Warning: This story contains cuss words (well duh!) If you don't like cussing, then too bad!
Just kiddin! But there really is cuss words, so you've been warned. Anywhoo, enjoy! And comment!
The wind was biting, snipping at my face hastily. It was a late November night, complete with the chilling temperatures of my hometown, Wilmington, North Carolina. The night was pitch black, hiding all of it’s mysteries in the shadows, and making me feel spooked, like I always did when I was forced to walk home. The Cauldron’s loud pounding beat wasn’t as far away from me as I had wished it to be, and I could still feel my head slamming around as my headache got worse. I sighed and rubbed my temples, trying to soothe my horrid headache. The wind seemed to whisper in my ears, but I didn’t care. I would rather be here than back in The Cauldron with Carson. I paused for a second, looking back to the club, hoping to see Carson running out after me, calling my name and telling me to wait.
But, of course, there was no one; the night was completely empty, apart from me. I held back the tears that I could feel trying to burst down my face, turned back around and continued walking. Where was I going, exactly? I hadn’t a clue, except that it would be somewhere alone, where I would probably cry myself dry until my best friend, Brooke found me. Then, from there Carson would follow me around begging for me to forgive him whilst he apologized like a lost puppy until I finally forgave him, and kissed him. After that, everything would go back to being normal, then in the next week or so, something he did would upset me and the cycle would start all over again.
“Lex! Lex!” My head snapped up, and I stopped in my tracks. Concentrating hard, I tried to listen to who had just called my name, and where it was coming from. I looked back at The Cauldron, but there was no one there, absolutely no one. I growled under my breath and continued walking.
Eventually, I found myself sitting in a local diner I’d been coming to since I was a little kid. The waitress, who looked like she was still living in the fifties, walked over to me, popping her gum and looking like she couldn’t wait to have a smoke break.
“What can I get ya, kid?” She asked in a heavy New York accent.
“Um, just a monster sundae, please.” She looked at me funny, then popped her gum and said “Anything else?”
“Uh, no, Thanks.” She walked away to get my order saying nothing else. There were only a few people here, but they were all adult couples, sipping wine or fat pedophile-resembling old men gulping down beer and eating ribs. Jeesh, at eleven-fifty at night don’t you think these creeps would just give up for the night? The music playing was some olden music, but I recognized the beat, and I could see an elderly lady wagging her fingers to it. I smiled at her when she looked my way, but she just shot me a dirty look and went back to wagging her finger. Finally, the waitress came back with my order, a smirk on her wrinkled face.
“Here. Enjoy.” Her tone was definitely not one of enjoyment. But, being the polite girl that I am, I smiled, thanked her and took a big bite out of my favorite sundae. I sat there, eating my sundae quite peacefully, trying hard not to think of the whole incident at The Cauldron with Carson. I wasn’t surprised neither him nor Brooke had been out looking for me yet. How was I so sure? Because Brooke would know exactly where to find me, so if she or Carson were to have been out looking for me, they’d be here already. I hated this! I wish things would just go back to the way before they got into all this *edit your post and this will go away*! Ever since then…I feel like I’m the only one-
“Excuse me, is this seat taken?” My head snapped up so fast, I heard it crack. I whimpered lightly, and reached my hand up to rub it. His voice was like velvet, intoxicating, so all I could do was shake my head slightly. He smiled a breathtaking smile, and I saw his moss-green eyes sparkle. He had dark brown hair, kind of like milk chocolate, and silky smooth fair skin. He took the seat right next to me and in almost an instant; the waitress was before him, batting her eyelashes and pouting out her lips like one of those stupid celebrities who think it’s hot to look like a blow fish. I disguised my laugh at her with a light cough and took another bite out of my sundae to keep my mouth shut.
“Hello. What may I get ya?” She asked in the most desperate voice I’ve ever heard. Really. It was even worse than when Carson begged for my forgiveness. And man, was that desperate. I smirked again, this time not bothering to hide it. I saw her dull brown eyes flash my way, but other than that, she ignored me.
“Just a cup of coffee, Maureen.” I saw her eyes widen at his use of her name, but she quickly flashed him a smile, and went back to batting her eyelashes.
“Anything else, honey?” Ugh. She was beginning to irk me. He smiled and shook his head, letting his perfectly straight hair wave from side to side. I almost fell out of my chair his hair smelled so amazing. In fact he himself smelled amazing. Maureen winked at him and went to the back to get what he ordered. In the meantime, I was doing all I could not to hyperventilate right then and there. I mean, he was gorgeous!
