Chapter 7: Witch Hunting

Kris went to the lecture, making it in just before the professor began to give notes. She managed to keep her mind off the appointment throughout class and then drove straight to her house.

She had started driving herself last week and the tension was slowly leaving her. There were times when a car would come speeding up beside her or toward her and she would slow down to control the overwhelming panic, but for the most part she had managed to overcome the fear of driving alone.

It was still a snail’s pace according to Carrie but she always told herself that at least she was driving again. An accident that lands you in hospital could’ve traumatized a weaker- or more sensitive- person for much longer than a few weeks.

Once in her room she picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number. It rang for about thirty seconds before anyone picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hello, may I please speak to my mother? It’s Kris Hawkins.”

“Please hold while I connect your call.”

She waited. When she heard her mother speak, Kris smiled.

“Hey Kris, what’s up?”

“Hi Mom.” Pause. “Nothing’s really up... I went to see Dr. Versha today.”

“Aren’t you feeling well?”

“I’m fine. Dr. Versha’s the psychologist in res.”

“Psychologist? Sweetie, are you alright?” her mother asked again, concern ringing clearly down the line, “Is this to do with your amnesia?”

Mrs. Hawkins listened as her daughter told her about the nightmares. Her frown only deepened as she took in her child’s perception of her accident.

“Oh, dear,” she said aloud.

“It’s alright Mom. I’m starting to handle it.”

Kris didn’t know just what her mother had meant by that but Deidre Hawkins last thought at that moment had been how she was coping.

They spoke for a few minutes then hung up. Deidre picked up the receiver immediately after to make some calls of her own.

Just because Kris had begun to open up about her horrid dreams didn’t mean they were no longer happening. She had another vivid dream the night of her first session and another the night after. The third night- after another session with Dr. Versha- she woke up screaming.

She was at home and this time Carrie and Reese came bursting through the door.

“Kris what is it?” they both exclaimed.

Carrie had a terrified expression on her face, as if she expected to see her best friend fighting for her life against some dangerous attacker. But she was alone and looking as frightened as hell. The relief that flooded through Carrie almost brought her to her knees. Her best friend was scared but she was ok.

Reese had just jumped out of bed and run down the hall as fast as he could. He stood in her doorway, shirtless and barefoot, looking ready for a fight. Seeing Kristina cowering alone in one corner of her bed was too much for him to bear. His chest rose and fell with each breath he took to calm himself.

“Kris, what’s going on?”

The girl could only cry. “It was another dream.” She held back a sob, “It was horrible. God I want it to stop.” Reese sat down beside her on the bed and Kris threw her arms around his neck. “I just want them to stop!”

He stroked her hair and tried to soothe her fears. “It was a bad dream, Kristi. It’s okay.”

Kris drew back her head, her eyes flashing. “Stop saying that! It’s not okay! I’m not okay! Why do I keep having these dreams?”

“Kris-” he began.

“No! There’s obviously something wrong with me,” she cried. Tears were streaming down her face and her entire body shook against him. “I want to know why the whole thing just can’t stay forgotten!”

“You went through a major trauma, Kris,” Reese murmured, shutting his eyes, trying not to remember how broken she’d looked in the hospital all those months ago. “That doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with you.”

“You’re going to get through this,” Carrie said softly, reaching out to touch Kris’s shoulder.

“We are going to get through this,” Reese said firmly, placing a kiss on Kris’s hair. “It might take some time, but it will be okay.”

While he stroked her hair, Kris slumped against Carrie’s oldest brother as one single word came into her mind.

When?

****

The following morning, Kristina watched Reese and his sister happily going about their morning routines before leaning against the kitchen counter and demanding to know what had happened the previous night. They exchanged stricken glances.

“Don’t you remember?” Carrie asked. “You had a rather intense nightmare- or at least your screaming was pretty intense.”

“Yeah. Can you tell me why?”

The two of her looked at her dumbly.

She continued with an exasperated sigh. “I mean what do you know about the night of the accident? Why should a car crash give me nightmares?”

“We’ve told you,” Carrie said. “I can’t tell you anything that can change the outcome of the story.”

“Neither can I.”

“Well, tell me again,” she insisted. “Tell me everything you know!”

There was a long pause.

Reese spoke first. “I think we can tell you the same thing over and over again, but there’s someone you haven’t asked. Since you figured out that he’s our brother, you’ve not spoken to him about the accident.” After a silence, Reese added, “You haven’t spoken to him about anything.”

Kristina looked away. “Why should I?”

No one answered that question but Reese posed another question, “Why wouldn’t you?”

She didn’t have an answer ready for that so she turned away, shaking her head. How could she tell them that after seeing their brother’s face every night, she had nothing but bad feelings when she woke up?

Carrie watched the emotions flit across her best friend’s face. Deciding the negativity wasn’t directly related to Gary, she said in a firm but gentle voice, “You should talk to him.”

As if summoned by a higher power, the subject of the conversation called moments later asking to speak to Kris.

It was too much of a coincidence for Kris. It had to mean something. She headed to the phone frowning.

Before Reese handed her the receiver, he mouthed ‘ask him’.

“Hey Kris,” he said once she was on the line.

“Hi, Gary.”

“How would you like to have lunch with me today?”

Her first instinct was to shout ‘no!’ Out loud, she stammered.

“What? Uh, what time?”

“I can come pick you up at around twelve-thirty.”

“Oh… all right. That would be nice,” she managed to say, her pulse quickening. Would it, Kris? the snarky little voice in her head asked.

“Great. I’ll pick you up then… did you sleep well?”

A part of her was surprised that he remembered that she was having nightmares in the first place. It added one more thing to the short profile she had of him in her mind. He paid attention to her when she spoke.

After a short pause, she said, “No.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he told her quietly before saying, “It was nice talking to you- see you later.”

And he hung up.

The girl stood staring at the phone for more than a moment, unsure of what she’d just gotten herself into.

As was their special skill, Carrie and Reese conveniently found themselves back in the same room with Kris after her phone call ended.

“Well, what did he say?”

“He wants to take me out for lunch.”

“Oh,” Carrie beamed. “That should be nice.”

“Yeah,” Reese said reassuringly, seeing the doubt all over Kris’s face. “Gary’s great company.”

Of course Kris knew this. Before her nightmares had started, she had spent hours with him at that frat barbecue. She hadn’t been scared of him then.

So maybe you shouldn’t be scared of him now! shouted the more reasonable voice in her head.

Little snarky had nothing to say, so Kris looked at her housemates, who were also her closest friends, and shrugged.

“He’s coming at twelve-thirty.”

“Cool,” Reese said, patting her shoulder. “It’s going to be ok. You can trust our brother to be on time and to take you some place nice.”

“Nice like fancy?”

“No... probably not during the day. Just that you’ll like it.”

“Well, then I better get up to my room to find something to wear!”

That made Carrie’s older brother laugh. “Geez, Kris, you are such a girl!”

She waved a hand and proceeded up the stairs.

Carrie called after her, “Let me help!”

“Sure.”

Before leaving the kitchen, Gary’s siblings exchanged looks that spoke volumes.

They both really wanted this to help Kris.

It had to go well.