School had been okay after all; I was a little rusty on some subjects but had the basic knowledge to get me through them. I walked out of the double doors of the entrance and into a bright sunny day. I still heard snippets of conversation as people glanced my way.
“God she’s so rude, I can’t believe what she said to Tina and Courtney.”
“You think she’d talk to us? Morgan said that she was alright.”
“How’d she get so rich?”
I blocked all of the comments, but the one about Tina and Courtney got to me. What had I done? Or rather, what had they said I’d done? Bear, sensing my distressed feelings, nudged his head under my head and whined lowly. I banished the thoughts in my head and kept walking. As soon as we were in the car, I tilted my head back and closed my eyes. I was sucked into the darkness and the voices spoke again.
“Do your job!”
“No! It’s not my job anymore.”
“Yes it is, and if you don’t do it, what I did was for nothing.”
“And the world will be right again.”
“How can you live with your-?”
“Shh!”
Silence.
“I think she’s listening.”
My eyes snapped open. Who were these people speaking in my head? A few moments later I realized I was shaking. All right, so no closing my eyes for a while. It hadn’t happened when I slept so that should be okay, right? I was preoccupied with my thoughts when the car in front of me backed up too far. My Audi was jostled and I heard a crunch. Bear started barking uncontrollably and my eyes widened in shock.
“Bear, quiet!” I snapped, though he wouldn’t listen.
The car in front of me quickly drove forward and the driver cut the engine. I was still a little bit shaken as the driver hopped out of his pickup truck and jogged toward my car. Sighing, I decided to face the damage instead of sitting in the Audi forever. I opened the door and Bear climbed over me to face the stranger first.
“Bear!” I yelled again, and grabbed his harness as soon as we were out of the car.
The stranger looked amused as my breath was taken away. His jet-black hair shone in the sunshine, his skin was perfectly tanned and his eyes an inky brown. Bear still growled, but had stopped his barking since I had gotten a hold of him. People were staring again. I so did not need this.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you behind me.” He apologized, though his voice lacked sincerity.
I flinched, thinking about what the front of my Audi would look like now. “It’s alright.” I lied through my teeth. Lowering my eyes, I stopped gawking at him and went round to see the damage. The front of my car was wrecked. First day and it already had to be repaired. I sighed and put my face in my hands; telling myself to breathe in and out.
“Do you need a ride?” He asked, appearing out of nowhere behind me. Bear growled in the back of his throat again.
I didn’t like this guy’s close proximity, or his tone, no matter how good looking he was. Turning to face him, I was aware of how close he was. “I’m sorry, I don’t know you.”
He smiled broadly, revealing bright white teeth. “How rude of me.” He offered his hand. “Drake Landry.”
I hesitated for a second, and then reached for his hand. Just as we were about to touch, Bear barked and jumped at me, pushing me away. “Bear!” I yelled before looking apologetically at Drake. “Sorry,” I shrugged.
“It’s okay, dogs don’t like me very much.” Drake explained, before he walked away and got back into his pick up truck.
Mystified, I looked back down at Bear who was relaxed now and then at my Audi. Now what? I didn’t have a number for a repairs garage. Accidentally I closed my eyes to think.
“See what just happened? That’s your fault.”
“And? I told you, it’s your issue now, not mine.”
“You useless stuck up- No. Get down there soon, or something will happen and not something that you’ll like. You have two weeks.”
Two weeks until what? I was so frustrated. Who were the people speaking, what were they talking about and why were they in my head? I resolved to walk home and call a tow service from there.
“Come on Bear,” I sighed wearily.
YOU ARE READING
Beautifully Damaged
Mystery / ThrillerWatty Awards 2012 Fantasy Undiscovered Gem Winner The world takes on a new meaning when Blaise Anthony wakes up, alone and forgotten to a world that she can't remember. Not knowing who she is or who to trust is only the beginning. With only a bag of...