Chapter 2

Elizabeth Parker was beautiful. In every sense of the word. She had dark hair, waving down her back to her waist. Her skin was rich with color and life, her body petite yet graceful. She had big eyes, deep brown, which held a depth that had bewitched many. She was aware of her beauty, but she didn't let it rule her life. She was brought up in a loving home as an only child. Her parents loved her, cherished her and adored her. They saw her as a blessing, a gift sent from God. Even though she had been loved, she had not been spoiled. She was raised in a simple home, where money was not a certainty. Ever since she had been old enough to understand, she had been taught to be humble and modest. Her mother taught her to be grateful for every small thing in life. Her mother also taught her to always try to see the good in people. Every person had something good inside of her. Some had buried it deep under thousands of layers, others displayed it at the surface. She had grown up in a protective environment. Yet she had been taught independence. She was a quiet child. A child of few words, but countless thoughts. She easily gained people's respect. They took one look in her eyes and they knew that they could trust her, that she wasn't going to do them any harm. The beauty on her inside was openly displayed through her eyes for people to take a part of.

As she had grown up, she lacked the experience of having a close friend. A best friend. Someone to share all thoughts with, all secrets. Someone to laugh with, cry with and gossip with. She was an unusual child, and she grew into an even more unusual young woman. Children her age did neither tease her nor make fun of her behind her back. They had a respect for her that they couldn't explain, that they didn't even contemplate over why they had it. She was like an untouchable angel. If she was touched, her purity would be defiled. She quietly existed in the outer fringes of the world, her presence merely a flutter in many lives. As she left the childhood behind her, boys started to turn their heads after her. They were spellbound by her unapproachable stance, and her modesty. She carried her head high, but simultaneously she appeared humble to the world. As she entered the teenage years, the people around her changed and along with that their opinions of her changed. She was no longer treated with the same quiet respect and acceptance. The boys competed in being the one to take away her purity. Simultaneously, the girls started to talk behind her back. Jealousy towards her beauty and her enchantment with the boys thrived and nourished cruel behavior.

Her teens became a difficult time. She still was just as any other teenager. She still had confusing thoughts about herself and her identity, just like everyone else. Her body was going through changes. But she was alone. She didn't have anyone to talk to. The girls were turning their back on her and the boys just wanted her because she was different from the other girls, and she was therefore considered to be a conquest. She knew that she was different. And she hated it.

-------------------------------------------



She slowly drifted out from the mist of sleep. The beams of the morning sun was tickling her eye-lids, and she couldn't help but smile. She carefully opened her eyes and let her heart fill with the warmth and relief the sun gave her. It had stopped raining. She lazily rolled over onto her back and yawned as she stretched her stiff limbs. She just laid there for a while and watched the reflections created by the sun dance over the ceiling. She took a deep breath and rose into a sitting position. She had to get up. It was a new day, and she had to get to work. She swung her bare legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. The floor was cold against her bare feet, but that didn't matter to her. As long as the sun was shining nothing could destroy her good mood. She walked into the kitchen and poured some water into a small pan to make herself some tea. She walked to the front door to retrieve the morning newspaper, and went back into the kitchen and took out some candles that she placed on the kitchen table. She put the newspaper in the middle and positioned the candles around it. She took a box of matches and lit all the candles.

She never actually read the newspaper. She couldn't bare to read about all the misery in the world. Instead, every day, she lit a couple of candles and held two minutes of silence about everything that was terrible in the world. That was her way of dealing with the harsh reality. That was how she got some peace of mind to her battered soul. She would gladly take away everything that was cruel and evil from the world with one click of her fingers, but she couldn't. So she gave it two minutes of peace instead, to a world where there was war not only between countries or individuals, but inside of the individuals.

Her mind relaxed to a meditative state and approximately two minutes later, she took one deep cleansing breath and opened her eyes. She blew out the candles and put the newspaper away. She poured the now boiling water into a cup and prepared her tea. It was a new day. The sun was shining, and the darkness, which the night before had brought her, was now a distant memory. But memory is a treacherous thing, and if we don't pay attention it fights back.

----------------------------------------



"Liz, I like you to meet David Anderson," Mr. Smith introduced.

Mr. Stephen Smith was Liz's boss, and she had great respect for him. He was an honorable and righteous man. He acknowledged Liz, not for her exterior, but for her intelligence and warmth.

Liz smiled and took David Anderson's hand and shook it.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Anderson," she said.

"My pleasure," Mr. Anderson said. "And please, call me David."

Liz nodded.
"Okay...David," she said.

