Trouble's Always Watching Volume 1: Volume 1 (The Trouble Series)

by Courtney Smith

  The prudent student walked through her room as she prepared for school. Meticulous fingers searched quickly and methodically through her books to make sure her homework was in order. The young lady gently ran her fingers through the dress’s pleat.

  Her eyes scanned every fiber of the skirt before seeing a large silhouette from their sides. Tenesha slowly turned her head around to see a large, six-foot-eight man with jet-black skin and stout build standing in the doorway. The young woman shifted her head in different directions, searching around the room for openings, but the only safe exit was blocked by her main reason for wanting to leave. The large man rushed into the room just as she prepared to pick up her backpack. His eyes were fixated upon her crotch as though he were looking at a refreshing snack like a hunger-crazed man who did not have a good meal in days.

  Tenesha felt tears building up in her eyes as she began to think of pleas to make that were inevitably vain. She jumped across her bed in an effort to avoid him, but he grabbed her arms before she landed on the other side. The young woman struggled to free herself, but her captor gave her a threatening glance promising brutality for her resistance. She became limp with blood and adrenaline racing through her body. The man loosened his belt with one hand and held his captive’s wrists with the other as the teenager shuddered and trembled. She began pleading with him as he leaned an inch toward her face:

  “Please, not tonight. I’m still very sore from the last time. I have not fully recovered from the last session.” Tenesha attempted to distract him with cries, but he continued as though she did not say anything. He held her to the bed and firmly stretched her upon it. The man raised his leg upon her waist…

  Instantly, the adolescent opened her eyes and raised her upper body with sweat all over it. The darkness of the night had filled the room. Her wide, brown eyes quickly shifted in numerous directions at the walls, windows, and ceiling to see no one other than her tear-filled reflection in the mirror. The young woman glanced around the bedroom one last time before she drew out a deep gasp, lowered her head, and closed her eyes.

  Chasing Shadows

  A small current of stagnant air brushed the sleeping teenager’s right cheek. Stiffness permeated Tenesha’s sides as she moved her arms. She slowly opened her eyes to notice her vision was hazy. A pillow flew across the room as she rose from her mattress with a sneer and a frown. The bed trembled as she jumped to her feet. It is bad enough I have to wake up, but I have to be blind, too?

  She instinctively rushed to the bathroom to rinse her eyes out. Her hand pushed the door open and turned on the light. She thought she had recovered from being assaulted repeatedly by her stepfather before the nightmare. I know he is spending ninety-nine years in a state penitentiary for committing armed robbery, but these dreams might as well have him breathing down my neck!

  Water dripped from her hand as she felt around for the handle to her cabinet and pulled the door open upon feeling its familiar shape. Her wet fingers grazed every fiber of its surface until they grasped the gentle fabric of a towel. Tenesha instinctively walked toward the sink with her right hand gracefully grasping the faucet’s knob. The familiar sound of rushing water provided a sense of relief. She scooped the flowing fluid into her hands and gently lifted it to her face.

  She viewed her reflection in the mirror, composed herself, and started walking gingerly to her room. Tenesha’s hand grasped the bedroom door before she glanced to the right to see a shadowy, maternal figure standing in the darkness of the hallway.

  “Tenesha, you are already in enough trouble without wandering at odd hours of the night,” warned Yvette Campbell.

  “I was just…” blurted out Tenesha before being interrupted by a familiar, raised palm. The teenager submissively acquiesced through her silence. The suggestion of being struck was nearly as bad as the actual blow. She rushed into her bedroom, gently closed her door, and inhaled, deeply. The young woman slowly stumbled to her bed.

  Tenesha began to raise the covers to lie down until a throbbing pain in her side reminded her of its sensitivity. She released a sharp, quiet moan as a reaction to the discomfort. The adolescent yawned as she glanced at the clock and saw that it was two in the morning. She quickly lifted the covers, slid under the sheets, and stared at the ceiling before her eyes became too heavy to remain open...

