Just as I had decided to give in to the pain and darkness, I felt a pair of strong hands pulling me out of the car. I seemed to float effortlessly as the arms that now carried me out of the car felt weightless. I struggled to focus my eyes on the person who was rescuing me, but the face was a blur of black and white. I felt my body being placed gently on the hard pavement of the road and I managed to get a quick glimpse of my savior. He had hair the color of coal, it was so dark it was hard to see against the backdrop of the black night sky. His eyes were almost like ice, a shade of blue so clear, as they stared at me with a look of intrigue and sadness. My senses seemed to be turned off, but he smelled like vanilla and peppermint, a sweet combination that turned my focus to his chiseled, and young pale face. He couldn’t have been older than sixteen, but his eyes seemed to be full of an eternity of sadness. He frowned, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked down at me, placing one hand on my cheek, and gently stroking the side of my face.
The touch of his rough hands against my cold skin sent shivers down my spine. With every slow, calculated movement he made, my body began to relax and pain began to subside. It was almost as if his hands were healing me, spreading calmness over my body. Looking down, he slightly smiled, and I could just make out a hint of a smile as he gently caressed my face.
Reaching up, I placed my hand on his rough face, I could make out a small scar above his right eye. His mouth was tight and his eyes seemed to be in shock as I touched him.
I tried to speak, to tell this man to help my mom, but I seemed paralyzed into submission. I don’t know if it was the pain pulsing through my body, the loss of blood, or his stunning rugged features, but I was unable to communicate in any way.
My vision was blurred and I couldn’t stop myself from going further and further into the darkness of my mind. Voices boomed all around me, yelling and screaming protruding my mind.
“Where is Abel?” I heard a man ask, his voice shaky and worried.
“Abel isn’t here. I am here to take the girl with me,” a rough voice hissed from behind me. Footsteps surrounded me, their steps driving into the ground and causing the vibrations to shake my lifeless body.
“This wasn’t part of the deal. She is just an innocent girl,” a smooth voice spoke near me.
I couldn’t open my eyes to see the faces of the men, but their voices filled my head and I couldn’t stop listening to their words. Warmth rushed to my face and my body felt cold as I could feel my legs shivering. Was this the end? I thought to myself as I felt a strange comfort take over me.
“It seems we are both breaking the rules tonight, aren’t we?” a rough voice spoke again, his voice breaking the silence of the night. “I saw what you just did with her, you brought her back. I don’t believe that was part of your redemption.”
Touching me again, the boy began whispering words I couldn’t make out or understand. I bit my lip, trying to stifle a cry that I feared would escape my lips and make this all too real. White and silver light began to explode all around me and my eyes shot open unable to look away at the brightness piercing my vision and erasing the darkness of the sky. In a violent move, my body lifted off the ground and I felt lifeless as I floated through the air. Closing the growing distance between us, I felt the boy’s arms grab me around the waist and pull me back to the ground.
My chest heaved and a heavy breath escaped from my lips as I cried out before everything came crashing down on me once more.
Suddenly, a raspy voice yelled out into the sky, diverting the beautiful face away from mine. “We have to go; the woman is dead. The passengers in the other car are dead too. How is the girl?” His tone was sharp and fast and I tried to move my head in his direction, but all I could see was a dark shape in the distance. He was looking down and as my eyes began to focus, I saw my mom lying beneath him, dead.
“No,” I managed to scream. “You have to help us,” I pleaded with the men in my mind.
The boy who had just been sweetly caressing my face, leaped to his feet like a leopard on high alert. The fast movement took me by surprise and I looked at him with a face full of bewilderment.
“Abel…” the boy tried to speak, but his words were cut off like a knife.
“I said let's go,” the other man screamed again, this time with a harsh undercut. “Are you taking her or not?” the man asked, as he began to stride over to us. Running to his side, the boy stopped him before he could take another soul-crushing step toward me.