“The Monster Sundae, huh? That used to be my favorite, too.” I looked up at him. He was smiling a breathtaking smile, but I also saw that there was a smirk hidden in it, making it even more attractive. I finally managed to say “Oh, uh yeah. It’s the best.” That’s it Lexae, that was real smart. He laughed and it was like music to my ears. Maureen sauntered back up to us and placed a small cup of hot coffee in from of him, smiling an (in my opinion, very ugly) smile. He thanked her, his eyes not once leaving mine. He took a long sip, and gracefully put the mug back down.
“So, where’s your boyfriend?” I stared at him dumbly. Did he really just ask me that? Coming from anybody else, I would have told them to *edit your post and this will go away* off, but the way he asked it was almost sarcastically. He was smirking (gorgeously, I may add) at me, his eyes dancing playfully around the diner as if looking for him. A giggle escaped my lips, to which I covered my mouth and blushed lightly. His smirk only got bigger.
“Uh, he’s at The Cauldron, but we got into a fight.” I blurted. Crap! Why’d I just say that!?
“Oh really? Well, he must be a jackass to upset you.”
“Well… yeah.” I stammered. That was real smart too, Lexae, way to go. He had stopped looking at me and was now taking another sip from his coffee. I looked around, surprised to see that we were now the only people here apart from the workers. How long had it been since he came and sat next to me? It felt like I was just running out of The Cauldron, the hot tears begging to fall down my cheeks.
“Can I get ya anything else, kid?” Maureen stood above me, a tight smirk on her face. I looked to the left of me. Empty. Where had he gone? He was right there! Maureen, noticing me, whispered “He went to take a phone call. But you betta stay away from him, you’re much too young for him.” I glared at her. Who did she think she was, telling me I better stay away from him? And what did she know about his age? I was about to tell her off when all of a sudden, guess who decided to burst through the doors?
“Lex! Hehe, there you are!” Yup, Brooke Fallows, my best friend burst through the doors of The Carolina Diner, drunk as a bat. Well, not technically since bats can’t get drunk, but you get the idea. I looked behind her. Nope. No Carson. Great. She stumbled up to me, wrapping her arms around me in a hug, only it wasn’t much of a hug, more of a here-hold-me-before-I-fall gesture. Her long blonde hair felt soft and silky on my hands, and I could smell the beer in her breath.
“Brooke.” I said, righting her up so she was standing in front of me. Maureen’s hard snicker vibrated through the room as she turned to leave. Brooke’s sea-blue eyes looked down at me sincerely, and there was a big, goofy grin on her face. With her standing right in front of me, I could better get a smell of her nasty beer-filled breath, (unfortunately for my nose). She giggled and tried to lift me up by my arm, but I wouldn’t budge. She turned her carefree face down into a frown and was just about to pout and moan for me to get up when he entered the diner again.
“Well, I have to go, thanks for the coffee, Maureen.” He said smoothly, putting down a ten dollar bill on the counter next to his cup of unfinished coffee. She smiled sweetly (barf) at him, thanked him, and batted her heavily make-upped eye lashes at him in a way that made me feel like I was going to puke. He turned to me, a breath-taking sixty four watt smile on his face and said in the most sexiest most seducing voice I have ever heard, “Have a nice night, Lex.” Then, he turned around, and walked out of the room as gracefully as an angel.
“Ooooooooh! Girlie, who the hell was that!?” Brooke erupted into girly giggles. I felt my face heat up and knew I was blushing. I looked up to Maureen, who was angrily glaring at me like an evil dragon straight from hell.
“Are you going to have anything else, or are you just going to sit here and hit on guys way too old for you?” She snapped.
“No, I think he was good enough. Bring the bill.” I smiled sweetly at her. She turned around muttering something about how “I was a useless little slut who was just begging to be raped” to get my bill. When she was out of sight, I turned to face Brooke. God, what was I going to do with her?
“Brooke, how much did you have to drink tonight?” I asked in a gentle tone. First rule to dealing with a drunken Brooke: Do not upset her. That is, unless you want her to have a freaking mental breakdown wherever you are. And believe me, I sooo did not need one of her drunken tantrums right now. She stuck her soft pink lips out in a pout that made her look like a little kid again.
“Not a lot, Lexae, I swear.” I frowned at her. She bit her lip and looked around.
“Okay, fine, I had a few. Happy now?” I could feel the edge of frustration in her tone.
