Eternal Darkness

Chapter Two: The Fall

Normally I won't upload this fast, but I hate intros and didn't want to leave it there.

I can't find any picture I'll accept as Jamie, so here is Marissa for now.

***********************************************************************************************

The next morning I strolled downstairs with only a minimal hangover, which I planned to cure fast with a cold cup of orange juice. People who tried to kill a hangover with caffeine must be masochists. Unfortunately, I was aware of a pair of emerald green eyes glaring at me from behind a cup of hot coffee until I sat at the dining room table.

"Where were you out to so late last night?"

"Relax Marissa. I was at the beach. I didn't even come home that late."

"Past midnight is that late."

"You know, I am twenty-one. I think we should be at the point where you aren't afraid every time I'm out of the house."

She shook her head in annoyance, causing bright red curls to fall into her pale face. "No. We are not at that point Jamie. We will never be at that point." Her words were dripping with venom in a tone that used to send fear straight to my heart.

There was no changing her mind though. I already knew this, and she wasn't crazy for worrying. "I understand, but still. You do this every time. I was just at the beach with my friends. Nothing crazy or bad happened."

"Are you sure? Nothing seemed to be off?"

I remembered the men, but I had decided that Marissa's paranoia was rubbing off on me. "Everything was fine."

She narrowed her eyes and stood to get more coffee. She probably could hear the lie in my voice. "What are you doing today?"
"I was going to go to the store and get my stuff for class. I need some new notebooks and clothes and all of that. Mind if I use the car?"

She frowned as though she did mind, but I assumed the frown was more so her still being angry with me. She didn't like to go out in the daytime, or really at all for that matter.

"Yes, that's fine. Be back before dark."

"Anything for you," I replied with a smile, then ran upstairs to dodge her further disapproving looks.

I truly loved her. She cared about me so much and gave up so many things for me, but she could be so annoying when she got into a bad mood. Even if the world suddenly went to shit every time I left the house, did she honestly think I couldn't protect myself?

I changed into a light blue sundress and sat in front of my mirror. There were slight bags under my icy blue eyes that were likely a result of last night's shenanigans. I covered that with foundation, applied some mascara and ran a brush through my long black curls before deeming myself ready to go out in public.

I enjoyed back to school shopping. Marissa didn't allow me to actually live on campus, but going through the ritual made everything feel normal. It was fun, if you ignored all the boring elements like turning in essays and completing exams.

"See ya later!" I called before walking outside and into our gray Subaru. Marissa wouldn't get us a fancy Corvette like I had wanted. It was something about standing out. She could really be a bore sometimes.

I started the car and started driving along our windy road. When we first moved here I almost drove it off the road, but now I could do it with my eyes closed. I had once jokingly tried that with Marissa, but she wasn't nearly as amused as me.

I liked New Hampshire because everything was so green in the summer. There were trees lining each side of the road and flowers blooming in almost every yard I passed. There wasn't a house every five feet like in some of the places we had lived, but it wasn't desolate either. It reminded me of home. Places like Arizona and Florida were too much like a desert for my liking.