Page 33 of Giving In

Images of the woods flashback in front of my eyes and I jump out of the car before sprinting to my front door.

Jake White has officially shown his true form to me and it’s not a pretty sight.

It’s cold, scary, dangerous. And despite my reluctance…

Exciting.

CHAPTER 7

‘Starry eyes sparkin’up my darkest night’

Call It What You Want – Taylor Swift

Jamie

The shower I take before bed doesn’t stop the shivering, neither do the warm pajamas, nor going under my huge comforter. Sleep comes easily but I know it’s going to be a tormented one by the way my body won’t stop shaking.

My dad is on his knees, wearing his Sheriff uniform and his badge, begging Volkov’s men to let me and Aaron go.

“Please, please you’ll get back the money you lost. I’ll pay back every last dollar. Just not my kids. Please. Kill me. Take me but not my kids.”

The man in the dark hoodie turns to Aaron and me in the corner of the room. We’re sitting down against the wall, knees to our chest. Aaron is holding me to his chest and running his hand up and down my back to calm my cries and shivers.

“It’s okay,” he whispers. “It’ll be fine. We’ll all be fine. I promise, ‘Me.”

The man approaches us slowly and I can’t breathe. The room smells of sweat and blood and the scent is crushing. I hold Aaron tighter at every step the guy takes. I’m only looking at his feet, not daring to look up.

“I think one of you is going to have to serve as a lesson to your old man, kids,” he says in a mocking tone. “Get up. Both of you.”

Aaron slowly gets up, I know he must be looking right into his eyes, daring him to do something. I can’t. I can’t look up. I just want to leave. I just want to go home.

As my brother gets up, he grabs my arm, his other hand still on my back.

I struggle to stand still on my shaking legs, and he whispers to me again. “It’s okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

His height means he can wrap me against him, my head against his chest, and protect me. Like he always does. He protects me. Everything is going to be fine.

I finally look up, my brother’s courage overtaking my fear.

The last thing I see is his face, his pale face, steel grey eyes, and the scar that runs from his left eye all the way to the bottom of his jaw.

“You sure kid?” the man says to Aaron. “You sure you can protect her?”

White light blinds me, and I scream. I scream so hard it burns my throat. My shoulder is on fire. I can feel Aaron’s arms tightening around me. My head is against his as we both fall to the ground. His body is heavy on mine. So heavy I can barely breathe. I’m suffocating, his weight is crushing my ribs and I can’t take another breath. Stars start dancing in front of my eyes and the room slowly darkens. I just need to take a breath. Just. Another…

I wake up gasping as I sit up.

I take three long breaths and put a hand to my scar. It hurts, too deep for my touch to change anything but damn it hurts. I scratch my throat trying to ease the stinging pain, but it still hurts from screaming in my sleep. I wait a few seconds, expecting mom to burst in the room like she always does when I have night terrors.

When she doesn’t, it hits me. The woods, the gun...Jake. I didn’t scream in my sleep. My throat hurts from screaming for help.

I take my head in my hands and wipe the tears that are spilling uncontrollably. I should have never gone to that party. I should have never told Chris. What good did it do anyway? He’s probably given Rose and Jake a good scolding and on Monday they’ll be the solid group they’ve always been. They’re family. Who am I? No one. Just the girl Jake terrorized in the woods before going back to his girlfriend.

I check the time, four am. I can’t sleep and I’m going to look like a zombie at the coffee shop tomorrow.

I’m cold. I can’t seem to warm my hands and my feet. I don’t think it comes from the temperature in the room. It comes from me, from my core.

???

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