Finding Sage (Young Adult)

Nine: Sleep Deprivation II

Sage

I love the location of this apartment, "Hello, I am Sage Walker. Here to see the apartment."

"Oh hello. I am Sabrina Harris. It's so nice to meet you." The perky realtor shakes my hand.

"Please come in. As you can see, this is the living room. It has some original features, that are really beautiful." She points to the high ceilings and beautiful molding. It's old fashioned but very charming. The floors are wood, and they look like they have been redone.

"This is the kitchen. It's not huge, but bigger than a lot of others in this building."

The kitchen is bigger than my current kitchen, and it seems to have plenty of space. It offers a newer gas stove, that excites me. I could really cook some amazing meals in here.

"The bathroom has doors that open to the living room and the bedroom, which is a great feature. The tile is original, but I think you'll agree that it's stunning."

She is right, it's a beautiful bathroom. The tiny penny tiles are so intricate. You could never find tile like that these days. The bathtub is an old claw-tub and it sits in the middle of the large room. The sink is self-standing and there are some build in shelves over the toilet. It's all very pretty and just my style.

"There is another client in there, so let me take a second to tell you about the building. As you know we are in Murray Hill, which is a great neighborhood. You would be close to everything here. We have wonderful security, with twenty-four hour guard and key card doors on the outside. There is garage parking, but we have a waiting list," Sabrina continues.

While she talks I look out the window and see there is not much of a view, but windows, none-the-less. Sabrina's phone rings and she takes it in the hallway, giving me the opportunity to see the bedroom. I walk in and cannot believe my eyes. Is that Kellan?

"Kellan?" I say and see him jump at the sound of my voice, which startles me too.

"Sage? What on earth are you doing here?" It's been too long since I've seen him. I did not realize that I have missed him. How can that be possible? I barely know him; however, here he stands before me and I feel like I am looking at a good friend. His scent breaches my nose and it floods with me great memories of our few times together.

"I need to move. I was looking at this place. What are you doing here?" I ask him. He examines me, looking deeply into my face and over my body.

I know I look really bad. I have been sleeping at Whisper, and only getting a few hours each night. The cleaning crew and security are getting suspicious, causing me to try to avoid them and creating more stress on my nerves. I go home during work hours when I know Donovan's mother has him scheduled at Franky's, to shower and get some more clothes for the next day.

The last two weeks have been hell. Donovan found me outside Whisper at lunch one day and tried to talk to me. I was too afraid of the scene he would make, and allowed the intrusion. It was no surprise when he tried his normal routine of sweet talk and apologies. However, all I could see when I looked at him was the evil man he has become and the evil things he did to me. When I asked him to leave me alone, he got violent and grabbed my arm. Escaping through the doors of Whisper, I was able to evade his attack, but the assault made me upset and shaky. The judge passed a temporary restraining order against him, but I knew it wouldn't keep him away.

Kellan tells Sabrina and I about his roommate's parrot that is keeping him up all night. We both laugh, and I notice that Sabrina is flirting with him. He notices too and continues to charm us with his charisma.

Sabrina moves very close to Kellan and it makes me feel a little funny, like I am the shaky third wheel, interfering with their flow. She looks at me and says, "I think we have already filled the lease. I hope you find something you like."