with you.” I choked back tears. “I thought I was safe with you… I thought I knew you, but I guess I don’t know anything.” His eyes met mine. “You’re a stranger to me.”
A stranger I’ve completely lost myself in.
“Go ahead, try to deny it’s yours.” He didn’t speak. “I mean, there’s no name patch, so it could just be an honest mistake, right? That’s what I said too…until I saw the patch on the back.” I crossed my arms and glared at him. “It’s the same as the tattoo on your back. A viper and scorpion entangled together with astake piercing them both right down the middle. The symbol for an infamous biker gang here in Texas. The Cryptids.”
Forsythe squeezed the vest in his hand. “Lucille, where did you get this?”
I scoffed. “Does it matter?”
“Does it—Lucille, there are some things buried in the past for a reason.” The look in his eyes startled me. He wasn’t angry at me for unearthing this secret…he was scared. “Was there anything else with this?” I nodded. “God damnit!” I jumped as he threw the vest down in a huff and paced around the room. “He promised me he’d get rid of that. Of all of it!”
I watched him circle around my room in a panic. “Who?” He didn’t answer. “Who was supposed to get rid of that box?”
Forsythe stopped and shook his head. “Your daddy.”
My dad? Wait…the photo.
“Was he in the gang too? Him and mom?”
Forsythe nearly laughed. “Nah. If anything, they tried to keep me out of that world. It’s how I came to live here way back then. Your daddy rescued me, kept me as far away from the Cryptids by any means possible.” He paused. “It wasn’t until I turned twenty-one that my world came crashing down. And no matter how much he tried, Memphis couldn’t stop fate.” He slowly walked over to me and sat on the edge of my bed with a sadness about him. “I never wanted you to know that side of me.”
I was mad that he kept such a thing from me, but seeing him weighed down by whatever ghost haunted him made me want to know more. And for the first time, I didn’t want to run.
“I thought we were done running from our pasts.” I sat down next to him. “If it’s too hard to speak, then maybe start with something easier to remember?” I pulled the photograph of my parents and the woman from under the mattress and handed it to him. “Start with this.” I tapped the woman’s face with my nail.“Who is she? And why are my parents with her? They obviously knew her. Were they friends?”
Forsythe smirked. “They knew her alright.” He tapped the photo. “That woman is my mother.”
