Corruption of the Heart (The Corruption Series Book 1)

by Jessica Manson

  Chapter Eight

  Once again, I was back at the bridge looking at the man at the other end. “Who are you? What do you want from me?” I yelled. Ringing pierced my ears and I began running. I could once again hear his footsteps getting closer. I still wasn’t able to make out any facial features, but I knew it was him. I knew he wasn’t a good person and he was someone I needed to stay away from.

  The footsteps behind me stopped, looking around I noticed the man was gone. He disappeared. I turned around to run home when the man grabbed me. Suddenly I felt pain, sharp, stabbing pain. The pain was so agonizing I tried to scream, but nothing would come out. Fear consumed me, and the ringing only grew louder. My vision turned red and then everything went black and I began falling into a deep, dark abyss.

  I sat straight up in my bed confused and covered in sweat. The room was freezing. How did I even get in here? When I fell asleep I was laying on the living room floor next to Odin. Blurry eyed I looked at the alarm clock shining bright red reading three a.m. Without even thinking about it, I felt a pull toward my window. I walked over to look out when I noticed the man standing in the street staring at me.

  He was dressed in all black again becoming one with the darkness. Once again, I still couldn’t make out any facial features but this time I could see his eyes. They seemed to glow crimson red against the blackness of the night. They stuck out like a sore thumb, full of so much evil.

  Panic filled my body causing me to slam the curtains closed. I dropped to the floor pulling my knees up to my chest. I sat there for what felt like an eternity waiting for him to leave. Even though the window and curtains were closed, I could hear him as clear as day. It was as if he were standing right next to me when he whispered, “Soon Lilith, it comes faster than you know.”

  Confused, I dug up enough courage to peek out my window. When I was about to pull the curtain open a scream fled from my throat. Odin was shaking me awake. “Lilith are you ok?”

  Confused and blurry eyed I sat up and looked at Odin. “What’s wrong?”

  “You were having a bad dream or something. You kept screaming, “It comes faster than you know”, what were you dreaming about?”

  “I don’t know,” I lied. “

  “What does that mean?”

  “I honestly don’t know.” This time I didn’t lie. I had no clue what the man was talking about. Odin laid back down and I snuggled back up to him once more. He kissed me on the top of my head before playing with my hair. I lay in the darkness concentrating on Odin’s heartbeat. The steady rhythm caused a calmness to wash over me sending me right back to sleep.

  ****

  After enjoying the rest of my weekend with Odin, I cringed when Monday arrived. I haven’t heard from him since that afternoon after he spent the night. And I realized too late that I still didn’t have his phone number. I was beginning to think that he was mad that I wouldn’t have sex with him. Was I stupid to think that he would be any different? Would he really wait until I was ready? Would he find someone else that he wouldn’t have to wait on? Would he go back to sleeping with Ambi while waiting on me to be ready?

  These thoughts just played over and over in my head through my entire first period of class. I didn’t hear anything the teacher was saying, and I didn’t take any notes. I had to get out of there. I was beginning to have a panic attack and I needed to get to my car. I raised my hand to go to the bathroom. Once the teacher gave me the ok, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. With her back turned toward the board I grabbed my backpack and bolted for the door.

  I made my way to my car and locked myself inside. I know I promised Odin I wouldn’t do this again, but I needed to, at least one more time. I grabbed the razor from the glove box and released the anxiety that was built up inside of me. I sat there and watched the blood run down my arm. The bright red becoming darker as the air hit it. All of my worries seemed to fade away with each drop that rolled out of my cuts. After getting myself cleaned up, I gathered my things and headed back into the school just in time for my second period class to start.

  All day I was lost in my thoughts about Odin but this time I was lost in how much I missed him. I wanted to see his beautiful, glowing green eyes. I needed to feel that familiar electricity that I felt from him when we touched. The day seemed to fly by with me on auto pilot. At least this is how it was until my seventh period class. When I entered the classroom Ambi was standing next to my desk waiting for me.

  “Not now Ambi, I am in no mood for your crap today,” I snapped at her hoping she would just leave me alone.

  “So, he did it to you too I see. I told you to stay away from him. Did you stop to think I wasn’t just telling you to stay away from him because he is mine, but because I, unlike you, actually know him and know how he is?”

  Before I could ask her what she meant by that the tardy bell rang and the teacher came in. I sat at my desk trying to rush the time, but it just seemed to slow down. I wanted to ask her what she meant. What did Odin do to me? I know she knows he stayed at my house, but did she think we slept together? Did he go MIA on her also? So many questions were running through my mind that when the next bell rang for class to be over, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

  I gathered my things as quickly as I could and rushed to catch up with Ambi but when I got out into the hallway, she was gone. I haven’t seen Odin all day, he hasn’t been in any of our shared classes today. I couldn’t help but wonder if he would be in my final class. As I reached my destination nerves started to creep up inside of me and I suddenly didn’t want to face him. I stood in the doorway and noticed he got Christopher to switch seats with him again and he was seated at my table.

