Page 4 of The Fallen

?She rubbed the wrist he grabbed and felt a sensation when she touched her skin. She looked down and her wrist was red. His hand print was there as if she had been branded.

?Her mind started spinning. She searched for something to hold on to as pain erupted in her head like she had never felt before. Her legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground.

Chapter Three

When Marie woke, she was in her bed, with people hovering over her. She tried to lift up, but her head swam. Her mom was there pushing her back down.

?“Don't try to get up too fast. You have a nasty bruise on your head,” she said helping Marie get comfortable.

?“What happened?” Marie asked.

?They looked around at each other, her mom, dad and Dr. Edison, apparently waiting for her to fill in some blanks. She tried to remember what happened that day, but her head hurt from thinking. She knew she went to school that morning, but after that it was just a blur.

?“Um, honey, you've been out for three days,” her mom started, “we found you near the woods behind your school. Do you know how you got there?”

?Three days? She was out cold for three days? No wonder everyone was watching her like she was on her death bed. She had to remember what happened, not for them, but for herself.

?She pushed past her discomfort and started from the beginning. A sharp pain pulsed in her head as she concentrated on something small first, like what she wore that day; the pain eased. She moved through her day and remembered Brenton. Her eyes shot around the room, searching. For what, she didn't know.

?“What is it?” her dad asked.

?She couldn't speak. She looked down at her wrist. She thought it was red from when Brenton grabbed her, but the bruise was completely gone. There was no trace of his hand print anywhere.

?As scared as she was for feeling the way she did, she wanted to see him again; needed to see him again. Her heart was pulling at her; it was like he made her whole. She couldn't possibly tell her parents he was the one that took her to the woods and left her there. They would never allow her to see him again. She had to keep this to herself.

?“No sir, it's all hazy. I know I went to school this morning or three days ago, but after that, its a blank,” Marie lied.

?“That's okay. Dr. Edison said it would take some time. I'm just glad you're home and you're safe,” her mom said hugging her.

?“Since you're up, I'm going to check you before I head out,” Dr. Edison chimed in.

?Marie's mom backed up to let the doctor through. He helped her sit up in the bed and started checking her heart rate. She took a moment to think about Brenton once more.

?What had changed? She didn't know who he was or where he came from and now she couldn't breathe without him. What had he done to her in the woods? Was he worried about her since she hadn't been to school in days? Without knowing how, she knew he was. Strangely, she could feel his pain, like an aura that was hanging around her room.

?The doctor finished up and left the room. Her dad followed him out. Her mom sat down on the bed and held her hand. She didn't say anything. She just squeezed her hand until it tingled at the tips. Tears formed at the corner of her eyes and she hugged Marie again.

?“Please don't scare me like that. I don't know if this heart of mine can take it.”

?“Mom, I'm sorry,” was all Marie could say. She wanted to tell her everything. After all, her mom was as close to her as a best friend could get. They talked about everything. But she couldn't this time. She hated to see that look of terror on her mom's face when she thought something was wrong with Marie.

?She had to keep this part of her life a secret; at least until she figured out who Brenton was to her. She had to find out how he knew her and why he would think she knew him.

?Her mom left the room and Marie jumped out of bed only to stumble back from dizziness. She got up slower the second time and searched for her phone. She had to call Destiny and get the latest gossip. She knew without asking, Destiny would tell her all she wanted to know about Brenton, too.

?She found her cell in her backpack and the battery was dead. She went back to her bed, plugged it in and waited for it to turn on. She scanned through her messages and saw she had so many missed calls and text messages. She found Destiny's number and dialed. She picked up on the first ring.

?“OMG Rie, I'm so happy you're alive,” she screamed into the phone.

?“Yeah, still alive and kicking. What's been going on? What have I missed?” Marie asked.

?Destiny did not disappoint. She rattled on about who hooked up and who broke up. She went on talking about the teachers, what test they took and ended with her talking about Brenton.

?Why couldn't she have led with that? It would have made the conversation shorter and more interesting. She couldn't care less about the people who made it a point to ignore her on daily basis.

?Apparently Brenton kept asking about her, wondering if she was okay. Marie expected her to be a little spiteful and jealous since she wanted him first, but she didn't seem to mind that he was concerned about her.

?“So anyway, I think he really likes you. You should totally go out with him. Is that what he wanted to talk about that day after class?” Destiny pried.

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