Scars

by Dale Mayer

  “That was the hospital,” she said with a brilliant smile. “Jon not only made it through the night, he’s apparently doing much better this morning.”

  “Wow. That’s great.”

  She bounced out of bed. “It’s fantastic news.” She snagged his robe off the back door, “I’ve got to get dressed. Do you want to wait for me or…”

  “I’ll be knocking on your door in ten. Then we’ll need to run down to the workshop. We have to pack up and check out by noon, too.”

  She winced. “Crap. I’d forgotten. Okay. I’m gone.”

  And she bolted to her room.

  Chapter 31

  They were late. They raced into the seminar room, looking like guilty children. She was sure everyone would know. But no one said anything or even looked at them sideways. They took their seats just as Jenna saw them.

  She smiled, nodded, then opened up with, “Reports are due today. I’ll be addressing the teams in the back corner. When I call your name, bring your report and your partner and we’ll go over them. You know the order that you fall into with one change. Robin and Sean will be last, after Tania and Kane.”

  The first pair stood up. And the morning started. Nerves abounded. Robin had no idea what Sean had done. She’d done her daily homework, she wasn’t sure if he had, but she’d contributed nothing to the report. She wanted to say something to him about it, but he was so calm. Laid back. She envied him.

  The morning passed quickly as they listened to the speakers brought in for the occasion.

  Out of the blue, Jenna called out, “Tania and Kane, your turn.”

  Robin heard Tania’s intake of breath. She turned to see her friend already standing up. The tank-like-Kane dwarfed her as they walked to the back. She wondered how their week had gone. She couldn’t wait to catch up with Tania next week. It would be quite the conversation. As they weren’t first, she turned to Sean and asked, “I know it’s late, but is there anything I can do to help with the report?”

  He smiled and said, “You already have.”

  “Ha. Have not.”

  “Have too.”

  She rolled her eyes and paid attention to the speakers who were visiting for the morning session while everyone gave the reports. At one point, she heard something from the back and turned around to find Tania throwing her arms around Kane, tears in her eyes.

  Robin could barely hold her own back. Boy, was she looking forward to catching up with Tania.

  Then it was their turn.

  “Robin and Sean, please bring your report.”

  They both stood up. She took a deep breath. “Here we go.”

  At the back, there were two seats for them. They sat down, Robin now feeling horribly nervous. She’d had nothing to do with this. She didn’t feel like she should be here at all.

  “Sean, it’s over to you.”

  He opened his sketchbook but held it in such a way that they still couldn’t see the pages. He started speaking. “I was going to title this project Scars. After all, that’s been a major part of Robin’s journey, mine too. But then I realized I wanted to emphasize the positive and not the negative, so I changed it from Scars to Chrysalis.”

  Robin held back a strangled sound then. As he looked at her, she realized that she hadn’t quite kept it back. She schooled her features and waited for him to continue.

  He laid down the book and she saw the first picture was a small sketch of her, her face small and faded on the page. There were just a few lines, but the clarity was incredible. On the same page, there were a few kids, but they were distant and unfocused on the edge of the paper. At the top of the page was a battered up caterpillar but so faint as to be a watermark.

  He turned the page.

  And again at the top of the page was a caterpillar, slow, swollen and heavily scarred as if it’d had a difficult life.

  There her face was in greater clarity, more detailed, and so were the group of kids. She watched in awe as he moved them through several images of her and the boys, her face mostly down or hidden by her hair, and with each picture there was more detail, more clarity of her features. As if she was walking through a fog, and with each step she took her features came more into focus. In each instance, the caterpillar stayed a pale narrative of the story. So clear that even a child could understand.

  Her hands clasped together as she realized how he’d taken the child aspect and run with it.

  On every page, Sean narrated her journey, her self-discovery, her progress. And damn if that caterpillar watermark didn’t tell the same story. At one point, it was hidden, tucked away in its cocoon. Hidden in its home…as she’d hidden in her home. The cocoon hung from a desolate branch alone and unloved…but by the very nature of the animal, Robin knew it was changing on the inside.

