Our Sick Inheritance (editing)

Chapter 56 - Get Out Of My Head

Jake jerked awake to the screaming sound of his phone alarm. He was covered in sweat, and his heart raced wildly. He felt he hadn't slept at all even if was seven o'clock in the morning. He sat up and tried to wake his brain up by shaking it quickly which only caused him to see sparkled lights that disappeared as fast as they appeared.

The first and only thought Jake could remember from the dreams that clogged his night was him telling a girl, "I don't have a brother." Jake didn't even remember who the girl was, all he knew was she felt familiar.

Jake thought this was odd because it was true, he didn't have a brother.

Because of his crash on the mountain from Anna's stupid clown mask, the soreness of his body hindered quick movement. With much effort, Jake sat up in bed then stretched into a standing position where he could extend his whole body up with fingertips pointing to the ceiling. Pains shot throughout his legs, hips, and arms. There was going to be no forgetting about the tumble for the next week as his body was as tender as a young bird falling out of its nest from an old tree. With sluggish exertion, Jake packed his bags before he grabbed his clothes and headed to the shower. He wanted nothing more than to fall back into bed for a few more hours but knew he had to get on the road if he was to have any time to gamble at all. He was hoping to make it Las Vegas by nine o'clock at night.

Stiffly he tried to move quicker than a snail, but his brain felt heavier than a suitcase full of marbles. It seemed impossible he would be hung over from just a few sips of alcohol, but that with the combination of restless sleep full of nightmares was enough to drain him. The first thing Jake planned to do when he got to his casino, will be to have a nap before he went out to bet his money in hopes of winning big. Rushing no longer seemed important, except to stay awake at the wheel.

Under the spray of hot water, Jake followed his wash routine automatically as he tried to recall the details of his nightmares. Only fuzzy clips tried to surface, but not enough to make sense out of them. He remembered something about a garden. It was the same candy filled garden that he had dreamt of before with Stacy in it. It looked somewhat like Anna's garden in the magazine, but not. Her garden was real, with flowers, not candy and diamonds. The girl in his dream was Stacy but also wasn't Stacy. Jake couldn't remember exactly but knew the details weren't right. The harder he tried the more frustrating he got. Since Jake had seen the pictures of Anna's garden, he considered his subconscious could have taken over completely before he fell asleep. That wouldn't explain the dream he had before he had ever seen the picture of her garden though. Jake tried to recall the details of what Anna had said to him about her garden to hopefully jar his memory, but the effort was futile. He was left with a growing headache.

As thoughts of Anna flowed through Jake's head, guilt filled his heart. He should have told Anna about Brittany. He wasn't sure if he felt bad or glad that he walked out of Anna's cabin last night. Jake knew he should stick to his gut feeling and let her down now before she made him an obsessive habit. She kept popping up everywhere he was as it was.

It seemed last night had progressed from a simple dinner into a personal relationship somehow. He was fighting his own instincts which made the kiss at the end of the night awkward and unexpected. For a second even, Jake thought she was going to bite him. He was nervous and it felt wrong to kiss her, but his body strangely yearned for her full soft lips on his mouth. He had even hoped they would move to his neck, but he had cut the kiss off quickly. Jake didn't want to lead Anna on and thought she should know where she stood with him. He didn't want to give her the wrong impression and hurt her. The best thing to do was not give her another moment of attention and get on with his trip. Jake hoped he wouldn't run into her and since she was moving to an island, he didn't think he would.