Rise of a Queen

Chapter 2

The moment my eyes drifted closed, I felt an odd tingle lick the length my body from my toes to the crown of my head, leaving mildew in the form of perspiration along the surface of my skin. It was this strange sensation which kept me from fully delving into the abyss and kept me grounded even though conceptualization of my surroundings blurred into distortions of reality.

Eventually, the compelling ache at my neck layered atop itself until it drove away the clutches of sleep and brought forth just enough pain to snap my eyes open. I found myself staring upwards at a condensed ceiling of sorts, too small to be the sky or the inside of the dry cleaners. It took far too long to realize it was the ceiling of a car and longer still to piece together why I'd be inside a car when my last sight was the barren stretch of empty roads and a sleepy little town in a forgotten area of southern California.

Though my head swirled and the ache just above my shoulders grew, I pushed myself up from where I had been dumped into the passenger seat of the car.

"Take it slow." A voice instructed from my side, "You'll need a moment to come out of it."

My head craned sideways to where the Brandon imposter was nestled in the driver's seat, one hand slung over the top of the steering wheel while the other rested casually in his lap. He didn't look at me when he spoke, his eyes trailed on the road in surveillance of the passing scenery. It was completely dark now, long past dusk with the earth now bathed in lovely shades of periwinkle that would have been quite beautiful to observe if I weren't being kidnapped by a psychopath.

With the sun already set beyond and his body silhouetted only every few seconds by passing street lights, again I was struck with this man's similarity to the man who was taken from me only three weeks ago. Dark hair, strong jaw, broad shoulders, and that trademark smirk like something out of a fantasy. If it weren't for their differing eyes, I may have thought them to be twins.

Perhaps this man's estranged tales of being Dustin's cousin weren't absolutely absurd ... but if he wasn't lying about being Dustin's cousin, did that mean the rest of his propaganda held merit as well?

No. I won't think such a thing. I refuse to think such a thing.

For now, my only focus should be to get as far away from this man as possible.

My limbs acted on their own, unlocking the door and throwing it open at the same time that my body flung itself sideways. Mercilessly sharp wind slapped at my cheeks and the passing ground glared up from where my face hung only inches above, promising an excruciating fall against grating asphalt should I choose to proceed with my escape. But no sooner had I made a move to jump, I was caught by the arm and yanked roughly back into my seat.

"Are you crazy!" The phrase came out as an insulting statement rather than a question as wide emerald eyes fell on me and his mouth dropped open, "What did I just tell you? You could have gotten yourself killed-"

"And yet, death sounds much more appealing than being in your company!" I answered, ripping at my arm despite his relentless hold, "Let me go!"

Using his knee to guide the steering wheel, he reached over to jerk the door shut and slam me into the back of my seat with an elbow that jabbed against my diaphragm, leaving me breathless and gasping for air. When he heard me wheezing, he huffed in what I could only consider as self-determined egotism, "Serves you right. I have been nothing but fair to you since the moment we met, I'd expect a little gratitude."

"Gratitude for kidnapping me?" I inquired though several coughs that rattled my lungs within my chest cavity like tennis balls against concrete. Of all things to be gracious for, this man's persistent deed of stalking me was not one of them.