Chapter 3
As I walked down the corridor with my brother I couldn't help but let doubt cloud my mind. I still wasn't sure that I should be going to the party with that kidnapper on the loose—even if it was only for about five minutes. I gripped the strap tighter and began to chew at my lip nervously. I promised Oliver that I would help him through this minor setback, but now that we were actually going through with the plan my stomach started to churn round and round. My mind was filled with questions about the kidnapper. No one had found the bodies of the other two girls and Amber had barely gone missing yesterday. What if he killed them already? What if the kidnapper decided to stay in my district? What if no one ever found him and stopped him? I felt sick.
Instead of thinking about the party I focused on where I was at and where I was walking. I trailed after my brother like a new puppy trails after their owner. My brother and I balanced each other out; I offered my shoulder and sympathy while he offered his protection and wittiness. And as it always happened, somehow, in the end, my brother and I always stuck together no matter how much we fought. It was weird really. I could talk to him about anything sometimes and he would actually just sit there and listen to me rant on about my problem. I guess being a twin really did have its upsides; I wondered if twins were closer than most siblings. Oliver and I were definitely close even though we disagreed on different things and I was glad that I had him as my brother. I smiled to myself behind my brother's back and quickened my pace so that my arm was brushing against his. Oliver looked down at me and had this funny look on his face.
"What are doing?"
I shrugged. "I need protection."
"Whu?" Eyebrows knitted together. "I thought we established the fact that you are the protection."
I threw my hands up in the air. "I'm younger than you and you're my older brother. You are the one who is supposed to protect me." I pointed at myself.
"Are you thinking about that kidnapper, Ray?" He put his arm around me. "I won't let the wacked person take you. You're safe with me and I'm safe with you. We'll protect each other." Oliver shook me gently with his arm.
I was instantly comforted by his words, but there was still a small sliver of doubt that lingered in the back of my mind. I pushed it away and continued to walk down the corridor with Oliver's arm draped over my shoulders. I looked at the doors we passed along the way and let Oliver steer me all the way to the elevator.
I pressed the button that had the arrow going down and another button labeled 1. I scooted inside and leaned against the rails that they had. I crossed my arms and watched as Oliver entered and stood facing the doors of the elevator. The elevator jolted and started to move downward.
Living in a hotel was sort of like a paradise. The only things I really liked about it were the room service and the pool. The rest of the stuff was sort of boring.
I shuffled my feet and leaned my head back against the wall, waiting until we got down to the lobby. I found it appealing that we were on the 28th floor, but yet I hated being up so high because I had a fear of heights. The only reason I enjoyed being up so high was because of the view that we had. Every time I needed to think or clear my head I would go out on the balcony and just sit there, looking out at the city, letting time pass by.
I liked the fact that I lived in a hotel; I liked to see new people each day when I passed through the lobby. Every day there would be new people checking in to the hotel and there was something about them that always had my interest. Some would have funny haircuts, beautiful eyes, nice clothes, great smiles, or cool shoes. Little things like that always caught my eye for some reason; I guess I was just weird like that.
I loved to go down into the lobby each and every day to say hi to the employees that I knew. Sometimes, if I had time, I would sit and talk with them for about thirty minutes. I even knew some of the workers since I was a little kid. Oliver and I used to love running down the hallways playing tag. Some of the hotel workers would laugh and just go on with their work while others tried to join in our little game of fun. They were my friends while I was growing up.
The elevator jolted to a stop and the doors opened, but I found that I wasn't staring at the lobby. I looked at the screen on the top of the doors were it showed what floor we were on. We were on the 15th floor. A lady in her later thirties, early forties, pushed a laundry cart inside and Oliver moved out of her way, pressing himself against the rail. Her light brown hair was pulled back in a neat bun, lips pressed together tightly, green eyes dull, and there was a scar on the bottom of her lip. I recognized her instantly.
"Clara!" I helped her by pulling the cart in further.
"Thanks." Clara looked up and smiled at me. "Raya, it's nice to see you again." Oliver squeezed against the cart and stood beside me. "Oh, and Oliver, too! What a nice surprise."
Oliver waved in reply and let me do the talking. "How are you? How are the kids?"
She pushed a piece of hair that got loose back from her face. "I'm fine, everything's going great. Emma and James are doing well. How about you, Raya? How are you?"
I shrugged. "I'm fine. Everything's alright." I peered in the laundry basket. There were just towels and bed sheets. "How's work going?"
Clara waved her hand in a passive motion. "Same old same old." I noticed that she had rings under her eyes and that she looked older than she should be.
"Are you tired?"
She rubbed her eyes and leaned against the cart. "A bit. I'm just worried about my children. Have you heard about that kidnapper?"
My body stiffened and I slowly nodded my head. I could see Oliver's hand clenching and unclenching. He was uncomfortable with the topic. "Yeah, I've heard about the kidnapper."
"That person is making me paranoid. I can't go anywhere without looking over my shoulder. I feel weird leaving my children alone with my niece. She's only eighteen."
"Well, I haven't heard of the kidnapper breaking into houses." I assured her. Oliver stayed silent and I felt pity for Clara. She had to work for thirteen hours and hardly ever got to spend time with her kids. I knew this because when I was little and both my parents were out I would go out into the halls to find Clara. She would vent to me when there were things bothering her and I would just listen, not sure what she was saying half the time, but I knew she just loved having me around anyway. I got to sit in the laundry cart while she pushed it all around the hotel, collecting the dirty towels. Clara helped me with my homework when there was no one else around. She was my bestfriend when I was little.
Clara seemed to relax at my words. "You're right. I'm just worrying too much."
"Well, don't you get off work in a half an hour?" I pushed to a lighter topic.
She nodded her head and then stared at me funny. "Where are you going?"
My pulse started to quicken and I had to tell myself to calm down. "I'm going to spend the night at a friend's house. Oliver is doing the same." My foot tapped against the ground and I stared at the screen; we were on floor 5. Almost there.
"You guys should just stay home; it's too dangerous out there."
Oliver spoke up. "It's not like we're going to do anything bad. All we are doing is just spending the night at our friend's house."
Clara grabbed hold of the cart and sighed. "I know. You two just have to be careful. I treat you two like my family and I would hate to see anything bad happen to you guys." The elevator came to a halt. I pushed against the cart while Clara pulled it out of the elevator. Oliver shuffled out and stopped, waiting for me to wrap up my conversation with Clara.
