“Hi Annabelle… Sorry to hear about Nicole I know you guys were super close…it so horrible knowing that someone had been in here” I hear Natasha speaking beside me as I entered the Res. I look at her and try to focus on what she was saying but I barely hear her. “You can be so lucky you weren’t here… I mean the guy was in your room before he went into her room” I hear her say. My room… What did he want in my room? “What did he want in my room?” I stand saying out loud more to myself than the person standing next to me. Natasha and I reach the stairs and then she starts speaking again. “I don’t know but he trashed the place… didn’t Garett tell you?” I look at Natasha and shake my head confused. I didn’t know why would Garett not tell me; was this guy after me, was I his target? “I didn’t want to upset you Belle…” I hear his voice behind me. I turn to look at him and see him looking guilty. “It was bad enough that he got to Nicole I really didn’t want to upset you with that too” He says and comes walking to me and pulls me into his arms. I feel numb. This guy was in my room, looking for me. “The police took fingerprints and everything, and this morning Sandra came to clean everything up” Garett says and smiles at me assuring. “So all you have to do is make sure if nothing was missing?” He says as we start walking up the stairs again towards the rooms. Garett looks worried and I wonder if there was more he wasn’t telling me or was he just afraid that I was too upset about all this? We get to our floor and I look down the hall. It felt like the longest walk ever but we get there quickly. I glance over at Nicole’s room and shudder from the fear as I look at the yellow tape across her door. I see the tape on my door too and pause for a second before I open it. I see nothing out of place and sigh loud and walk further inside. Everything was neat and tidy and I see Garett relaxing. “See everything was back the way it was… Remind me to give Sandra a tip” He says and looks at me with a smile on his face. I wish he didn’t look so ridiculous. I don’t smile back at him just walk inside. “Who is this person? Why is he doing this?” I ask to the air and Garett lets out a sigh. “Honey… I doubt that he will come back here… Security has been increased and people will be more aware now” He says and takes my hands. “And we will be here looking out for each other” He says and gives me a warm smile. I feel my body relaxing; Garett pulls me into his arms and holds me close. Some days I hated him and then there were days like today that I’m glad he is in my life. “Alice is dead” I say without emotion and I feel his hold tighten on me. I hold him close to me and allow my tears to fall.
I feel something over my head. I can’t move. My hands seem to be tied up and my face is cover with something. It feels like a cloth. Where was I? Panic rips at my heart as I start yanking on whatever it was holding me in place. Oh God the cold… It was so cold like I was lying outside in the open. Was I in the open? What as going on? I try to open my mouth but I can’t speak. There was no sound coming out of my mouth. I feel the tears running down my cheek and I yank again. Suddenly feel breath… breathe on my face against the cloth. Then I feel a touch on my stomach. I was naked. Oh God what was going on where was I… I feel something cold against my skin and I shudder. Then he takes off the cloth from my face. It was him; the man who had hurt Nicole the man who was in my room. I see his eyes looking at me through his white mask. He had a knife; I see the blade glisten as the light shown on it. I try speaking again but my voice… My voice was gone. He runs the blade up my leg and thigh. I tighten under the coldness of it and the tears start rolling down my face. He stops at my sex. He runs the blade through my hair and my breath gets caught in my lungs. He continues his journey over my stomach to my bare breasts. He stops at the nipples and pricks it softly with the tip of the blade and I feel my body jolt with the pain. I close my eyes as feel the blade coming up over my chest and rest on my neck. He was now standing behind me. I feel the blade at my throat. I feel his one hand on my chin pulling my head back and holding it in place. I feel his breath in my face and then pressure of the blade on my skin. I open my mouth up to scream… NO!!!!!
“Annabelle… Annabelle” I wake up throwing the pillow and bed spread off me. It was my mother’s face in front of me; she came looking for me and got here just in time or I would have died from fear of this horrible dream I had. I feel confused and I quickly touch my neck swallowing hard. My mother looks me shocked and worried. “He was here… In my room… he messed… he messed it up” I say and climb of the bed and stand looking around the place to see if everything was still here. “What if he was here looking for me? What if it had not been Nicole he wanted but me” I say and I start sobbing hard and dry. My mother comes walking to me and holds me close. I start crying uncontrollable. “What if I’m next mom” I crying into her shoulder. She holds me close and strokes my hair. “You’re coming back home tonight… pack some things and lets go home” My mother says and I feel like zombie. I take out one of my bigger bags and start throwing my stuff inside. I felt like I was in autopilot.
