LET.ME. IN.
She screamed back.
NEVER!
The man dropped his umbrella when he had to hold both hands to his head as she screamed inside of it. When Anna saw it, she continued to scream as loud as she could, inside of his mind.
NEVER! NEVER! NEVER!
The man tumbled backward, holding his hands to his head, stumbling over one of Lucas's buckets, and then falling into the swing set. Meanwhile, Anna managed to get to her feet and sprint towards the house.
CHAPTER 52
HOLLYWOOD RESERVATION, APRIL 2010
A nna slammed the door behind her, then locked it. Panting and gasping for air, she slid to the floor, her back against the door. The music stopped in the kitchen and her grandmother came out to her.
"Anna? Are you all right?"
Anna shook her head with a light whimper. Her grandmother looked at her, clasping her mouth while approaching her, kneeling next to her and touching her face, then her throat. "What happened to you?" Her eyes seemed to turn black. "Who did this to you?"
Anna shook her head again. "Tell me who it was, Anna."
"…There…was a man…"
"A man did this to you? What man?"
"…a man…he was big…his face was-was-was…blisters…"
"Was it a man you know, Anna? Tell me. Was it anyone you knew? Someone from the reservation?"
Anna shook her head.
"So, he wasn't from the reservation, but you did know him?"
Anna shrugged. "Sort of."
"Anna, you have to explain this to me." Igoshi helped Anna get up on her feet. When she walked, it hurt on her side where he had kicked her. Anna groaned in pain. Igoshi helped her sit down in a kitchen chair, then grabbed the first aid kit and started to clean her scrapes and bruises, while grumbling and scolding.
"Hurting a child, who would do such a thing? You need to tell me a little more, Anna. Who was this man? Does he have a name?"
Anna cleared her throat. She was afraid to tell her grandmother, afraid she might get mad at her. "I call him the Umbrella Man," she said.
Igoshi stopped rubbing dirt off Anna's leg and looked up at her. "So, you do know him?"
"I…I guess I’ve seen him before. Around."
"Seen him before? But you said he didn't live here?" Igoshi said.
"I know," Anna sighed. "But he's here, sometimes, all the time."
"What do you mean all the time?"
"I see him every day, almost, I think. He was in the backyard. He was standing in front of me. I was on the swing."
"He hurt you like this…in our backyard?"
Anna nodded. It hurt when she swallowed, but she had to, to not burst into tears. "I'm sorry, Nanna."
"Sorry? What are you sorry for, child?" she said and put a Band-Aid on a scrape on Anna’s knee.
"That I didn't tell you about him."
Nanna grabbed a chair and pulled it close so she could sit on it. She stared intently at Anna, her hands folded in her lap, leaning forward. "Now, tell me more about this Umbrella Man. Was he alone?"
Anna nodded. “I think so."
"Good. Good. Would you be able to recognize him if you saw him again?" she asked.
Anna nodded.
"Good. Good. We must alert the Tribal Police and tell them about him. There might be other kids in danger. It might be something racial. Did he say anything about your skin-color or you being Indian?"
Anna shook her head. "No. What's racial, Nanna?"
Igoshi shook her head. "Well, sometimes…people who…wait a minute, did this man say anything to you? Anything at all?"
Anna nodded. "He…spoke to me…kind of."
Igoshi lifted an eyebrow. "What do you mean…kind of?"
Anna's eyes avoided hers. She felt embarrassed that she had let this man inside of her mind.
"He spoke to me, but his lips didn't move."
Igoshi almost choked and started coughing. Her eyes turned black. "And you're sure about this?"
Anna nodded. "I could hear him clearly, but he wasn't moving his mouth. I know because I was looking at it all the time. Still, I could hear him in my head."
Igoshi took in a deep breath. Anna sensed she was getting agitated and felt bad for being the one doing this to her.
"Am I in trouble?"
Igoshi grabbed her by the shoulder and forced her to look into her eyes. "You listen to me, child. You're not in trouble, not with me. But this guy…He is no ordinary man. Anna, this is very important. You said he was alone? Are you sure about that?"
"I think so."
Igoshi became distant. "There is only one person I know who could do this sort of thing, who would be capable and strong enough to use someone's…but…I…well…that can hardly be…what else did this man say to you? You have to tell me everything, everything you can remember, you hear me?"
Anna nodded, biting her lip. "He said he needed my eyes."
"Your eyes, huh?"
Anna nodded again.
"Did he say why? Was it for himself?"
Anna shrugged. “I think so. He said he used a bird before, but he needed more. He needed me."
Now it was Igoshi who was biting her lip. The serious look on her face frightened Anna.
"What does it mean, Nanna? Who is he?"
Igoshi mumbled something Anna couldn't hear, then got up and walked to the cabinet. She found the tea and started making a pot, still while muttering under her breath. Anna was still shaking badly, both because of what had happened and also out of fear of what was about to.