"We will be careful, Clara." I smiled at her. "Tell the kids I said hi. And don't worry; nothing is going to happen to them."
She smiled back. "I know nothing will happen. I just get paranoid." Clara started to push the cart away. "I will, Raya. Bye, Oliver. Be safe."
"Bye, Clara." Oliver waved and then started to move through the lobby. I waved goodbye before I followed after him. I glanced around the lobby, checking the new people that were checking in. There was a family cluttered around the check in desk. There were two little girls pulling at their parents' shirts, begging for something. I smiled. They reminded me of Corinne. The mom had soft looking brown hair and dark, pretty brown eyes. The dad had a funny haircut and I just stared at it until Oliver nudged me to get going.
Oliver cut straight through the lobby and pushed open the door; he held it open until I went through. He led the way to the side were the garage was. I entered the garage and searched through the rows of cars, trying to find our car. Oliver pressed a button and I heard the car beep and then I saw a flash of light.
"There!" I pointed to the gray Lexus that was squeezed between a blue Durango and a white truck. Oliver went over the car and let his hand slide over it until he came to the driver's door.
"She's so gorgeous." He whispered.
I rolled my eyes. "Just unlock the door already."
Oliver sniffed. "You don't appreciate her beauty." He unlocked his door and then pressed that button that unlocked all the doors. I opened the door, threw my backpack in the backseat, and climbed inside, settling comfortably in the seat. Oliver sat down and sighed peacefully, gripping the steering wheel with two hands. His hair was covering his brown eyes and he looked the same as always, but I felt like there was something new about him. He was wearing a band t-shirt, but with the lighting in the car I couldn't see what band it was today. He had a clean shaven face and he was wearing his skinny jeans as always. I leaned in closer to get a good look at my brother's arms. They looked slightly larger. Was he getting muscles? I poked at his arm.
"Hey, watch it." Oliver pulled his arm away.
"You have muscles now?" I kept staring at his arm.
Oliver flipped his hair. "I've been lifting weights at Josh's house. Do they look good?" He let go of the steering wheel and admired his arms.
I shrugged. "They look okay."
"They're my new chick magnets." He patted his arm.
"Ew. Start the car already." I felt uneasy with my dad letting Oliver drive the car. My brother just barely got his license and I wasn't sure what to expect from him. Oliver was reckless and I hoped that it wouldn't affect his driving. "And drive safely."
Oliver shut his door and turned the key so that the car roared to life. "Don't you trust me?" He laughed and put the car in reverse.
"Not really." I fiddled with the radio while Oliver checked for cars and backed out of the parking space. He stopped and put the car in drive and glided with ease out of the garage. "Hm. You haven't killed us. Yet."
"Whatever, Ray. I know how to drive. Shouldn't you call up Ally?" He was focused on the road.
My hand went instantly to my pocket and I pulled out my phone. I dialed her number and put the phone to my ear, listening to it ring.
"Hello? Raya?"
"Hey, Ally. How are you?"
"Fine. How about you?"
"Great. What are you doing tonight?" My hand clenched into a ball.
"Um, nothing. Why?"
"Well, I was wondering if I could go over to your house and spend the night."
I heard Ally gasp excitedly. "That would be so cool. My parents went out of town for a couple of day so I don't see why not. My parents say I couldn't leave the house, but they never said anything about not letting friends come over. So come on over." I grinned
"Cool. I'll see you in a while."
"This is going to be so awesome. 'Kay, Raya! Bye."
I hit end and shoved my phone back in my pocket.
"What did she say?" Oliver turned a corner and slowed down, waiting behind cars.
"I can go over." I looked out the window and watched as we passed people walked down the sidewalk. All the lights were shining brightly and we passed neon flashing signs. I settled against the window; I loved the city a night.
"Alright. I know Josh's parents will let me stay the night. They love me."
"Yeah, sure they do."
A smirk spread on his face. "Put on some music. The drive is going to be somewhat long and I don't want to hear you yapping throughout the whole drive."
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We drove through the city for about 45 minutes until we came up to a house were there were about a dozen cars parked in front.
"Great." I glared out and folded my arms across my chest. "I bet you that's not it; there's bound to be about thirty to forty more people." I unbuckled myself and just waited for Oliver to park. "Remember, Olly, we aren't staying long. Five to ten minutes top."
"Mhm." He drove the car into the side where the alley was and then turned off the ignition so that I couldn't see farther into the alley. "Okay, so are you ready?"
"No." I placed my hand on the handle. "Whose party is it anyway?"
Oliver looked away and didn't answer me. My stomach twisted and I turned to him. "Oliver. Tell me." I slapped him on the arm.
"Ow. Jeez, I'll tell you but you're not going to be too happy with my answer." He inhaled a deep breath and exhaled. "It's Craig's." My jaw locked and I wanted to punch my brother in the face. My hands balled into fists. "Whoa, whoa." He opened his door and jumped out of the car. I put my face in my hands and took several deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. I wanted to kill my brother, but I had to contain myself.
After a couple of minutes I opened the door and stepped out. Oliver was standing on his side of the car staring at me. "Why?"
He looked down, avoiding eye contact with me. "Why what?"
I raised my hand and was about to slam it down on the car but I thought twice about it. Instead I pressed on hand against my mouth and began to pace back and forth. "Don't act stupid, Oliver. You know what I mean! Why didn't you tell me that this was my ex-boyfriend's party?"
"Because…" He hesitated and trailed off, but then continued. "Because if I told you it was Craig's party then you wouldn't have came with me."
I stopped pacing and shook my head, my brown hair smacking me in the face. I threw my hands in the air. "You're damn right I wouldn't have come." I opened the passenger door and grabbed my backpack out of the backseat. "Speaking of which, I'm leaving." I slung my backpack over my shoulder and started out the alley, turning the corner.
I heard footsteps pounding on the ground after me. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?"
I didn't turn back to answer him; I just kept moving. "I'm going to Ally's." There weren't much people walking about and I was trying to block out the sound all around. The only thing I couldn't block out was the music thumping from the house.
"You're insane! Ally's house is about 30 minutes away! That kidnapper is still out there and you are that stupid to go out by yourself?" Oliver caught up to me. "I thought you were smarter than that." He grabbed my shoulder and stopped me.
