This had to be her decision and hers alone; he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he thought for one second her answer was coerced in any way. When her tears resumed, he thought that they were tears of joy, just as before. But when she started sobbing and he saw that look of complete sadness on her face, his heart felt crushed.Damien had never wanted to hurt her. He would rather die than live with the guilt that he had caused her pain. He couldn't take it any longer, the sounds of her sobbing on that bed cut through him with a fierceness he had never felt before; worse than any bullet or blade.He backed away from her, taking one last look at her body lying out in front of him; memorizing every hair, every pore, and breathing deep he took in her scent one last time. He vaulted over the bed and was out the door in a flash. He swiveled around the doorframe and shot down the hallway. He got to the back door and grabbed the doorknob in his mouth and turned it. He nosed the door ope
Looking at her new big bed that she had gotten for the two of them, she again felt a small inkling of sadness. She couldn't bring herself to lie down on it, so she slumped out of the bedroom and went to the living room.As she passed the bathroom she was startled to see herself in the mirror hanging on the door. She hardly recognized herself. Her eyes were sunken into their sockets; dark smudges underneath them. Her skin was sallow and pale; her facial muscles had slackened to where she looked like a corpse. She thought about that for a second, and agreed with the observation; I am dead inside now that he's gone.Elena couldn't stand looking at herself anymore, so she slunk past the mirror and went into the living room. She went to the couch out of habit, but just before sitting down she had a mental flash of them together on it and couldn't bring herself to sit there. She turned away from the couch and shuffled over to the easy chair and fell into it.Elena sat there in the chair sta
She wasted away in sadness, and passed away in her easy chair one afternoon while Elena had been at school. Coming home to find her grandmother dead and the last of her family gone was devastating.With the wills and the money left to her, she was able to stay out of foster care; and with the help of the family lawyer, she had become a legal adult at the age of 16. She moved back into her parent's house, which had been left to her in the will. She finished high school early and went off to a small community college.She found that with her small talent at art, and her drive to concern herself totally with schoolwork, she finished a two-year degree in graphic design and computer technology in less than eighteen months. She only dated twice seriously while going to school. She had made friends with her ex boyfriend since they both liked the outdoors. The friendship had moved into the physical realm, and she had been happy. He had taken her out and shown her how to shoot a gun and she li
She wasn't the first one there that morning; Mark was standing next to the coffee maker waiting for the first pot to fill up. He turned to see who had come in this early and when he saw her he paled."Jesus! Elena, You look like hell! Oh, god, I'm sorry, you just startled me.""That's okay, mark. Don't worry about it."Her voice was soft and there was no emotion in it. She walked past him and went to her desk, setting her purse next to her chair. Mark followed her and was stood a few feet away, giving her some space."What happened, Elenw?"Mark was really concerned for her. He remembered when her parents had been killed and she hadn't looked this bad then. Obviously there was something horribly wrong in her life for her to look and act like this. She looked dead.She turned to look at him and tried to give him a smile, but she failed to produce anything more than a twitch of her lips."Personal life troubles."She pulled out her chair and sat down. She flipped the switch on her compu
Elena never mentioned a boyfriend to anyone at work. She didn't join in the gaggle group that formed in the lunchroom. Then he thought about someone else who was gay, and how that until the day she told him, he had never known or even guessed that she had those kinds of feelings.Mark knew what kind of hell it was to live in this small town and in this area with that in your life. He had a sudden inspirational flash. He knew what might get her out of this emotional hell she was in right now. He'd have to talk to the other person first but he didn't think that it would be a problem. He smiled to himself; he was going to be able to help two people."Oh, Elena. I'm so sorry to hear that."He waited for a few seconds; thinking about what he was planning on doing and decided it couldn't hurt to try."I know you feel uncomfortable talking about this kind of stuff with me. I don't mind, really. Technically I am still your boss and I don't want you to feel that you have to tell me anything mo
"Yeah, I can do that. How will I recognize you?"Elena heard the smile through the phone line."Just look for the little blond girl who looks like she shouldn't be there. That'll be me. See you tonight. Bye."Elena didn't know what to think about that description. She immediately thought about the drive and how long she would be gone. She almost called back to cancel. She wanted to be at home just in case Damien came back. However, she knew that if she stayed home tonight in that empty quiet house with his smells and the memories, she'd go nuts. No, I have to go. She stood up and went to mark's office door."Thanks, mark, I appreciate your help with this. By the way, who is she? That was a slightly strange phone conversation."Elena watched as mark hesitated to tell her, and then grinned."She's my 'baby' sister. But don't let the voice or her looks fool you. She's a genius, and I don't mean in a casual way either. She's the smartest person I know. That's all I'm going to say. You'll
"Hello, I'm Marie. Nice to meet you."There was that sweet lilt to her voice again, but Elena still couldn't place it."Hi, I'm Elena. Nice to meet you too."They shook hands and Elena was surprised at how warm and strong this little girl's hands were."What would you like to drink?"Marie had a small smile on her face, just a hint of one. Her eyes caught Elenw off guard; they were pale blue, almost white. They sparkled in the dim tavern lighting."Uh, I don't know. What are you drinking?"Elena wasn't sure if she really wanted anything, she was really here to talk, not drink. Marie had just little more smile now, when she turned to the bartender."Joe, fix my new friend here an Irish boilermaker."Joe gave her a look that Elena didn't know what to think of, and then he grabbed large pint glass and pulled the tap on the bar. The thick black beer rolled down the side of the glass and the dark tan head formed as it filled. He set the pint on the counter in from of her and then he put a
"Yeah, well. Life sucks, doesn't it. All Mark told me was that you were a walking coma case waiting to happen and that you had mentioned a lover leaving you. If you want to talk about it, I am an excellent listener. I judge no one and I can only offer a shoulder to cry on if you need it.""Mark likes you and he told me that you were a nice person who didn't need another pile of crap in your life right now. So, here I am. I'm willing to call you a friend on my brother's word. He doesn't do that for just anybody, so you must be okay."Marie was looking at Elena with seriousness in her eyes that seemed out of place on that elfin face. Elenw thought about what she said and looked into her drink for a few seconds then looked back at Marie."Yeah, I could stand to have a good friend right now. I'm not sure if I'm ready to spill my guts about everything but I'm willing to talk to you and get to know you better."Elena was almost back to her previous dead state again by the time she finished