Running a hand through his messy hair, the boy finally spoke. His voice sounded like an angel-- melodic and low. “No, she is fine. I called the wreck in; an ambulance should be here any minute so we need to go.”
I watched as the two figures walked away deep into the darkness as a pair of red and blue lights made their way toward me. They seemed to disappear, like they were never there. I couldn’t understand why they would leave me lying in the road. Why didn’t they wait for the ambulance to arrive before they left? How did they get here? While I lay motionless watching two police officers run toward me, I struggled to remember what the men had said. Why would he take me anywhere? My mind reeled with questions as voices rapidly spoke to me, breaking my thoughts.
“Sam, everyone is dead except the girl. We need the ambulance here now, she has lost a lot of blood, but she is still alive. This is crazy, from the looks of this crash and the amount of blood lost, this girl should be dead too.” A police officer was knelt down next to me, examining my broken body. He yelled to his partner, as he stared at me in disbelief.
When the paramedics arrived, they too seemed to be in shock that I had somehow survived such a horrific crash. I faded into unconsciousness as I was loaded into the back of an ambulance. When I woke two days later, my dad was staring at me while he spoke with two doctors.
Now, three years later, at seventeen years old, I hardly remember anything about that day. Whenever my dad or evil step monster try to bring it up, I refuse to listen. The fact is, the bits and pieces of that night never seem to make sense to me. Everything I see when I close my eyes is one big white blur. To me, that is a sign that I don’t need to remember the moment my mom lost her life and somehow, I didn’t lose mine.
Chapter 1
“Nora, are you even listening to me?” As I slam my locker shut, I can feel my best friend Ronnie shaking my arm.
“Sorry, Ronnie,” I mutter, as I quickly bring myself back to reality. Sometimes, I drift off into a dream state where all sounds and visions seem to disappear. Standing next to my locker with her arms crossed, my best friend Rhonda, or Ronnie as she demanded to be called, stood glaring at me. Ronnie and I met when I first arrived in Shady Oaks and had been friends ever since.
Staring at myself in my compact mirror, I hardly recognize the face looking back at me. My once emerald green eyes now seem to be a faded shade of green. My long, caramel brown hair is pulled up in a high ponytail instead of being fixed and styled like I used to do. My short, thin frame seemed dull and lifeless instead of perky like I was before the accident.
“Come on, Nora. So, what do you think?” This time she huffs as she realizes I had not been paying any attention to her story. Stealing my compact, Ronnie begins to fluff her long, red hair before she checks the mascara outlining her green eyes.
Running my hands through my long, caramel colored hair, I try to find an excuse, any excuse to give her. My mind is blank. “Sorry, I was just…..”
Before I can finish whatever lie I was creating, Ronnie cuts me off. “I know, I know. You were just off in la-la land again. I swear Nora, sometimes you can be so flaky. Anyways, I was asking you what you thought about Cole. Rumor is he has been asking around about you.”
Mustering a smile, I began to walk toward my next class. The halls were crowded as the rest of Shady Oaks High School enjoyed their last free minutes before classes began. “I don’t know Ronnie, he has dated practically every girl at this school. I don’t really think he is my type.”
Quickly walking in front
of me, Ronnie cuts me off mid-step. Holding her hands in the air, she barricades herself in front of the classroom door. “Nope. Not this time. You are not going to blow off another cute boy that likes you. I am going to talk to him today during sixth period and see if he likes you. If he does, I am going to tell him to ask you out.” She continues her rant as students begin to pile into the class. Trying to walk around her, Ronnie refuses to move. For someone so thin, she is freakishly strong.
“Nora, you haven’t had a boyfriend in like three years, ever since your mom…” This time, she cut herself off before the words escaped her perfectly glossed red lips.
