Page 7 of Jenna's Protector

My past rips through the walls I’ve built over the years. Terror grips me hard and renews my greatest fear: that one day, I may find myself taken once again.

Swallowed by shadows.

I scratch absently at the invisible tattoo on my wrist—a tattoo I didn’t place and am too scared to get removed.

“Jenna?” Frank reaches for my arm. “Are you okay?”

“Y-yes.” I clutch the cloth to keep my hands from shaking.

Miraculously, my voice remains steady despite the torrent of emotions raging through me. I offer a soft smile and wipe down the spotless table.

“I was just wondering if I took the pastries out of the oven.”

“You sure?” Doris’s eyes fill with genuine worry and meet mine. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Not a ghost.

Just my past.

“Yes, I’m just going to go check.”

She and Frank welcomed me to this town with open arms and few questions. They seemed to sense I was running from something and knew I wasn’t ready to talk about it.

I’ll never be ready.

These people and this place are my anchors.

I shouldn’t let their comments about another missing teen get to me.

It’s a good day.

Business is steady.

My customers are happy.

The café hums with life.

I’m happy to kickstart their day with lattes, laughter, and light-hearted banter.

That’s what I need to focus on.

Focus on the positive and bury the negative.

Unfortunately, a part of me is always a little bit afraid.

Afraid of being noticed.

Afraid of being found.

Afraid of being taken.

Their conversation continues, weaving through both the mundane and the tragic.

I can’t shake the feeling these disappearances are more thanrandom strokes of bad luck. There’s a pattern—I feel it—and it’s one I know all too well.

It’s a constant battle… Fighting the pull of my memories, suffocated by the weight of my fears, and forced to live with the fact I’m Jenna Marlowe, a barista with eyes that have seen too much darkness.

Danger could slip through that door as easily as my morning regulars.

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