Chapter 2: The Angel
In a world of darkness there is light, and, in my case, this snowy-haired, blue-eyed angel is my light. He smiles and dimples appear in each cheek. There is an outline of cerulean that pulses from his body and I'm positive that I'm witnessing another miracle. Unlike the predator, the angel -Kenny- is clean cut, clear faced and bright. He is wearing a sky-blue shirt that is buttoned all the way, his sleeves aren't rolled up and it makes me wonder if he's hiding scars of his own. Like everything else about him his grey slacks are clean and without tears, even his grey loafers seem to be without any traces of grime.
How the hell does my predator know this guy?
"Jasmine? I'm Kenny. Reven told me you haven't been eating lately, that you've been struggling quite a bit. I'm here to help." His voice is a gentle whisper, almost as if he's afraid to startle me. He waits for me to say something, to truly acknowledge him. I should be terrified that he knows my name, that he told me his name and more importantly-the name of my predator. But I can't, all I feel is a sense of calm and it grows because of his voice. I continue to stare at him as if he's the Messiah. He reaches out a hand and he takes my right hand in his, giving it a squeeze. My eyes flicker from his face to our joined hands and the difference between us is so palpable it hurts.
Spiderweb-like scars trail from the knuckles of my hand and up my arm, stopping just below my bicep. It is a horror show compared to flawless ivory hand and the shimmery blue sleeve across from me. I feel a blossom of pain within my chest and I yank my hand away from him. I glare at him and he stares back at me with what appears to be compassion. I hate him. I open my mouth to tell him that, but the words stay lodged in my throat, so I close it. Instead I cradle my arm to my chest and inch away from him, keeping my head low so that my hair serves as a curtain between us when it spills into my face.
"Go away," I croak out softly, "I don't want you here."
A heavy sigh escapes Kenny's lips and I hear him begin to retreat into the living room where Reven is. I hate that I know their names now. I didn't want to know them, to feel a connection beyond abductors and abductee. They are the enemy, not my friends. The angel was sent by the predator to disarm me, I know that now. His gentle nature and angelic face were weapons meant to trick me into feeling a sense of security.
An hour and thirty minutes have gone by since the encounter with the angel. The daylight has departed, and grey clouds and rain take its place. It is a legato rhythm and it only grows louder in my ears, drowning out the muffled voices I pretend aren't real.
An old woman suddenly floods my mind, her skin is eggshell white, and her eyes are practically onyx. These eyes are as lifeless as I feel, the light in them completely gone. She is wearing a pink polyester nightgown with yellow flowers stitched at the bottom. Blood is matted in her grey hair and it is then that I realize that I'm hovering over her. The blood is pooling around her head, growing on the white linoleum. The more I stare at her, the more I realize that her leathery skin is clinging to her bones. It's as the soul has been sucked out of her. A strangled cry escapes me and I collapse onto my ass, desperate to crawl away from this woman.
I scream and the nightmare shatters, tossing me into a void of darkness that attacks me from all sides. Black ooze is devouring me, drowning me and I am ready for death. A flash of blue light breaks through the darkness, it wraps itself around me and it is warm. There is an echoing of my name, a voice is calling out to me, willing me back to life. "Jamie!" It's the angel's voice ringing in my ears, accompanied by a sharp slap to the face. My vision slowly returns to me and I squint my eyes at Kenny who is hovering over me. It's hard to think of him as just the angel, especially when he looks at me with those giant blue eyes.
"I-I heard you scream, I thought you were being attacked! What happened?"
"I'm fine, I just had a bad dream…" There is a glumness to my tone as I try to play off the nightmare that nearly destroyed me. Kenny doesn't look convinced at all, the deep frown on his face and the sadness in his eyes looks unnatural and now all I want to do is make him smile. What the hell is wrong with me? He is the enemy! Despite the warning bells going off in my head, I press a hand to his cheek and glide my fingers slowly down to his jawline. A soft breath escapes him, shock replacing the sadness and a tint of silver floods his face. Now it's my turn to gasp and I drop my hand. I try to pull away from him but his grip on my shoulders refuse to slacken.
I am mouse trapped in the talons of hawk, once again I am reminded that he is no different than the predator. "K-Kenny, please…you're h-hurting me." I'm a whimpering mess and my voice cracks. I can feel the tears threatening to spill and I hate myself for being so weak. But in this moment, I need to be weak because it is the only way to make him release me. And it works, Kenny releases his grip on me completely and I sink back to the ground for a moment, curling into myself as a sob of relief escapes me.