Here's the next chapter. Thanks to my reviewers and people who add me and my story to alert and favourites :)
Disclaimer- I do not own the wonderful Morganville series. It belongs to the great Rachel Caine. I do own this plot though.
Chapter start!
Chapter 3- The memories envasion.
Claire POV.
The chilli was good and the room was pretty nice to. Way better than any dorm room that's for sure. It came with a double bed pushed into the corner of the room farthest away from the door.
A vanity table complete with a mirror was set up against the wall opposite to the bed and a window was in the middle of the wall on the same side that the bed was running down.
It was a nice sized room-not to big not to small. It had a television with a D.V.D player on a table at the bottom of the bed, and a desk was on the wall across from the window with a suitable work lamp and two shelves above it. It had three draws attached to it. It was ideal for me.
It had two closets either side of the vanity table and an armchair was stuck in the corner across from the bed.
The walls were a light blue colour and the carpet was cream. It had the perfect contrast and it really complimented one another. The curtains were a matching blue and they were held back by drapes, but they had various flower patterns traced into the material. It was a nice finishing touch.
"Wow." I breathed, as I looked around the room, twirling in a slow circle.
"You like it?" Eve asked.
"Definitely!" I squealed, spinning to face her, and smiling. "It beats the dorm rooms by far!"
She laughed. "I bet. I've heard the dorms are pretty shitty."
"So, how much is rent?" I asked, praying that I could afford it.
"Um…well Michael's the land lord but it's £100 a month. You pay for long distance calls separately of the landline. And you have to prepare food twice a week, and do cleaning chores too. There's a rota pinned above your desk just below the shelves." She explained.
I breathed a sigh of relief. I could afford the rent.
"Sounds good." I told her, walking around the room.
"Need any help unpacking? No? Okay, just yell if you need anything Michael will be here." She called over her shoulder as she left the room.
The door closed with a soft click and I spun around in a circle letting out a gleeful squeak.
I was so glad that I could stay here! Spending time at the dorm, constantly having to watch my back wasn't good when you wanted to concentrate on studying to get good grades. And from what Shane and Eve were saying about Monica it sounded like things were going to get worse.
Not that I couldn't handle it. I could. It's just it was easier this way.
And I was sick of doing things the hard way.
I was just lucky that there was a way to improve my life for a change.
Instead of getting dragged down by_
No, I'm not getting into that. I couldn't go into that. It just brought back too many bad memories.
But now that it had worked its way back into my consciousness it overpowered me. The memories that had been burned into my brain flooded forward into the present, and I could almost see it happening again. Almost feel it, almost hear it all over again.
The burning pains throughout my body as various body parts lashed out at me. The horrid words leaking out of from their mouths coating my self-esteem like poison.
No Claire! You're here now-not there! There isn't any pain due to the beatings you got. There aren't any wretched words putting you down, making you feel worth nothing.
You showed them. You shoed them all!
Desperately seeking a way out of my thoughts, I shook my head violently, my hair swinging around to hit me in the face. I rushed over to the bed and hurled my rucksack onto it.
Unpacking. That would take my mind off everything.
I scattered my clothes out over the bed, ready to go put them in the closets. Grabbing an armful, which was pretty much all I managed to get from the dorm at that moment, I carried it over to the closet, and dumped it on the floor.
Pulling the door open, I surveyed the space in the closet. I hooked my dresses on appropriate hangers and hooked them onto the railing. I did the same with my skirts, and I folded the t-shirts and jeans I brought and put them on two different shelves all in the one closet.
I placed the underwear I brought with me on another shelf, and I folded the few jackets I managed to bring onto another shelf.
That was pretty much one closet full, but I had the other free to put my pyjamas and coat I brought. I placed my two pairs of shoes I had with me on the floor of the closet and closed the door. I had to swing by my dorm tomorrow to pick up the rest of my shoes- I had another pair. Apart from that my dorm was empty. And it was clean.
As I was on my way over to the desk section of my room, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in." I called, while placing my schoolbooks on the first shelf.
Michael appeared, leaning against the wall next to my desk, a calm expression on his face.
"Hey." I said, shooting a smile at him.
"Hey. How'd you find the room?" he asked, titling his head to the side in indication.
"Oh, it's lovely. Thanks again for letting me stay here." I moved onto putting my reading books onto the top shelf. I had to kneel on the desk to do this. I was quite short.
"So, how come you don't want to stay at the dorm rooms?" he asked, his voice curious, expression probing.
I took an inconspicuous deep breath to calm myself. "I just didn't like it there." I mumbled.
"So nothing to do with the psychotic bitch after you then?" he asked, his voice light but his expression grave.
"I could totally handle her!" I snapped, my tone bordering defensive. Okay it had passed bordering and was on totally defensive but still.
"I'm not doubting that, I just thought that it might have something to do with it. Nobody wants to live near a psycho. Especially a psycho intent on making their victims life a living hell." He said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Well, like I said, I just didn't like it there." I repeated, working to keep my tone normal.
"Okay. Need any help with anything?" he enquired, straightening up.
"Nope, I'm good thanks." I turned and smiled at him.
"Yell if you need anything. Eve is just finishing her last shift at work and Shane is…well…out." He told me.
"I thought you said that you shouldn't go out when its dark?" I asked, slightly confused.
"Well…Shane has his reasons." Michael muttered.
"Uh-huh, I don't doubt that." I said.
"It's complicated." He told me quietly.
"Yeah, sounds like my life." I grumbled.
I didn't expect him to hear me. And I didn't think he could as I said it barely louder than a whisper.
"What's up?" he asked, a not of concern in his voice.
"Uh…. nothing." I replied, my voice about three octaves higher than usual from surprise.
He disappeared out the door with a grace and elegance that I could only dream of having. I was such a klutz it was unreal. Come to think of it…Michael had a little too much grace and elegance…weird.
I had finished unpacking now. So I collapsed onto my bed, and sunk into the softness of the mattress.
I could get use to this luxury. I didn't even have this when I was a home_
Damn it Claire! Don't think about that place!
I jumped out of bed and almost tripped over in my haste to get over to the closet. To prevent myself from face planting the floor I had to twist slightly so I staggered into the end of the bed.
Total klutz.
'Get out of my sight you pointless waste of space! Don't fall and hit your ugly face on the door now you little klutz! Your ugly enough as it is and we don't want anyone snooping around!'
I shook my head quickly to clear my head of the voices.
You're here your fine it's not happening!
You're here your fine it's not happening!
Reaching the closet, I yanked out a pair of pyjamas. Black with white polka dot shorts, with a black sleeveless top saying 'wild thing' on the front, with a picture Tasmanian devil on it.
I stumbled back over to the bed and fell onto it. Crawling under the covers, I flicked the lamp on and grabbed the current book I was reading. Preparing my self for some reading, I settled under the covers and turned the page ready.
I read….
And read….
And read…
It was a good book. And it kept them away. For now anyway…
Chapter end!
What do you think? I know I left a cliffy-but don't kill me or you'll never find out what's going to happen next :p
Sorry if there are any spelling errors. I did check over it but just encase there are any silly or (god forbid) embarrassing errors please forgive me.
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