  She listened, dazed, as he spoke of admiring her, respecting the size of the bridge she’d crossed.

  He came to the second last page and was quiet for a long moment. Finally he said, “This is why I changed the name from Scars to Chrysalis.”

  Robin twisted around slightly so she could get a better view of the image. And gasped in shock. Her face looked like a photograph instead of a sketch and then touched up with Photoshop. She had a beautiful smile on her face, her injured side was there, but the damage somehow didn’t seem to mar her features. The woman in the picture…she – glowed.

  And the cocoon – the bottom had blown apart, letting the butterfly escape. And how beautiful it was. Gossamer wings, a delicate body with the hint of grace and power in its form.

  Her hand to her face, she brushed the tears away. And whispered, “Oh my God, Sean, she’s beautiful.” She shook her head. “Both of them are.”

  Sean took her hand in his and said, “No, she isn’t – no they aren’t – you are beautiful.” He reached up to tilt her chin and deliberately kissed her on her damaged cheek. “They are both you. And both of you are beautiful.”

  “How can you be so blind?” she marveled, studying the picture. And then she got it. “I thought there was a fog blocking the woman’s features. But it isn’t,” she said excitedly. “The viewer is being led step-by-step into seeing the woman on the inside.” She gazed at him, marveling at his genius. “To see the woman under the fog, under the layers.”

  “Or to see the woman under the…?” And he waited.

  “Scars.”

  “I’m not blind. You are – were. Now…” He tapped the image. “Now you can see what I’ve seen every day. This woman emerging from behind her own self-imposed fog.” He gave her a slow melting smile, and she knew she was lost forever. This man had seen her for who she truly was. And had been strong enough, brave enough to help her on her journey to see it, too.

  Jenna said, from behind them. “Robin, what did you learn about Sean?”

  Robin laughed, but she gazed into Sean’s eyes as she spoke. “That he’s a fraud. That he’s been hiding in the darkness just waiting for a chance to step into the light.” She shook her head and motioned toward the sketchpad. “And boy, when he stepped into the light, it was a spotlight.”

  She thought she’d drown in the love shining from his eyes.

  “Sean?” Jenna asked. “Remember the question I asked you to answer as part of the assignment?”

  Sean smiled, his gaze locked on Robin. “Turn the page.”

  Robin, curious, broke her gaze to watch.

  The last page showed an image so powerful, so simple, with just a couple of strokes that surely it was impossible to show so much detail of the two of them. Sean held Robin in his arms, holding her as if he’d never let her go.

  And there was the butterfly again, her wings fully extended, ready to take off and fly for the first time. And just above her, in darker lines, giving a more masculine defined look, was a powerful butterfly, hovering off to one side…waiting for her to take off so he could fly with her.

  A sob escaped. There was a title and subtitle above the image, but Robin could barely read it for the tears coursing down her
cheeks. It said,

  Why Robin?

  Because she’s perfect…for me

  Robin burst into tears and threw her arms around him.

  He wrapped her up tight against his heart.

  Just where she wanted to be.

  Author’s Note

  Thank you for reading Scars! If you enjoyed the book, please take a moment and leave a short review here.

  Dear reader,

  I love to hear from readers, and you can contact me at my website: www.dalemayer.com or at my Facebook author page. To be informed of new releases and special offers, sign up for my newsletter. And if you are interested in joining my street team, here is the Facebook sign up page.

  Cheers,

  Dale Mayer

  If you’d like to read about other books I’ve written, please turn the page.

  Scales – Coming Soon

  Previews

  Second Chances – Book 1 is FREE!

  Go ahead. Take Charge of your life. Move forward…if you can…

  Changing her future means letting go of her past. Karina heads to a weekend seminar and discovers the speaker is the person she needs to move on from. But she soon realizes bigger issues are facing her…

  Brian has moved on, at least he’d believed he had… until he sees Karina in his audience…and realizes he’s been lying to himself.

