Mother of Darkwaters: Book one of the Vessel series (96 page)

   Whenever Tamara and Julianna find their place by Rebecca and Caroline, Jennifer is awake and alert. She walks up, playfully shoves her bff away, and greedily hugs Julianna. When she steps back, she nods once within her newfound respect for the Mother of Darkwaters. Julianna nods back.

   “Hey!”

   Tamara turns and looks at David Snow.

   “I need your help,” David yells over the loud noise of the concert.

   Tamara glances over at Julianna.

   “It’s okay”, Julianna says loudly, “I’ll be right here.”

   Tamara turns back and looks at her plus one, “Let’s go.”

   Tamara follows David around the backside of the stage. He leads her over the enormous tarp that covers Rebecca’s back yard golf course.

   “What’s up?”, Tamara says. She is thankful the need to scream in order to be heard lessens with each step they take.

   “It’s just over here,” David points to a set of ropes surrounding a sand trap, “I couldn’t believe it whenever I saw it. I didn’t know what to do.”

   “What is it?”, Tamara questions within her concern.

   “I don’t know,” David answers while entering the area, “Some girl. She looks hurt.”

   “What?!”, Tamara says while quickly catching up to the frantic boy. She stops and looks around.

   “There’s no one…ugh.…”

   Tamara’s eyes go wide as she fills a burning sensation in her side. Hands touch her back and force her into the sand below.

   “Yes there is,” David Snow corrects.

   Tamara pulls her bloody hand away from her right side. She starts screaming. David cocks his head to the right and grins. Tamara can see her blood all over the knife held within his right hand. The boy, nonchalantly, kneels by her left side. He tenderly caresses his hand through her short bleach blond hair.

   “They can’t hear you, my love”, David softly whispers.

  “Ahhh!”, Tamara cries out as David sticks the blade deep within her left thigh. Tears rush out of her eyes.

   “Why?”, Tamara sobs, “Please don’t kill me. Please…”

   “I
love
you,” David answers as though she should already know of his response.  

   Tamara whimpers within her fear as the maniac firmly presses a kiss against her lips.

   “Hey!”, a man’s voice yells out, “You two aren’t supposed to back here!”

   David jumps up and takes off running in the direction of the loud music.

   “Hey!”, a man’s voice yells out again, “Didn’t you hear what I said?!”

   Tamara fights the fogginess that desires to consume her.

   “You can’t be back…”, the man stops mid-sentence as he spots Tamara’s bloody body. He, immediately, snatches his emergency walkie-talkie from his utility belt.

   “Captain,” the man pushes the button and releases.

   “Go,” Captain Woods answers.

   “We need a medivac. I’ve got a girl – stabbing victim by the looks of it. I believe it is Tamara Stilliard, sir. I saw someone running towards the back side of the stage, but didn’t get a clear look at him. The suspect has on black jeans and a black tee-shirt.”

   “Where you at?”, Captain Woods replies with urgency.

   “Sand trap one,” the man answers.

   “Medivac is enroute,” Captain Woods informs, “Stay with her.”

   “Affirmative,” the man answers. He belts his walkie-talkie as he rushes over to assess the victim’s wounds. He quickly removes his jacket and tee-shirt. Ripping the shirt into a couple of long strips, the man ties off her left thigh. He reexamines her right side. It’s bad. The victim begs him with terrified eyes. He places his shirt against the wound and presses. She cries out. The man attempts to coach her, but truth is, he doesn’t believe his own words. Her side-wound is
extremely
bad.

   Julianna observes Captain Woods quickly approaching. He has that concerned safety look about him. He walks up and grabs her right arm. By now, she understands when she can argue and when she can’t. This is one of those can’t moments.

   Captain Woods says nothing as he quickly moves with Julianna around to the stage’s backside. She sees four Network security positioned by the rear stage. Six more are scouring the grounds with flashlights.

   “It’s Tamara,” Captain Woods informs when he releases Julianna.

   Julianna looks at him and follows his eyes towards an area in the distance. She can see all kinds of Network personnel around a roped off area. She takes off running.

   Whenever she reaches the velvet rope chain, three security guys step up to block her.

   “Let her through,” Captain Woods orders while jogging to a stop behind Julianna.

