I'M GOING TO STEAL YOU
On the third story, stacked atop the other homes was a condo. In the dark solitude of the world at four in the morning there was but one lonely light still on. The blinds were pulled tightly down letting just a few thin lines of light escape. Behind the door of this home, with its shiny new chain lock, there was a young woman.
Lisa sat on the couch with her feet tucked under her legs. The woman stared vacantly at page 107 of her book. She found herself rereading the same words over and over again as she would snap back from her thoughts. Lisa Reisert couldn't stop thinking about the trial that ended five days ago. Well technically six days but it was so early Lisa hardly counted this as the beginning of her day.
A heavy sigh escaped her thick pink lips. She should have been able to move on by this point. He was in jail and this was all behind her. But her mind wouldn't let her put it behind.
Lisa testified from the second day of the trail to the fifth. They asked her questions over and over again, just wording them differently. They bombarded her, then finally allowed her to step down. When it was her father's turn to speak,he told of being at home, of having a man break in and attack him. He admitted to shooting Jackson Rippner and remarked that he'd do it again for all that suffering that man had put his daughter through. After that, several random people from the plane testified, then a forensics expert, and finally Cynthia, who was nervous, and as always, was buzzing around like a humming bird. She had asked Lisa, over and over, what she should say once she got up there. Lisa merely told her, "Answer the questions."
After testifying, Lisa spent the rest of the trial in the back row. She watched, keeping her distance from Jackson and everyone else for that matter. Lisa declined her father's offer to have him there. She also declined his offer to move back in. All she wanted was for life to get back to normal. The trial had been quiet and ended quietly.
It was strange. In all the movies she'd ever seen, when the verdict was handed down, the crowd cheered. Only that didn't happen. Everyone remained in his or her seat. Everyone remained silent. Nobody reacted much at all. They just quietly accepted, "Okay. He did it."
Lisa bent the corner of the page and closed the book. She bent her head down, chestnut colored curls tumbling over her shoulders and around her face. Her eyes flickered up to the clock on the wall. It was late or one could say it was early. She hadn't slept at all that night, but lately that seemed to be a trend, more so than usual, at least.
Lisa pushed her legs out and stretched them while she stretched her arms upward. She made a throaty noise as the joints in her legs popped a little. It felt like the release of some tension in her body. It would have been nice to free her self from mental tension as well, but only one problem at a time. That's what the books had always said. They told her not to pile everything up and take it all on at once. They said just one step at a time.
"Like some alcoholic in AA," she muttered. Her voice crackled from lack of use. Lisa swallowed and cleared her throat. "Hello? Hello? Hello?" she said letting her voice slip back to its old smoothness. Once more she swallowed, then stood. Without any real reason, she brushed off the over sized shirt and shorts. They were clean before, but now they were rid of any imaginary crumbs that might have shown up while she read.
Lisa walked over to the window. She ran her fingers over the latch, still in the locked position. The woman then moved over to the door. The door was still locked and chained. Her eyes dropped to her purse which she had let it fall beside the entrance when she came in. Inside the small black bag was a checkbook, credit card, a set of keys, and pepper spray. She'd had it for a while, but now kept her hand resting on it whenever she held her purse. It worked like a tiny shield. Or at least it served as comfort.
Lisa pulled her eyes away and flipped off the lights. Her apartment joined the others, plunged into the darkness of night. Lisa moved from the living room, down the hall to her bed, without bumping into a single table or doorway. Her feet knew her home well and rarely steered her wrong.
Lisa began to pick up pillows from her bed and toss them to the floor. When she was down to two pillows she pulled the blanket and sheets back. She sat down and slid her legs under the cool crisp sheets. Her eyes closed as she finally began to feel the tug of sleep.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!
Her eyes fluttered open.
"It's the door," she told herself as she pulled herself from the bed. The digital clock on her nightstand told her it was six in the morning. She would have been getting up soon anyway.
As Lisa jogged to the door, she combed her fingers through her hair in an attempt to flatten it and rid herself of bed head. She reached the door and peered through the peephole. A man with very short brown hair stood looking down at his shoes. She didn't recognize him. That could be bad. Then again he could be someone from work; he could be a delivery guy.
Lisa bent down and grabbed the bottle of pepper spray. She tucked her left arm behind her back with her finger on the button. Using her right hand she unlatched the door and undid the chain. Lisa pulled the door open just a bit and said, "Yes?"
"Hey, Leese."
The man raised his head and smirked at her. His blue eyes gleamed, almost glowing. She gasped and shoved the pepper spray in his face. He grabbed her wrist, twisting it and forcing her to drop the can. He pushed her backward. Her feet slipped out from beneath her causing her to tumble. She fell to the floor slamming her head against the corner of the table. Everything went dark.
END of chapter
Well there you are. See you in the next chapter. Oh and I'd like to thank my fabulous beta for all her hard work! If it wasn't for her then this chapter would be as illiterate as the first.