I jerked my arm away and faced him unwillingly. "I'm smart." I closed my eyes and sighed deeply. People were giggling wildly and uncontrollably from the house; I bit my lower lip and pointed at the house. "Why do you keep things away from me when you know I'm going to find out anyway?" I laughed mirthlessly. "You need to think your plans through."
Oliver shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "I don't know. Why you over exaggerating about this? We were only going to stay for about five minutes."
I opened my eyes. "Because you hid the truth from me! You know I hate Craig." I pinned my arms against my sides. Oliver was unbelievable.
"I know, but you never did tell me why you hated him—"
"It doesn't matter!" I quickly cut him off and looked away.
Oliver's right eyebrow went up. "It looks like there's something you aren't telling me."
I repeated myself. "It doesn't matter." I turned around and started back toward the car. "I'm not going to be a pawn in your game. From now on it's going to be you tell me the truth or you do things by yourself. I won't let you use me again."
I listened as he stomped after me. "I didn't use you, dummy. I really need you here with me; I can't do this by myself. If something gets out of hand, then I know I'll be alright because I have you by my side."
"Don't get all mushy on me." I stopped and waited until he was by my side once again. "You better hurry and drop off that crap; I don't want to run into Craig." I felt so stupid for forgiving him so fast, but I knew it was better now than later. "I guess that rules out me staying in the car." Oliver gave me that look that meant 'duh'. Oliver hugged me from the side awkwardly and then zipped off to the car. I trailed after him slowly. I opened the passenger door and stood there, debating whether I should leave my backpack. I decided I would keep my backpack in case I would need to use it as a weapon. Better safe than sorry.
"Okay, let's hurry up." Oliver locked the doors and left me by myself in the alley. I slammed the door and turned my head when I heard the sound of something large banging against the ground. The sound of trashcans falling over followed after the loud noise. I jumped and stood frozen. Was there somebody already drunk out there? I took a step forward and tried to get a better look into the darkness. All I could see were trashcans piled up against the wall; there was nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe the noise was made from a couple of blocks away.
I grabbed the straps of my backpack and squeezed tight. Turning around I was about to leave when I heard a low, clear, and dark voice.
"Come." Shivers ran non-stop up and down my back, my heart pounded madly inside my rib cage and I tried to catch my breath. Don't look around. Keep moving. It's probably just some drug addict trying to get you to give him money. But something else told me that it wasn't a drug addict at all; my sense was telling me that this person was dangerous.
What if it was the kidnapper? My eyes widened and I wanted to call out for Oliver, but my voice was lost. I didn't want to turn around because I feared what I might see.
The voice came again. "Come to me." It sounded closer and I hoped that somebody would walk by and save me. Just a couple of minutes ago I saw people walking by. Where were they now? I wanted to cry out in frustration. The only thing I could see was light streaming out from a lamppost across the street; the only thing I could hear was the music playing loudly next door. No one could hear me or see me if I screamed out. I was losing hope.
"Don't be afraid." The sound rang in my ears like a bell and this time I could feel the cool breathing down my spine. I don't want to die now. My body began to tremble with fear and I thought of my brother, my sister, my parents. I wished I could tell them I loved them so much.
"I don't want to die." I whispered.
"Oh, I won't hurt you; I just want to help you." My feet were still frozen in place, unmoving, but I wanted to turn and fight myself out of the situation, but seeing as I couldn't I closed my eyes and waited for the stranger's next move. I felt brave now. If he was going to take me I wasn't going to go down without a fight. He probably thinks I'm giving in easily to him. Hmp. I'll show him I'm not easy. Though if he were to just kill me right now then I'd make sure I'd scratch him so the police would collect his skin from under my fingernails. I would make sure this scumbag went down either way.
"Raya!" My head snapped up, eyes opened and I found myself staring at my brother. I spun around and saw nothing behind me; everything was just dark and scary. I wrapped my arms around Oliver and was about to cry in relief. I was still alive, but where was that stranger? How did he get away so fast? I tried not to let these questions crowd my mind and instead buried my head into Oliver's shoulder. "Hey, why are you hugging me? A couple of minutes ago you were angry. I swear you're bipolar." I could have cared less about what Oliver called me. I was just happy that I was alive.
More importantly I wanted to be around people. I didn't want to be just alone with my brother in the alley where the stranger once was. This place didn't feel right and it didn't feel safe. What if he came back? I didn't want to be here if that happened. "Let's go to the party. Hurry." I pushed Oliver out of the alley hurriedly.
When I turned back to make sure the unknown person wasn't around, at the far end of the alley, I could see that there were two pair of yellow, glowing eyes, staring directly at me.
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Oliver knocked on the door of Craig's house. I still felt weird that I was standing on the doorstep of my ex. But I would rather be at a party filled with drunken people than in an alley with a deranged person. I shivered at the memory and pushed it aside. I didn't want to think about it. I would be at Ally's house in less than an hour and I would feel safe there, and deep inside I couldn't help but note that my mom was right for thinking her insane for leaving the house. Going home didn't sound too bad of an idea, but I knew that my brother would get pissed at me for wanting to go home and ruin our plan, but I didn't feel safe anymore; I felt vulnerable.
I couldn't tell Oliver why I wanted to go home because he would just worry about and I didn't want that. I would just keep that little incident to myself. No one needed to worry over me.
The door opened and a figure steeped into the doorway, the light was silhouetted against him, showing his large arms and large build. "Heeyy . It's Oliver!" The person said, words slightly slurred. The guy turned his head and shouted, "Guys, Oliver came through and brought the supplies. Good job, Oliver, we were running low on supplies." He turned his attention back to us and looked at me. "And you brought something I can play with. How generous."
I stepped forward, anger surging through me, but Oliver stopped me with a hand."You remember my sister, Raya, don't you, Tom?" Oliver knew that I was ready to blow, but he wasn't going to allow me to blow my top.
Tom nodded and burped. "Oh, yeah I forgot you're a twin." He chuckled. "Good thing she doesn't look like you because that would totally turn me off." I wanted to slap him for being such an idiot and I couldn't understand why my brother was friends with these losers. Tom shuffled out of the way as Oliver and I stepped through the entryway.
