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Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 11
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A New Beginning: Second part to Ch. 1
I felt a bit less tense when my CD player turned onto one of my favorite songs. Instead of feeling depressed, I more had the feeling of, “Screw the world; I am who I am and I don’t really give a damn if you care.”
So what if I’m insane? Who cares if I sleepwalk and have stupid nightmares? I sure as hell don’t, and if I hear someone even mention it again, I’ll-
My cell phone began to ring.
I rolled my eyes and didn’t attempt to hide my groan of disgust as I turned off the music and flipped open the phone.
“Yeah?”
“Hey, Kelly, it Brian. How are you feeling?”
I pulled the phone from my ear and stuck my middle finger in front of the screen. After taking a deep I held it up to my ear and spoke as calmly as I could.
“I’m fine, Brian. How are you?”
“I’m good… In fact, I’m really good!”
“Really?” I rolled my eyes.
“I just got a great job offer. I’d be making about twice as much as I am here and…” he trailed off.
“Yes?” I queried, taking a deep breath.
“Well, we’d move to California,” his words came flying out. “We’d live near the beach and we could even afford a small house. It’d be great, don’t you think? And then, we could visit family during the holiday… so… What say you?”
I was shocked, dumbfounded…
“Kelly?”
Tears weld up in my eyes; I bit my lip to muffle a large sob forcing its way through my mouth.
“Are you alright?”
“California?” I sniveled. “What about Colorado?”
“Honey, I’d really like to discuss moving… I’m ready to get out of Colorado… Look, we don’t need to talk now, but if you could seriously consider this… it’d be great.” He sighed, “I wish I could be there with you.”
“Yeah, well, I wish you were here too…” I said, furiously wiping the tears from my face and tried with all my might to stop crying.
“Do you want me to come home?” I could see him, telephone at ear, scooping his papers into a briefcase.
“No, I’ll just see you later…” I mumbled.
“Are you sure?” he asked, uncertainty lining his voice.
“I’m positive,” I said louder this time. “Just stay at work…”
“Okay…” he swallowed and took a deep breath. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” My voice sounded glum, even in my own ears. “Brian?”
“Yeah?” he asked quietly.
I bit my lip, “Bye…”
“Bye…”
I folded my cell phone, momentarily sinking in depression, but quickly snapped out of it. I turned my phone off and chucked the annoyance into the backseat, relishing in the clunk it made as it flew into the door, and then I put on my music at full blast, heading away from Golden.
*
It took less than twenty minutes to get into Genesee from Golden and I began to dread going home.
I’d grown up in this neighborhood. I’d taken my first steps in my parents’ house, not two blocks from the condo I lived in now. I’d explored these woods ‘til I knew them like the back of my hand. I loved it here… The foggy days, wet with rain, and you’d find me, picking my way through the unexplored forests and ravines. But now, I didn’t know where my past was. I dreaded seeing these familiar places and all I could recall were the bad times.
I shuddered, coming up into the garage.
Did I really want to go home and wait? Alone, watching the clock?
“Wow, I’m pathetic,” I breathed. “Since when did I need other people to have fun?”
I threw the car into reverse and spun out, back onto the road. I sped along this worn path, clenched teeth, feeling like I was suffocating.
I took a sharp left, which wrapped around into the village. I bypassed my mom’s place and slammed on the breaks when I reached one of my former “hangouts”.
I nearly fell out of the car, slamming the door behind me, and stumbled to the fenced-in pool. I was out of my head at that moment, feeling restless with the day’s sun getting lower in the sky—the worst time of the day.
Everything was in shadow; another day come to a close and the next one would be right around the corner.
I was pacing now, my arms folded; it seemed like I were a tiger in a cage…
I growled and threw myself at the wooden bars, climbing them and dropping down on the other side like a cat. Anyone watching my marvelous display of insanity was probably clutching their sides in laughter and calling a friend over. I really didn’t give a damn…
I sprinted across the lumpy grass and past the lawn chairs ‘til I suddenly halted at the water’s edge.
