The Most Dangerous Kind

Eden’s Point of View

Pain…

The only thing I felt was a sharp pain that numbs sometimes—sometimes it comes in my cheeks…. the gums above my teeth… my head… and most times it’s just somewhere else that isn’t physical.

The pain just intensifies on a place in my body that didn’t exist.

Father hits me quite often, even though he hit harder last night, why am I trying to behave like it’s something new?

But even though it’s not something new, does it make it right?

I asked myself the question as though I had the answer to it, I see Evangeline argue with him all the time, and in all the years we had been together—he had never ever raised his voice at her.

Not even once…

Much less his hands…

I unlocked the front door, stepping out of the front door, into the dewy Wednesday morning, walking to school by the early hour of the morning, should get me to school just in time.

“Eden!” I heard Lola’s voice, and my head snapped up from my desk, I came in fifteen minutes earlier, and I just collapsed on my seat, trying to catch my breath, and somehow trying to ignore the incoming headache that threatened me.

“You alright?” she neared me, her eyes went wide as soon as she reached me. “What the hell—Eden?”

Grabbing my cheeks, worried eyes scanning through my face. “What?” I asked curiously, I had double checked this morning to be sure that my cheeks weren’t bruised. “Who hit you?” She asked curiously.

“Is it obvious?” I asked instead, suddenly feeling conscious of my face, I didn’t want to spend the rest of my day with everyone else asking me the same question with the same horror in Lola’s face.

Though I doubt a lot of people would notice, most people don’t usually talk to me.

The only person I talk to is Lola.

“Yes, it’s fucking obvious.” She sat down on the desk, her finger reaching out to touch the bruise, and I hissed, my body twisted away from her. “Did your father do this to you?”

I remained silent.

“That fucking piece of shit!” She cursed, and my hands wrapped around her mouth quickly.

“No, you can’t say that.” My eyes quickly darted around, just to be sure any of Evangeline’s friends weren’t in class—so they don’t go rattle me out.

“If he is a piece of shit, I can say he is a piece of shit.” She concluded. “He is my father.” I reminded her, and she rolled her eyes.

“Well, forgive me if it’s not obvious—”

“Lola, please!” I interrupted her, a little harsher than intended, I drew in a shaky breath, and then exhaled sharply—my voice returning to normal. “Please stop.”

“I am sorry.” She admitted, her eyes squeezed in pain. “That was insensitive of me, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I know, I am sorry for yelling too.” I apologized as well; my fingers dabbed the tears away from the corner of my eyes.

“Come, let’s go to the nurse’s office.” She muttered as she dragged me up even before I could protest, just as we reached the door, I bumped into something stiff, unreasonably tall, and sturdy.

The arms on the figure steadied me, preventing me from crashing back to the cold hard floor; and the soft scent of cinnamon mingled with honey flooded my nose.

I froze almost immediately, goosebumps prickled across my skin, without looking up, I already knew who it was. I had spent too many hours with him last evening to not know.

“Sorry, we didn’t bump into you intentionally.” Lola apologized in my stead, her arms wrapped around my upper arm as she dragged me away from the doorway.

His deep voice soon filled my ears, before we could leave. “Shouldn’t the one who bumped into me, be the one to apologize?”

I swallowed hard.

I couldn’t explain the reason for my reaction when I am around him, I barely function as a human being or a normal classmate, but it’s different when he comes around, my body completely shuts down.

Today, I was unable to meet his eyes, as much as I would like to see what expression he had on his face as he looked down at me.

I didn’t want him to see me like this… like the mess I am.

Not because I didn’t want him to laugh at me, I just don’t have the confidence to look into those silver eyes of his as I might just break down completely and start crying.

“Pardon us, my friend here is sick.” Lola answered before pulling me away, thankfully my hair sprawled down, hiding away half of my face. “I’m taking her to the nurses office.”

“He seems to be eager to speak to you.” Lola’s voice finally came through as we walked off, towards the nurses office, and I shook my head.

“I think he is messing with me.”

“Did he do anything to you yesterday?” She asked curiously and I shook my head, as everything began replaying in my head. “You were alone for about an hour yesterday, something must have happened.”

“No,” I assured her. “Nothing happened, he tried to get on my nerves countless times, but that was just it.”

“He is weird, I’d give it to him that he isn’t what I expected him to be.” She muttered. “But there is something about the way he looks at you—you should be careful with someone like that, especially when you’re alone.”

Truly, I have seen the way he looks at me, it’s unnerving, dangerous, and scary. “Boys like that tend to take advantage of women and then blame their mental illness.” She sighed deeply. “He is a complete, and a natural psycho—he is the most dangerous kind.”

****

I slept through half of the classes, the pills the nurse gave me seemed to help alleviate most of the physical pain, leaving just the pain in my mind—and that would go too, as soon as I stop thinking about how miserable and pitiful my life is.

My phone suddenly beeped, an incoming message? My eyes shifted towards my phone screen that was illuminated.

Unknown number: Come to the art room.

My eyes snapped up, flickering around, more than half of the students were not in class, Lola was not in her seat… and even the troublesome boy that sits behind me—Theron Adler. I took the phone to text back.

Me: Who are you?

Unknown number: It’s a surprise, come now.

Me: Why?

Unknown number: Like I said, it is a surprise.

I paused for a while, my heart pounding in my chest, was this a prank? Should I go? Should I not?

Unknown number: You shouldn’t miss this even for the world.