Misty Meadows; The Curse

Chapter 4

Kane opened her eyes, she was drowsy, and she knew she was in the hospital; but she didn’t know how long she had been there; she had been in and out of consciousness for a while.

Frowning, she tried to remember what had happened; she remembered stealing Deacon’s car and driving it on the racecourse, she remembered jumping into Moth’s car.

Moth

Kane sat up, ripping the IV needle from her hand and got to her feet.

Walking out she found one of the nurses, “Where’s Moth? Jixen Star?”

The nurse checked her clipboard and pointed her in the right direction.

Kane nodded and went off; she opened the door and froze.

Moth stood with his back to her, black jeans and no shirt.

Kane gasped, “Moth?”

Moth went rigid, “London, please leave.”

The left side of his body and arm were covered in burns.

Kane took a step towards him, “Moth, look at me.”

“London, just go.”

Kane sighed and went up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, she turned him to face her; she was not expecting the sight she was met with.

The left side of his face held the same burn scars.

Moth refused to meet her eyes; looking down.

Kane placed her hands on the sides of his face, lifting his face to look at her, “Moth, I’m so sorry.”

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug.

She wasn’t sure how long they stood there holding onto each other, but she knew there was no going back from this.

She pulled away slightly and looked up at him, “Don’t you dare think that a few scars will scare me off; you are still the same person I fell in love with.”

“You still love me, after everything?”

“Do you really think I could ever have stopped?”

“I thought you hated me; when I left… this past year has been hell without you, London.”

Kane raised a brow, “Vladilena didn’t help?”

Moth laughed, “She was meant to be a distraction; she wasn’t, I still couldn’t stop thinking about you. That’s why I came back here.”

The door opened and Cliff and Veda walked in.

Moth looked down, clearly trying to hide the scarring on his face.

Veda smiled, “Don’t hide your face; you got those saving Kane, those are like your hero badge or something.”

Moth looked up, the shock on his face was evident.

Kane smiled at Veda; she was grateful that Veda wasn’t the nasty person she once was.

Cliff came forward, “Moth, you did well; a year ago I told you to work for Kane’s forgiveness, I think you’ve done that, and more.”

Moth glanced at Kane, “I hope so.”

Suddenly the door opened and Alice and Kelso rushed in.

“Oh my God, look at you. Are you okay?”

Kane was surprised to see Alice rush over and hug Moth.

Kane frowned, “What exactly is going on here?”

Alice turned to her, “You would have been dead if he didn’t risk his life for you.”

Moth scratched the back of his neck, “Well, actually, she jumped in to save me.”

Alice glanced between the two of them, “I hope you two have sorted things out now.”

Kane nodded as she leant into Moth, his arm around her.

“Well, I need to go get my medicine, I just wanted to come and make sure the two of you are fine.”

She walked out and Kelso stood staring at Kane and Moth; an odd expression on his face.

Moth frowned at him, “Kelso-”

He shook his head and walked out.

Veda raised her brows, “Well, that wasn’t awkward at all.”

Kane handed Moth his shirt, “I’m going to get out of these hospital clothes and sign out.”

He kissed her before she walked out with Cliff and Veda.

“So what’s going on with the two of you?”

Cliff gave an awkward cough and glanced at Veda.

“Don’t look at me; you’re the one who kissed me.”

Kane stopped and turned to them, “Cliff made the first move?”

Veda nodded, “Yes he did.”

Kane turned to Cliff with a deep frown on her face, “Since when do you make the first move?”

Cliff pushed his glasses up, “I had a bit too much to drink.”

Veda flipped her blond hair over her shoulder and raised her brows, “Oh, so it was a drunken mistake?”

Cliff frowned, “No, no, I didn’t mean it like that; I just mean that I wouldn’t have had the guts to kiss you had I been sober.”

Kane held up her hands, “You two need to go and have a chat; I’m going to go change.” She walked into her hospital room and changed into her clothes before walking out, she spotted Moth standing near the entrance and went over to him, “So, what now?”

He smiled at her, “Well, first I think I need to get my bike back.”

Kane nodded, but something caught her eye; it had looked just like Goran heading down the passageway.

Moth turned to where she was looking, “London, is everything okay?”

Kane sighed, “Goran didn’t die in that fire.”

“What? Are you sure?”

Kane turned to him, “Yeah; his remains weren’t found, and I’ve been getting these creepy texts again.”

Moth frowned, “Why are you only telling me this now?”

Kane glared at him, “Well I mean between you coming back with a blond model glued to your hip and trying to stop a bomb from going off, I didn’t really get the time.”

