EDEN (Completed) (EDEN Series Book 1)

Chapter 2

The smell of booze weighs heavy on the air. I want to scream so badly, but I can't through my covered mouth. The scent of alcohol and cigarettes torment my nostrils, resonating from the palm of this dirty man. Tears roll down Lucy's face as the man waves the knife back in forth in front of her. I can tell she thinks this is her fault, but it's not. I have to save us. I have to.

"We seen you noticed us at the bar. Thought we'd come show you that we noticed you, too," the man declares, rubbing his face in Lucy's hair, taking whiffs and exhaling, heavily.

I almost throw up from the heinous sight. The third man pokes at Lucy's stomach with his finger, laughing hysterically. I can feel myself slipping. She kicks at him, but is halted when the man behind her tightens his grip. My eyes lock with hers, and she can already tell what's on my mind. I can't stand seeing her like this and I can't sit idly by, knowing I can end this. She shakes her head at me, and I can tell she doesn't want me to do this, but I have to. We have no other option at this point; these men made their choices. She knows I lose myself when I use it, but I know, well, I think I can control it if I only use it a little bit.

My eyes fade to black pools of emptiness. Black chains emerge from the walls and wrap around their arms and legs. I nudge my head, and the men are pulled against the walls of the alley with a loud thud. This is their faults, really. Lucy falls to the ground and tries to collect herself. I raise my hands and bring black chains across their mouths in case they scream. But, part of me wants to hear them scream. A chain flows out of the wall and coils around their necks.

"Kill them."

The voice in my head has returned to force its malice upon me. It always comes back when I use my power. It gnaws at my mind with death and destruction. Anger and hatred jab at me down to my core. I hate this power, but, I think I do want to kill them. They deserve an agonizingly painful death. Before they die, though, I'm going to get some answers.

"I'm going to uncover your mouths, now. I have questions. If you yell, I'll rip your limbs off. Nod if you understand." Did I just say that? I love this feeling, this sense of... control. No one can stop me; nothing can hurt me. The men nod and I release the chains stifling their mouths.

"Why have you been stalking my friend and me? I've seen your black car, and I know you want to kill us. Look where that's gotten you! You killed my parents, but you won't kill me!" I shout. My voice has become two separate entities. A much darker, almost inhuman voice shadows my own. It's the voice I hear inside my head.

The men hurl a plethora of slurred shambling. All I can make out is them begging and pleading for their miserable lives. Worthless. I tighten the chains on their necks, and they gasp for air. The sound of them gagging pleases me more than I ever thought was possible.

"Kill them all."

I love the voice; it guides me. I could snap their necks and not feel a bit of remorse. I bet no one would even miss scum like this. I feel a tug at my arm and see Lucy crying harder than she was before. I forgot she was even here.

"Alice, please, this isn't you," she claims.

This isn't me? She's right; this is a better me. This is who I want to be. Everyone sees me as some weak little girl. I know they do, I can feel it. I'll show them, I'll show all of them.

"Is this how you'd want your mom to see you? What if she's watching you right now from above? Is this how you want her to remember you?"

I release the men and drop them to the ground. ....What am I doing? They run off to the entrance of the alley, holding their necks. I'm... I'm not a killer. They're terrible people, but I'm not a god. I don't determine whether they get to live or die. Lucy hugs me, and I start to sob. She's seen me get like this before. This isn't a blessing; it's a curse. I can't lose control again, not after last time...

We make it back to our apartment, and both fall over on the sofa. My mind is still in a stir over what just happened. I still feel the adrenaline of my power clawing at me, begging me to let it loose again.

"You're getting worse," Lucy says.

I know I am, but while I'm using it, I feel like I'm getting better. I simply nod, I'm too exhausted to have Lucy talk my ear off like she always does. And it's not just my body that feels tired, but my mind as well. I don't even want to pack right now, I don't think I could if I tried. Lucy and I start to doze off, and tomorrow is the big day. I just need it to be a good one.

There it is again, the ever-intruding light. I wish we would've closed the blinds last night to shield ourselves from nature's alarm clock, also known as the sun. I look at Lucy, halfway fallen off the sofa, mouth soaked with drool. I want to get up, but my body refuses. Lucy's body apparently refuses to, also. Her legs are sprawled across my stomach, holding me down. I sit up, and she drops fully onto the floor. She jolts awake and looks around, confused. I hope she doesn't bring up last night, I just want to forget it. I want to forget every time I've had to use my power.

