The One that Got Away

Chapter I

Bang! Bang! Bang! I jolt awake from my sleep, which was amazing before whoever this is come along. Trudging to the door, I call out "who is it" but I get no reply. I stretch my neck to look into the peephole and see that it's my sister. She I grab her up into a bear hug. She stands a little under a foot shorter than me, but picking her up and spinning her around is no easy task. She has short cropped, black hair and piercing blue eyes just like the rest of our siblings. Its been months, nearly a year, since I've last seen her. "Omigod! You're home early, are you okay?" I bombard her with plenty of questions as I spin my younger sister into circles checking for bandages, cuts or any sign of trauma. "Calm down. Hey, stop, what're y--" she tries to get a full sentence out but I don't let her; I covered her mouth with my hand and usher her inside. "Why are you home early? Has something happened Cam?" Her eyes fell to the ground and were filled with sadness. "I got discharged a few weeks ago. They found out about me and Jeremy, and we've both been sent home. Umm, he's actually in the Jeep, so I better get going..." her sentence trailed off as a tear rolled down her cheek. I couldn't imagine the way she felt, the army was her haven from the death of our mother. I reach out to hug her but she steps back before I get the chance, I don't understand. Maybe she just needs time to get over everything she's just been going through. She's been seeing Jeremy for nearly 2 years now, and they're hopelessly lost without each other. I hope things aren't rocky with them because of this, they make an amazing couple. I ask if she wants anything to drink, but she's already made her way to my refrigerator, then onto the front door. I give her hugs and make sure that she'll be okay before she shuts the door and I am left alone, once again. My name is Sara and I'm a psychologist but I do counseling for abuse victims of all sorts, and make a good piece of money doing so. I live in a large three story home with 7 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a pool, tennis court, and a mile of private beach behind it. With a home this large you would expect me to have a family, children, and maybe even animals but I have none of these things. I'm single, and i'm 27 years old. You get the just of things, except i'm not lonely. With my patients to help, and my volunteer hours I am perfectly fine with how I am. There will be plenty of time for a relationship and children in the future. Currently it is Saturday, the third day of April and I'm supposed to be having a day off of work. Of course that doesn't work because as soon as I turn my coffee maker on my doorbell rings. Generally my friends and family knock, so I know that this will be some sort of client emergency. Clad in my nightie and a fluffy white robe I open the door. It is a young girl, possibly 5'6 and ordinary looking except for the deep bags under her eyes. She can't be more than 17, but by the look in her eye she's in need of help. "Hello, my name is Sara. How may I help you?" She lets a tear roll down her cheek before she introduces herself as Athena. She doesn't give a last name, but she does ask when she can set up an appointment and things of that sort. I give her the address of my office, along with my business card. She seems nervous, constantly playing with her bracelet and looking over her shoulder. I reach out to touch her and she flinches away, apologizing for her behavior. "Athena, is it?" She nods. "Would you like to come in and chat? You look as if you need it and I'm not busy today." I offer her a helping hand. "Umm, I don't have the money on me. I'll go and stay out of your hair. Have a nice day." She turns to walk away but I grab her hand, "A good chat is never time wasted, and you don't need money." I tell her. I'm not selfish and I know when someone needs my help. "O-okay".