There were people crowded everywhere; they were in the hallway, on the stairs, staggering toward another room. The guys were talking amongst themselves, laughing loudly and betting each so much money on a silly game where a guy tried to get a girl in less than a half an hour. I rolled my eyes. Guys were such pigs sometimes and I always had to remind myself that not all men were conceited jerks.
Girls were madly flirting with guys by swishing their hips and pouting their lips, touching their fingers to their arms lightly enough to make a guy's body tingle with pleasure. Or they were already lip-locking with a guy, pushing themselves against them and pulling at his hair in a mad desire. I shook my head and was glad that I had given up on partying. Later in the morning those girls wouldn't even remember who they slept with or what they did.
Oliver went up some stairs, following after Tom, and I had no choice but to follow after the two of them. I let my hand slide on the rail until we got to the top.
The house was only two stories, but very large, and the inside walls were painted a brilliant, stainless white. There were two hallways, one leading to the left and the other to the right; we went down the right. There weren't many decorations on the wall, which made it bland, except for a few pictures here and there, and a little brown table with a vase a flowers all colors: blue, orange, pink, yellow, and white; the colors brought life to the house. A large, square mirror inhabited the space next to the door at the end of the hallway—there were four doors, two on each sides of the wall. Tom opened the first door on the left and held it open until Oliver and I went in.
The room smelled funny—it was the combination of smoke and sickly sweet smell—and it was dimly lit; it grew darker when Tom shut the door and scooted inside. I moved closer to Oliver, unsure of what to except. After the little incident in the alley I was going to be more alert to my surroundings.
"Ah, Tom, who do we have here?" I searched for the face of the voice and found a figure lying down on a couch in the center of the room. A couple of other people were spread throughout the room, beer bottles and cigarettes in hand, their heads were turned toward us but I couldn't get good look at their faces.
Tom moved closer to the person sprawled out on the couch. "It's Oliver and his sister...um…" He looked back at me and Oliver questioningly. I couldn't believe he forgot my name already. Well, he was drunk, but then if he was sober he'd probably dumb anyway.
"Raya." The person said a bit mockingly. I stiffened and moved my head so that I was looking at him. How did he know my name? A chilling realization struck me and I desperately wanted to leave the room. I had a feeling this wasn't going to end well.
"Yeah, yeah that." Tom beckoned Oliver forward. "Oliver brought the supplies."
The person straightened up and leaned forward, now interested. "Bring them here, Oliver." My brother cast me an uneasy glance and then gave up his backpack over to the person I hated.
"Here, Craig." Craig went through his backpack and pulled out bottles. "Sweet. I'm going to keep these precious babies up here with us. Thanks, Oliver." He nodded his head and craned his head to stare at me. "You think you're too good to say hi to me?"
I laughed bitterly. My stupid ex-boyfriend. How did I even come to date him? I curled my fingers into my palm and remembered that cold winter day. I was waiting for Oliver to come out of school so he could drive me home, but I ended up waiting thirty minutes for hi and still didn't show. I just sat on the benches that were in front of the school and just stared out into traffic until I heard someone sit down next to me. Craig talked to me for a long time, the air started to turn cold and I didn't bring a jacket that day so I was shivering. He offered me his jacket and modestly I took it. It was that time that Oliver came around and picked me up. I didn't listen to his excuse for why he was late; I was just drowning myself in the smell of Craig's jacket. After that Craig started to wait after school with me and we talked, getting to know each other. A few weeks later he asked me out and we dated.
I fell for him and everything went well for awhile, but then after a couple of weeks he started to show his true colors and I dumped him. He wanted something from me that was personal but I wasn't going to give him anything personal so that he could feel good. He could get another girl to give it to him; I wasn't going to offer.
My bangs slide in my face and I held them back. "Hey, Craig." There were a few snickers and I rolled my eyes.
He patted the seat next to him. "You wanna come sit?" Even though I couldn't see his face clearly I knew there was a haughty smirk on his face. Craig tossed Oliver his backpack back.
"We actually gotta get going--" Oliver caught his backpack and held it by one hand.
I held up my hand to Oliver who had come back to my side. He didn't need to answer for me; I could do it myself. "No, I don't want to sit down." There were whispers going on and I only caught certain words like 'he has… a girlfriend…'. "Besides, I have plans somewhere else so I have to get going."
"Aw I'm pretty sure whoever you are meeting can wait. I mean come on, how can they be more important than me?" Craig stood up and came over to me.
I scoffed. He was so arrogant. "They can't wait actually. She is more important than you because she is my friend, unlike you. Tell me, what do you think you are to me?" I took a step forward. If he wanted to play a game I would play too, but I would make sure I came out on top.
He stopped just inches away from my face. "Your future boyfriend." I could smell the alcohol on his breath and I tried hard not to flinch. I wasn't going to show weakness.
"You already had that chance." I pointed out.
Craig pushed himself closer. "Can't I have a second chance?" His hand pushed a lock of hair behind my ear. I grimaced. He really was pushing it.
I pulled away out of reach. "Nope." I nudged Oliver. "Let's go." I headed for the door, but surprisingly Craig moved with speed past me and blocked the front of the door.
"Your brother can leave, but you can't." He pointed to Oliver and told Tom to take him out. Tom was a huge football player and I knew my brother couldn't fight him or else he would be seriously damaged.
"Go, Oliver. I'll be out in a minute." I promised and smiled encouragingly.
Oliver's eyebrows knit together but let himself be pushed out of the door and into the hallway with Tom. Craig looked at the other guys in the room. "Get out." With groans and moans the guys go to their feet and exited out of the door.
One guy stopped and whispered to Craig. "What about Sadie?"
"I'll deal with that later. Right now give me my privacy." He gave the guy a little push in the direction of the door. After everybody left and it was just me and Craig he looked me up and down, then went and sat down on the couch. "You still haven't changed."
"Yeah, Craig, I haven't changed. What do you want?" I ached to leave and go to Oliver, but I knew I couldn't. I would just have to get through this torture.
Craig put on an innocent smile. "Oh, I just want to catch up with you." He beckoned me with his finger. "Come here." My jaw locked. There were those words again; those very words that were whispered down my spine in the alley.
I exhaled deeply. "I don't want to sit, Craig."
