Abandonment is one word to describe Evelyn Ward's childhood.
Known as an orphan freak and paranoid schizophrenic, she was dragged through years of therapy after admitting to hearing whispering voices and seeing creatures and living shadows.
...
Disclaimer: *This chapter contains a scene of mild sexuality.*
Viewer discretion is advised.
My apartment door slammed shut behind me, echoing loudly and I sunk down to the floor, gripping my hair in my fists. The thundering of my heart in my chest didn't soften, and my breaths came in wracking heaves, ripping my lungs to shreds.
I hit my head back against the door methodically, as if I could beat the stupidity from my skull. My one a.m excursion had succeeded in only freaking me out. Maybe there really was something wrong with me, and I was just too dimwitted to realize everything everyone said about me was true.
The point of going out for a walk had been to settle my nerves, and instead, come five-thirty in the morning, I hadn't moved from my place by the door, and hadn't slept due to the anxiety tracing its path through my veins.
Even though it was still early, I needed comfort, and so I called Jorden.
"Evie?" His sleep muffled voice sounded through the phone after the fifth ring. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything's fine." I nodded my head, adding to my placating tone even though he couldn't see the movement. "I just haven't been able to sleep, so I thought maybe I could come over."
His yawn reminded me just how tired I was. "Give me ten minutes and I'll come pick you up."
"I was just going to walk."
"Are you sure?" The concern was evident in his tone. I imagined his eyebrows crinkling together in that endearing way they always did when I told him I'd walk somewhere on my own.
I could only imagine how he would react if I told him about my trip to Central Park. "Yeah, it's only a fifteen-minute walk, and I could really use the fresh air to clear my head."
"Okay, if you're sure. I'll see you in a bit then."
"Alright, I love you."
"Love you too."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Lying cuddled in bed with Jorden watching a movie, it was becoming increasingly more difficult for me to concentrate on the screen. Too much stuff continued to zip around in my head, frightening and baffling me. Among which was that I still didn't know the name of the man who could fight the shadows. The stranger who I had all but outright confessed my insanity to. And it didn't help that the lead character in the movie bore a striking resemblance to the dark-haired, green-eyed man I wished I could ignore.
Curling tighter against Jorden's side and nuzzling my cheek against his chest, I mumbled, "I'm bored."
He glanced down at me, smiling at my innocent expression as I looked up at him from underneath my eyelashes.
"This movie's boring... And dumb."
Laughing at my childish tone, he pulled me across his chest, so my chin rested on his shoulder and my body was draped across his. "Well, what do you suggest we do instead?"
His face haunted my mind. An unwanted presence I was determined to rid myself of.
Pulling Jorden's lips against mine, I tangled my hands in his hair, pulling him closer.
*
His arms wrapped around my back, and he rolled until I was beneath him, his weight pressing gently against my body. His erection pressed against my hip, his lips trailing hot kisses down my throat, setting my skin on fire, making me moan.
Tugging at his shirt and pushing him up so I could pull it over his head, I wrapped my thighs around his hips as he pulled my sweater off, exposing my black lace bra and pale skin.
He laid me back down, intertwining our hands above our heads. His fingers caressed my wrists, and a violent shock jolted through my body as he touched the star-shaped patch of skin that made up my birthmark.
"What the fuck?" I shouted, sitting up suddenly, smacking my head against his. The skin of my wrist was mottled red, and burned and itched enough to wet my eyes with tears of pain.
"What?" Jorden leaned back, taking his hands off of me. "What happened? Did I hurt you?"
*
"No, I uh, just..." My head spun. It couldn't be a coincidence that while the stranger and Jorden had both touched my birthmark, his touch had been pleasurable, while Jorden's had caused so much pain. More to the point, my birthmark had been normal previously, never having reacted like this at all before -- not to anything. I didn't have a clue as to what it might mean, and I sure as hell didn't want to. There was already enough wrong with me as it was.
"No, something just shocked me, that's all. Probably just friction or something." I settled easily on the lie, downplaying what I felt to keep Jorden from knowing the truth. Wanting to lie to him was not on my list of things to do, but some things are better left unsaid. I knew he loved me for who I was, but what if I wasn't who he thought I was? What if he learned what a freak I was? The extent of my issues? Would he reject me like every other person I had ever known?
It would kill me, I think, for him to abandon me as though I were useless. So he could never know.
Pulling him close, I captured his mouth with mine, pouring all of my love and false assurances into the kiss. "Really, everything's fine."
He stroked my hair, caressing my cheek as he dipped his head down to meet my kiss.
As we lay back down, nausea engulfed me. Struggling to fake normal so I wouldn't worry him more, I choked back my anxiety and the pain that still gripped me, and tried to ignore the thoughts that plagued me.
Just how broken was I?
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Well, that's one strangely acting birthmark - I wonder what could be causing her reactions? How do you think Jordan might react if she told him what was going on? Let me know what you think - I love hearing your opinions!