  Tenesha mysteriously found herself running through the familiar hallway of her house. The linoleum floors actually had light smoke rising from them instead of feeling the refreshing temperature she typically felt with each step. Her ears throbbed with pain from the noise. The adolescent glanced behind her slightly to see sheetrock, plaster, and planks being crushed by abysmal darkness. She extended her foot ahead of her before warm, rancid air brushed the nape of her neck.

  A few glances behind her revealed a dark, fifty-foot long, thrashing body and shiny, black scales. Tenesha felt the skin of her back barely escape the clench of teeth like hunting knives. Bright amber eyes with black, vertical pupils illuminated her silhouette with her shadow from the glow springing ahead of her.

  Tenesha stretched her neck until it cramped, and she strained her eyes to see its head. Her feet shook like gelatin as she gazed at the gargantuan monstrosity. It had nostrils capable of blowing over buildings. The cautious observer eased away slowly, but the creature engulfed her in a single bite before she could blink.

  The involuntary snack found herself in a dark, moist, and rancid tunnel with fluid on its walls like the interior of an animal’s throat. Unexpectedly, her feet felt tremendous heat with amber light filling the tunnel. Clear, bubbling fluid grazed her lower knees with each step that saturated her legs. Am I walking through this thing’s spit?!!

  Flames spread like flowing water throughout the structure, and they quickly closed in on her. The young woman ran as they licked the skin beneath her heels. She leapt from the circle they formed around her, barely escaping them while they surrounded and nearly burned her into ash. Tenesha’s body almost became inundated with streams of shooting fire. The flames had her surrounded with no escape in sight. She held her breath, and waited for pain to burn her into permanent darkness…

  …The adolescent rose with her ears throbbing before remembering the sharp, ongoing buzz of her alarm clock. Blurred sunlight inundated her eyes upon opening them. A cool draft ripped through her clothes as she dashed into the hallway. Tenesha stopped upon seeing a familiar, shaved head entering the bathroom. I can wait if my nostrils have to suffer through that, again! Whew! I love you T.C, but you are funky enough to boil bleach!

  Tenesha walked away before she felt a small hand grasp her wrist and pull her toward the restroom. She saw a small, familiar face smiling sympathetically at her.

  “I’ll be alright, T.C., but thank you,” conveyed Tenesha, politely. T.C. rushed off, and she walked into the bathroom. She quickly showered, brushed her teeth, washed her face, adjusted her braids, applied deodorant, rushed to her bedroom, and dressed in her uniform. Then, she dashed to the kitchen, fixed a bowl of cereal, and drank it in two swallows. She paused upon hearing younger brother running water in the bathroom and performing a similar routine.

  The young woman continued greedily scooping the fluid until her spoon reflected a pair of familiar, maternal eyes gazing down upon her. Instantly, she became more still than a corpse until she knew whether this morning would be good or bad for her mother and consequently herself. A few glances to the right revealed Yvette Campbell pacing across the shabby, white tiles of the kitchen floor. Tenesha’s heart throbbed with each of her mother’s steps.

  I must be crazy because I am about to get more cereal, knowing my mother will put a gash in my head bigger than the Grand Canyon. The young lady slowly held the cardboard box over her bowl as grainy flakes fell into it before feeling a hand upon her shoulder. If I am going to get beaten like Kunta Kinte, I might as well make the most of this whoopin!

  The older woman leaned until she was less than a few inches from her daughter’s face. The teenager
flinched and leaned away until she noticed her mother was completely still. Her eyes slowly moved upward to peer into her mother’s face, and she saw a pair of brown irises fearfully glaring back at her.

  “Tenesha, Tyrone has been paroled, and this is going to be the most likely place that he will come to,” informed Yvette Campbell, solemnly. The adolescent’s skin became really sensitive, her pulse quickened, and her face collapsed with the burden of boulders larger than cars in an avalanche. Her heart felt like it was about to burst through her chest. She sat with tears filling her eyes. Isn't my life difficult enough, Lord?! Why?!

  Tenesha jumped to her feet and stomped out without saying a word. The concerned mother did not reprimand, rebuke, or strike her for her behavior because it was not good news for her, either. Yvette Campbell calmly followed Tenesha into her bedroom.