   The security team parts to allow Julianna a clear view of the love of her life. She pauses. Tamara has her eyes closed and is breathing shallowly.  

   “Tamara!”, Julianna gasps. She darts forward – her knees dig into the sand next to Tamara’s left side. She looks at the man holding his shirt against Tamara’s right side. He shakes his head grimly. Tears fill Julianna’s eyes. They race their way down her cheeks and drip into the blood-soaked sand beneath her.

   Julianna, gently, picks up Tamara’s head with her right arm. She scoots over and slips her right leg underneath her blond hair. The confused woman, nervously, caresses Tamara’s right cheek with her left hand.

   “Tamara, I’m here,” Julianna quietly speaks within her tears, “Wake up, baby. Please wake up.”

   Tamara groans – her eyelids flutter.

   “
Please
wake up,” Julianna begs. She can hardly see through the thick salty water flooding her eyes. Julianna vaguely notices the thumping of a helicopter’s overhead blade off in the distance. Her subconscious registers an abrupt stop to Amy’s performance, but it refuses to bring the information to the forefront of her mind. The love of her life is dying in her arms.

   “Please baby,” Julianna begs again, “Wake up.”

   Tamara’s eyes sleepily half-open. She coughs. Blood spews out. Julianna wipes the red liquid from Tamara’s lips.

   “You’re gonna be okay.”

   Tamara attempts a smile, “Liar.”

   “Help’s on the way. Just hang on. I
need
you to hang on.”

   Julianna lifts Tamara’s head as she coughs out more blood.

   “Who did this?”, Julianna desperately seeks answers to make sense of the terror within her hands.

   “Boys,” Tamara chokes out a mix of blood and a weak grin.

   “He’s real,” Julianna fights the urge to breakdown, “He is
so
real. Ask Him to forgive you baby.”

   Tamara chokes up more blood. She spits the remaining mess from her mouth. Her brown eyes lazily find their way to Julianna’s teary gaze. Tamara forces another weakened grin.

   “I…love…you,” Tamara forces each word between shallow breaths.

   “I love you,” Julianna answers, “Ask Him. I know you know how. Ask Him now.”

   Julianna hears the helicopter’s final approach.

   Tamara lifts her left arm and places her hand against Julianna’s right cheek. Julianna moves her knee to hold Tamara’s head while she frees up her hand to help hold the hand that tries to comfort.

   “Asking…will not…change how I feel.”

   Tamara falls limp.

   “Nooo!”, Julianna screams out as strong hands rip her from Tamara’s body.

   Captain Woods stands Julianna up and wraps his arms around her. She beats her hands against his chest in a weak attempt to get away, “Let me go! Let me go!”

   “I can’t let you go,” Captain Woods does his best to remain clam, “We don’t know who did this.”

   “David Snow!”, Julianna yells out, “It’s David Snow! I want him dead! He took! He took…”

   Julianna’s legs give out from underneath her.

   The Captain cradles Julianna as she collapses. She buries her face into his chest while gripping his shirt. Her verbal threats give way to her sobbing grief. The captain looks at one of the men, “Find him.”

   As if on cue, Captain Woods hears his team speaking within the wire in his right ear, “We have a teen boy. He’s been stabbed. The victim said his name was David Snow before he fell unconscious. Close off the area. No one leaves before they’re cleared.”

   “Julianna!”, Rebecca yells while running towards the commotion by the sand trap.

   Captain Woods looks at his second in command, “Grab her and follow me to the station.

   What’s going on?!”, Rebecca yells out. She sees Julianna crying. Another man quickly takes hold of her.

   “Leave me alone!”, Rebecca hollers while attempting to yank her arm free.

   “It’s for your safety, ma’am,” the man urges by tightening his grip.

   “Becca!”, Caroline calls out.

   Rebecca looks towards her guest house – the temporary station for the party’s security personnel. Caroline and Jennifer are being rushed towards the rear entrance. They are both being forced into the house by two large men.

   “Where’s Tamara?!”, Rebecca calls back.

   Caroline and Jennifer give each other brief looks of concern as they disappear into the house. Rebecca looks at Julianna. The girl is been carried and she can’t stop crying. Rebecca hears a helicopter disappear into the distance. Her blue eyes fill with tears as she begins to understand the gravity of the situation.

