Chapter 3

"Then he said, 'Baby, let's go back to my place,' and I was like, "WTF? You don't even know me and you asked to me come home with you?" The doe-eyed girl rambled on about the previous night's experience of some creepy guy who tried to pick her up at a college frat party.

Izzy wasn't listening. She tuned the girl out along with the noisy din of the crowded bar. The booming techno music and flashing strobe light was giving her a massive migraine. The drunken laughter coming from the guy sitting on her left made her skin crawl.

What am I doing here, she wondered? She took in the heavily made up appearance of those seated at the table around her. The girl speaking was pretty, but hidden beneath layers of makeup. Her dark eyes were ringed with mascara smudges and her lipstick had all but come off on her martini glass. Her dark hair was streaked with bright red dye and meticulously crimped in sections, while having left other sections hanging straight. Izzy found herself fascinated with the girl's appearance.

Feeling eyes on her she looked up to see her friend Collette glancing her way. "You're uncomfortable," she said. It wasn't a question. Izzy just nodded slightly and looked away though Collette continued to address her. "Come on," Collette said wearily. She gestured that the two should leave. They edged their way out of the round booth they'd been sitting in, shoving those seated at the table out of their way. No one minded.

Collette grabbed Izzy's hand and pulled her through the crowded bar toward the door. They hurried past a couple passionately, and a bit drunkenly making out at the billiards table. A fat grey-bearded, older, drunk tried to pinch Izzy's rear end as she passed. She didn't stop to protest. She simply wanted out of this sleazy place.

The two girls made their way to the sleek double doors at the bar's entrance. Izzy burst through the door, taking in great gulps of cold night air into her lungs. She welcomed the cold. It was a refreshing change from the stuffy, cigarette smoke filled air of the bar.

"I'm sorry I brought you here," Collette apologized softly as she fumbled in her purse for her car keys. "I should have known you wouldn't be comfortable in there. I just thought it would be a way to unwind and relax after studying so hard for mid-terms. I didn't know there would be so many sleazy people. Adam told me the place was brand new and I thought we could check it out."

The sleek modern, techno bar had opened its doors only two months ago. From outward appearances it looked like a good hang out for yuppies, frat boys, and young professionals looking to unwind. Unfortunately, the majority of people who frequented the establishment were far from the yuppie college crowd.

"It's ok, Collette. I'm just not very much fun in that kind of atmosphere," Izzy challenged. The girls climbed in the dilapidated yellow Neon and headed back to the small apartment they shared with two other roommates.

"I'll just be happy when finals are over and we can go back to being happy college grads, Izzy enthused. Finally, after a long 4 years she was finishing her B.A. degree. Where she planned to go from there was anyone's guess. Collette agreed with her.

"Congrats, graduating class of 2009!" Collette boomed. "But I've no idea what you're going to go with a degree in psychology, when it obvious that you're more at home in a Shakespearean theatre or library, reading the classics. Maybe you should start a Master's program in Performance Arts." She looked sideways at her friend in the passenger seat.

Izzy simply shrugged. She didn't feel like having that conversation just now. She wanted to curl up in her bed with a good book and mug of cocoa. She'd do anything to silence the bitter, agonizing loneliness that bubbled just below the surface of emotions.

Collette knew what she was thinking but chose not to speak. She turned back to keep her eyes on the road as she drove.

Hard as Izzy tried she couldn't keep her mind from thinking of the day 3 years ago when she'd gotten the phone call that had shattered her world. Izzy had been staying at a friend's house out of town for the week. Her friend Meredith had called Izzy out of the blue, inviting her to stay with her at her grandmother's cabin in the mountains for a week in the summer.

She and Meredith had been inseparable in their elementary school years, as they had both been only children with no other siblings to play with. Then Meredith's dad was offered a job out of state and the family had moved away. However, since Meredith came back every summer to see her grandmother she tried to make it a point to see Izzy every once in awhile.

When they were unable to visit she kept in touch via email. Though their friendship had changed considerably now that both girls had graduated High School and completed one year of college at separate schools, they still felt a sisterly affection toward each.

Izzy was happy at Meredith grandmother's summer cabin. The elderly woman had always welcomed Izzy with open arms and treated her as her own granddaughter. Izzy and Meredith spent all week waking with the dawn and picking wild blueberries in the woods.

Izzy loved the fresh pine smell that lingered beneath the trees. She loved the golden glow of the sun as it shone through the thick canopy of the trees. The girls stayed out late long after the sun set every evening to watch the lightening bugs appear. The peaceful sound of chirping crickets lulled them to sleep when they finally went to bed.