Moth sighed, “You could have told me when I first got back; you know how important you are to me.”

Kane took his hand, “Well now you know… Now can we get out of here?”

Moth nodded and together they walked out.

As they got onto the street, Kane froze; Jasmine stood before her.

Break the curse

“You keep telling me to break the curse, but how?”

Find the doctor, break the curse

And she vanished.

“London, care to explain?”

“It’s your mother; she keeps telling me about the curse, saying I hold the key and need to break it. Now she told me to find the doctor and break the curse.”

Moth frowned, “You’re seeing my mother?”

Kane nodded, “Yeah… Sorry, I should have told you.”

Moth got a faraway look in his eyes, “What does she look like when you see her?”

Kane sighed, “She wears a white nightdress, her long hair is left loose; she’s very pretty.” She deliberately left out the bit about the gaping hole in her chest.

Moth’s hand tightened around hers as they walked, “Do you see what my father did to her?”

Kane nodded, “Yes, I’m sorry, Moth.”

He shook his head and exhaled sharply, “Well, she must be coming to you for a reason; so let’s go get that bike and then we find that doctor.”

Kane noticed Brent, Cliff, Collin, Macy and Veda sitting in Cherries, “Why don’t you get the bike and join us, I’ll go fill them in so long.”

He nodded and kissed her before leaving.

She went in and sat with her friends, “Okay, first of all, Moth is badly scarred; don’t make a big deal of it or I will punch you in the face. Second, I’m seeing the ghost of his mother again, and she says I need to find the doctor and break the curse. Third, I’m pretty sure Goran is back too.”

Macy frowned, “Moth is scarred?”

Kane nodded.

“What doctor?” Asked Collin.

Kane shrugged, “I have no idea, but Moth will be joining us in a bit and we can try and figure this out; if anyone of you feels this is too dangerous to get involved with, I will totally understand and not hold it against you.”

Macy smiled, “Kane, we went through the Asylum with you; we’re not backing out now.”

Kane frowned, “That’s it, the Asylum; I found files, Moth’s father, Jethro was a patient there; his mom was a nurse. And the doctor had been doing some sort of experiments on the patients.”

Veda turned, “So that must be the doctor you need to find.”

Kane nodded silently, trying to figure out where she would even begin her search.

Suddenly Brent cleared his throat, “So does this mean you and Moth are back together?”

Kane nodded, “Yes.”

“You took him back?”

Kane turned to see Rick.

Kane nodded, “Yes, Rick, I took him back.”

Rick sighed, “Why would you do that? You know he’s not worth it.”

Cliff frowned, “He risked his life for her; I think that makes him worth something at least.”

Veda nodded, “Yeah, I mean, I didn’t see you rushing to make sure Kane was okay.”

“Am I interrupting?” Asked Moth as he took a seat next to Kane.

She shook her head and smiled at him, aware of the looks that Brent and Rick gave his still fresh burn marks; Collin and Macy smiled at him, trying to make an effort.

Moth glanced between Brent and Rick, “Yes, I’m going to be covered in these scars for the rest of my life.”

Kane sighed and looked away.

Brent snickered, “Flame freak has burn scars; it’s rather ironic.”

Moth turned to him, “I think it fits quite nicely.”

Rick cleared his throat, “I will see you guys around then.”

Kane turned, “You could join us if you promise not to be a jerk.”

He shook his head, “Maybe another time.”

Kane waited until Rick was gone before turning back to her friends, “Okay, so, we were thinking, maybe the doctor we need to find is the guy who ran the Asylum.”

Moth nodded, “That makes sense, but how do we do that, that Asylum went down when I was born; that’s a long time ago… And anything that may have been left burnt down when I tried to set Goran alight.”

Kane sighed and leant on the table, “Your mother wouldn’t have told me to find him unless it’s possible; we just have to figure out how.”

Macy looked up, “Maybe we should ask Alice; she’s been in this place her whole life.”

Kane frowned, “That’s true, but do we really want to risk asking her? She might think I’m crazy.”

Veda scoffed, “We all saw what went down in that Asylum, there’s no way we can all be crazy.”

Kane nodded, “Okay, let’s go to Alice.”

Macy held up her hands, “Yes, but first we eat and catch up with Moth; I want to know all about his year as a racer.”

They had enjoyed their time at Cherries before going to Alice’s; Kane was grateful that both she and Kelso were home.

They sat around in the lounge as Kane and her friends explained to Alice everything that had been going on.

Alice sat with a deep frown on her face by the time they were done.

