Page 6 of The Book Reader
“See what? Hitch, you are freaking me the fuck out.” Mekhi whisper-shouts at me, his voice full of panic.
My feet continue to move, not paying him any attention. I feel like I’m in a dream, being guided by some unknown force.
Walking further into the park, I’m aware of movement in the background. I lift my hand on instinct and a spark flies out, a thud following immediately after.
“Fuck, Hitch… What the fuck was that?”
I turn to him. When I speak, my voice is different, like hundreds of voices all talking at once, and it shocks us both. “Leave me alone…”
I shudder, my cloudy head clearing sharply. I turn, knowing what to expect. Lightning hits the ground in front of me, making me stumble backwards.My dream. This was my dream.
“Rain,” I whisper, glancing up. It begins to fall in sheets, making it hard to see anything.
“Lightning,” I mumble.
Lightning strikes and I scream a little, my body shaking. I can see her lying on the ground, her blonde hair glowing despite the rain. I take a step towards her, and Mekhi grips my shoulder.
“Hitch, you’re cold, and this is shit ass crazy. Let’s get back home before we both die. Come on,” he begs me.
I shake my head at him. “I found her.”
“You found who? Fuck sake, Hitch, not this shit again. Let’s go. Come on.” Infuriated, he pulls on my arm again.
I push him away from me. “You go. I can’t leave her.” My chest tightens, and soon I won’t be able to breathe. He pulls at me again. “Mekhi just go, if you’re not going to help.”
I run towards her, dropping to my knees in the mud. “You’re okay now. I’m going to get us help.” I reach out and run my fingers over her soft, wet cheek. Her face is angelic, even with mud and… is that blood? Is she hurt
“Hitch! Leave her. You know who sleeps in fields? Tramps, drug users, and dead people.” I can feel him pacing behind me.
“We could be standing at a crime scene,” he panics. “Is she alive, Hitch? She looks like she’s dead, and if she is, they will be knocking on our damn door! Hitch, let’s just leave and let her sleep it off or be found by someone else… who is not us! My ass would not do well in prison, and I sure as hell refuse to become someone’s bitch!”
I roll my eyes at him. “I’m not leaving her,” I say, not hiding my irritation. “And will you stop pacing… you’re making me nervous.”
The mystery woman looks so peaceful, despite her shredded clothing and the muck covering her body.
“We must take her with us. I don’t know how to explain but…” I lift my head to look up at him my eyes pleading. “We can’t leave her. Please, Mekhi. I need to make sure she’s safe.”
I brush some of the damp hair from her face. I know that when she opens her eyes, they will be a clear blue.
Pulling in a breath, I whisper, “How can I feel like I know you… and not remember knowing you?”
“Because you don’t know her, Hitch! Because she is just some random blonde chick who happens to be lying in this freezing ass park… by herself! That to me screams trouble… I won’t have us risking our lives for a woman we don’t even know!”
I look up at him, begging with my eyes. If we don’t get her out of this field, something bad is going to happen, I can just feel it.
“Come on, Mekhi. Help me. Just carry her into the house with me and then you can leave us.”
He shakes his head and starts pacing again. “Don’t look at me with those eyes, and sure as hell don’t ask me to do that. If she is a killer, we are dead, and I like my fine self-alive. Thank you very fucking much. Now come on or I’m leaving your ass here.”
I scowl at him, standing up fast as angry tears fall down my cheeks. The need to take her home with us stabs into my heart, and I hate that he can’t feel it. That he can’t feel how my blood is on fire.
I fist my hands and scream, “Fine! Leave us. I’m not following you. She needs help. You’re such a cock sometimes, and a real bitch the rest.”
He lifts his head in a huff, turns, and runs out of the park. I let out a gasp and flop down to the ground, sobbing lightly. Ididn’t mean to say that to him, but he is so stubborn sometimes and not willing to help anyone.
Sniffing hard I look over at the blonde woman. “If you wake up by yourself, I could take you back to the house more easily.” I sigh, knowing that wish will never happen, but I throw it out there in the hopes that it will come true anyway.
I stand, slowly assessing the situation when a deadly growl echoes over the field. Dread creeps through me. “Mekhi?” I whisper, hoping he hasn’t left me after all.