Though she was no longer a shy 10 year old, but a mature 19, she always felt like a child again in these woods. Once when Izzy had fallen asleep in the afternoon sun by the stream deep in the woods she awoke to the feeling of eyes watching her. She looked around to find no one there, but Meredith sleeping peacefully next to her on the ground. The birds were her only audience, one tawny barn owl in particular.

Izzy had smiled to herself and went back to sleep. She liked to imagine it was her owl, the one she had seen on the swing-set in her own backyard years before. Since then Izzy always felt safe and protected in these woods. Nothing could harm her here. At least that was how she felt until that earth shattering phone call changed everything.

It was on the last night of her stay at Meredith's grandmother's cabin. Izzy was preparing for bed when her cell phone rang. She didn't recognize the number on the caller ID so she ignored the call.

A few minutes later the unknown number reappeared on the caller ID as the phone rang a second time, crooning, "Gravittttyyy, stay the hellll away from me. Ooohh ooh, gravittttyyy has taken better men than meeee.." The John Mayer song replayed again and again until she answered the phone.

"Hello?" Izzy was cautious.

"Isabel Allain? Are you Isabel Allain? Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Allain?" The masculine voice on the other end inquired.

"Y..yes," Izzy replied tentatively. "I am Isabel. May I ask what this is about?"

"I'm officer Adam Yahze, the voice said. I understanding you're staying at a friend's house. We're sending a few officers to your friend's home." His voice lowered. "I'm sorry to inform you that your… that your parents and brother have been in an accident. The man sounded apologetic. Just then Meredith's grandmother called to her up the stairs.

"Izzy, my dear. There're some police officers here who want to talk to you."

Izzy had barely had time to react. Her mind was numb with panic and fear. They only sent police to your house when someone was dead if you didn't brake the law, didn't they?

Izzy remember how Meredith and her grandmother had sat with her, holding her hands and trying to comfort her as the policemen bluntly informed her that her parents, and 8 year old brother, Sammy had been killed instantaneously in a head-on collision with a drunk driver on their way home from the movie theatre. It was a stormy night and the blinding rain had made it hard for her father to see the road. By the time he realized another driver was careening toward their car it was too late.

For the next year Izzy was numb with grief. She lost interest in everything. She went back to school, determined to finish her degree. She rented a small apartment with Collette, her roommate from the previous year, and two other girls who split the cost of rent.

Hoping her mother would be proud of her Izzy threw herself into her studies, rejecting all invitations to social events. She was straight A student, with a 4.0 GPA. Now here she was at 22, about to graduate with no idea of what she wanted for the future. Maybe Collette was right, maybe she should get a Master's degree in Performance Arts.

The feel of Collette's hand on her shoulder brought Izzy back to the present. Collette parked the car on the curb in front of the apartment. "We're home."

Izzy got out of the car, and without a word marched straight to her bedroom, not even bothering to peruse the pile of mail on the kitchen table to see if any of it was for her. She pulled on a t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants and climbed into her queen size bed.

She realized in the last three years, while she had done everything to avoid thinking of her family's death she had forgotten to really grieve. Now the pain was catching up with her.

Determined not to think about it anymore tonight she grabbed her favorite novel off the night stand and eagerly dove into its pages. If only she had someone who loved her as Mr. Rochester loved Jane Eyre. If only she could love that someone the way Jane loved Mr. Rochester in return.

She closed the book for a moment, keeping her place with her finger, and thought of the dream she had had when she was 16. She wondered about Jareth, the Goblin King as he had been in her dream.

He had a handsome face and those eyes! His eyes held the wisdom of a millennia and so many emotions when he had looked at her. Too bad it was only a dream. Men like that did not exist in real life. Neither did goblins or magic. And too bad the romantic dream had turned into a terrifying nightmare. Oh well.

Izzy got up and went into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. All lights were off in the apartment and the kitchen was dark. Three of her roommates had gone to bed for the night. The fourth had gone out with her boyfriend since it was their 2 year anniversary.

Izzy had to fumble around on the wall to find the light switch. She flicked the light on and grabbed a teapot from under the cabinet, filled it with water, and put it on the stove to boil. Collette often teased her for not simply microwaving the water the way most college students did, but Izzy preferred the taste of properly boiled tea. Then She realized she'd forgotten her book on bed in her room.

She padded back down the hallway to her room and froze in her tracks. A tawny owl was sitting on the window ledge outside her window, looking directly at her.