She sighed and looked at Kane, “I would have preferred you not to know, but I suppose Jasmine chose you for a reason,” she glanced at Moth briefly, “Kane, your father was in that Asylum too.”

Kane gasped, “What?”

Alice sat forward, “Yes, he was there for a total of two years; your mother would visit him all the time; you see he was always rather troubled, and then Lewis and I thought it would do him some good to get the help he needed, however, we had expected him to go through therapy or get tablets for his condition, but instead he had been admitted, no one knew what for; Jasmine was his nurse; she swore there was nothing wrong with him, but still they refused to release him when he was finally released, he was different, was adamant that your mother could no longer stay in this town; they never elaborated but that is when they left Misty Meadows and I never saw them again.”

Veda frowned, “So was the doctor keeping on people who didn’t need help just so he could do his experiments?”

Alice nodded, “That is what I’m thinking now, yes,” she turned to Moth, “Your father was always a cruel and cold man, but he loved your mother; she was the only thing he actually did care about, which is why we were all shocked of the allegations that he had killed her.”

Moth frowned, “I wonder if he was experimented on too?”

Alice shrugged, “It’s all very possible with what you all have told me; but the doctor's name, I cannot remember; all I know is that he was taken away some years after they closed the Asylum down, they took him to another Asylum, I’m not sure where, but they said he was no longer of sound mind; constantly going on about making a stronger being, talking about spirits and the fine line between this world and theirs; he was convinced he had all the answers.”

Kane sighed, “Well, maybe he has some of the answers on this so-called curse, at least.”

Macy frowned, “But how do we find him?”

Alice sighed, “Perhaps it would be best to leave all of this alone.”

Kane shook her head, “No, Jasmine said that I need to break the curse; so that is what I’m going to do.”

Veda jumped to her feet, “Was the doctor taken away by the cops?”

Alice nodded.

Veda spun to Kane, “then that means that the police station should have the records, so they should be able to tell us his name and where he is.”

Macy turned to Kane, “You need to speak to Rick; he’s the only one that can get us that information.”

Kane stood, “I’ll go speak to him.”

Alice turned to the others, “You lot stay for dinner.”

Moth stood, “I’ll go with you to see Rick.”

Kane shook her head, “I don’t think that’s a good idea; you know how he can get.”

“London, the guy is into you.”

“Moth, trust me.”

He clenched his jaw and sat down.

Kelso stood, “I’ll drive her over there, so she doesn’t have to walk.”

Moth huffed, “This just keeps getting better.”

Kane gave him a look before walking out with Kelso.

They got into the car and drove off.

“Kane, are you sure about this? Giving Moth another chance, I mean.”

Kane sighed, “Yes, Kelso.”

“I know he loves you, but he’s toxic, I’ve seen that more than enough; haven’t you? He cut your grandmothers breaks, he lied to you about it; he lied to you about that fire on Misty Hill, don’t you wonder what else he’s lied to you about?”

“Kelso, you know what, yes he messed up with what he did to Alice’s car, but at the time he thought he was doing the right thing. That fire was long before me, I have no right to judge him on that; yes he could have told me the truth, but he was scared that I would treat him like everyone else, so I don’t really blame him.”

“Kane, have you ever wondered why you started seeing things when he came back, after not seeing anything while he was gone? You said Jasmine’s ghost told you that the curse was back, did you ever stop to think that maybe he is the one who brought it back?”

Kane shrugged, “I don’t care if he is; I can break the curse, that’s all that matters.”

“Kane, I’ve seen so many similarities between Moth and his father; his father was the town outcast, Jasmine stood by him through all the bad things he did; he hurt people because he thought they had hurt her… And then one day he snapped, and she was next.”

“Kelso, I don’t care what Jethro did; Moth isn’t his father.”

“I hope for your sake that you’re right.”

“Look at what he looks like, Kelso! He looks like that because he saved me from that; he risked his life for me, he has those scars because he chose to protect me; Moth might do a lot of bad things, but hurting me will never be one of them.” She turned away from Kelso; she wasn’t about to let anyone talk her out of her choice, not this time.

She had spent a whole year miserable without Moth, and now that he was back, there was no way she would lose him again, especially not over what other people had to say about him.

Kelso pulled up in front of the police station, “I’ll wait here for you.”

Kane got out and went in, going straight to Rick’s office.

He looked up as she walked in and closed the door behind her.

“Oh no…What are you wanting to rope me into?”

Kane smiled as she sat in front of him, “Well, first, I’m going to have to fill you in on everything, and it’s a rather long story.”

Rick nodded, “I’ll get coffee.”

