Wash

Chapter One

Zoey
Clipped

"Do you remember anything? Anything that can help us identify the man that attacked you?" Sergeant Hughes asks, tapping his long, thin index finger against the handle of his empty, white mug. He's impatient, just like the staff at the hospital who poked and proded me, tsking every time I flinched away from their cold hands.

How many times has he sat in this stark, gray room, at this same weathered table, and asked that exact question to other terrified young women? How many times has he received the answer he wants, the answer he needs?

"I...I..." My teeth chatter, but I'm not cold.

I clench the itchy, coal colored police blanket, pulling it tightly around my shoulders. My body aches in ways it shouldn't, in ways I've never wanted it to. It was never supposed to happen to me.

Nineteen years...
Nineteen years unscathed in this hell hole, why now?

"It's okay. Take your time."

Clearing my parched throat, I press my lips together, desperately trying to fight off the tears that burn in the corners of my eyes.

"I..." I gulp as my heart cramps in my chest. "He...I...it was dark."

~*~*~ earlier that evening ~*~*~

With a smile, I tilt my chin up to the night sky and close my eyes. Cool drops of water fall from the heavens and patter along my bare cheeks. My skin twitches as the droplets run down the sides of my thin nose. I love the rain, especially when it drizzles like this.

"The rain is that good, huh?"

I startle, clenching the DVD in my hand and snapping it to my chest. Holding my breath, I lower my gaze and our eyes meet. Oh. My lips part, letting out a heavy exhale.

Sebastian Black.

Butterflies emerge from their chrysalises and flurry like mad in my belly. I didn't see him sitting on the green park bench as I strolled down the sidewalk. I must have been too busy admiring the dark clouds, waiting for them to finally rip open. My parents are always telling me to pay more attention to my surroundings. Maybe I should.

"It's been a while since we've had rain." I point out, ignoring my gray hood as it starts to sag against my forehead. "And it's my favorite so..."

Sebastian leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his thick, bare arms against worn, denim jeans. For once, he wears a white t-shirt that actually fits. It hugs his biceps and clings to his broad shoulders. It's a shirt that reminds me that the boy I met in high school has grown up. Of course, I've watched him grow with my very own eyes from my bedroom window, the highest in my house. For years he's sauntered past, nursing wounds, riding his bike, holding hands with girls. I've witnessed it all, his pain, his happiness... and still, I don't truly know him. Not as well as I'd like to.
Our eyes lock, sending blasts of heat down my spine and melting the floor at my feet. He surveys me with his amused stare, his lips twitching at the corners as he fights a smile.

A small eternity passes before he swallows, finally letting the smile curve his lips. "Well, now that you mention it, the rain ain't so bad."

I smile, a wide, toothy smile. Oh, boy. Reign it in a little, weirdo. I purse my lips and bite the inside of my cheek, desperate to hide the elation I feel deep down inside. He's talking to me. I love it when he talks to me. Judging by this conversation and his kind smile you wouldn't think he was so difficult to talk to, but he is. He spends most of his time in his own head or walking about, brooding. We've probably had six conversations in as many years. All of them gentle small talk, laced with awkwardness and fierce blushing on my part.