Chapter 8
"Creek! Honey, get down for breakfast!" I shout as I set the plates down. The sunlight hits the room and brightens it up, brightening up my world and letting me know that it's a brand new day. Thank God, for a brand new day.
"I'm coming, mom!" his voice is already so deep—I can't even remember the last time when it wasn't. He's growing up so fast.
"Okay, I'm done; you don't have to yell," he says as he comes down and takes his seat harshly.
"Creek, I wasn't yelling at you," I tell him. His hair is dirty blond, like Gloss's was. His skin is the same too; everything of him resembles Gloss.
He takes a bite out of the sausage when he groans, "Ah!"
"What?" I get close to him.
"It's hot," he says, "Don't you know you know to cook right?"
Ever since he turned seventeen, he's acted this way. I remember when he was just seven-years-old—such a playful and happy kid. But now, he's the complete opposite.
"I'm sorry, sweetie," I take the plate off the table.
"What did I tell you?" he raises his voice, "Don't call me sweetie."
I apologize to him again but it isn't enough. He's already late to school—I know a mother shouldn't say this but I'm stunned that he's actually a senior in high school already. I can't believe he has made it that far. I'm still a terrible mother for saying that.
"Listen, Creek," I put my hands on both of his broad shoulders. "You're about to graduate in a few months; you have to learn to be on time. Promise me that you'll try?"
That's when he freezes and slowly turns around to look at me viciously. His face looks exactly like Gloss's did when he was about to yell at me or hit me. It's like the two of them are clones.
"Why are you always all up on my ass?" he yells, "Don't you know how to mind your own business and fuck off people's shit? No wonder dad couldn't stand your sorry ass; man, I wish I lived with him. I can't believe you brought me with you. Dad could've seriously fucked someone way better than your ugly ass."
That's the last thing he says before he dashes off and I'm alone in the kitchen. A bunch of tears flow down from my eyes, but I don't care. I just don't care anymore and I drop hard on the ground, sliding my hand on the floor, seeking the object that's hidden under one of the kitchen's small furniture. It is indeed a small pistol. I've been having it all these years to protect us, but I guess we don't need protection anymore. I guess there's nothing left for me to do here; life just doesn't want me here anymore. Creek can't stand me and I haven't seen Finnick since that one night. I'm nobody's anymore. I'm just nobody and always will be. There's no use for me here, absolutely nothing.
I point the gun to the side of my head, feeling the edge of it. My index finger twitches but I manage to pull the trigger, and I'm instantly gone.
I twitch once again, the sound of the bullet wakes me up—I somehow felt it. I felt the instant pain in my whole body before I was officially over, before I was officially just a corpse. I heard it, I felt it, and I dreamed it.
It's pitch black as I look at the ceiling; it feels like I'm outside with no angel looking down at me. Maybe that's why I just dreamed about that. The feeling of my soft pajamas is somehow not smooth anymore, but has turned rough and I can't fall asleep again. The clock ticks at 3:57. My goodness; what's wrong with me? I'm possibly the most abnormal person ever living in this planet.
I sit up and rub my eyes—I can feel the redness of them, the irritation, infection that I'm probably getting from crying too much. I should really stop; for Creek, but I just can't. I can't stop thinking of things, and these things that I'm thinking about aren't something small or little. These things are actually important: Creek, Finnick, and Gloss. I guess I don't have to worry about Finnick that much. He probably was just messing with me or something. But Creek and Gloss are something different—what if Creek turns out to be like Gloss? What if when he's a teenager and starts growing up, he hates me all of the sudden? What if everything that happened in my dream actually happens in real life?
I step on something as I'm getting off the bed. It's something small and it feels soft. For God's sake, it's Creek!
"Ow," he groans and moves his little body, rubbing his arm, because that's the spot that I stepped on.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetie!" I quickly get down and try to make his arm feel better. "Why are you on the floor? Did you fall?"
"I had a bad dream," he says and yawns.
A bad dream. I don't want to ask him what he dreamt about or what his nightmare dealt with. It's not fair to him, and it will only benefit me with the answer he'd give me. I don't want him to remember his bad dreams—he should focus on the bright and good things in life, not the dark and bad ones. He deserves the world.
"Well," I whisper, "Come on up. I'll protect you from the bad."
"But you can't," I can see his blue eyes through the dark. That's right… Lucky him, he didn't get my disgusting brown eyes. He got Gloss's blue ones—that's one thing that's not ugly about Gloss. His eyes. "You can't protect me from the bad, mommy. The bad will kill you."
The bad?
"What do you mean, sweetie?" I ask—I hope he's not talking what I think he's talking about.
"The bad is the reason why we came here," he says. I was right.
I start to think of the night when we finally escaped. Of course, I remember every single detail, due to the fact that we only escaped a few days ago. But my question is: how did I manage to actually get out of there? How did I manage to bring Creek along with me without waking up Gloss? I guess he had a wild night, using my body as a toy for his own pleasurable actions and benefits. I guess that's why he didn't even move a leg when I was packing and everything. But like I said, I don't even have that many clothes, and I did leave some behind—I left a few things behind as well. But the one thing I didn't leave behind was my baby blanket. As a matter of fact, I was using it just now when I was sleeping.
"Still," I continue to speak quietly, "Just come on up. It's better for you to sleep on the bed with me."