After she had explained everything to him, not leaving any details out, Rick sat with a deep frown on his face.

“The ghost of Moth’s mother told you to find the doctor and break the curse, so now you’re set to go on a hunt for this guy who’s as crazy as you get… Yeah, definitely makes sense.”

Kane gave him a look, “Rick, come on; you know I’m not crazy.”

He nodded, “I know… I just think that this is something very dangerous that you’re taking on; I’ll help you through.”

“Thank you.”

“But I want to help you with everything.”

Kane sighed, “I have no problem with that, as long as you can work with Moth too; because he’s part of my life now, Rick.”

Rick sighed, “It won’t be easy, you know how I feel about you, but I guess I will play nice for now.”

“Rick, I really am sorry if I hurt you in any way, that wasn’t my intention at all; I didn’t expect Moth to come back…And I know you have feelings for me, and I’m sorry that I couldn’t be with you, but I love him, and that won’t change.”

Rick nodded, “It's okay, Kane; as long as you’re happy and he doesn’t hurt you again.”

Kane smiled but said nothing, her conversation with Kelso sneaking into her mind.

Rick stood, “Let me go find out about those files.”

Kane took a sip of her coffee as he walked out; she had a very uneasy feeling suddenly, and she looked around, half expecting to see a spirit, but instead, she saw Goran’s face at the window.

She jumped to her feet; she had thought the burns on Moth had been bad, they were nothing compared to what Goran looked like.

He lifted a hand and smiled at her.

Kane clenched her jaw and took a step towards the window.

He waved at her before walking away.

Rick walked back in, “Okay, I’ve found…Kane, what’s wrong?”

“Goran was just outside that window; he’s barely recognizable.”

Rick spun, shouting out orders to the rest of the station to find Goran; but Kane knew they wouldn’t.

Kane turned to Rick, “Okay, right now I need to focus on this doctor.”

“Well, his name is Harold Baker; he was taken to the psych ward of the hospital, and then later moved to the asylum just outside of Misty Meadows; I’m not sure if he’s still there.”

“Thanks, I’ll go check it out tomorrow, do you want to join us for dinner tonight?”

“Sure, why not.”

Kane, Moth and Rick were the only ones still up; the others had gone home and Alice had gone to bed; no one was sure where Kelso was.

“Who all is going with you to check out that asylum tomorrow?”

“I’m going with her, that’s for sure. There’s no way I’m letting London go in there alone.”

Rick nodded, “Good. I’ll meet you there; you might need a cop to get you entry to see him.”

“Macy and Veda are going to go and do some research on him tomorrow; the more we know about this guy the better.”

Rick nodded, “I agree. What time are we meeting at the place?”

Moth frowned, “Well, it’s quite a way out, so let’s say ten?”

Rick stood, “See you there.”

Kane waited for him to be gone before turning to Moth, “Well, that didn’t go too badly.”

“I still don’t like that guy.”

“You don’t need to like him, Moth.”

He gave her a look before shaking his head and looking down at his hands.

Kane sat forward, “What is it?”

“I know he made a move on you; I know he was there for you the whole time I was gone…I don’t like him being around; I mean with him just waiting on the side, what’s stopping you from realizing I’m not good enough and leaving me for him.”

Kane frowned, “Moth; the whole time you were gone, I didn’t move on; I’m sure as hell not going to do it now that you’re back.”

He looked up and Kane could see the worry in his eyes and she briefly thought of what Kelso had said.

“Kelso told me he spoke to you on the way to the station today; he told me what he said; he thinks I’m like Jethro… He thinks that my love for you is toxic and that I’ll start hurting people because of it.”

Kane took his hand in hers, “Moth; you’re not your father.”

“I almost killed Alice.”

“You’ve changed.”

His eyes met hers, “Have I really? Or do I just want to think that?”

They jumped at someone clearing their throat and Kane froze at the sight of Alice.

She walked out onto the porch where they were sitting at the table, “Don’t look so worried, Kane; Moth told me earlier what he did.”

Kane spun to Moth with shock.

Alice sighed, “I never liked you, Moth, I always thought you would turn out exactly like your father; but I can see that you regret what you did, with my brakes and that fire, and that is something your father never showed; he never regretted hurting people. You are nothing like Jethro; I can see that now; now the only one who needs to see that is you.”

Kane sat in shock; she hadn’t expected Alice to take this so lightly.

Moth stood and she was sent into even further shock when Alice pulled him into a hug.

“You’ve come a long way, Moth, and I believe that you’re now on the right path,” she glanced at them, “Now go and get some sleep, you two have a busy day ahead of you.”

**