  Passion pulls them together, love binds them together, but a revengeful enemy determines to keep the two apart…and destroy them both.

  Second Chances Sample

  Chapter 1

  Her heart racing, Karina pushed open the glass double doors and walked into the almost deserted pub. Her breath quickened as she searched the faces of the few patrons inside. Had he left already? Or was Brian Saunders somewhere here, drowning his sorrows? Wendy, Brian’s girlfriend of two years, had broken up with him and taken off for Europe, or some such thing. Karina knew she should feel sorry for him, but instead her mind wouldn’t stop pestering her.

  Here’s your chance. One last shot to make him notice you before you go home and never see him again.

  That the timing sucked wouldn’t stop her.

  Besides, if anyone asked, she was just here having a drink. And she could use one. Her last exam was done. She’d finally finished school and damn if she didn’t feel like crying instead of cheering.

  “Hey, Karina, thought you’d have booked it by now.”

  She waved at one of several friends having a good time at a nearby table. Most of the students who’d finished exams had already left, and the few stragglers writing tomorrow were either cramming or here trying to forget about writing in the morning.

  “Nah. Leaving in the morning. It’s a long drive and I so don’t want to deal with that tonight. Or the ferry.”

  That elicited several nods. Anyone who lived on Vancouver Island knew about ferry woes to the mainland. She’d tossed around the idea of staying on the island, had even looked for work, but nothing had come of it, so she was heading home to Vancouver. Victoria, and the university in particular, would stay a happy memory. And, in some ways, a tough one.

  She ordered a draft at the bar and turned around to take another look. Maybe she’d missed Brian in her first skim.

  Shit. Ian Blackburn was here, too. And he’d seen her. Shit, shit, and triple shit. He’d always been super friendly to her, but there was something about him that gave her the creeps. And then last week she’d seen another side of him altogether. A professor in one of the classes they’d been in together had given Ian a poor grade on an assignment. Ian had lost it…big time. Someone had even called campus security to get him out of the lecture hall. He’d turned into something that terrified her and probably every other student there. She shuddered at the memory.

  Karina turned around and glanced the other way, deliberately putting her back to Ian.

  And there he was. Brian.

  Her heart sighed even as it started to pound. She should go over to him. He looked sad, like he’d lost his best friend. Which, after the end of a two-year relationship, she guessed he had. But Karina told herself she was still a friend, right? Albeit a casual one, but still… They’d had classes together, the odd beer-and-pizza night as part of a group. That kind of thing. He had no idea that she’d been in love with him for a long time. She’d been careful to keep her feelings hidden. He hadn’t been free and she wasn’t the type to break up relationships.

  She checked out the other half of the bar before her gaze zinged back to Brian. He lifted his beer bottle and poured the remaining golden liquid down his throat. Slamming the empty down, he reached for the spare, waiting. Damn, she hated to see him like this.

  All right. She was going to go over there. Just a sip of beer for courage, first. She raised her glass to her lips.

  “Karina. I’m glad you’re here. I was hoping to see you before you left. May I sit?”

  Ian. Shit. He’d somehow evaded her awareness and seated himself on the barstool next to her without her knowing. This was what she got for being nice and polite to a guy who mistook it for encouragement and, frankly, gave her the willies.

  She attempted a smile behind her glass as she drowned a big gulp. She had to get away. Now.

  “Sorry, I came here to meet someone.” She said it lightly, dismissively. She’d planned to wait another minute or two before approaching Brian, but Ian’s crowding was forcing her hand. “Oh, there he is. Brian.”

  She got up and waved in Brian’s direction, tossing a good-bye smile at Ian.

  His brows came together in a dark vee and his lips thinned, the expression causing her smile to falter and her stomach to heave. His thick nose and heavy brows might indicate a Mediterranean ancestry, but the darkness in his eyes gave her the spooks.

