Book 1: A soft spot for an Angel

Chapter 1: kiara

He was like a drug. Pure ecstasy. He had the ability to consume me, yet leave me feeling empty at the same time. This was all thanks to happenstance. I swore to myself I'd never let another guy consume me the way my ex had. And here I am catching feelings for a stranger who could break my heart, the same way I had broken it myself. But just like the last time, I couldn't help but return for more. I had the awful habit of keeping my cellphone on my night table, just incase i was lucky enough to hear from Dax. There were many nights that felt too familiar, filled with disappointment and excitement. I wasn't ready to let go of either feeling as hard as I tried.

I lye underneath the white bedsheet that revealed my naked body, fighting the urge to check my phone. As I turned my head slightly to the right, it vibrated against the wood of my night table. Excitement rose within me, I took a second to calm myself down  just incase. I shifted on my bed, leaning against my left elbow for support. The screen lit up with an unknown number followed by a text. I decided against deleting the number incase it just happened to be important and checked it out. The text read: Kiara, it's been a while. Hope you're well. Come and meet me on the south side of town, we need to talk.

Fear washed over me, as a single tear rolled down my cheek and I threw my phone aside crying into my pillow. There was one person who would wish me well without meaning it. My estranged, abusive drug addict mother who knew how to tug at my heartstrings. She knew I'd give into her request, though I'd do my best not to. I wished everyday that this nightmare was over, but it seemed to be on endless repetition. I wiped away the last of my tears, as I now lye on my back staring up at the ceiling before attempting to close my eyes. Sleep had never been my friend, even at a young age it eluded me but tonight for the first time, I'd sleep through the night. My entire body felt calm and at peace. Was this what sleep was? Is this what I had been missing all these years?

Sunshine poured down on me through the white clouds, as I stared up into them feeling pure joy. I raised my arms above my head, letting a small smile break through. I was happy for a moment even if it was just in my dreams. I fell to my knees closing my eyes, letting myself feel the happiness I had missed out on all these years. A single tear rolled down my cheek just like in the real world. These weren't tears of sadness, but as I continued to cry, the white clouds faded into the sudden darkness and the beautiful sunshine had turned to thunder. I got up on my feet, running as fast as I could searching for any sight of shelter. An old rundown house appeared before me. The front door had come off its hinges, leaning against the doorway for support. Inside the wooden floors were covered in endless empty beer bottles that shattered and pierced my bare feet. I jumped to the first step of the staircase to pull the shards out of my skin before heading upstairs to the bedrooms. Each door was ajar, inviting curiosity of what was inside. A single unmade bed sat in the middle of two out of the three rooms, paired with a white dresser with open drawers piled with clothes inside of it. The wooden floor continued on from downstairs and were filled with piles of garbage Instead of beer bottles. And lastly in the third room, it was nearly empty aside from a pile of burnt cigarettes covered in their ashes.

I sat in the middle of the floor, looking around the room soon recognizing where i was. This was my old house. My childhood home. Or the dump I regularly called home. Footsteps echoed down the hallway, my heart raced in fear and anticipation of what to come. Unable to find a place to hide without being heard or seen, I remained still and wrapped my arms around myself for protection. My mother stopped me in the doorway, giving a partial smile with what teeth she had left. She wore disheveled clothing that were stained with beer and smelled of urine from a distance as they would up close. Her hand was placed on the doorframe, staring me down from head to toe. "Kiara, there you are. Get me another beer"