Psycho Love: Falling in Evil

Ch. 1 - Hunting Ravens

Chapter One - Hunting Ravens -

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Raven lived in a tiny town barely marked on the state map. She worked at the local Book and Bean, a shop selling both espresso and literature. She loved her job. It gave her the means to satisfy the insatiable desire for horror she'd always felt. Raven wasn't sick, twisted, or demented. The stories terrified her and had the young woman staying up all night, the scenes replaying in her mind vividly. She was addicted to the adrenaline that accompanied fear. The small town store dedicated an entire isle to the genra of Horror and that's where Raven could usually be found in her off time.

Raven was twenty two years old but would forever be an orphaned child. She never knew her parents and that lead to a feeling of displacement. She stayed with a few dozen foster families during her early life but it never lasted long. Either her 'attitude' was too much for the parents or they weren't fit to be parents to begin with. Usually she'd runaway, preferring homelessness to abuse, but someone always turned her in and so it was back to the orphanage. Raven didn't trust anyone because of that.

As soon as Raven turned eighteen she left that disgusting city and moved to a much smaller community. The first place she went to was the Book and Bean. She ordered a coffee, browsed the stacks, and made herself comfy in a large chair within the horror section. After a couple hours of both reading and trying to think of her next step the owner came to chat with the extended customer; as was his nature.

Davy Cruise was an older gentleman, barely in his fifties and fit as ever. His face adorned a crooked nose (which Raven later found was due to a bully breaking the facial feature back in his high school days) and thick, round, wire rimmed glasses that were far too big for his small oval face. The man was pleasant and caused Raven to laugh more than once.

After roughly an hour of enjoyable company Davy asked Raven where she was from and what she was doing in the small town. She explained her need for a new start in life, but refused to say where she was from. The shop owner seemed fine with her lack of answers, which relieved Raven. Her only desire was to forget the past and move towards a brighter future.

Davy believed in second chances and possessed a golden heart. In hearing Raven's quest for a fresh start he quickly offered her a job, as well as the studio apartment upstairs. Having no other options available Raven accepted the offer with gratitude.

Raven worked hard for Davy, she didn't want to let the generous man down. The two grew quite fond of each other and suddenly she felt a sense of belonging, something she'd never known before.

Jackson came to visit his dad, the shop owner, at work on Father's Day. He'd been away at college but missed his family; Jackson was after all a family man. Davy's wife passed away two years earlier so all the two had were each other. He teared up immediately as his only child bound through the door and embraced Jackson in a giant hug. The two chatted away as Raven busied herself with cleaning up the coffee counter.

"Dad, who's this?" Jackson asked, causing Raven's head to snap up in attention.

Davy held his arm out, beckoning her closer, "This is Raven, my newest employee." he beamed with pride while wrapping the arm around her in a side hug.

"You've never had an employee," Jackson chuckled, "must be pretty special."

It didn't take long for Jackson to also see Raven as special. By the next year he was finished with college and moved back to his home town, claiming Raven as his girlfriend.

Raven still worked for Davy and her and Jackson's relationship was one filled with affection and acceptance. She'd grown tired of the studio apartment however, and rented a cheap, one bedroom home for herself. Jackson tried to convince her to move in with him, but Raven had reservations about the idea. The lack of love and structure within her childhood made her unwilling to trust the happiness she felt. In her mind it was simply too good to be true and moving in with Jackson could have triggered a series of events, destroying her time of bliss. Little did Raven know, her state of happiness was to be ruined due to other forces.