The Girl with Cat's Eyes

C H A P T E R 7

Grasses tickle my legs

cars drive past

This empty field

They don't see me

I'm a ghost

Part of an old way of life

That could never last

C H A P T E R      7

I must have fallen asleep there, by the side of the road. How though, I don't know, what with all the thoughts spinning round my head, and the fact I'd been out for what seemed a little over a day. But I must have been tired, maybe it was all that emotional and mental strain being put on me, but I managed to fall asleep there next to a humming electric fence and a dirt road, and when I woke up it was dark, and my neck hurt.

My hair was stuck to my cheeks from what I thought was hardened tears, and my shirt was stuck to my back with a mixture of mud and sweet. It was cold. And at first I wasn't sure what had woken me. Maybe it was the sound of my chattering teeth, or the familiar sense of being watched. I wasn't sure. Maybe it was a passing car. But I woke. Still tired. Exhausted in fact. And cold. So, so cold. My feet were numb, my arms had pins and needles, and I realized I was only wearing a thin shirt and jeans: what I had been wearing when I passed out before.

And then I heard it, in the distance. Shouting. Or calling more like. Again and again. It wouldn't stop. To be honest it was annoying me. In the half asleep state I was in I just wanted to fall back into unconciousness. Maybe it was the shouting that woke me. Or a combination of them all.

The voices got louder.

'Ka-at, Ka-at...' again and again, over and over. Wouldn't stop. And then I woke up properly, because it was my name they were calling.

I wanted to call back to them but I couldn't talk, and so I lay there, limp, as the voices came closer, unable to gather the strength or will power from within myself to get up. I recognized one of the voices as Jesse's, but not the other ones. They were probably some friends of his.

I didn't want to talk to Jesse just yet but I was cold, wanted to get back to the house but couldn't be bothered to move. I shut my eyes tightly, waiting for them to come closer, and find me, or trip over me.

'Come on, Jay, man... You've never done this over a girl before, why's she any different?'

'I love her, James, that's why.' He said abruptly.

'She's just a girl, one that's mental as well by the sounds of it. Come on Jay, it's cold and we could be doing a ton of other stuff right now.'

'Just shut up, James. I'm going to find her. I need to find her. This is all my fault.'

'Whatever, man.' He said, backing down at Jesse's angry tone.

Then I heard more footsteps and an Australian accent calling from further away.

'You found her yet, Jay?'

'Nah...' He sounded terrible. Broken, really scared. I closed my eyes tighter. They were getting nearer and I really couldn't face them now. Best pretend I was asleep.

'That's rough, man.'

'Yeah,' I heard him choke out. 'Thanks for the support Sam.'

'S'all right, mate. She's your girl, I get it. I'd do the same for Lilly.'

'Hey!' Came James' indignant protests from nearby. 'What about me, huh? I'm helping!'

'Yeah, just so you can get back home and watch TV...' I heard Jesse mutter.

But then suddenly I heard them come to a halt and I could feel the light of a torch on my face.

'Oh God. No...'

‘You okay, mate?’ Sam asked from a little way behind.

‘Kit-Kat… No… Shit. Shit, shit, shit.’

 It was Jesse. I felt a warm hand of his touch my wrist to feel for a pulse. I heard him breath a sigh of relief. He had obviously feared the worst. 'She's alive, seems reasonably fine considering. Just asleep...' And then I felt the ground come up from under me and I was being lifted.

I opened my eyes and saw Jesse's staring right back at me. I smiled weakly at him and then closed them again, as he clutched me closer to his chest, and I even leant into him a little. His warmth was my comfort.

'At last!' I heard from behind us, James, it seemed, was talking now. He was really beginning to annoy me, but I liked Sam from what I had heard. I looked over at James. It was the boy I drew a while back from the door step. The one with snake like features and spiky hair.

Sam had lighter hair, blonde almost, and brown eyes, but I couldn't see much more from the small light of the torch.

Sam came closer to Jesse and I, walking through the heather on the other side of the road, across the mud track and on to our side. I closed my eyes again.

'Sleep...' Jesse whispered into my hair, and for some strange reason I didn't seem to mind, I almost forgot about the rules I had set myself. I snuggled closer to him, breathing in his sweet aroma- wood smoke and something I didn't quite recognize.

I smiled slightly to myself but then remembered what I had said to myself earlier.

Love hurts. Too damn much.

I wouldn't, I couldn't, fall in love again. Not ever.

Not even if the guy I loved was Jesse Jacobs.