  Ambi’s words came rushing back into my head and I no longer had the nerve to enter the room. I didn’t want to face him until I talked to Ambi to find out what she was talking about. Was there something about Odin that I didn’t know? What exactly did he do to her? I decided I would skip this class and bolted for my car instead.

  In the distance I could hear Odin calling after me, but I was too far ahead of him for him to catch me. As I reached for the keys to unlock my door, Odin appeared beside me. “Where are you going?” he asked, trying to catch his breath.

  “How did you get over here so quickly? There is no way you ran that fast.”

  “Why did you run away? Where are you going?” he asked again, sounding a little more irritated this time.

  “Home Odin. Now please move so I can leave,” I snapped.

  “Why? What’s wrong? You look upset. I was waiting for you, I even had Christopher switch seats with me, so I could sit near you. Now tell me lamia mea, what’s bothering you?”

  “Odin please.” Tears began to burn the rims of my eyes. “Just let me go home.”

  “What is wrong with you? What did I do?” he yelled back.

  “Why don’t you ask Ambi?” I snapped. I took his moment of confusion to slip into my car and locked the doors. I quickly cranked the car and drove off. Looking back in the rearview mirror I could see the anger build up inside of Odin. I kept my eyes on him until he turned toward the school and headed back inside.

  Heat burned at my eyes as tears made their way to the surface. Regret filled me as I thought about Friday night. I thought about how I almost went too far with him. I should have never trusted him. Why was I so weak around him? Just being near him made my knees melt. The electricity was so strong between us. We were destined to be together but why was everything trying to pull us apart?

  I pulled into the driveway and pulled down my sun visor. I flipped open the mirror and wiped away the tears. I tried my best to look like I hadn’t been crying. All I needed right now was for my aunt to ask a dozen questions about what was wrong with me. And I swear if one more person asked me if I was ok I would snap.

  After slowly entering the house I quickly ran upstairs, but suddenly stopped when I got about half way up. I could hear my aunt in her room talking to a man. Cu
riosity got the best of me and I needed to find out who she was talking to. As quietly as I could, I crept back down the stairs to listen, but their voices were too muffled. I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

  I decided to get a little closer. I could hear the man ask, “Does she know?”

  “No, she has no clue. My idiot brother thought he could keep her from all of this.”

  “When will you tell her?”

  “Her eighteenth birthday is next month. She will have to know before then obviously.”

  “Does she know that it is him that has been picked?”

  “Well, I would assume not since she knows nothing of the Sacrament. But he knows of her.”

  “Yes, I sense he has been here.”

  Confused, I tried to step a little bit closer, but the floor didn’t agree with my eavesdropping and creaked under the weight of my feet. Suddenly the talking stopped, and I quickly ran into the kitchen. I could hear footsteps coming and I tried to catch my breath. I opened the fridge and pretended to look for something to eat. Grabbing a plum from the drawer and a soda, I closed the door to see my aunt on the other side staring at me with piercing eyes. “What?” I asked.

  “What are you doing home early?”

  “The school canceled my last class. The teacher had to leave early.” She stood there for a few minutes to see if I would budge and when I didn’t she finally went back to her room. Relieved I leaned up against the fridge and let out a sigh.

  Wanting to escape this place I made my way up to my room and locked myself inside. I put my earphones in my ears and turned the music up way to loud. I needed it to drown out any noise. I didn’t want any disruptions. I laid across my bed and memories of Odin and Ambi came rushing back. The tears flew to the surface and burned at my skin as they escaped. I lay in my room unmoving until my jeans became uncomfortable. I grabbed myself some night clothes and headed for the shower. I let the hot water run over my body until it became cold. Realizing I couldn’t wash my worries away I headed back for my bed. I lay in the darkness of my room unable to sleep. Until the bright red numbers on my clock read three thirty a.m., I was finally slipping into a dark abyss.

  Chapter Nine

  I decided to play hooky from school today. I was in no mood to face Odin and the last thing I wanted was to run into Ambi, so she could rub it in my face what Odin did to me. I was so ashamed for almost letting Odin have me in that way. I should have been stronger and shouldn’t have let it get as far as it did. I wonder if he would tell his friends he almost had me. Would he lie and say he actually did? Probably. Isn’t that what guys do? Get what they want from a girl, or almost get it, then tell all of their friends about it or lie and say they did just to make you seem like an easy slut when all you did was fall for the wrong guy? He should be the one looking like a fool considering all the of the lying and conniving he did just to try and get into my pants. But yet, here I am a heartbroken fool still in love with a jackass.

  Wanting to distract myself from the whole Odin thing, I decided to spend the day cleaning my room. I decided I would go through all of my clothes and donate what I didn’t wear. I started with my dresser and once I was finished I started in the closet. I heard a knock on my door. Confused at who it could be considering my aunt was at work, I cautiously said, “Come in.”

  My heart sank, and the pain came crashing back to the surface when Odin poked his head around the door. “What are you doing here Odin?”

  With a cautious look on his face he replied, “I wanted to come check on you. I also want to know what happened yesterday.”

