Hi again! Thank you so much for reading! A special thanks to my two reviews from the first chapter! Feedback is always welcome!
Enjoy!
1 week earlier.
Pain is temporary, GPA is forever.
This was the main thought running through Samantha's head as she exited the campus library very late at night, or one could say, very early in the morning. She sighed, even after spending a few hours studying she did not feel prepared at all. Shifting her heavy backpack, she began the trek back to her small apartment.
It was finals week. In reality, she had nothing to worry about, her grades consisted of mostly A's, and a few B's. As usual though, keeping her scholarship was at the forefront of her mind. Two more finals before her first semester of college would be completed and she could enjoy Christmas break. Christmas….a frown flickered across her face, definitely not her favorite time of year.
Family, cheer, merriment—she lacked all of those things. Well, she had a family…maybe…, she looked up at the cloudy sky.
Where are you guys?
Hazy memories of a smiling mother, supportive father, and bossy, yet loving older sisters plagued her mind. She had been put into the foster system at age three, and no one could tell her what had happened to her family. She was found under a tree at a park crying, how or why she was left there was still a mystery. The whole situation was really bizarre. Accepting that her family had just left her was not an option, something had happened to them, but no one believed her. She was "in denial" psh, yeah right what did they know.
The foster system was hard on her, as it was most kids, but she had made it. Despite all odds she was able to beat the statistics. She credited a lot of it to her love of books, most of her childhood and teenage years were spent at the library. Whenever times were harsh, she could count on her books to whisk her away to a different world.
Trust no one and avoid controversy, those were the laws she had lived by, still lived by honestly. She had two goals at the moment; become an Optometrist, and find her family. Keeping her record clean, getting a job at 14, and keeping her grades up during high school in order to get a good college scholarship were just steps along the way.
At 18 she was finally able to leave the system and live independently, and now at 19, things were really looking up for her. She loved her school, had made a few friends, and was keeping up with her rent; everything was perfect. Except…
I'm so going to fail my final tomorrow
Samantha groaned loudly. Unexpectedly, the wind started picking up and she heard a rumble off in the distance, a storm was approaching. She picked up the pace, hoping to make it home before the rain began to fall.
Maybe I'll get struck by lighting and won't have to take my test tomorrow.
That brought a smile to her face, anything to escape the impending doom of calculus II. It became a game, she began thinking of more scenarios, each one getting more and more ridiculous.
Maybe that tree over there will fall on me,
Maybe I'll get swept up in a flash flood,
Maybe a tornado will hit the college,
Maybe a bear will come out of the woods and attack me,
Maybe aliens will appear and abduct me,
Maybe that car will slow down and I'll get snatched.
Wait, was the car actually starting to slow down?
No, no, no, no, no, I was just kidding, I don't actually want to get kidnapped, I take it back!
The car rolled to a stop and Samantha debated running for it. She hesitated, they probably just wanted direction or something. Just to be safe she stuck her house key in the grove of her knuckle to use as a weapon if necessary. She tried reasoning with herself that nothing was wrong, but her heart began to beat rapidly.
Before she could move two men jumped out of the car and tried to grab her. Moving fast she kicked one of the men where it hurt most, and turned to punch the other in the face. She forgot all about the key in her knuckle, so she gasped when she saw blood. He was holding his face in his hands, blood dripping from his right eye.
"Why you little…. Now you'll never find out what happened to your precious family, "the man spoke menacingly. Her family? What did they have to do with anything?
While she was distracted the men were able to restrain her, tied her up and stuck her in the backseat. "Sleep tight" the next thing she knew she felt a blow to the back of her head.
I can't believe I stabbed that guy in the eye. Huh, that's pretty ironic. I want to be an Optometrist, and help people to see, but I probably just blinded that guy for life.
Those were her last thoughts before she succumbed to the darkness.
Thank you so much!
I like this chapter a lot more than my first one, it came more naturally. Please review or PM me to tell me your thoughts. It's so exciting to see how many people are reading my story and the support really helps motivate me to write. Suggestions, thoughts, feedback, Let me know!
Quietly,
Samantha