  “TC will be spending the night over a friend’s house; I gave him permission, and the hospital is having a shortage of nurses. So, it will be a while before I am home. You are usually pretty responsible, but I have to wonder after you brought that mess into my house. I want to give you one last chance to redeem yourself. I cannot afford a babysitter, but I will get one if you make it necessary.”

  Tenesha quietly nodded from her reclined position upon the bed without looking at the woman. The robust woman glanced at her daughter and commanded, “Alright, I need you to get to the curb with TC and get on the bus. I will be late if I have to take you to school for missing it.”

  Tenesha constantly shifted her eyes in every possible direction while standing upon the sidewalk with her brother. They listened to light wind rustling leaves near surrounding trees. Images of her school’s various lockers throughout the hallways flashed through her mind before a high pitched squeal startled her. She stumbled off of the curb with her back striking the concrete. She lifted her head to notice a familiar yellow, rectangular vehicle filled with children stopping in front of them as its brakes alerted the whole street to its presence.

  Tenesha jumped to her feet before T.C. knocked her back on the ground as he boarded his bus. I knew T.C. being nice was going to eventually end, but it was pleasant while it lasted. The humidity wrapped itself around everything and everyone like a swaddling blanket as the sun rose higher into the sky. The older sibling watched her brother board his bus as she waited for her own.

  The steadily increasing heat made Tenesha clench her fists before another large, rectangular shadow with piercing squeals caught her attention. She looked up, boarded her bus, sat down, and looked out of the window. The student's eyes darted in more directions than a compass with her attempt to clear her mind of recent events. Her gaze focused upon the passing trees and houses in her effort to find peace in her mild trance.

  Tenesha directed her attention to the seats and the isle after her failure to forget about her problems at home. The observant passenger suddenly realized she was experiencing something that was not typical upon riding the bus: silence. She slowly glanced around her to notice eyes darting away from her as she looked at their owners. Any other time, they would be trying to speak to me, but they seem too happy to leave me alone. Something's wrong, but I can't worry about that, right now.

  She glanced out of the window and waited for the school to appear before she prepared to exit the large vehicle. The bus rolled into a stop in front of a familiar building. The students rose from their seats until they saw Tenesha standing. They slowly lowered themselves into their seats, again. The young woman stared at her peers in awkward silence.

  She drummed her fingers along the seat and stroked her braids upon seeing their reaction. This is not right, but I can't have people being uncomfortable because of me, either. They remained as still as furniture for a few tense seconds. Tenesha snatched her backpack and left before anyone had a chance to react.

  Tenesha noticed her path through the hallways becoming clearer. She watched students getting close enough to smell each others’ armpits simply to avoid her. Then, she observed some of her peers whispering as she passed them in the hallways. Some quickly stopped conversing upon being prompted by other students when she was looking at them. She shifted her gaze to see a pair of frowning eyes glaring at her. The pedestrian walked quietly past her nemesis with lightheaded discomfort. She inhaled deeply as she made it past her tormentor before her relief was shattered by an unpleasantly familiar voice.

  “I knew you were easy-going, but I didn’t think that you were easy!” taunted Rashonda Jones. Some of the other students laughed quietly, while others stared at Tenesha to see her reaction. Tenesha drew in a deep breath and bit her lower lip without responding to her. The young lady shook her head and casually walked away. She allowed her feet to reinforce the silent barrier between herself and her antagonist.

  Tenesha waved at Samantha upon entering the classroom, but Samantha returned the gesture with a blank expression and her eyes darting between the other students. She raised her hand as though she had arthritis before completing the greeting. The polite student nodded at Lenny, but the obese student shook his head like a tambourine and turned away from her. I guess greeting my so-called friends is out! The favored student listened to Mrs. Bryson, while she scribbled hurriedly across her paper. Her eyes and ears were focused on the teacher, but her mind flashed images of her stepfather mounting her like a horse, her mother using her as a punching bag, and students treating her as a quarantined patient.

