Kondrea

Chapter 2

MPOV

    I awoke to complete darkness. My eyes felt puffy and my nose was so stuffed up I couldn’t get a breath out of it. The stars on the ceiling glowed faintly, but not enough for me to see, as I climbed out of bed. I made my way to the bathroom, trying not to trip over discarded clothes on the floor, and when I finally got there, flipped on the light switch.

    The sudden light blinded me and ,after blinking the tears out of my eyes, I stared into the enormous mirror situated just above the sink counter. The mirror reflected a girl, 16 years old, short, with deep brown eyes and black curls that escaped from her ponytail. Her eyes were puffy, her nose red, and she desperately needed a cigarette.

    I walked back through my room, grabbed a pack and lighter, and used the sliding glass door to access the balcony. Collapsing into a chair, I lit the little white stick and took a long drag. So good.

    A warm California breeze caressed my legs. I had fallen asleep in my school clothes, shorts and a Breaking Benjamin t-shirt. I gazed over the banister, looking at the ocean. My house was on a hill overlooking the beach. It wasn’t a beach house exactly but close enough that I could walk the distance if I really wanted to take a dip.

    The moon lit up the beach, giving it an ethereal glow while the waves crashed against it. They seemed dark and foreboding. I imagined all the creepy-crawly things living within the ocean and shivered. Maybe Keller’s planet was like the ocean and was made of water.

    This wasn’t the first time I had woke in the middle of the night and contemplated Keller’s life away from me. He was just too secretive for my liking. What I wouldn’t give for just a glimpse into his life.

    I was still in shock that he disappeared on me earlier. We were getting heated, something that has never happened before, but he didn’t have to ‘poof’ away from me. He could’ve just stopped and I would’ve understood. I knew it was forbidden for us to be together (even if I didn’t know why). But he just left. I could feel the anger start bubbling up in me again. Pushing it back down, I finished my cigarette and threw the butt over the balcony.

    My room was stuffy, I decided, so I left the balcony door open and threw myself back into bed. With the cool breeze sweeping over my damp skin and the comfort of nicotine flowing through my body, it didn’t take long for me to fall back into unconsciousness.

    The next time I woke was late morning. It was a groggy Thursday and when I looked at the clock I saw I had already missed most of my morning classes. ‘No sense going in at all then,’ I thought. I was a good student but didn’t have the best attendance record. As long as I was passing, my teachers didn’t nag me too much, it was an unspoken agreement. It’s not like Heidi would know the difference.

    I threw on my favorite sweats and a cami, preparing for a lazy-day, before going downstairs to raid the kitchen for a late breakfast. The house was quiet and I was sure my mother had already left for work or whatever it was she was doing today. Half-way down the stairs, though, I heard a rustling in the kitchen. I wasn’t a bulky girl but I wasn’t about to let any intruder raid my house.

    Continuing down the stairs, a bit more quietly, I snatched a baseball bat at the bottom of the staircase. It was wooden and had sat there untouched for I don’t know how long in a basket with an umbrella. I crept down the hall toward the kitchen planning to sneak through the lesser used door to the kitchen to surprise the intruder. Maybe I could get a good thunk to the head before he decided to kill me. I’d always imagined I’d be one of those girls who wouldn’t go down without a fight.

    I took a deep breath, poised just outside the entrance. I could hear something sizzling, the fridge opening and closing, the toaster and coffee pot working. Had he decided to make food before ransacking my house? I peeked around the corner.