Chapter 1
4 months later…
I started at Appalachian State University in September. Coming from the Midwest with zero mountains, Callie and I had wanted something different and North Carolina was definitely different. It took me a little while to understand what some of the people were saying, but by October, I thought I had the hang of it and started using some of their slang myself. Y’all was my favorite new word, even though I couldn’t say it with a southern accent. I had also stopped saying pop when ordering a soft drink, and I was convinced that sweet tea was the nectar of the gods. But you would never catch me in a sundress with a bright floral pattern. EVER. Everyone here was really nice and the weather was great. I was glad I decided to come, but I almost hadn’t.
I spent the entire summer locked in my room reading books and looking at pictures of Callie and me. Yes, I wallowed. My parents tried their best to comfort me, but nothing helped. I considered not starting college in the fall, but Callie’s parents came over one night and told me that I had to go. They said I had to do it for me and for Callie. What else could I have said to that? So here I was.
As I sat in the university library staring at my Algebra book, I started to think about Callie again. She hated math. She was always jealous that I picked up on it so quickly. For some reason, it made total sense to me. I missed her so much. The memorial they had for her at the graduation ceremony was nice, but they didn’t know her like I did. She would have hated the red roses they put out for her, though; she always thought red roses were pretentious. It had been really hard to sit through the memorial and then the graduation ceremony. If Callie had been there, we would have been whispering to each other and making fun of everyone. But she wasn’t there, and I sat through the whole thing remembering over and over what had happened three days before.
Callie wasn’t moving or answering me. I tried to turn to see her face in the back seat, but the freaking seat belt was still fastened. I fumbled to release it, my hands shaking the entire time, but I finally got it off of me. I turned to her and touched her arm. I was scared to try to move her in case she had a neck or spinal injury. “Callie, it’s Bre. Can you hear me? Callie…Callie!” I screamed at her to answer me, but she didn’t. She didn’t even flinch when I screamed her name.
I turned to look for someone to help and saw the man getting out of the red pickup that hit us. He was barely injured. He stared at me with a menacing look; if he could, I think he would have killed me with that look. He looked at me one more time and ran away, leaving his truck in the middle of the road. Several bystanders watched him run off with confused looks on their faces and then started coming toward us. My car door opened and a man I didn’t recognize started talking to me. I saw his mouth moving, but couldn’t comprehend what he was saying. Everything he said was gibberish. I put my head in my hands and started to cry.
After a few minutes, I noticed that I was out of the car and sitting on the curb. How did I get here? I looked at what was left of my car and wondered how I survived. The paramedics were there and they were trying to help Callie. They put her in the ambulance and took off. Another paramedic was walking over to me and I saw his mouth moving, but didn’t really hear or understand why. I finally figured out that he was asking how I felt. He took me to the second ambulance and checked me out.
I asked the paramedic working on me if Callie was okay. A sadness showed on his face and I knew.
I found out later at the hospital that she had died instantly. She broke her neck when the truck hit us. She never stood a chance.
I awoke with a start to a high-pitched, whiney voice speaking over the intercom. “The library will be closing in ten minutes. Please make your way to the exits. We will reopen tomorrow at 8:00 am.” Holy shit, I must have fallen asleep. If the library was closing, then it must have been close to ten o’clock. Crap, I would have to walk back to the dorm in the dark. Since the accident, I didn’t drive. I knew deep down that it was not my fault, but I felt like I should deprive myself of my love of driving and beautiful cars as punishment for being alive when Callie was not. Survivor’s guilt they called it. Whatever.
I made it a point to never be alone outside after dark. The man that killed Callie could be lurking around the corner. The police could find no trace of the man and the truck had been reported stolen earlier that day. I hadn’t seen him since the accident, but I knew he was out there. Had he done it on purpose? Was he after me? I wasn’t taking any chances, hence, never being outside alone at night.