David Anderson radiated with strong demeanor. Confidence was coming off him in waves and to most people that kind of confidence would feel threatening. Some saw it as competition that needed to be destroyed, others saw it as something to admire and copy, and some, people like Elizabeth Parker, didn't react much to it, but treated its host as an equal. Mr. Anderson was tall, with a prominent Nordic appearance. His hair was short and light blond. His eyes were blue, like the blue of a winter lake. They were almost icing cold, but sparkling with life. His eyes were a trait that had made several women fall to their knees. He had countless number of broken heart in his past. His charm had enchanted many, but even more had withered under his spell.

"David is going to be our newest addition to our 'crew'," Mr. Smith said.

"Really," Liz said with interest, and arched an eye-brow at the young man.

"I hope I will be working with this beautiful woman," David complimented, a charming smile grazing his features. Liz blushed, and lowered her head slightly. Many men had complimented her on her beauty, but she still couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with the recognition.

"I'm sure you will be spending some time together," Mr. Smith said.

David watched the young woman in front of her. She was exquisite. He instantly knew that he had to conquer her. It would not just be another woman, it would be a personal victory, a personal accomplishment. The woman seemed unattainable, but that only made her more attractive and desirable.

----------------------------------------



The images were coming fast. They were infesting themselves in his mind, devouring him. There was screaming, pain, and blood. There was fear and panic. It was inevitable. He bolted upwards in his bed, his breathing labored, pearls of sweat trickling down his forehead. He had warned her. He had warned her. Why did he still receive the images?

------------------------------------------



"Liz!"

"Yeah?"

Mr. Smith poked his head through the door-frame.
"I'm leaving now. Are you sure you don't want a ride home?"

Liz smiled and shook her head.
"Yes, I'm sure. But thank you. I'm just gonna call for a cab."

Mr. Smith looked at her with a thoughtful expression for a second, then he shook his head in disbelief.

"Okay, Liz. Just don't stay too long. You will not be any good to us if you work yourself to death, you know!" His tone was reproachful but light.

"I'm soon finished," Liz assured.
Mr. Smith gave her a warm smile, and then nodded.

"You lock up the place, all right?"

"Of course," Liz said.

She listened to the sound of his retreating footsteps as it gradually diminished into complete silence until the soft thud of the closing of the door announced that she was alone. She took a deep breath and returned her focus on the documents in front of her. She had a lot to do and amazingly enough she always found herself racing against time.

-------------------------------------------



Liz was anxiously looking at the taximeter in the front of the cab as its numbers were slowly increasing and she was gradually feeling the money in her purse decreasing. She cursed herself for not bringing more money. She never had much money on her. She was not a great spender and she never shopped impulsively. Everything was well-planned. She always had a plan. Except for today. She hadn't planned that she would be taking a cab home. She hadn't planned on working late today again. But she had. And she hadn't realized her lack of means of payment until after she had refuted the ride that was offered her. She sighed and leaned forward in her seat.

"Excuse me," she said.

The driver kept driving, only giving her a quick glance over his shoulder.

"Yes?"

"You can stop here," Liz told him.

"Eh..okay," the taxi driver said and pressed the brakes. The car came to a halt and Liz pulled out the money necessary to pay for the drive from her purse. She handed the driver the money and stepped out.

The second she stepped outside, and she watched the cab drive away in the night, the air around her seemed to grow colder. The same air that had been filled with a pleasant warmth this morning. But the sun was gone and with the taxi driver, so was her only link to humanity. She pulled her coat closer around her body and started walking down the street. At least it wasn't raining.

------------------------------------------------



No. He would be too late. He could feel it. His bones were itching, his head was thudding. He was going to be too late. He quickened his pace, trying his best to locate her presence.

-----------------------------------------------



No. She turned her head forward again. It was all in her mind. All in her mind. She could hear the wind bristling through the tree crowns that hovered over her head, casting their dark and thick shadows over her. But there it was again. She could hear the cars in the distance, but she was walking in a desolate street, strictly following the pavement. The pavement was her sense of direction. The pavement was solid, something to be trusted. It would not suddenly crumble into dust under her feet. (She heard the sound again and turned her head) Would it?

She could see her apartment now. She could see the familiar lantern outside. The same lantern that she could see if she looked out her bedroom window. But then she couldn't see it any longer. She lost sight of it. Everything went dark....and silent. The silence around her was so deafening that she could hear her own heart beat. She could even here the blood flushing through her veins, trying to nourish her brain so that she wouldn't pass out. She wasn't alone any longer.

TBC...