  “I hadn’t realized.”

  Keeping her face averted she took another big step and cast a glance back, relief washing over her when he didn’t follow, but instead walked back to his seat.

  Well, she’d started down this road, so…

  “Hey.” She slapped a bright, friendly smile on her face and sat down across from Brian. Now that she was safely seated her unease over Ian abated, even while her heart lurched at the deep unhappiness on Brian’s face.

  He looked up at her, a lopsided attempt at a smile peeking out. “Hi, Karina. I’m not good company right now.”

  “Oh.” She didn’t know what to say. His pain was a palpable thing. Impulsively, she reached across the table and laid her hand on his. “I heard and I’m sorry.”

  Surprise lit the dark depths of his chocolate eyes.

  When he didn’t say anything, she stood. She’d intruded on his private pain, and that wasn’t right. She turned to leave.

  “Wait.” His husky voice reached out to her. “Please, don’t go.”

  She smiled warmly at him and sat back down.

  She stayed there for several more rounds as they talked deep into the night. Once or twice she glanced over at Ian. Every time she looked he appeared to be seething with anger as he stared toward her and Brian. She shuddered.

  “This place is closing soon.” She tugged Brian to his feet. “Come on, you look ready to drop.”

  “I’m not that bad,” he protested, but allowed himself to be shuffled out the door. The cool night air hit them and snapped some of the buzz away. Karina looked at the stars, her heart full and happy. Not exactly a dream date, but it was Brian…and her…alone.

  “Let’s go to my place. I think I have a bottle of wine,” he suggested.

  “You’re going to fall asleep before you ever get it open,” she scoffed as she fell into step beside him.

  He looked at her, his little-boy expression pleading that it couldn’t possibly be bedtime already. “I don’t want to be alone tonight,” he admitted softly. “Please come share a bottle of wine with me.” There was only a slight slur to his voice and she’d had just enough to drink to feel the same.

  Besides, she didn’t want the night to end either. It might not be the wises
t move but she couldn’t come up with any convincing reasons why she shouldn’t spend the last few hours with him.

  She gave in.

  He grinned at her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “How come we didn’t do this before?” His sloppy grin made her heart laugh. “We should have. I’ve always liked you.”

  Magical words.

  They walked toward his room, arms around each other, talking, murmuring in low voices. The heat of his voice, the tenor of his words, the glow of moonlight, Brian’s touch – it was magic. And she wanted more. She wanted it all. Tonight.

  *

  The couple walked down the path, sliding in and out of view. He’d hidden in the trees thinking to see where Brian was taking Karina. And hoping his instinctive guess was wrong.

  But no; there she was. Ian thought he’d missed her leaving. But no, she’d left with Brian. Why? Why Brian? Brian was nothing. And he had a girlfriend. Or he’d had a girlfriend. According to the gossip, he’d just been dumped.

  How could Karina do such a thing? It’s not like Brian was in any shape to enter another relationship right now. Had she no respect. For him? Or for herself?

  He stood in the shadows of the trees that darkened the path and watched them make their way to Brian’s dorm. Anger simmered inside.

  Brian had many girls fawning all over him. He didn’t need Karina. He’d only cast her off later.

  Karina deserved better. If she weren’t so blinded by Brian’s flashy looks, she’d realize it. She’d be sorry later.

  Damn Brian to hell.

  *

  Satisfaction thrummed through Karina’s body as she collapsed beside Brian in the wee hours of the morning. Her skin was damp and her body buzzed from their heated lovemaking. “Who’d have thought?” she whispered into the darkness.

  A deep rumble rolled out from his chest as he attempted to speak but couldn’t. She grinned. She’d brought him to this. She’d been the one he’d turned to tonight. Not Wendy, but her – Karina. Maybe she shouldn’t have jumped at the opportunity…but she’d needed the chance to show him how good they could be together. How perfect.