“How much, Brooke? Six? Seven? Ten?” I asked in a lighter tone. Her bottom lip stuck out. Uh-oh, not good.
“Ten!? Do you honestly think that of me? No, Lexae, I had eight, not ten. Good Lord, talk about exaggeration.”
“Eight!?” I squeaked. Eight bottles of beer? My goodness, it was getting worse.
“Your bill. And hush with the tones, girls, this is a public place.” Maureen threw down my bill, anger still plain on her face. I pulled out my wallet, placed down a ten and got up, shoving my wallet back into my black purse.
“Let’s go, Brooke.” I mumbled, grabbing her arm and leading her out of The Carolina Diner without another word. As soon as we were out, she yanked her wrist away from my grasp, and held it to her chest like I’d broken it or something. Her face was twisted in a way that made her look like a hurt little child, right before they screamed out their tantrums. *edit your post and this will go away*, I mumbled to myself. I did not need this right now.
“Yes, Lexae, I had eight. Eight isn’t a lot, Jeesh. You’re acting like my Mama.”
“No, Brooke, eight is a lot, it’s enough to make you drunk! Why do you do this? You’re the prettiest girl I know, but when you drink, you act like a five year old, which, by the way, is not cute at all.” I yelled, running my hand through my dark brown hair. I closed my eyes, wishing myself away from here. Away from this life.
“*edit your post and this will go away*! You’re supposed to be my best friend, but you’re always hurting me, treating me like you’re better, like everything revolves around you, when in reality, nothing does!” Her scream echoed throughout the night, and I could see Maureen from one of the windows, her face wrinkled even more with the tight frown on her face.
I rolled my eyes, rubbed my temples and turned away from Brooke, walking off in the opposite direction with out another word.
“See! You’re walking away from me, right now. Lex! Lexae, don’t walk away from me! Stop!” I didn’t even look back before I took off running.
The wind felt so good whipping through my shoulder-length hair, that I didn’t care it was really chilly. I didn’t know where I was going, but I knew I had to get out of there. Sure, Brooke would be pissed at me. That is, if she remembered. I don’t really know if I wanted her to or not, I guess I just didn’t care as of right now. The trees surrounding me looked luminous and dark in the night, giving me a sense of fear, but, like usual, I chose to ignore it. An owl hooted from somewhere to the right of me, and I could smell the heavy scent of the Cape Fear River just up ahead. Not surprising, the street was empty, no car lights anywhere I could see, and definitely no people walking around. Not even the drug sellers dared come out on these streets this late. This town had way too many creep stories for anybody with a brain to want to walk along these streets at night, alone. But me, I find it quite calming and peaceful. Well, sort of. I do get scared, but ignoring it makes me feel better.
I could see the pier of The Cape Fear River just up ahead and suddenly I felt a heavy urge to go and sit in the edge, and swish my bare feet around in the water. Now that attracted me more than it scared me, so I walked right up to the end of the pier, took off my black sandal high heels, and plopped my feet into the cold, dark water of The Cape Fear River. Being so close, the only scent that filled my nose was the heavy fish smell that came along with pretty much any river. The moonlight shimmered in the water, and I could see little splashes where schools of fish went swimming by. I could see the craters of the moon, and remembered how Brooke used to say that they made a face, if you squinted real hard. We’d always laugh and pretend like we could see a big, hunky movie star’s face when we were in middle school. Now, she barely even notices anything. I took a deep sigh, and splashed my hand in the clasping cold water. For some reason, it felt colder on my hand than it did on my feet.
As I was swishing my fingers around, trying to make them get used to coolness of the river, I saw a big, huge black fish swim just under my feet. Its body was slimy, but prickly at the same time. I gasped, and ripped myself away from the water, scrambling away from the edge of the pier. What was that? It was hideous, and it felt even creepier and nastier than it looked. I kept my eyes fixated on the water, hoping what I had just seen and (unfortunately) touched, was just my ridiculous imagination. I slowly crawled closer to the edge, peered into the dark water, but couldn’t see a thing. Daringly, I dipped my finger in, and swished it around. Huh. Nothing. Maybe it was just my imagination after all. I stood up and laughed at myself. To get so spooked at nothing! It was when I was laughing when the pier rocked, causing me to lose my balance and fall, just barely catching myself so that I didn’t fall into the water.