"Well, if I tell you to sit, then you sit." His eyes darkened and I looked him over. Craig was the kind of guy that made heads turn. He had a gorgeous smile and sparkling green eyes that glittered emerald in the sun. He had soft, curly, blonde hair—his hair wasn't frizzy curly, it was more of loose curly-- and his skin was slightly tanned from the sun. He didn't wear skinny jeans like my brother, but wore straight-legged jeans. I had to admit, Craig looked great, and it was hard to remember the fact that he was a jerk, but his great looks still couldn't cover up his ugly personality.
I stood my ground, anger boiling up inside. "And if I tell you I don't want to sit, then I don't want to sit."
He stayed calm, which surprised me. "Whatever you want, Raya. But if you get tired of standing up, know that there is a seat next to me." He leaned back in the couch. "It's hard for me to admit, but you look so much better than Sadie."
"I'll keep that in mind." My eyes narrowed. "Who's Sadie? That name sounds so familiar. I heard that guy mention her to you. Is she your new pet?"
He laughed. "Sadie is not my pet. She's my girlfriend. And yeah you should remember her because you broke her nose at a party last year. She got a nose job though; it looks nice. I didn't know you could hit that hard."
"Oh, that girl." I was surprised that I forgot her name. I wasn't shocked, but I pretended to be, just so I could watch his reaction. "Same thing, Craig. Wow. You have a girlfriend already? I wonder how long this relationship is going to last. Wait—you just put down your own girlfriend by saying that I'm better looking than her. You really are cruel."
"It probably won't last long. She's just for show." He shrugged. "I'm not mean I just tell the truth. You are prettier than Sadie."
"Well you should be loyal to your girlfriend."
"It's not going to last long, so why should I? You were the only girl who I was loyal to, and you dumped me. You left my brokenhearted." He frowned.
I waved my hand as if shooing away annoying bugs. "Don't give me that crap. You know why I dumped you." I stepped forward.
Craig stood up and smiled down at me. "Speaking of which we need to finish what we started." He pulled me by the arms and pressed his body against mine and slipped off my backpack off my shoulders so that it dropped on the floor with a thud.
I tried to pull away. "We didn't start anything!" I tried kicking, but he spun me around so that my back was to the couch and pushed all of his weight onto me so that we fell on the couch. He pressed his lips against mine greedily and began to push his hands under my top. I writhed under him, trying to get away, but he was just too heavy I couldn't move.
He pushed himself up and grinned as he looked at me. "Don't fight it." His chest was heaving and he pulled off his shirt. I grunted and swung out at him and hit him hard in the chest. "Ow. You actually hit pretty hard for a girl. Feisty. That's what I always liked about you."Craig leans back toward me and tugged at my shirt but I tucked my elbows in to keep him from pulling it off.
"You…pervert." I huffed, and tried to kick up and hit him in the crotch.
"Raya, I know you still like me. Don't deny your heart what it really wants." He gave up on me and sat back, putting his weight on my legs to prevent me from kicking.
I stopped fighting and looked at him. "You're right, Craig, I never stopped liking you." I pouted my lips. "Come here."
Craig leaned down and whispered, "I knew it." And then he kissed more gently now that I wasn't fighting. I kissed back and ran my hand through his soft curly hair. I pushed my hands against his chest and moved him backward so that he was inches up above my body. I smiled angelically and winked, and then I balled my hand into a fist and swung and smiled when I felt my fist connect with his jaw.
Craig stumbled off of me and fell off the couch, caught off guard by my change in moods and he groaned in slight pain. I scrambled up to my feet and grabbed my backpack and swung it on my back. "You pig. That's why I broke up with you." I didn't stay to hear him comment back; I just ran out the door and grabbed Oliver's hand. "Let's go."
"Why are you in such a hurry? Ally is still going to be there." He let me pull him.
My mind was working fast. It wouldn't be long until Craig got up. I turned back to Tom. Tom was like Craig's bodyguard so I needed to get him as far away from Craig as possible. "Craig told me to tell you that he wanted to be left alone for at least an hour. He said to go downstairs and just get drunk." I beckoned Tom and he trailed after us, eager to start drinking again; it was clear to see that he followed orders from anybody.
Once I got down to the bottom of the stairs I pulled my brother to the door, but he stopped and I was jerked back. "What? We need to leave now."
Oliver dropped my hand and examined me. "Why are your lips red? They look like they got sucked by a vacuum. Did Craig kiss you? Or did you kiss him? I'm not moving until you tell me." I watched as his protectiveness started to kick in.
I glanced helplessly at the top of the stairs and then back to Oliver. "He forced himself on me. He tried to rape me and the only way I got out was by kissing him. I had to play along." I watched as Oliver's face contorted into fury. "I punched him in the jaw. I took care of him. Now we have to leave." I tugged at his hand and tried to pull him in the direction of the door. "Come on!"
He just looked at me. "Is that why you hate him? Has he tried to do this before?" When I didn't answer his face turned red and he looked like he was about to blow. "That bastard. I'm going to kill him; I swear I am."
"No." I shook my head; tears were starting to well up in my eyes as I just realized what almost happened. I stopped, and I was having trouble breathing and I placed one hand over forehead. I almost got raped. Breath. This wasn't the first time he tried that. I got out of it last time, but I think I was just lucky that time. Still, I managed to get out of his grip and escape both times. That had to mean something. I threw back my head and blinked rapidly, trying to get rid of the tears. "You don't need to kill him. Let's go!" I snapped.
"How come you never told me? That's why I am here, Raya; I'm here to protect you." He grabbed my arm.
"I didn't need you worrying about me. See how I handled it? Everything went smoothly. I can take care of myself."
His hair went flying side to side as he shook his head. "He's much stronger than you and who knows what he would of done with you after he…r-r-" Oliver seemed to have trouble saying the word and gave up after a couple tries. "You know what I mean." He whispered. "You're not as strong as you think you may be. There are always times when you need somebody to rely on."
I looked away and down at my fingers. "I get it. I'm not as strong as I think. Lesson learned." I didn't look up as I spoke to him; I just tangled my fingers together. I heard him mumble something about life wasn't to be played with but I didn't say anything in response; I ignored it. He should be telling himself not to play around with his life, but I knew I would only anger him if I said something. "But we need to get going."
Oliver closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath of oxygen. "You're right." He shook his head and his face began to drain back to its normal color. "Okay, let's leave."
