𝖆𝖒𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖘𝖆𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖒 | d.f. | book two

🦋 dominic38 🦋

5:32pm

"okay. i ask a question and strip," i nod to myself. "hmm. what were you doing before ann adopted you?" i ask, grabbing the hem of my shirt and pulling it up over my head.

i toss it away from me.

"oh, okay, starting with difficult questions," anna says, as her eyes roam over my body.

i'm not exactly built, but i'm slim and lean- some people's types. i don't complain much about my body. it's the only one i have.

"you said i can ask anything."

"yeah, yeah i did. when i was born, i was bounced around from family member to family member. i don't remember much of my parents. but i could probably recognize shadows of them- silhouettes," she says, shrugging and leaning her back against the tree nearest to her.

"oh..."

"yeah. none of my family members could afford to take care of a baby, or paid much attention as i grew up, or knew how to talk to me. when i was seven, they were talking about putting me through the system. i didn't want to go through that, so i ran away. i thought i was going to have police looking for me, or amber alerts everywhere," she looks at me and lets out a half chuckle half scoff, "nothing. not a single person decided to report me missing. i even called and asked if anyone put in a report for a missing girl with my name and not a single report."

"damn anna," i frown. "where did you go?"

"i lived on the streets for a while, hanging with these teens at the time that had also ran away from home. everyone had fucked up stories. it brought us together. at the same time, that trauma would fuck with us and we'd fight. all the time. but they were my family for a while. i even celebrated my eighth birthday with them. i wonder if they survived max20. doubt it right? everyone's pretty much gone. anyway, one day i went to the park and met this other girl who was my age, esya. she had on this weird beige sweater and blue denim jeans," she chuckles, "i thought she looked so funny. but who was i to talk. i had on green pants and a bubblegum pink shirt on. i knew absolutely nothing about fashion."

i find myself laughing with her at her memory.

this is the most she's opened up.

i can't tell if it's a bad thing or not to pursue her as friends. she clearly likes me. and she seems to be more open when i seem like i am interested in her.

i'll keep that in mind.

"the little girl offered to me a place to stay, food, other kids my age to play with, like she rehearsed it!" anna laughs, "i was like "what the fuck?"," she cackles. "i thought it was a cult. so i said, sign me the fuck up. i went back to her home. it turned out it was a group home for runaway girls. they educated me, fed me, clothed me, bathed me, they actually cared there. the other kids were little shits. i was new, so they gave me so much shit about what to do and how to act and haze me and make my life miserable. it finally stopped when i stopped warning them, stayed silent, then planned my first attack against all of everyone who tormented me, including bystanders- yes esya too."

"no! not your best friend!" i realize.

"not my best friend. but she was okay. stayed at the place, with no friends the entire way through since esya ended up getting adopted out. i didn't know they had the adoption option. if i would've known, i wouldn't have went to that place. i didn't need a home. but seeing everyone leave with a family that seemed so nice, i started to have hope. two years later, ann adopted me."

"fuck anna... your life is..."

"it doesn't matter. what about you? anything pop into that dull brain yet?" she asks, kicking herself off the tree and peeling her shirt off, exposing herself to me.

i avoid staring, thinking about her question.

"what kind of memories should i remember?" i ask her.

"anything," she responds, twirling her hair with her finger.

i search through the void of emptiness for a split second of something!

suddenly, a small image begins to form; the forest i was standing in, flourishing into a beautiful floral garden, at night.

a fire pops in my peripheral and i turn and see a campfire.

i hear faint talking, but as i listen harder, i realize that it's yelling-arguing.

"someone's arguing," i reveal to anna.

i try to walk, or to speak but nothing happens. i'm frozen in place and my voice is inaudible.

the scene doesn't change and the arguing just loops, the same words repeating over and over.

garden, arguing, campfire.

"that's it. that's all i can remember before ann. soraya said a lot of things too in the standoff that made me wonder as well."

"she doesn't matter. she's the one who framed you. ask your question," she huffs.

"what does your mother want with me?" i ask, removing my sweatpants.

"world domination maybe. i don't have a clue. your superpowers are probably the main reason. i mean we never knew this could be possible. you are superhuman!"

"i know it comes easily, but i'm always surprised as hell," i smile, looking down at my body that's only clad in underwear.

"it's hard to ask you questions. so, what do you think of me?" she asks, removing her sweats, leaving both of us in our underwear.

i definitely have to word this right.

"i think you're pretty badass. but you carry your past with you."

"easy for you to say, brainless."

"i still have my problems and worries though, so i'm not totally off the hook."

"but you still think i'm cool," she says, grinning. "you can't stop talking to me."

with my luck, you'll trust me more to start telling
me the things that i need to be hearing.

"indeed i can't. and same to you. you sought me out today," i point out.

"aren't you happy though?" she asks.

this has been nice.

a change of speed from being ann's number one player.

"that's another question," i realize.

she confidently slides her underwear off and stands straight, giving me a flirtatious smirk.

"i am happy," i answer her question. "you trust me?" i ask, thinking of an idea.

"why?" she asks back.

"yea or no," i tell her, taking my underwear off and exposing myself fully.

"maybe i do," she shrugs.

"it's a yes or no question anna," i chuckle.

"okay. then, fine. yes i do."

"good."

i run toward her, grabbing her and pushing both of us off the cliff.

she clings to me, screaming as we plummet, free falling in the air. finally, hitting the cold, refreshing water. it engulfs us, wrapping around us heavenly.

i swim up, taking a breath of oxygen, wiping the water from my face. i laugh and look around for anna.

"anna!" i call out, turning around and not seeing her. "anna! c'mon!" my smile fades as i realize she's been under too long. my heart races, pounding against my chest. my ears start ringing. "anna!" i yell, before taking a deep breath and swimming down.

i look around, but can barely see much of anything.

i swim back up, coming face to face with an amused anna, laughing pretty hard.

"you scared me!" i yell at her, not finding any of this situation funny.

"you do care about me," she coos.

"you're insane," i tell her, shaking my head and swimming away.

"dominic! wait!"