  What does everyone think of me, now? Why all of this weird treatment? Someone’s going to tell me something, but I gotta find a way to get some answers. Tenesha turned around and scanned skin, eyes clothes, and postures for answers. The others students gave her as much regard as air, except for James. However, James had furrowed eyebrows, tightening cheekbones, and a sneer in his lips with his eyes focused upon her.

  Tenesha became lightheaded, her pulse quickened, and her breathing became much more rapid. Each passing thought made her muscles clench. James know I don't like him, and he doesn't like me either, but this is the first time it has ever been this tense! This Negro would break my neck if he could get away with it!

  Tenesha raised her hand and asked to go to the bathroom. Mrs. Bryson excused her by silently nodding her head. Stares and glances followed her into the hallway as she left the classroom. Some had their mouths hanging open. Others hand hunched shoulders, while frowns and sneers trailed her departure. One of the young men in the hallway looked at her as though he were about to vomit and walked away. People I don’t even know are ready to crucify me! I feel like a bill collector!

  Tenesha dashed through a thick wooden door and headed for a faucet. Urine’s odor burned her nostrils as she rushed passed soiled mirrors into one of the stalls with brown doors. She started leaning toward the wall until images of what could have grazed them inundated her mind. She quickly leaned away from it and took a deep breath for comfort; however, the young woman wretched with the scent of an overflowing septic tank in a month.

  Her eyes peered into the toilet to see the last recipient’s waste. She pushed the latrine’s handle with her shoe’s sole until a surge of water swept the remnants down the drain. Her abdominals tightened, throat nearly closed, and spine hunched with the thought of being near it. The judicious student calmly walked out of the stall and went to the dull-gray, metallic, paper towel dispenser. Tenesha gathered as many of the tan paper towels as she could carry.

  She quickly turned on the faucet and saturated them in one of the sinks without allowing them to actually touch any part of it. The young woman grabbed the dripping, wet paper towels, pressed her chin into the dispenser with soap saturating the tiles, and rushed to the toilet with a shower of foam trailing her. She thoroughly wiped the lid, completely covered it with suds, lifted it with the paper towels, and did the same to the reverse side. Her fingers quickly released the wet bundle of paper into plastic receptacle next to the entrance. She thoroughly saturated a bunch of paper towels, rinsed the topside of the toilet off, and dried it with other paper towels.r />
  Tenesha slowly lowered herself upon the lid as though it were attached to a land mine, sat there for a few seconds, and released her shoulders. The student tended to the matter when she noticed a pair of shiny, red, Italian stilettos walking into the bathroom. Her eyes followed their movement from beneath her stall until they stopped in front of it.

  “Black Serpent wants to see you after school,” informed an indifferent, feminine voice. Then, the stylish shoes walked out as casually as they had entered. It’s bad enough that I have to deal with him at all, but now he’s found a way to deliver messages to me inside of the school. Knots inundated her stomach and sweat began to cover her forehead. Some people look forward to tomorrow, but I’m not sure I want to finish, today. Her fingers twitched as she flushed the toilet, adjusted her clothes, briskly washed her hands, and darted through the bathroom’s door.

  Her shoes left scuffs upon the floor as the bell for lunch resonated throughout the classrooms and hallways. Tenesha maneuvered through the multicolored crowd of students heading to the same area. The smell of perfume, cologne, sweat, and body heat vied against one another for supremacy as the crowds funneled through two, swinging doors. The young woman pushed her braids back slightly and breathed deeply. Trouble was the last thing she wanted or needed from anyone.

  Six Tres will probably search for me like a bounty hunter if I do not approach him, first. Her eyes filtered through crowds of arms, legs, and clothes. She immediately saw a burly, young man dressed in baggy blue jeans, blue sports jersey, peeling his eyes and holding his fist as smaller students handed crumpled, dollar bills to him with trembling hands and arms. The young woman pushed through the masses to reach him until she stood directly beside him. She handed him her lunch money for the whole week to buy some peace. The other students curiously paused as they watched her and the large delinquent, discreetly.