"Oliver!" We both jumped at the sound of the voice and turned. A guy was squeezing out of a crowd of people who were dancing to the loud music and taking long swigs of whatever was in their cups.
"Carl! You came after all?" Oliver didn't move toward his friend, but his eyes grew large and a hint of a smile tugged at the sides of his lip. "I thought you said you were going to go out of town?"
Carl had semi-long, wavy, black hair that went up to his ear and had light brown eyes. He was thin and had pale skin, and his mouth was pulled in a grin. He was wearing a white t-shirt and dark blue jeans. He was okay looking. "Well, I'm here aren't I?" He nodded. "My parents made last minute changes. They want to go out of town next week."
Oliver smiled. "That's cool. Well, I have to get going. I need to drop off my sister at her friend's house and then I'm heading over to Josh's house." My brother looked at the top of the stairs and I followed his gaze.
Carl seemed to notice me for the first time. "Oh, hey, is it Raya?" When I nodded he smiled, then turned to Oliver. "What? You can't leave yet. The party is barely starting. Besides I met these girls and I told them about you. They want to meet you. Come, I'll introduce you to them."
"Really? Are they hot?" I stared at Oliver in disbelief. Why was he bothering about girls when he knew we had to get going?
"There's more to a girl than just her looks, Oliver." I scolded. He knew better, yet he only cared about the beauty.
Carl and Oliver both ignored my comment. "Yeah, they are total babes."
Oliver looked at me and then at Carl. I already knew his decision, but it still got me pissed. Why couldn't he think about me and how I was feeling? Why did he always drop me just to go hook up with some girl he didn't even know? What was wrong with my brother? "You just go to the car and wait for me there. I don't want you staying in here; it's too dangerous. I'll be out in about five to seven minutes." Oliver nudged Carl. "Show me the girls."
I opened my mouth to protest and tell my brother to stop and think about the risk he was taking by just staying inside the house for a couple of minutes longer, but he was gone in less than ten seconds and I was left by myself. I was surrounded by drunk people and I was in a major danger zone. But I still wasn't going to go outside. What if that person was still out there waiting for me to return? I bit my lip and tapped my foot rapidly. I wasn't going outside by myself. I would stay inside until Oliver was done flirting with girls. But who knew how long that would take? I was taking a dangerous risk myself by just staying inside my ex's house.
My throat was dry and I wanted to find something to drink. I looked around at people who were holding red cups in their hands. No doubt it was beer. I bit the inside of my cheek. That was probably all they had at this damn party.
Feeling for the strap of my backpack I felt slightly comforted. I didn't want to stand out like a sore thumb by just standing here and looking like an idiot. I glanced into the next room where people were drinking and talking loudly. No dancing. The place seemed more appealing than walking into a room where all people wanted to do was grind on you.
I got half way across to the room when I heard that same voice that sent chills down my spine. "Hey, you." I slowed down to a halt and looked over my shoulder. This guy was standing at the bottom of the stairs, one hand placed on the railing of the stairs, the other hand he used to run through his hair that was short on the side, long and messy in the front. His eyes were a soft, light green that made me catch my breath. He was slightly built, with broad shoulders and a nice slim body. He wore a white t-shirt and he held himself like he owned the place but he had this angelic smile on his face that made me lose track of my thoughts.
"Do I know you?" I asked. If this guy wanted to try anything funny I was ready to beat the crap out of him. He looked strong, but that didn't mean I couldn't get a few swings in. Besides, guys and beers at parties turned out to be a deadly combination. I was ready to straighten any one who got out of hand with me.
He grinned; his green eyes seemed to brighten as he strode over to me. "Nope. But I want to know you." His voice still made goose bumps crawl up my arms, but I was preoccupied by looking into his eyes. He was good looking.
I shook my head. "If you want to get to know me I have to know your name. Why would I talk to someone if I don't know their name? That's pretty stupid." I folded my arms and examined him again while I waited for his answer.
"Why do you need to know my name? I could lie to you and tell you my name is John and you would never know." He laughed and bent down so that his mouth was right next to my ear. It was the same exact cool breath that I felt earlier in the alley. Was he the one that was out there? "My name is Landon." I could hear as he inhaled and sighed happily. "You smell so good. I could just eat you." I just stared at him as he pulled back. "Now you tell me your name."
This guy may have been hot but he was starting to come off as a creep. Was I supposed to take the thing he said as a compliment? Well, if it did it was some freaky comment. I backed up and turned away. "I don't talk to people I hardly know."
I felt his strong hand grab my arm with force and turn me around. "Hey, sorry about the comment. I just thought you smelled great. What type of perfume are you wearing?"
I looked down at where he was gripping my arm. "I'm not wearing any perfume."
Landon let go of my arm and smiled sheepishly. "Well you smell good just by yourself." His lips pulled back in a smile and it made me more uneasy. "What's your name?" He prompted.
I turned my head from left to right, checking to see if anybody was taking notice. "Raya."
"What an unusual name. I've never heard it before." His black hair gleamed in the light. "Raya." He said the name more to himself than to me directly.
"Um. It was nice to meet you. I have to go find my brother. We're late for something, so I don't know if I'll see you again so goodbye." I moved backward.
"Oh, I'm pretty sure we'll see a lot more of each other." He said those words with a hint of amusement and a lot of confidence. He reached forward and brought his lips to my hand and kissed it. Blood filled my cheeks and an unpleasant feeling churned my stomach. "Goodbye, Raya. Until next time you beauty." He winked and let go of my hand, then went out the front door quickly and noiselessly so that the door didn't make a sound as it was opened and shut.
I was attracted to Landon in a physical way, but kind of disgusted by his emotional state. It was sort of cute when he kissed my hand. I touched my fingers to the back of my hand, drawing an outline of where his lips were. My cheeks instantly burned up by the memory. He was so unusual, but he seemed sweet. He didn't actually want to hurt me; he just wanted to get to know me.
I regretted not giving Landon a chance. I shouldn't have lied to him. I gave my hand a quick shake as if I could just throw of his kiss. I might as well forget about him since I probably wasn't going to see him again. But what were those words he said? Oh, I'm pretty sure we'll see a lot more of each other. I shivered. They sounded ominous, foreboding almost. What did he mean? He didn't know one thing about me, so how could he possibly know that we were going to see each other?