"Nanna, you're scaring me. What is this? Who was he? Nanna? Please, say something."
Nanna fumbled with the tea bag, then turned on her heel and looked at Anna. "I think we need to leave."
A wave of shock went through Anna's body. Leave? Her voice was trembling as she spoke.
"What do you mean, leave?"
Igoshi nodded with a distant look. "Pack your things. We're leaving the reservation."
CHAPTER 53
FORT LAUDERDALE, APRIL 2010
T ill the end, he had believed she could be healed. Even though he prepared himself for her death, deep down, he had still hope that she would make it, pull out of it at the last moment like they did in the movies. But she didn't. Now Andrew was lying in their bedroom, the bedside empty next to him, staring at the ceiling for the fifth hour in a row.
The doctor had given him sleep medicine, but even though it was strong, it had only knocked him out for a few hours. The rest he had spent right there, in the bed, staring into the air, wondering if life was ever going to feel good again.
That was when he heard Anna cry.
Andrew got out of bed and walked to her room. Inside, he found Anna, her head still on the pillow, her eyes closed. She seemed to be crying in her sleep. He walked to her and sat on her bed. She was tossing and turning, crying helplessly.
"I don't want to leave," she said.
Andrew chuckled. At least she didn't seem to be dreaming about her mother. He wondered if he should wake her up, put her out of her misery, pull her out of the dream she was having, but then he realized she would only wake up to a nightmare worse than what she was leaving. Nothing could be worse than what they were going through right now.
Maybe it would be better to leave her sleeping. She needed the rest.
Andrew stayed at her bedside, looking at his beautiful daughter, seeing so many of Julia's features in her. A tear escaped his eye and he wiped it away, just as Anna opened her eyes and looked at him with a smile.
"Dad."
"Hey, baby. You were dreaming and talking in your sleep."
Anna sat up. She felt her wet cheeks. "Was I crying too?"
He nodded. "It's only natural with…you know…with everything that has been going on around here."
She tilted her head and gave him that look only a daughter can. "You know you can say it, Dad. Mom is dead. It's okay to say it."
Andrew nodded. "I know, baby. I’m just not quit
e ready for it, yet. You know your dad likes to take it slow."
"Sure does."
There was a silence. It wasn't unpleasant. Andrew enjoyed just being close to her. He had just put his head close to hers when he saw it. Five dark bruises on her throat, four on one side and one on the other.
“What…what…what is this?" he asked and moved her hair to better see them clearly, thinking it could be a rash of some sort. But after giving it a closer look, he realized there was no way that could be a rash. He had seen marks like that before. On his mother's throat the next morning after a fight with his father.
He felt like he was about to explode. Words came out in bits and pieces. "What the…how did…where did these bruises come from? Anna, look at me. How did you get these bruises?"
Anna cleared her throat, then felt them herself. She looked embarrassed. He had seen that look many times before when she feared getting in trouble.
"It's…it was…" her eyes met his as she stopped talking.
Andrew found it hard to breathe. Who would do such a thing to his little girl? Who could have hurt her like this?
"Dad, you know how…my dreams are different," she said, looking all of a sudden way too old for her age.
Andrew realized his hands were shaking, as he tried to keep a cool and open mind. He had made a promise to his wife, to his dying wife, that he would listen to their daughter, and that was what he was going to do.
He nodded. "Yes."
She cleared her throat. It was hard for her to say this. He could sense she had to struggle to find the words.
"There is this man. He is always carrying a black umbrella, even when the sun is shining."
Andrew wrinkled his forehead. A man with an umbrella? He felt so tired all of a sudden, so confused. What was all this?
"Did this man hurt you?" he asked, thinking she might be using the dreams to be able to talk about this. Now he just had to figure out what it meant, and how this man came to her in the first place. The bruises hadn't been there yesterday, had they? They seemed very new.
Anna nodded. "He wanted me to do something and I didn't want to do it, so he hurt me. Nanna says…"
"Stop there, Anna. I don't want to hear about your grandmother. Tell me about this man. Where did he approach you?"
"In the backyard."
"In our backyard?"
"No."
"Then whose backyard?"
"Nanna's. At the reservation."
Andrew sighed and leaned back. "Listen, Anna. I know it’s been hard for you over the years to separate dreams from reality, but you have to do it now, for me, okay? I need to know who is hurting you so I can get the information to the police and he can be stopped. He might be hurting other children like you. So, please, Anna. Try to tell me the truth. Where did this man come to you?"
Anna's eyes filled with tears. “But I just told you, Daddy." She was wearing the bracelet on her arm that her mother had given to her before she died. Anna hadn't taken it off since her mother's death.
He shook his head. “No, not those stories, not all that…dream worlds and Nanna and all that. This is not fantasy, Anna. These bruises are not part of your fantasy, they're real, very real. Someone hurt you, badly, and he must be stopped. But I can't help you if you tell me these stories, Anna; please, just tell me the truth." Andrew realized he was yelling. Anna's eyes were tearing up and soon they overflowed, spilling onto her cheeks.