He doesn't say anything else but gets on the bed and in an instant second, he passes out right on the edge of the bed. I gently pull him a little closer to the middle and I lie down next to him, wrapping my arms around his little body, feeling his warmth. Creek is my little boy, the only thing that's mine I have left. The only thing I love, besides the Almighty. I have to do whatever I can to protect him; I have to make his childhood great and happy. I can't let him live the life I did.
Before a few minutes flash by, I tranquilly fall asleep.
I drive to the nearest place to offer public phone use around the afternoon—almost evening the next day. I don't have a phone to use, and the motel doesn't offer one either. So people will look at me as I'm exposing my poverty to everyone. I don't care though.
I get off and put in a few quarters in the machine, looking back at Creek whose head is leaning against the window. He must be exhausted from last night; his nightmare must've shocked him. The phone's ringing, and it only rings three times before he picks up.
"Hello?" his voice speaks, but not in the same tone it was last night.
"Finnick? Is that you? It's me, A—Ann," I say; I almost said Annie.
"Ann?" his voice sounds delighted, "Is that really you?"
"Yeah," I'm smiling through the phone. I can tell that I look fatuous and ludicrous to the other people who are walking by me.
When Finnick told me to call him last night, he didn't give me his number by hand. Instead, when I got in the car, a small slip of paper was on the driver's seat. I got it, unfolded it, and it was his number. He's expeditious.
"Listen," he says, "You want to meet up somewhere? You know; go out somewhere?"
He actually wants to hang out with me. I was wrong. I do want to hang out with him, but I want Creek to be with us too.
"You want to come over?" I ask him.
He doesn't refuse but quickly agrees and I give him the address to the motel. I'm kind of embarrassed to reveal him that we live in a motel, but I don't care. I just don't know how I'll be able to explain to him how we got here, and why we're here—why we're living in a motel.
We agree that he'll come over at seven o'clock. I drive back to the motel when it's four o'clock and I quickly shower, shave, change, and even do my makeup! I didn't have makeup at Gloss's but I bought a little bit on our way back to the motel. I never noticed how expensive it is, but I'm on a budget, so I got the cheapest I can find. Creek looks at me like I'm insane but that's because I am. I am nervous, anxious; I'm petrified. What if this "date" or "hangout" doesn't end up well? What if I mess all this up?
I bite my lip when I check that it's already six o'clock. I only have an hour to add finishing touches. I know I'm not being myself for this. I always thought that women don't need makeup to make them beautiful. You're beautiful for what you are. You're born how you are—you're meant to be for what you are. But for some reason, I don't feel like that right now. That's not my opinion right now. I barely met this guy and I'm already changing myself up for him. I don't even know him, but I feel like I do. Maybe this is why I ended up in this situation with Gloss. Maybe he's right about me. "You're just a mother-fucking whore," I can hear his words in my mind. "You don't do anything right! God, why did I marry your sorry-ass self?"
I need to stop thinking of him. Tonight's not about him. Tonight's about me, Creek, and Finnick. Hopefully we can all bond together and become something new. Creek did like him when we met him last night, but a second time doesn't always end up pretty. Stop thinking like this, I think. Don't think like that. Don't think like that. Don't think like that. I take another look through the mirror at my mascara, my small eye-shadow, my small earrings, my curled hair… This isn't Annie who I'm looking at. This is not Annie Cresta, the wife of Gloss and the mother of Creek. This is not the crazy, mad, and messed up girl. This is not the girl who ran away from her husband and took their child with her.
This is Ann, the single lady with a child named Hammil. The lady who instantly fell in love with Finnick Odair, but I don't want to necessarily say that; say those words. I don't want to fall in love with anyone at this moment… But maybe I just did, because when the time hits seven o'clock, and I open the door after it's knocked four times, I look into the sea-green eyes of the man of who may take my weak heart. The man who may just well, make it strong like him.
NOTES: The dream at the beginning was intense! I had it in mind since two chapters ago:P In this chapter, we get more of Annie and Creek's bond. This chapter, at the beginning to middle, is meant to show how much she cares for Creek and is terrified that he might end up like Gloss. Let's hope he doesn't. But in the next chapter, there will like a LOAD TON of Finnick:D I hope you guys liked this chapter and thank you for reading it:) Please leave a review:) Oh, and also, I'm overjoyed that you guys enjoyed the bonus chapter! Juliet's Shadow did such a fantastic job with it! Credit all goes to her!
MeaganOneDirection: Juliet did do a fantastic job in the last chapter! And she will do another bonus further in the story from Finnick's perspective!:D I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you so much!
Juliet's Shadow: I've said this a trillion times, but thank you so much for the last chapter! You absolutely developed the characters even more! It's like you brought them to life and I can't wait to see you're interpretation of Finnick;) I hope you liked this chapter and can't wait to see your feedback!
Raina4Ever: You don't have to be sorry for reviewing a little late, we all have busy days XD I'm glad you enjoyed the last two chapter, especially the bonus one! I hope you enjoyed this one as well:D thank you so much:)
Fighting The Inevitable: I'm really glad you enjoyed the last chapter! Juliet's Shadow nailed it!:D And YESSS, we will see other characters from the book, and we will see Foxface again:)
krikanalo: I'm glad you enjoyed it:) especially the bonus chapter:) Hope you liked this one too:D