With one hand I pushed my bangs out of the way and shook my head sighing. This night seemed to last forever. And all the events seemed surreal; everything was like a dream and I felt like I was just the target of the dream—a very bad one.
"Hey!" I screamed inwardly. What now? Who else could I possibly know here—or not know? I inclined my head to the left to where the voice was coming from and saw this blond chick coming down, unsteadily, from the dark hallway. The girl was small and had a straight nose, bright blue eyes and straight hair. By just a glance I could tell she was one of those chicks that wore nothing but designer clothes. And by her expression she seemed annoyed. I recognized her. Why? Why did today have to be one of the worst days of my summer? Why did it have to start off this way?
"What? Excuse me, but I didn't come here to start trouble, okay? My brother came here to drop off some stuff and as soon as he gets back we are leaving." I stood up to my full height which was 5'5".
"Well, I think you already started trouble by just coming here." She lifted her chin, her eyes were glazed and she glared at me. Great I was dealing with a drunk person. I was about two inches taller than her and she didn't scare me at all.
"Sadie, what is your damn problem? Why do you always want to twist something into your own personal use?"
Sadie's mouth opened. "You were the one who blew up and broke my nose!"
I fired back. "Who's the one who threw beer in my face? Besides that was a year ago."
She closed her mouth and flipped her hair. "Well…that's because…"
"It's because you were jealous that Craig was going out with me. Well you got the jerk now, so what more do you want?" I fiddled with my bracelet on my left wrist. I had enough of drama for one night and now she was trying to start crap with me? I gritted my teeth. Drama loved to cause me pain.
Her face was blank and she looked around. What did she want? Did she think someone was going to come to her rescue? "Someone told me that you and he hooked up, which means he cheated on me!" Sadie's blue eyes filled with anguish.
I was taken aback. "Where did you hear that from?" I remembered the guy who asked Craig about Sadie and was shocked when Craig told him that he would take care of her later.
"Somebody." She sniffed. "Is it true? Oh, why am I even asking you?"
I shook my head. "That is not true! Whoever told you that crap doesn't know anything they are talking about."
"I trust that person! You don't know anything about them." Sadie replied indignantly.
This girl was really starting to wear my patience thin. "You're right, Sadie, I don't know them. I do know, though, that they don't have their facts straight. Why would I want to hook up with Craig?"
"To make me jealous!" Sadie threw her arms up in the air.
"I wouldn't stoop that low to your level. I'm not like that." I said sourly.
Turning my head I checked to see if anybody noticed our little quarrel. Everyone was too drunk or too busy flirting and dancing to notice us.
Sadie scoffed and placed her hands on her hip. She lurched forward unexpectedly as if she were going to throw up. "Sure you wouldn't."
This girl really needed help. I bet she didn't even understand half the words she was telling me. I offered my hand to her. Just because she was being a jerk didn't mean I had to be on too. I felt bad for her. She probably didn't even know who Craig really was. "Let me help you."
Sadie looked up at me while her hands clutched her stomach. Her shoulder jerked away from as I reached out for her. "Get away from mees." Her words were slightly slurred."Youu juzt want to hurt me."
"Yeah, that's why I'm offering to help you because I want to hurt you." I walked forward. "You're just drunk and you don't know what you're saying. Here, let me help you to a couch or something so you can rest."
Her blond hair whipped against her face as she shook her head. "I can help myself." She stood up and began to walk into the room where people were just drinking and talking. "I-I-I'm going out the alley to get fresh air; it's all stuffy in hereee."
Just that word sent the alarm bell ringing. "What? No, you can't go out there! It's too dangerous." I hurried in front of her and blocked her way.
"Get outta my way." She pushed weakly against me.
I pushed her back and frowned. "I'm not going to let you get hurt. I may have been the one who caused you pain last time, but this time I'm going to try and prevent it. Please let me help you."
Her mouth was slightly open. "What could be so dangerous outside?" I rolled my eyes. I could think of so many things that were dangerous in the outside world, but right now only one was coming to mind: that strange person in the alley. I thought of Landon automatically.
I closed my eyes shut. "Just stay inside, please."
Sadie hiccupped and leaned forward. I grabbed her by the shoulders before she could fall on me. "No. I need air." Her hands pushed against my shoulders and she tried supporting herself on her own two feet.
"Then let's go out in the front. I bet the air quality is better over there than in the dirty alley." I started her to lead her toward the front door. I couldn't believe I was trying to help her, but I didn't want to see her getting hurt by some twisted person—especially when I knew I couldn't prevent it.
"Hey, isn't that your brooother?" I looked to where her hand was pointing and saw nothing; Sadie had tricked me and was stumbling back toward the direction of the alley. I wanted to slap the sense into her. She was just going to get herself hurt if she went out there.
I went after her into the room with the talking people. I heard the girls' high pitched giggling and the guys' low throaty laughs. They were oblivious to what was happening, but if I tried to grab Sadie I knew she would just make a scene and people would think I was trying to hurt her again. I could see her blonde head bobbing as she fumbled to get across the room; she kept on looking over her shoulder and each time she saw me she would try and quicken her pace. I played cool and once I saw Sadie leave the room I bolted after her. I wasn't going to let this drunk girl get herself hurt.
Sadie ran to the door and passing a table she grabbed a plastic bowl and flung it behind herself so that it could slow me down. It did because it hit me on my cheek. I cussed to myself; every time someone threw something at me it ended up colliding with my face.
During the time I paused Sadie opened the door that was located next to the refrigerator and slammed it behind her. The music coming from inside the house was so loud I bet no one even heard the door slamming. I hoped the cops would come and give Craig a ticket for disturbing the peace. His parents would be so thrilled.
Kicking the bowl to the side I stomped toward the door and hesitated when I reached it. What if that person was actually still out there? I gulped and gripped the doorknob. Sadie needed me even if she didn't know why. I had to go out there and protect her. I stomped my left foot down on the ground and my hand tightened on the door knob. Stop being weak. Don't let fear rule you, a soft voice was whispering. But a raspy voice spoke up in my other ear; you're a fool if you go out there and try to save that girl's life. Leave her. She means nothing to you. I bit my lip and fought back. No. I won't leave her out there. She may not mean something to me, but she means something to the people that love her. I blocked out the ugly, raspy voice and kept the soft words repeating in my head. Stop being weak. Don't let fear rule you.