It broke his heart. "I'm sorry, Anna. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, but…it's just very important that you keep your feet on the ground, especially in times like these. I need you to stay in reality and not run off in some fantasy of yours."
"You don't believe me. You never believe me," she said, kicking her feet in frustration.
Andrew took in a deep breath, remembering his wife's words to him. She had made him promise to listen, but not to believe her. That was all.
She also told you she believed Anna was in danger.
Andrew got up with a sigh. He was too tired, too exhausted, and too angry to keep calm. He decided to leave her room while he still hadn't said anything he might regret. As he reached the door, he turned and looked at her.
"You sure you don't want to tell me where this man assaulted you?"
Anna shook her head, her arms crossed in front of her. She rolled her eyes at him with a sigh and he left.
CHAPTER 54
FORT LAUDERDALE, APRIL 2010
A ndrew went to his room, popped another sleeping pill, and laid down, waiting for it to kick in, even though it was already light outside. He needed his rest and wasn't sure he could bear being awake anymore. Not just physically, but emotionally, he was in too much distress. Her screaming absence in the house overwhelmed him and made it so unbearable.
"Julia," he whispered while he waited. "Where are you? You're the one who knows how to talk to her. I don't. I have no idea how to deal with her, how to be there for her, how to help her. Please, help me. Please."
His eyelids grew heavy and soon they remained closed. When he opened them again, he was in his childhood home, at the reservation, sitting at the kitchen table in his mother's house.
What am I doing here? Is this a dream? I never dream.
"Hello?" he asked.
Someone appeared in the doorway. It was his mother. She had grown older than the last time he saw her. She was slumped slightly forward like her head had grown too heavy for her. Her smile was the same.
"Son," she said.
"What's going on? Why am I here?"
"I summoned you. Here to my world. I don't usually do this anymore since it drains me of strength and I don't have much of that these days; I’m too old, but I had to. I needed to talk to you, son, and this is the only way. I had to make you come here."
He looked around. The kitchen was the same yet a few things were different. He spotted a picture on the wall of Anna, the way she looked today.
It's a dream, just a dream.
Underneath her picture, he spotted the photo of a little boy, smiling between missing teeth. Andrew couldn't stop staring at it intently, his heart rate going up excessively.
Igoshi saw it and smiled. "That picture is my favorite of him."
"Who is he? Why do I feel like I’ve seen him before?" Andrew asked, not taking his eyes off the picture.
"He's your son. His name is Lucas."
Andrew found he could hardly breathe. He stared at the picture as tears sprang to his eyes. "Lucas? Little Luke?"
Igoshi nodded, still smiling. "He doesn't travel in dreams, so I couldn’t bring him with me."
"Travel?" Andrew said, remembering his mother talking about traveling in her dreams to other worlds like Anna always claimed to do.
It's just a dream, Andrew. Nothing but a dream. You'll laugh at this in the morning. Boy, you're going to laugh.
"Why am I here?" Andrew asked, laughing lightly. "You claim you summoned me?"
His mother grabbed his arm. Her touch felt very real. It frightened him slightly and he swallowed hard. The look in her eyes filled him with unease.
"Anna is in danger. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important, son. This will make me sick for days afterward and strain my health severely, but I am willing to do it for her, to save her."
There is that word again, danger. Can she really be in danger? My Anna? How? Why?
"You saw the bruises. You saw them with your own eyes," Igoshi said. "Someone is after her. We must do what we can to protect her. They might come for her in your world too. I need you to do what is necessary. You have to do what you can to protect her."
Andrew felt tears stream across his cheeks as he was filled with anguish and fear. "What do I do, Mom? What do you want me to do?"
That was when his mother's body started to flicker like his daughter’s had when she was younger, and sometimes still did in her sleep.
"Do what is necessary,” his mother repeated. “Do it, son."
Her body flickered heavily again, till she return
ed very brightly, and then she was gone.
Andrew opened his eyes with a gasp. "Mom?"
He was back in his bedroom, the bed empty beside him. Andrew's heart was beating fast, unbearably fast.
"You must do what is necessary, son. Do it."
What had she meant? If Anna's life really was in danger, what could he do to protect her?
And that was when he knew.
Andrew got out of the bed, walked to Anna's room, and found her in there, lying with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling. She lifted her head and looked at him. He cleared his throat.
"I think we should move back to the reservation," he said. "There are people there who know how to help you better than I do, and how to protect you."
Anna sat up and stared at him, eyes wide open. Then she smiled.
PART III
TAKE THESE HOLLOW EYES
CHAPTER 55
ORLANDO, MARCH 2016
I t was dark where she was. Barbara Bloom was used to that. The lights in her cell went out at ten and after that, there was nothing but darkness.