"Vacation!" Lucy yells.

She darts toward her room, and I hear drawers and clothes rustling. She needs to lend me some of that energy, sometimes. I try to get up, but instead, slide off slowly onto the floor. Waking up is always a difficult process for me. I prop my hands on the sofa and the coffee table I'm laying between and push myself to my feet. I guess I should use what little available strength I have right now to pack. We're leaving in an hour, at least that's what we planned on. I hope Lucy drives first, I already want to nap again.

I walk to my room and grab my suitcase from under the bed. I try to think of what's needed for a trip to the beach, which would be easier if It hadn't been so long since I've been there. I'll need my laptop, I don't know if I could survive without it. I put it in the suitcase and zip it up. It looks like I'm all ready to go. I know Lucy would kill me if this is all I brought.

"Vacation!" I hear Lucy yell from her room. She's so excited. Secretly, I am too. I open my closet. Not a huge selection of clothes or shoes, but they get the job done. I grab a few outfits and throw them in the suitcase, luckily, I've never cared too much about matching. I suppose I'll need a towel, as well. This is all too stressful, I'll just buy whatever I need while I'm down there.

The photo on my dresser of my parents and me catches my eye. As I pick it up, I'm flooded with pleasant memories. Sometimes, I can't help but feel like their deaths were my fault. Things seemed to change after I lost control, after they saw my power for the first time, after... I accidentally hurt them. And then three months later, they're gone. It... It just can't be a coincidence. Someone had to be watching us, I can feel it. One day, I will find who killed you, I promise. I run my fingers over my mother's locket in the picture. "Stay positive" was engraved on the outside, and pictures of our family were placed on the inside. She never took it off, but I wish I knew where it was now. The detectives said it wasn't on her person, and I searched the entire house for it. Whoever the culprit is, must've taken it with them. Lucy runs into my room as I'm putting the photo back down and I raise a brow at her.

"Alice..." She says with a concerning look.

"What?"

"Vacation!" She exclaims, then runs out. I can't help but chuckle. She always puts me in a better mood when I'm down. I lift my suitcase with ease, I forgot there's barely anything in it, and take it to the door.

"What's this? I'm ready before you?" I tease.

"Well, I bet all you have in there is a laptop, nerd," she yells from her room.

Well, she's almost right. I walk to the window and admire the city, taking one last mental picture before our week-long departure. It's better to admire it from inside, in my opinion. A black truck is parked in the spot the black car was parked, yesterday. There's a lot of cars in this city, though. I'm sure it's just a coincidence. I walk away from the window and toward the door. It's probably new neighbors or something. Yeah, I'm sure I've seen that truck before. Lucy walks into the living room dressed like we're in North Carolina already. She's got the right idea wearing sunglasses, though, it's way too bright, but I suppose I'm somewhat biased.

"You ready for some fun in the sun?!" She belts at the top of her lungs. "Wait, let me rephrase that. You ready for some laptop in the shade?!"

I roll my eyes and shake my head, fighting the urge to entertain her lame jokes with a smirk.

"Let's just get going before I change my mind," I reply.

I smile at her as we leave the apartment in a hurry. The beautiful smell of mildew fills the air from the decrepit hallway. At least I won't have to smell this for a while. Her car is parked down the street a bit. I've always admired the shade of blue, well, the color that's left, spaciously placed between the patches of silver where the paint has chipped off. Lucy opens the trunk and puts our bags in. She stops a second after lifting mine, shakes it, and glares at me.

"I know, I know, I'm gonna buy what I need down there," I say before she drops it in and closes the trunk.
I tug on the door handle repeatedly before she unlocks it. I know it bugs her, but I love the look on her face, the sheer annoyance looks good on her. Once we're in, I immediately sift through her CD collection. It seems I should've brought my own, but I should've seen this coming. As eccentric as she is, I can't believe all she listens to is classical and orchestral pieces.

"Nice music, Grandma," I say, smirking.

"It's not my fault you have no class," she replies, flipping her hair.

This is nice, I'm actually happy. No anxiety, no paranoia, just peace. Maybe a vacation with my best friend is exactly what I need. I lean my seat back and close my eyes. I see my mom in my mind. She'd want me to enjoy this time with Lucy. I can tell it's going to be a good day and a fantastic week. There's nothing out there that could bring me down.