I paused, allowing the courage to rise inside for a couple of moments, and then I opened the door, shuffled out, and closed it shut behind me. Goose bumps started to rise on my arms and I heard the sound of trash cans being tipped over. I ran out into the dark alley without thinking and looked around wildly for Sadie, "Sadie! Where are you?" The summer night was cool and sticky and it felt gross as the hot wind blew across my face. I started panicking. Where was she? She couldn't have gone that far since she was drunk. I ran forward and stopped when I heard low, labored breathing. "Who's there? I'm not afraid of you." I clenched my hands.
In response all I got was shuffling feet and the sound of a little gasp. It was Sadie. I looked around for something to use as a weapon, but then I realized I had my backpack. I looked over my shoulder. It was a worthless weapon but it was all I had. I slipped my backpack off and carried it with one hand as I went into the darkness of the alley.
The sound of slurping came to my ears and I narrowed my eyes. What the hell was going on?
"H-h-help me." Sadie whispered and I peered closer in the pitch black space. I could see the outline of things and I saw a figure hunched over Sadie and she was feebly slapping her arm on the dirty pavement. I held my breath once I realized that the person knew I was there.
"Pretty brave for a human, but I know you're not strong enough." I knew the voice and I was a fool to actually think he was nice.
I tried to see through the darkness."Show your face, Landon. I know you have Sadie. I won't leave until you give her to me." I was frustrated, yet scared at the same time. Why did he call me human? Wasn't everyone in the world human?
The sound of slurping continued and Sadie gave another gasp. "What are you doing to her?" I cried. I couldn't move; I was glued to the ground by some force.
Landon was breathing heavily. "Get away from me, Raya . You don't need to be a part of this. I don't want to hurt you. Just leave me alone." He hissed.
My heart started to race and I was beginning to feel dizzy. "I can't leave Sadie" I felt like I was going to throw up from what I heard. Landon was slurping something like as if it was juice or something. I had a feeling he wasn't just giving Sadie a hickey either.
"Oh, I know you just want to leave her. You don't care about her, so why are you here? Leave now." I saw Landon get up and come forward. "Just leave." He whispered. I shook my head stubbornly and I heard him cuss. "Why don't you get it?!"
My voice wavered and I tried to be strong. "I'm not leaving without her." I was relieved when I heard Sadie breathing. It was shallow but it let me know she was still alive.
I blinked and Landon was right in my face and I could smell the warm, rusty scent of blood. It was smeared on the sides of his lip. "You are a foolish human. I'm sorry, but you are going to have to leave without her. If you stay I'm going to hurt you and as I keep telling you I don't want that to happen." I could see his green eyes flash. I backed away from him and he whispered encouragingly. "Good girl." Sadie kept on breathing.
"What are you doing to her? Just let her go." I pleaded, my chest was heaving as if I had ran the mile in seven minutes. "I know you're a good person inside. Deep down I know you don't want to harm her. Please, don't hurt her anymore."
Landon laughed bitterly. "Me? A good person? Sure. I'm far from that." His eyes filled with anguish and regret and I longed to embrace him, but I knew that wasn't possible. He was hurting someone I knew and causing them pain. No one ever did that to people I knew and got away with it. I would get even with him one way or another. "I don't want to hurt her, but it feels so good when I'm in control." He sighed and a malicious grin spread across his face.
"I've had enough of you. Yeah, you know what, Landon, you are far from being a good person. You are pathetic, a loser, a loner, a nobody!" As I got worked up I listened for Sadie's labored breathing; I couldn't hear it anymore. "Why isn't she breathing?" I demanded. "I can't hear her!"
I felt his arms grip my shoulders tightly and pain shot through. I wanted to scream for help, for anybody. I hated those people inside the house that had the music on so loud. If I tried to scream nobody would hear me, so what was the point? I winced and looked up at him, whimpering. "Don't you insult me! You don't even know one thing about me. I could end your life in a second. You have no idea what I'm capable of." His eyes grew large when he saw my face and he let go. "Damnit! Sorry. See, look what you made me do! I told you to leave and you didn't listen. I told you I don't want to hurt you and you are putting me in a position where I will have to hurt you." His muscle tightened as he flexed his arms and he began to pace, casting glances at me and then looking over at where Sadie was lying. "I have to take her back to the others." He mumbled to himself and wiped his face with his hands, trying to wipe away the blood.
"What?"
He ran his hand through his hair and pulled at it. "I won't let them have you." His green gaze was on me. "They can have that one back there, but they will not have you. I can save you." Landon said happily and a little bit regretfully as his head turned to Sadie. He pulled me toward him and kissed my forehead and I couldn't help but flinch at his touch. The sides of his lips pulled into a frown as I offended him. Using his hands he turned me around and gave me a push. "I guess I shouldn't expect you to treat me with open arms. Go, my little bird. Fly away."
I refused but he gave me another forceful push and I didn't dare disobey this time—he said he could end my life in a second and the way he said them made me fear him even more. Even if I had to leave Sadie, I kept telling myself she would be okay, but she had stopped breathing, so what happened to her? I dug my nails into my arm and felt sick again. I knew I had to call the police so they could go after Landon. But I was wondering I should be more appreciative. He was trying to save me from something, but what? Was there actually good deep down inside of him? What could be more dangerous than him? I scolded myself for asking that question when I knew there were about a hundred different reasons.
I walked away, a disturbing emotion was taking over my body and I got half way to the side of the door, and then looked back. Why was he sucking Sadie's blood? A dark thought flashed in my head like a neon sign, but I refused to believe it. He couldn't be one of them, they weren't real, and they were imaginary.
I stared as Landon went in the darkness and picked up Sadie's body and brought her out where I could see her; her blond hair spilled out toward the ground and her head was flung back. It looked like she was sleeping.
"Go." It was one word, but it was said with so much force that I obeyed, but then I saw Landon's mouth fall open and he backed away, green eyes popping out with shock. I was confused. What was he scared of? Or what surprised him? "Raya, run inside!" When I just stood there he yelled at me. "RUN!"
I didn't have time to even move because in less than a second something smacked hard into my head. It felt like someone pounded a large rock over my skull. I fell to the ground and tried to look up, but my vision blacked out and the last thing I heard were feet thundering against the ground and the sound of snarling.