I can feel the tears stinging my eyes and my heart is pounding rapidly in my chest. Holding my breath, I shove past Ronnie, and this time she doesn’t fight me. She knows she crossed the line. My one rule; never, ever, talk about my mom. Ever since she died, I don’t like to talk about her. I have my memories of her; she was my best friend, and after my dad left her for my step monster, we became inseparable. Our time together is valuable. From her familiar sweet smile, the way she always smelled like lavender, and her loving eyes-- those memories are mine. I don’t share my memories about my mom, not with anyone, not even my best friend, Ronnie.
I slide into my seat in the back of the class and pull my notebook out of my backpack. I keep my head down, I don’t want anyone to see how red and flushed my face is. Slowly walking in, I see Ronnie sit down next to me.
“Hey, I think I know why you are being so weird today,” Ronnie began.
She fumbled with her jacket as her eyes diverted around the room, and not at me. My heart began to pound violently as I silently pleaded for her not to say anything. I wasn’t sure why I thought she might forget today’s date. It was a date I hoped would be erased from my mind and those who knew me. However, I wasn’t that lucky.
“It’s not a big deal,” I began, trying to force a smile.
“Yes, it is,” Ronnie began. “Today is the day…”
Before she could get the words out, I cut her off mid-sentence. “Please don’t say it. We both know what today is. Let’s just leave it at that.”
Smiling at me, Ronnie just shook her head and dropped the topic. As my best friend, I know she wanted to console me and be there for me, but I didn’t want any of that. As much as she tried, Ronnie just couldn’t understand. She didn’t know the person I used to be before that night. She didn’t know how much I lost in one single flash. All I wanted was to get through the day and forget that on this day, three years ago, I lost my mother and myself.
“I get it, you don’t want to talk about anything relating to that night. Just promise me, you won’t do anything stupid,” Ronnie pleaded with me. Unfortunately, Ronnie knew me well enough to know that I couldn’t promise anything.
Chapter 2
My heart raced as I pushed down on the accelerator. As the engine revved to life, I gripped the steering wheel tightly as a wicked grin spread across my face. My body was shaking with anticipation and fear, a mixture that always made me feel alive; feel human. The sky was dark as coal and only a few twinkling stars shining above provided any light on the small road. The trees acted like a canopy, shielding any light from shining down on us. In that moment, I was thankful for their protection.
“Sweet ride,” Sammy stated, as he ran his hand against the smooth leather interior. Sammy was a ‘friend’ of mine from our high school. He loved to break the rules and have that wonderful feeling of adrenaline pumping through your veins from doing something so wickedly wrong. We met in gym class my first day at Shady Oaks and had been partners in crime ever since. It was no secret that I hated Sammy, but he was always up for something dangerous and that somehow lured me to him.
Nodding my head, I kept my gaze on the one-lane stretch of road I was about to race down. It wasn’t the ideal location for a drag race, but in the small town of Shady Oaks, Kentucky, we were limited to old back roads to get our thrills.
Sammy was right, this car was sweet. Actually, it is my father’s most prized possession, his 2018 Cherry Red Porsche. This among many other expensive material items topped his ten most loved possessions. I didn’t make that list. After my mom’s death, I was forced to live with my dad and his new wife, or what I liked to call, his brain-dead mistress, Victoria.
“Nora, maybe you shouldn’t do this,” my best friend Ronnie yelled from beside my car. “You are really making a big mistake. If your dad catches you, he will kill you,” Ronnie yelled her concerns, but deep down she knew I wasn’t turning back. With the window rolled down, I could hear the constant chattering of my friends and other people I went to high school with, excited about the race.
“Yeah, Mark’s Mustang is tricked out and I heard he has hydraulics. Plus, you don’t even know how to race,” Teddy yelled. Teddy and I were cousins. We were sort of like brother and sister, as we both understood what it was like to be alone, always. Standing beside Teddy was Aleece. A bit of an odd ball herself, she usually hung around us in public but never really said too much. I guess that’s why Teddy liked her. That and she had that gothic, rock chick vibe going on. With her brown hair pulled back in a high ponytail, her sky-blue eyes glowed in the dark night air.