I fell to my knees, swallowing a large gasp of air, drinking it down… I turned to lie on my side and then began to weep…
*
The sun had disappeared and in the darkness I seemed to have come to my senses again.
I now sat with my head propped up on my knees, my arms wrapped around my shins. I was bathed in a blue film; I was engrossed in watching the ripples of the pool’s surface.
At that moment, I stood up and dove in, cutting through the water, warm despite the cold air above it…
*
“A full moon…” I spoke softly as I walked down to the pond, no more then two blocks away from the pool.
My clothes were soaked and clung to my body. The chill in them went unnoticed to me; I was oblivious to all but the numbness I was feeling now.
“Oh, come here,” I whispered to a stray cat watching me closely. I sat down on the pavement and extended my hand. Slowly but surely it began to come to me, though it stopped and began to hiss.
“What’d I do?” I shook my head and stood up. I was grabbed from behind, but no sound escaped my mouth. I tore away from the grip to see…it.
“Now you have to listen…” he actually sounded desperate.
I pulled away from him as my right fist flew into his face. Then I began to run.
“Jake! Open up!” I was at his door banging furiously. Once again this brought back memories. His condo overlooked the pond, it had been his dad’s, and Natalie and I were always over here or at his mom’s house.
“Kelly… You’re wet…” he looked me over skeptically as he opened the door, leaning on its frame casually.
“Thanks for noticing,” I pushed through the doorway into the small kitchen.
“Wow, it’s been a while,” he said as he re-locked the door. “Going for another night swim, eh?”
I didn’t hear him because I was too busy watching through the window.
“Hello?” he asked waving his hand in front of my face.
Still I watched as the man from the woods wiped the blood from his nose, stare at it in disbelief, turn into a bat, and then… I closed the blinds. He was the man who said his name was Drake, though now I was almost certain that had been a lie.
“Kelly!” Jake called.
“What?” I turned to glare at him. “No need to yell…”
“It’s like talking to a wall…” he shook his head, “So what’s up with you?” he sat down at his dining room table.
“If I told you…” I decided against it. “I’m just going for a midnight stroll…” I grinned seating myself beside him. “I haven’t seen you forever!” I threw my arms around him.
“You smell like chlorine…” he grumbled.
“I love you too!” I grinned.
“So, seriously, why are you here in the middle of the night?” I pulled away from him and he glared miserably down at his now wet shirt.
I began starring at the window.
“What’s out there?” he turned around.
“A bat,” I said quickly, “a big black bat!” I grabbed his arm to stop him from raising the blinds.
“You were running from a bat?” he raised an eye brow, “a bat?”
“Maybe… Maybe I was…” I shrugged. “Who knows?” I got up and went to his fridge to grab a bottle of water. “So... what time is it?”
“It is now 12:30 a.m.” he smirked. “Does Brian know where you are?”
I groaned, “Does it matter?”
“Yes, he’s is your husband, he’s probably worried… Why? Having marital issues?”
“No, are you?” I rolled my eyes.
“Yeah, you are… What’s the problem?” he put his head in his hands.
I took in a deep breath, trying not to cry again… “He-he’s an idiot! Today he just called me and he said that he got a job and, hey, we’re moving to California!” I rubbed my eyes. “Who does that?” now a tear slid down my face…
“Kelly,” he came up beside me and put his arms around me. “It’ll be all right,” he said reassuringly.
“What the hell…” I mumbled. “I need help…”
“Well, I’m here,” Jake smiled.
“Thanks… I should go home… You’re right, he’ll be worried… Plus I need to kick him…”
“So do you want a ride home?”
“Yes… But my car is parked at the pool…”
“I’ll drive you home and drop your car off in the morning… It’s not too bad walking when the sun’s out.” He smiled, handing me a coat that had been hung over a hook on the door.
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