In The Arms Of A Beast

Chapter 2

“Sorry I’m late. I was at Ashley’s’. Where’s Granny Celia?” Selena asked as Jason scowled at her when she entered the house. “The market. She’s all emotional again” Jason complained. “Well what do you expect? She raised you like her own son. And now, you’re all grown up, and moving out to live with a girl you barely know. It’s a lot for her to process”.


“She’s not just some girl, Selena”. “So, you keep saying. But when are we going to meet this mysterious woman?”. “Soon, maybe, I don’t know. But anyway, I think you are right about gran, I’m all she’s got”. “I’m always right” Selena cheeked and Jason laughed, throwing a cushion at her head.


Selena folded and packed the last of Jason’s shirts into his bag and then zipped the bag closed. There was a light grey shirt at the foot of the bed that caught Selena’s attention. A red stain, that definitely had to be blood. She bent down and picked it up.

“Where did you hurt yourself?” She asked Jason as he walked into the room. “Huh?”. “Your shirt, there’s blood on it” Selena said and held up the top for him to see. The colour drained from Jason’s face as he stared at the droplets of blood that stained his clothes.


“It’s nothing!” He yelled and ripped the shirt away from Selena’s hands. “Just show me where…”. “NO! I said its nothing, just let it go”. Selena was slightly taken aback by Jason’s reaction. She blinked twice and then nodded her head, ignoring the pang in her chest that told her something was wrong. “Ok”.


“That it?” Selena asked, carrying his bag on her back. “Looks like it” Jason said and stacked up two boxes for him to carry into the kitchen. “So, honestly speaking, when do I get to meet her?”.

Jason sighed and then looked at her “In some time. She’s got a bit of a strict older brother, so she’s basically on house arrest. It’s a miracle that I’m even allowed to move in”. Selena narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head.


“Does she work, or is she studying?”. “She’s home schooled”. “Is she younger than us?”. Jason let out a lengthy sigh and placed the boxes onto the kitchen counter. He slowly turned around. And when he faced her, Selena frowned at him. Jason was gritting his teeth sharply, his face contorted in a way that told her he was struggling to not lose his shit with her. Was he angry?


“Selena. I told you, in some time. You. Will. Meet. Her”. Selena tilted her head to the side and then eventually nodded her head, while Jason let out a lengthy breath. “Now. Will you please help me carry my belongings to my car?”.

“Yeah, sure…” Selena answered and picked up two backpacks. Jason was right behind her, breathing heavily. She paused at the car and then set the bags down. She lifted the trunk and then placed the bags inside. Jason lifted the boxes into the trunk and then let out a long breath of air.


“Selena, I’m sorry if I seem upset, it’s just that…my life is changing, you know? I’ve finally found someone that truly accepts me the way I am, and loves everything little thing about me. And yes, I am on edge because…”. “Because of her brother?”. “She actually has two”. “Oh well then good luck to you” Selena said and laughed heartily. Jason smiled at his friend and then pulled her into his arms.


“Hey, you’ll be seeing me around. I’ll still visit as often as I used to when you stayed here. And I expect you to do the same”. “I’m moving to the other side of town, Sel. It’s a bit of a distance”. “I don’t give a damn, I’ll be there on my bike”. Jason pursed his lips and then kissed the top of Selena’s head.


“I’ve got to go; I’m hanging out with Ashley tonight. And you know how she is, if I’m late, she’ll get all melodramatic”. Jason laughed and then his face went all serious. “Remind me again why we are friends with her?”. Selena slapped Jason’s arm and then scoffed loudly.

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“God, Selena, you could have at least worn something else”. “What’s wrong with this?” Selena asked and looked down at the red and black shirt dress she had on with brown ankle boots. “It’s not attractive!” Ashley complained.


They were walking from the parking lot to the camping area in the woods. The same woods that was completely out of bounds, with the curfew that was put into place ever since two townies had been attacked by wild animals. If her father knew what she was doing now, he’d be so mad.


“Look at me, I look beyond hot in this mini skirt”. Selena looked at her friend and she had to agree. Ashley was looking good. The mini skirt showed off her beautiful tanned legs and the low cut shirt she wore had her large breasts on show. The perfect recipe to attract the attention of men. 


“You look great Ash” Selena said with a soft smile. “I know” Ashley said and sauntered over to a group of guys that were waiting further in at the clearing of the woods. Selena quickly joined Ashley and the others. “This is Selena, she’s single” Ashley said and Selena rolled her eyes while two of the guys laughed.


One stepped forward and gave her a warm smile. “I’m Ace, single Selena” The blonde introduced and Selena forced herself to smile pleasantly at him. He came off as a typical jock that thought he could have any girl drooling for him. She slipped her hand into his and then walked with Ashley to the tents.


Selena quickly settled down on the sleeping bag while Ashley complained that she was being a bore about not wanting to join the guys tent for shots. “I’m really sleepy, Ash. You know I can’t stay up too late”. “Just come, Selena. There’ll be vodka!”. Selena narrowed her eyes at Ashley. Selena hated the taste of vodka, the way it burned down her throat and made her want to gag.


And vodka was not safe for her to drink. Two shots were enough for her to lose her bearings. But listening to Ashley’s rambling, Selena knew that she not going to give up anytime soon. “Fine. I’ll be there in a second. Let me just go and get the power bank from the car”. A smile lit up Ashley’s face. “I knew you wouldn’t tell me no”.


As Selena walked back to the car, she felt the odd sense that someone was watching her. She looked over her shoulder when the rustling of bushes made her pause. She stared at the trees and bushes behind her and when she finally convinced herself that it was all in her head, she continued walking towards the car.


She unlocked the car door and fished out the power bank from the storage compartment in the car door, quickly slipping the charging cord into her phone and then slipping the phone back into the pocket of her shirt dress.

She closed the car door and locked it. The headlights of a car driving past the parking lot caught Selena’s eye. She narrowed her eyes at the bright light but recognised the car immediately. That was Jason! But where was he off to? Was he on the way to see his girl?


Selena looked back to the pathway that led to tents and then slipped her phone out of her pocket. She sent Ashley a message about seeing Jason and that she was going to follow him and meet that mystery girlfriend of his. Then she tossed the car key beneath the car and sent another message to Ashley, letting her know about the key’s whereabouts. Selena jogged to the parking lot and then onto the pathway where she had seen his car driving.