“It’s driving. You push down the pedal and steer. I think I got this covered,” I sneered back, as I watched a guy in a black T-shirt and backward hat approach our starting line.
Stepping back, Teddy, Aleece, and Ronnie nervously watched me from the sidelines. Everyone around them cheering as they waited for the race to begin. Bets were being made and money was exchanging hands as I glanced over at Mark, my opponent. He was cocky and arrogant and knew how to drive a car fast. I, on the other hand, had stolen my father’s car for the night just to get a thrill. I could care less if I won or lost, I just wanted to feel something.
As the boy in the backward cap threw his hands up, I revved the engine and pushed my foot down on the accelerator. The Wind from the rush of our cars blew my long hair over my face. I could hear Sammy wildly laughing as he kept his attention focused on Mark and his approaching Mustang. As I gained speed, I could feel the car begin to shake under me. I tried to shift gears, but I could feel myself losing control of the car. As the car began to skid and then slide, I knew I was in trouble.
“What are you doing?” Sammy screamed out as he now looked afraid and was holding on to the door handle.
“I don’t know,” I cried back, trying to regain control of the car.
As I turned the steering wheel left to right, everything became a blur as a large oak tree came closer and closer into my view. As I felt the impact of the car hitting the tree, everything else around me went black.
****
Opening my eyes, all I could see was a thick white smoke swirling around me like a tornado and broken glass scattered on the black pavement. Why was I on the road?
I tried to turn my head to check on Sammy, but it hurt to move. A strong heat began to move up my legs as I realized bright orange and red flames were shooting out from the crunched hood of the car. Excruciating pain shot through me like lightning. I could feel the fire burning through my jeans and to my bare flesh. I tried to scream, but no sound escaped my dry lips. Everything about this moment was too familiar. Had karma finally caught me after all this time of acting out?
Voices began to echo through my mind as I saw people running toward the car. Coughing next to me, Sammy crawled out the broken passenger window. I could hear him grunting in pain and I prayed he wasn’t hurt too badly. This time I had gone too far. I had hurt someone. I had hurt myself.
“Nora, can you hear me?” I could hear a sweet, song-like voice calling to me, but I couldn’t recognize who it belonged to.
“Help,” I coughed, the smoke and heat becoming unbearable. My lungs burned and my eyes watered as I tried to find a face to help me.
Without warning, a pair of hands gently lifted me from the wreckage and carried me out of the car. The feel of the hands on my arms sent a wave of déjà vu througho
ut my body. I had felt those same cold hands before. Only, as I looked down, the figure was not walking. No, he was floating. Squinting my eyes, I tried to clear the smoke and tears out of my vision so I could make out the face of the boy who was carrying me. He smelled like vanilla and peppermint and his touch was so soothing, it was almost as if his touch against my skin took all the pain and fear away.
He lay me on the ground gently and with his hands placed on my shoulders, he leaned over me whispering something unintelligible. As he spoke, I could feel the pain from the burns slowly dissolving. His touch seemed to heal me, almost like magic.
Confused and intrigued, I tried again to focus my vision on the face before me. Through my glazed eyes, I could make out a boy around my age with black hair and turquoise blue eyes. As he slowly began to step away, he seemed to disappear into thin air.
As I lay there, stunned, I could hear Teddy, Aleece, and Ronnie rushing toward me. They were screaming my name as they discovered I was no longer in the burning car, but on the roadside. Their eyes grew wide as they noticed my burned jeans and the black smoke covering my face. I scanned the area, looking for my protector who had saved me from a fire inferno death, but he was nowhere to be found.
In the distance, I could hear the wailing of sirens heading our way. As my friends knelt down beside me, telling me not to move because help was on the way, I closed my eyes and realized I was already dead.
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About the Author
Michelle Areaux resides in a small Kentucky town and enjoys writing tales of romance that includes the bitter and sometimes ugly truth of love, angst, heartache, and desire that all come with falling in love.
Follow Michelle on Facebook at – Michelle Edrington-Areaux Author
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