Okay, now what was that?! I struggled to get back on my feet, so I could get the hell outta here, but my body didn’t want to move. I was frozen there, sitting on my bum, clutching a pier brace so hard it hurt my side. My breaths were deep and heavy, and my heart was beating like a rap song. I shakily ran my hand through my hair, forcing myself to calm down. My internal pep talks weren’t doing much. Okay, I thought, just breathe.
Quivering, I slowly stood up, being careful to keep my eye on the river. I was standing up straight, battling within myself about whether to run like a freaked maniac out of here, or to stay and see what the hell that thing was. And what if it didn’t come back? My curiosity got the best of me, and I slowly and carefully kneeled down. Not wanting it to jump up and slap me in the face, I straightened my self up again and was just turning to leave when all of a sudden a very loud, very big splash rippled through the soundless night air, and sprayed all over my backside, drenching me in freezing cold water. I whipped around, shivering, my eyes as wide as saucers.
“H-Hello?” My voice was shaky, and it wasn’t just because of how cold I was.
I didn’t walk forward, but I also didn’t run. I just sort of, stood there, paused, waiting (stupidly) for an answer. If the thing was going to come back. Why wasn’t I running? I wondered. This time, the whole entire pier rocked, and when I say rocked, I mean rocked like a freaking earthquake. I stumbled, attempted to grab the pier brace, but slipped my finger right by it, sending a sharp splinter into four of my fingers, then slipped, smacked my head on the end of the pier, and I plunged into the cold, dark water.
The cold wrapped itself around my body, suffocating me like a boa constrictor. It was like I was watching myself struggle again the current, waving my arms around me, trying to swim up for air, but my arms hurt too much, and I was losing the feeling in them quickly. I couldn’t see anything, and the deeper I fell, the darker things got, whether it be do to the fact that this was a known dark river, or because I was blanking out, I didn’t know. I kicked and jerked my body, struggling deeply to swim to the surface, but instead of moonlight, things just got darker and darker. My lungs felt like they were on fire, and my vision was blurring so that I couldn’t even see my arms or legs reached out in front of me. The last thing I remember thinking was ‘so this is how it ends. . .’
Chapter 2
Groggily, I opened my eyes to a dark room; the only light in the room was coming from a small dimly lit candle on a nightstand next to me. The bed I lay in was one of those regal beds, with the four metal poles and the big canopy over top. The canopy was a light, soothing lavender color, as were the covers I was wrapped under. In the dim light, I could see that there were two nightstands, one on either side of me, a dresser with an elegant mirror on it to the right of me, and another dresser with a big, TV on top of it.
I attempted to sit up, but an overwhelming headache came over me and I lay back down. I was in a fog, and I could feel my eyes wanting to droop. Am I alive? The question flashed through my head. But I can’t be. . I was drowning in The Cape Fear River. All alone, at night. I have to be dead. I mean, who could’ve seen me?
“You’re awake.” It wasn’t a question. I looked to where the eerily familiar seductive voice came from. It was where I could see a door, opened just a crack, and he was standing in the room. How did he get in that quickly and quietly for me not to notice him? I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Finally, I managed to just lightly nod my head. He walked closer to the bed so that he was right at the edge, looking down at me with his gorgeous green eyes that shimmered in the candle light.
“I-I’m sorry . . . but I never got your name.” I stuttered, surprising myself I could even talk. He smiled, his eyes twinkling playfully.
“It’s Luke.” His voice was just above a whisper. “But you’ve been through a lot, it’d be best for you to go back to sleep.”
“So, does this mean I’m still . . .” My voice trailed off, not wanting to finish the rest of my sentence. He chuckled, a sound so seductive I could just kiss him. In fact, that’s exactly what I wanted to do.
“Yes, you’re still alive, don’t worry. I’ll explain it later, after you’ve had some more rest, Lex.” His voice had taken a light edge of sternness. I felt myself wanting to do whatever he said for some reason. I nodded at him, which he returned with another sixty four watt smile. He leaned in closer to me, his face only inches from mine. His smooth, warm hand caressed the side of my face, and he lightly brushed some of my hair out of my eyes. For a second, I thought he was going to kiss me, but I wasn’t exactly disappointed when he moved away from my lips, to my ear, and whispered in that seductive voice of his “I’ll be back soon enough, Lex. Until then, sweet dreams.” His voice was cool, and smelled clean and fresh. Then, without another word, he left the room, closing the door silently behind him. As soon as he whispered in my ear, my eyes felt unusually heavy, and when he left the room, they suddenly closed, and I fell straight into a deep sleep.
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