  “I am fine and well there isn’t really anything to talk about is there? I mean Ambi made it perfectly clear what your intentions were. She painted a real nice picture for me. I was almost an idiot and gave into you. You almost got what you came for but luckily I was smart enough to stop.”

  “What are you talking about? What did Ambi say exactly?”

  “Like I said there is nothing to talk about.”

  “Fine you want me to leave then I’ll leave, but not until you tell me what happened. What did Ambi say?”

  “She said that you did the same to me as you did to her.”

  “Which is what exactly?”

  “She said all you wanted was to have sex with me. And seeing as how you never called or anything after what happened between us Friday she made it very clear that you would have nothing to do with me. She told me how you used her for sex and then didn’t have anything to do with her after. She said you were doing the same thing to me. I thought you were different, but I guess all guys are the same.”

  “Lilith, you know I had sex with her. You know I also broke it off with her. When I told her that I didn’t want to mess around anymore she was cool with it. We are still friends and we still hang out almost every day. But these are things you already know. I would never hurt you like that. I would never take from you and then throw you to the side like some piece of trash.”

  “Odin you know it is very hard for me to trust anyone. And it definitely wasn’t easy letting you in. I told you things that I have never told anyone. Why did Ambi tell me those things about you if they weren’t true?”

  “You don’t know her like I do, Lilith. She can be a conniving bitch and I would like it if you just stayed away from her.”

  “Then why are you friends with her? And trust me, I don’t want to be around her any more than I have to, but it is kind of hard when she won’t stop following me around and threatening me all the time.”

  “Wait, what? What do you mean she follows you and has threatened you?”

  “She attacked me in the bathroom the first time you kissed me, she was here Friday night when you stayed the night, and she was waiting for me in seventh period at my desk yesterday where she attacked me yet again.”

  “I’ll handle her Lilith. She won’t mess with you ever again. You can count on it.”

  “I would appreciate that. I am so tired of her attacking me every time I turn around.”

  “So?” he asked with a smirk on his face.

  “So, what?” I asked confused.

  “Do you forgive me for not calling after Saturday? And just so you know, I wanted to call but you never gave me your number. And to be honest I didn’t think about getting it from you because I was distracted by thoughts of you,” he said, with a grin on his face and a twinkle in his eyes.

  Heat filed my cheeks as I felt totally embarrassed. Why would I have ever listened to Ambi? I should have known she was just trying to get into my head. I knew how much she hated me and how bad she couldn’t stand Odin and I being together. Of course, he didn’t have my number. “Odin I am so sorry. I should have never doubted you. If only I had talked to you in the first place none of this would have happened.”

  “It’s ok.” He came over and kissed me on the forehead. “So, do you want help doing whatever it is you are doing?”

  “I was actually trying to distract myself from thinking about you, so I was just cleaning some things out. You can actually sit here and keep me company while I finish if you want.”

  “Only if we can grab a bite to eat when you are done.”

  “Deal.”

  Odin made himself comfortable on my bed and I couldn’t help but think of how extra sexy he was looking today. As he lay on my bed looking through one of the magazines I found in the bottom of one of my dresser drawers, I found myself taking an extra glance of him. He had on a fitted black T-shirt that hugged his muscles in all of the right places. And as he rolled over on to his stomach I couldn’t help but notice how his butt looked in his jeans. How could I have been so stupid? Odin is the greatest guy I have ever met. I should have never even considered Ambi’s words to be true.

  After going through all of the clothes I decided to go through my shoes as well. After pulling out all of the shoes I noticed a box wrapped in silver wrapping paper. I pulled it out and read the tag:

  My Dearest Lilith, />
  We are so sorry that we won’t be around for your eighteenth birthday. If you have found this box it means that we have perished. If you find it early, please don’t open it until your birthday. We know how impatient you are, but please do as we ask and wait. We love you so much and are truly sorry that we will not be there to share your special day with you.

  Love,

  Mom and Dad

  Tears filled my eyes and I was instantly sobbing uncontrollably. Odin rushed over to me to see what was wrong. Unable to talk for the moment, I just handed him the box. After reading the tag he grabbed me in his arms and carried me over to the bed and let me cry into his chest without ever saying a word. He held me until I was ready to talk about it.

  After a bit the tears dried but I stayed tucked into his chest for a moment longer. “I’m sorry I cried on you and got your shirt wet,” I said, as I wiped the remainder of the tears from my cheeks.

  “I don’t mind. Do you want to talk about it?”

  Hesitantly I said, “It’s from my parents. I don’t know how it got here. They died four months ago. That’s why I moved here in the first place. I can’t believe they left something for me. I wish they could be here to celebrate my birthday with me. I never imagined that I would have to live a life without them.”

  “I take it you and your parents were close.”

  “Extremely. My dad used to say, “us three against the world.” But now it’s just me against the world. I know they said to wait but I really want to open it.”

  “Maybe you should just wait. Don’t you think that if you wait and open it on your birthday it will kind of be like they are there with you? When is your birthday anyway?”

  “You’re right, I should wait. My birthday is next month.”

  “So is mine. What day is yours on?”