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Once she left I sat down, exhausted after our 45 minute talk. She didn't tell me much, but as a psychologist I could tell some if not all of the truth from the little bit she did tell. She was seventeen years old, and she lived with her father. She seemed to come from an abusive past, whether it was her father or her estranged mother. She was the youngest of three children, an only girl. Athena worked at a local yogurt shop to make money, and was saving to pay for her own counseling. I told her not to worry about money just to come to my office and attend the group sessions, but she said she could not do that. "My father will be upset, and I can't disappoint him" were her exact words, and that alone hinted at the worst. I pondered on what I would do for the day and then suddenly I got a light bulb above my head! I haven't seen my best friend in a while and i'm sure she would love to go act childish together, who wouldn't? I pull my phone from my pocket, and look a there. She's already texted me asking for me to come to the arcade with her. We had been going to the same place since we were teenagers. It was fun and close to home, who could judge us? I told her I would be there soon and got dressed in a navy shirt and my favorite pair of jeans with some knee-high suede boots. It was still a bit chilly from the spring air here so I grabbed a light sweater for the short walk. I walk past the alley we took as teenagers down to the arcade and chills down my spine, so I rub my arms trying to warm up. I used to think being reckless was cool, fun even, but now I knew better. I've heard so many stories since I became a counselor and they've all taught me to live my life to the fullest. I walked past shops with clothing in the windows, pet stores, a few jewelry stores, and finally a pizza place before I turned the corner to go into Big Joe's Arcade. It had been renamed more times than I could count but all-in-all it was still an amazing place for kids. I pull my phone back out to see if my best friend, Georgia, had texted back when all of a sudden I felt hands over my eyes. I smelt the familiar scent of lilac and jasmine with a hit of orange before I ducked down and tackled her into a hug. After our little fest, we went to the front counter to order some snacks and a drink and got a super sized Coke and medium pizza. We found a booth in the corner and sat, looking at the people around us. They ranged from children to the elderly, from fat to skinny, anything you could imagine. The only thing that was the same of all of us were the content, satisfied smiles on our faces. We began playing a game, the same one we always did, about what someone's background was and it was always hilarious! By time I was finished with my turn Georgia's face was as red as her hair, and she was spewing coke. I ducked just in time and I heard a male grunt, and a few choice words I rather not repeat. He said something along the lines of "What is this some kind of freak show?" I could not help but think that we were grown and should solve this correctly but something inside of me snapped. It was my ex Mark, who cheated and refused profusely to give me my dog back. I stood, quickly pulling the lid of my drink off and pouring it all over his front. He said a few more choice words and we ran. We ran until we couldn't run anymore, never mind that he hadn't chased us. We were in for a rush. I stopped to catch my breath, and when I looked up again I realized we were in front of the notorious Live! night-club and I wanted a drink. We both looked at each other and giggled, she was so my best friend. After we went inside, we sat. The walls were black, splattered with paint that made the room light up with the black lights and the air was hazy with cigarette smoke. There were so many people that getting through the crowd had been nearly impossible. "What would you ladies like to drink?" the bartender ended with a wink. "I'll take two of the strongest thing you've got" Georgia said, her southern accent drawing her words out a little. He disappeared for a few moments and come back with two glasses and two juices, "You're gonna need it, but the drinks are on me tonight." Again, with the winking. Zeaf was his name, coming from his name tag, and he was quite a looker. He was around six foot tall with short-cropped, spiky black hair, and by the way his clothes fit he was pretty toned but most likely in his late 30's. I knocked the entire glass down, and that was a big mistake. Things got blurry, and blurry fast. I began to look for Georgia, but she was no where to be found. The last thing I remember is looking into the bartenders eyes and telling him thank you, but for what?

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I woke with a dull pain in my head, and the sun shining down on my face. That's strange, I normally kept the curtains in my room drawn because I was on the third floor and my wall to the outside was completely made of glass. I opened my eyes and instantly regretted it, but I began to panic. I was not in my house, I was in a small bedroom with a bed and dresser that were ocean wood. The curtains were a deep red color, as were the covers and the carpet was a blush black. The room was much smaller than mine, but it was a good size. I checked to see if I had clothes on, and thanked God that I did. I stepped out into the hallway and was met by the smell of bacon, eggs, and fried ham. It smelled great. The bartender from last night was standing at the stove flipping eggs, so I just sat and watched him do whatever it is men do when they're cooking alone. He obviously had earphones on because he was singing a Passenger song, which I think was Let Her Go, and shaking his bottom. It was definitely a sight to see, better I kept my eyes peeled. He turned around to get something off of the table and screamed. "HOLY SH!T, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" He asked. I screamed along with him, then began to laugh uncontrollably. He began to laugh with me, and every time I would almost gain myself back he caused me to laugh even harder. It was an amazing 10 minutes, just laughing and staring into his eyes. Then, of course like all good things it ended. He stood up and offered me a hand, "What happened last night?" I'd asked, he just looked at me and smirked. "NO! I didn't, did I?" I was frantic, I hope I hadn't done anything crazy. At least he was hot though, even for an older man. "No, you just can't handle your liquor and your friend disappeared." He replied. I asked about my phone, he said it was all in the room. As I walked down the hallway I seen all of the family pictures, but none of them had kids in them. I guess that's okay. I had to go home after eating to take a bath, and every thing to be ready for my day.