Chapter Five

Answer Me!

Yavonne

It was now Sunday night, nearly 1am. Yavonne sat on her little shamble of a porch, staring out into the dark sky splattered with stars. This was another perk of a small town, the stars. She had spent Friday night and Saturday night looking at them as well.

She had left Friday night for the lake, with every intention of returning home to sleep in her bed. However, things took a very different turn. She stayed until 1 am... swimming and waiting for an answer. There was always an answer. She needed help. She asked the moon to give her a boost. Asked Any God or Spirit to aid her or show her a sign.

She made offerings.

prayed.

She walked until her feet went numb.

danced, sang.

slept in the dirt for two nights.

She watched and waited for something...Anything at all,

but nothing came.

Just like her family had all been there one day, then the next day wiped off the face of the earth.

The gods and spirits spoke to her so eagerly and openly one day, and the next it we're as if she had been imagining the whole thing.

She lifted her head after just a moment and closed her eyes "Please?" she breathed out desperately.

Still...there was nothing.

She sat there for a moment and felt a sudden surge of desperate anger.

"ANSWER ME!!!" She screamed into the night and was slightly terrified as the sound reverberated off the mountains encompassing their small town. the panic faded a short second later as she realized what had happened.

The sun was rising before she came back to herself. She was stiff and more than sore. she used the railing to help her stand and stumbled into the bathroom, her legs tingling and trembling slightly. she no doubt would pay for the careless abandonment of her body. Still, school. With her charms wearing off missing a day to nurse a tender back would draw unwanted attention. She hoped the warm water might help, but was sadly mistaken, the soothing streams beating down on her skin only helped her exhaustion settle in.

All of her problems seemed etched into her skin, scratched from her stay at the lake, the skin around her eyes dark and slightly deepened, her eyes blood shot. she looked like she had a great weekend and just wandered home trashed.

She wished that were the case. Her apartment was still a mess now. Why should she care? what hope could she have of a good life all on her own now?

She felt numb.

She didn't bother to repack her bag.

She threw on a pair of leggings and a comfortable tank top and shuffled on out to the path leading to school, painfully aware of every empty step.

She didn't want to be here. awash in a crowd of people who didn't know her or care for her. They could never understand her loss. She couldn't understand it either really, how profound the gaping hole in her life was, the space which once held so much love, the gods and spirits just as present as her family had been, were now absent as well, locking themselves away from her.

How had this happened?

had she done something?

would they ever make themselves known to her again?

was it this town?

Every step became a chore, but the people seemed to fade into the background quickly, that is...until someone caught her arm and dragged her into a little broom closet. she was about to scream and kick when a hand clamped over her mouth and the little florescent light above them flickered on. It was him, the gorgeous hulk of a guy She had been so fascinated with.

He looked pissed. His free hand moved to lock the door, but his intense glair never left hers. She was incredibly aware of his very deep steady breaths, his chest pushing into hers firmly enough to restrict her own breathing. "Shut up. If you scream, I'm going to snap your fucking neck." He growled..He actually growled.

She felt her eyes bulge a little, but he was already moving his attention down her, the start of a devilish grin tugging at his lips before he looked back up to her eyes, the same furiosity back "I have questions. you're going to answer them. Do that and I won't hurt you." her eyes narrowed a moment, but she slowly nodded. Of course, she wouldn't tell him the truth.

he watched her a moment more before adding "I'm going to take my hand away now. But I meant what I said.' She gave a small nod, because she knew already. the depth of those eyes held so much promise. He let go of her slowly and moved back a bit, allowing Yavonne to heave in a deep breath. She couldn't help but breath through her nose, inhaling deeply his scent of campfire and fine whiskey.

He watched her impatiently after a moment his brow lifted "What's your name?"

Yavonne looked him over intently "Yavonne Porter. What the fuck is this you creep?"

his nostrils flared "I'm asking questions. you’re answering. What are you doing here?"

she huffed "My family moved here you fucking psycho!"

He leaned in again giving a grunt as she raised her voice and she shrunk back a bit "What? Why the hell are you freaking out? God I'm sorry I made your dick hard. Doesn't it work or something?"

He growled out loudly at that and slapped her hard. Yavonne was so stunned for a moment she didn't know how to act.

Then she did the only thing she could do and slapped him with all the strength she had left. It had the desired effect, and the last of her unnatural power left her, throwing him back into the wall unconscious. she scrambled out of the little closet and took off running as quickly as she could, tossing herself at the door with full force so that when it opened, she landed on her stomach outside.

someone was coming to help her, but she pushed them away with whatever energy she had left, climbing to her feet clumsily at a run, heading for the path. Her vision blurred with each thunderous beat of her heart, her hands grasping at whatever they could to help her along the way. She had forgotten her backpack, her keys. she didn't have time now. she smashed her bedroom window inwards after wrapping her jacket around her first and squirmed to get inside, a sliver of glass catching her side and dragging down her ribs at a painfully slow pace down to her hip where it broke off.

All she needed was the cash, and she wiggled back out again, taking to the forest on the other side of her apartment. She would deal with the glass when she had more distance between her and that school.