I shoved my books into my backpack as quickly as possible and headed to the exit. It took me about fifteen minutes to get to my dorm from the library. I walked briskly toward my dorm, trying to stay on the paths with the most light. Something caught my eye to the right in the bushes, but I told myself I was just imagining things as I walked faster. Out of nowhere, the breath was knocked out of me as someone tackled me to the ground. I hit my elbow hard on the pavement. The attacker wrapped his arms around me and I noticed someone else walking up to us. The second man grabbed my arm and hauled me up to my feet. The first man continued to hold me to him as he also stood. They were both about six feet tall with dark brown hair and tattoos. They looked similar, like they could be brothers. After I caught my breath, I started screaming as they both started to drag me into the wooded area off the path. One of them covered my mouth with his hand, so I tried to bite him while kicking and hitting anything I could. “Stop trying to bite me, you little bitch.” As they continued to drag me away from any possible help, he said, “I don’t know why the boss wants a little girl so bad and why he sent both of us to get her. This is such a waste of our time.”
I was in full freak-out mode and my body started to shake. My chest started to feel tight. A pressure was building inside me and it felt like I might explode – then it was like I actually did. The guys who were manhandling me moments ago were now twenty feet away from me, knocked out cold beneath a tree.
What in the hell? I quickly decided to analyze it later and get the hell out of there. As I ran back to the path leading to my dorm, I saw another man running toward me with my backpack. Not another one! I ran faster.
“Wait, I wanted to make sure you were okay and give you your backpack. I’m not going to hurt you,” he said from behind me.
I made it to the entrance of the dorm and saw several others around. At least if he tried to kidnap me or kill me, I had several witnesses. I stopped to catch my breath and turned to look at him. He was the most beautiful guy I had ever seen. He was more handsome than any model or movie star – turquoise eyes, sandy blond hair, and beautifully tanned skin. I thought I might be in shock and was hallucinating this perfect man in front of me. I shook my head to clear it and figured out he was speaking to me. Wow, I tend to zone out a lot when people are speaking to me during a trauma. I really should work on that, considering my history.
I looked up into those blue eyes and asked, “What?” He looked as baffled as I did as he continued to stare at me. I asked again, “What did you say?”
As he handed me my backpack, he said, “I asked you if you were okay.”
“Yes, I think so. I’m not really sure what just happened.”
“Here’s your backpack,” he said as he handed it to me.
I wasn’t sure if I could trust him, but he wasn’t attacking me, so yay! I took it from him as he asked my name. I told him and asked his.
“My name is Chase. What happened back there?” he asked.
Chase. Mmm, it fits. I would totally chase him down! Good Lord! What is wrong with me? I just got attacked by two crazies and I am flirting with a stranger in my head. I swear, I wonder about myself sometimes!
“I’m not sure. I was walking back to my dorm when these two men tackled me to the ground and started to drag me into the woods.”
Chase looked at me, cocked his head, and asked, “How did you get away from them?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” I said to him. All of a sudden, his demeanor completely changed. He looked pissed. He narrowed his eyes at me and grunted, “Huh.”
I had no idea what to tell him. How could I explain what I didn’t understand? In the past, I tried to explain the lunacy in my life to friends and they just thought I was crazy. Callie was the only one who knew and didn’t care. I had stopped telling anyone, including Callie, when abnormal things would happen to or around me. I certainly wasn’t going to try to come up with something for this complete stranger, no matter how decadent he was. Good grief, there I go again. Focus, Bre!
“I will find out what you are hiding and you will not like it when I do.” He then turned around and walked off.
What the what? How dare he threaten me like that! He has no idea what I have been through in my life. I was just attacked and he threatens me? What the hell is wrong with him? Guess the stereotype holds true: the more beautiful you are, the more of an asshole you are.
I made it up to my dorm room, locked the door, and pushed my desk chair against the handle. After checking the locks on the windows, I collapsed on the bed. Thoughts continued to circle through my mind about what happened. What was going on? Why did I keep getting attacked, and why had Chase turned from concerned to angry in seconds? I decided then and there not to dwell on it. I would probably never see him again anyway and that should have made me happy. Who needs a golden surfer god with an attitude problem in their life? Mind made up, I got up to take a shower. Hopefully, the hot water would wash away the awfulness of the day.
I packed up my bathroom stuff and headed toward the freshman community bathroom on my floor. I had to share a bathroom with other girls, but I didn’t have to share a room. Callie was supposed to be my roommate and for whatever reason, they never assigned me another one.
After my shower, I crashed in my bed and fell asleep almost immediately. Right before I drifted off, I thought, Tomorrow has to be better than today, right?