Accidentally Kidnapped

Chapter 28

        I woke up in the middle of the night. The scar on my palm was burning and sweat clenched the back of my neck. Glancing at the alarm clock, I was surprised to see it was only 4 in the morning. It felt like I had been sleeping for hours.

        Little pieces of my nightmare floated by, too vague to completely understand. The more I began to wake, the less I remembered. It had something to do with fire. When I closed my eyes, I could see the orange flames with a faint glowing blue top leaping towards the dark sky, the heat waves distorting the very edges of the car. The image haunted me so badly that, for a moment, I was too overwhelmed to even breathe.

        I forced myself to keep my eyes open, to focus on something other than flickering heat and the ghostly feeling of a burn blistering up on my young skin. The white plaster walls with blue floral was one of the first things I tried to focus on. Anything but fire. I was deathly afraid of fire and for a good reason, too. The next thing I noticed was Cage's soft breathing beside me.

        The pounding of my heart slowed. The past was the past. It was over, my parents were gone. There was not a single thing in the world that I could do to bring them back and nothing was going to change that. I was crashed back to reality and the suddenness of being yanked out of nightmare and into silence was a harsh contrast that made my stomach twist with nausea.

        The window didn't have curtains. Cold silver moonlight sneaked in from the white world outside. Sitting up, I let my eyes settle on the dark sleeping man beside me. The back of his head was too painful to sleep upon, so Cage was laying on his side. His hands were shoved under the pillow and his head almost sleeping upon mine rather than his own.

        Half of Cage's features was illuminated by the glowing moon. It was like the time he slept on the helicopter as we flew to Chicago. No trace of cruelty or evilness or any stress was apparent on his handsome face. His red lips were parted slightly, taking and giving soft breaths that only came with deep sleep. His dark eyelashes brushed his delicate skin beneath his eyes. I would always remember that burning green colour. Cage's hair was all messed up from tossing and turning. He looked so peaceful in that moment that I didn't want to make the slightest movement with the fear of disrupting the scenery before me, but I needed to leave.

        Not from Alberta, but from the room. It was suffocating with two people inside. I needed privacy to tear out my feelings before going back to sleep and I couldn't bear to look at Cage even though he was asleep. Carefully, I slipped out of bed. My feet touched the cold floorboards and I cringed. It took a moment to get over before I could move.

        I was halfway across the room before it happened. And by it, I mean the inevitable. And by the inevitable, I mean that I accidentally stepped on a creaky spot on the floorboard and it made a noise loud enough that I would be surprised if Cage hadn't woken.

        And what do you know, he hadn't. Heart hammering wildly, I paused and stared at him, trying to see if Cage would wake up. After a minute when he didn't move, I let out a relieved sigh and continued my nightly rendezvous.

        The balcony was piled up with untouched snow. Quietly unlocking the door, I slipped outside. In an instant I was shivering from the cold, but that was exactly what I needed right now. To feel something other than the pain in my chest. Numbness was better than anything. Goosebumps prickled up and my breath came out with a wispy cloud each time I exhaled.

        We were on the second floor so I could see everything below. Huge pine trees dotted and clumped together. The scenic view of a very distant mountain poked up over the tops of the woods as far as the eye could see. Smoke billowed out from a neighboring house from the chimney. The sky was a dark blue and the moon was high above, accompanied by a few sprinkles of stars. The contrast from Chicago to here was astounding. From a place where even at the barest time of night was a noise, there was nothing here but the whispery trees and an occasional howl or hoot from somewhere.