   “She went into surgery about twenty minutes ago,” Brian Woods gives Julianna a quiet update. She sits on the floor in an empty corner of the living room. On a brown leather couch, Rebecca and Caroline sit holding hands. They have red noses and puffy eyes. On the floor between them, Jennifer is steadily weeping. Her knees are pulled up and her face is hidden within her arms.

   “It’s touch and go right now,” Brian Woods continues, “I’ll keep you in the know as much as I can.”

   Julianna numbly watches the Captain of her security team walk away to join the rest of the men in the kitchen. They have been cross-referencing everyone being searched at the entrance. Amy and her band were flown out safely. David Snow was rushed to the hospital with a Network ambulance.

   For the past hour, Julianna can’t recall much of anything. She knows she’s used the restroom once, but other than that, she has spent her time within this corner. She doesn’t want water, food, or conversation. She wants Tamara. She
needs
Tamara.

   “Sir, we have a problem. The boy stabbing victim disappeared from the hospital, David Snow.”

   Captain Woods looks over by the table with the Network’s encrypted phone upon it. His second in command sits the phone down with uneasy eyes. Brian Woods walks over and stops a few feet from his trusted Lieutenant.

   “What do you mean he disappeared? How could he escape our hospital?”

   “That’s the thing, sir. No one gave an order for him to be taken there. So he was taken to one of the public facilities.”

   Captain Woods rubs his forehead with closed eyes. He runs his hand over his head before opening his eyelids to look at the man in front of him.

   “This will stay between us for now. Is that understood?”

   “Yes sir.”

  
Ring. Ring.

   “What now?”, Captain Woods glances over to the encrypted phone. He reaches over and picks up the receiver.

   Julianna stares at Captain Woods as he glances towards her and looks away. He turns his back to her from his place within the kitchen. Julianna sees him shake his head while placing the phone down on the table. Her lips begin quivering. Brian Woods, reluctantly, turns and looks at her.

   “No,” Julianna shakes her head, “No.”

   She waves her right hand towards the man approaching her from the kitchen, “Don’t you say that to me, Brian – don’t you dare.”

   Julianna hears Caroline and Rebecca begin crying again.

   “You get out of here!”, Julianna yells at the man refusing to listen.

   Captain Woods walks to the center of the room and stops. With heavy eyes, he says the dreaded words, “Tamara is gone. I am sorry. She did not make it.”

   “Huh-uh,” Julianna denies the claim. She stands to her feet, “I don’t believe you.”

   Captain Woods closes the distance between himself and Julianna, “I am truly sorry, ma’am.”

   “You’re a damn liar, Brian!”

   The Captain allows Julianna to swing her punch against his right cheek. Her small hand makes contact.

   “She is gone,” Captain Woods, regretfully, says the horrible words again.

   “No she’s not!”, Julianna screams out, “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!”

   “Julianna.”

   The enraged girl looks towards the couch. Jennifer is walking towards her. She holds out her arms.

    “My-my bff…”, Jennifer is unable to finish her sentence before her sobs overtake her.

   Julianna begins crying. She steps into Jennifer’s hug. The two girls collapse to the floor together within their sorrow. They fall beneath the stormy surface of their great sea of grief. Brian Woods takes a deep breath and exhales. He looks at Caroline and Rebecca. They are both crying in each other’s arms. The man refocuses his attention towards the kitchen and exits the room. He, immediately, walks up to his second in command.

   “I don’t care what it takes,” Captain Woods says with angry eyes, “But you find that boy and you find him now. Do I make myself clear?”

   “Yes sir.”

   “You can tell the boys at the front gate that they’re wasting their time,” Captain Woods says, “Let them all go home.”

   “Sir.”

Chapter 21

   Cold Realities

   “We are gathered here today…”, a man’s voice trails off in the distance of Julianna’s numbing fog. She stares through the large Ray-ban sunglasses Brian gave her. Two large portraits standing side by side present the purpose of those gathered. The one to the left portrays Tamara wearing her cheer uniform. The other is Tamara Stilliard’s senior picture. Below the portraits stands an urn of ashes...Tamara’s ashes. It is decorated with red roses at its base.