My life was never going to be the same again. Never.
Chapter Six
The day of the funeral had come and gone. She wanted to be cremated and that was the hardest thing for my mother to do. I didn’t go to the cremation and decided to take a walk through the grave yard. I looked over all the tombstones and feel heavy hearted. Nicole was out of hospital and staying with her mother. We tried to act as normal as we can but the fear hadn’t gone from us yet. Our conversations had dried up and every now and then I would find her in tears. This was the most horrible time I had ever gone through. There hadn’t been anymore attacks and this kind of set our minds at ease but it was only two weeks after, anything can still happen. I look back as I hear my father calling to me saying that it was time to go. Later that night I sit in front of my mirror looking at the girl staring back at me. It felt like I had aged a decade the last two weeks it was horrible. I barely slept and when I did I kept having the same dream then I would lie awake looking at the ceiling and wonder why someone would be after me. Okay there was no evidence that someone was in fact after me, but I just couldn’t shake the feeling that it should have been me and not Nicole who the attack was meant for. I sigh and shake my head. I hear a knock on the door. “Come in” I say and see Summer peeping her head in. “Hey… How are you holding up?” She asks and I feel annoyed. “Under the circumstances… Okay” I say and get up from the chair. “Annabelle… I’m really sorry about everything that happened between us…I never meant to hurt you. I guess I was just jealous of you… you were always I don’t know… Standing out… You were the most popular girl in school and you didn’t even know it or cared about it” She says and I roll my eyes. “Yeah thanks to you…” I say as I remember the kids calling me Ice Princess all through primary and high school. “Yes… But I didn’t mean it the way everyone took it… I just meant that sometimes you were cold and still your parents loved and treated you like a princess… And you were… Still is sometimes a bit cold” Summer says and I feel a stab of pain to my heart. I know she was right. I look at her and then she smiles. “I would give anything to take that day back… I miss you so much… Even though your brutal honesty sometimes scares me, but I know most of the times I needed it” She says and I feel like laughing. There were some things like the whole James King that I could share with no-one but Summer. She was my confidant. I know that I could never talk to Nicole or Garett about it, they just wouldn’t understand, but Summer and I… She sort of got me. But right now James was just in my head. I had heard that he had a girl friend who was working overseas; the big love of his life that he was patiently waiting for to return. I had winged my thoughts off him and had avoided seeing him but ever so now and then he would appear. Most of the time he wouldn’t see me but I would see him. Especially in English class since it was the one class we had together. He was always chatting to the boys or some girls, Argh! Forget about him Annabelle… If you were going to fall in love for the first time, it can’t be with someone like James King. “So you know my birthday is coming up and I ‘m
having a little get together at my mom’s place… I would love it if you would come…” I hear Summer speaking again and I see tears glistening in her eyes. I felt like fucking shit for hurting her like this. “I would love to come” I say and I see her face light up the Farris wheel in the waterfront. She takes a deep breath and I see the tears rolling down her face. Yeah Annabelle you’re such a fucking asshole I curse to myself and walk to Summer. “I’m so sorry Summer… I’m such a dick you know… You know I don’t take criticism or honesty very well and my heart wasn’t ice but rock for a very long time… But I’m trying to open up and to let people in… Its just so har…” I choke as the words get caught in my throat and I feel the pain pounding in my heart. I sniff back the guilt and shake my head. “I’m getting here… It’s going to be a bit hard now that Grandma Alice is gone… But I will get there” I say and see Summer smiling at me brightly. “Well you have me…Though I’m no match for Grandma Alice… I mean she was pretty fucking awesome” I hear Summer say and start laughing. “But I will always be here Belle… Always” We stand holding each other and I feel a small weight being lifted off my shoulder.
Loving Annabelle Page 10