"The Sacrifice:;The Sacrifice Trilogy"[Book 1.]

20. Salvage The Damnaged

"I dive into the future, but I'm blinded by the sun.  I'm reborn in every moment, so who knows what I'll become?" -Selena Gomez.

April 22, 2015

Lucien

This day started out like any other, so how were we to know everything would go wrong in just a few hours?  That's the thing most peculiar about time: it passes by so quickly-too quickly.  One minute Collan had invited all of us to a party at his beach house, and the next minute...our lives are gone.  In order to fully explain what I mean, allow me to rewind part of the heartbreaking and terrifying day backwards.

Savannah, Liv and I had left Jakob and Hayden-who are a couple-to their own devices while we three went to party central.  Two years had already come and gone since my foster mom, Rosemary alongside my foster bro, Micheal had graciously moved from New Orleans to Malibu for the sake of mom's brand new job as a nurse at the local hospital.  Savannah has become my rock in these past two years, ever since we bought the house next door.  She's even dealt with my...suicidal tendencies.

Not even an hour passed before I received the call, my phone buzzing with Trading Yesterday's "Shattered" against the backseat of Liv's Toyota.  Reaching across the rustic seat to grasp my iPhone, I select answer when I see it's Micheal.  "Hello?  Wait, slow down so I can understand you properly, Micheal," it takes him a minute for his composure-which sounded strange and disoriented-to slide into place once he took deep breaths.  "What?  She's where?!  How?" Containing the knife-cutting gasps escaping lungs that couldn't withstand anymore heaving or wheezing proved unhealthy.  "Turn this car around now, Olivia Ashley Brownan.  There's an emergency at Savannah's house," I order her sternly. 

Savannah caught my gaze in the rear-view mirror and knew something was horribly wrong.  "Floor it, Liv," my best friend instructed in a near panic of her own.  At that ultimatum she was given, Liv sighed resignedly and scowled at me with daggers in her eyes.   "So I wore this poofy pink dress for nothing?  Great," she griped. "Shut up, Liv," Savannah and I say in sync, rolling our eyes as well.  indignation seemed to roar inside Liv enough that the steering wheel suffered through a choke-hold: she ultimately gave in, however.

* * *

Pulling into Savannah's driveway was a nightmare.  I ran out the car so fast I was like a vampire, speeding with unearthly grace.  Unfortunately, my legs gave out from under me as if they had abandoned my body right there, cold and dying on the cleanly-cut grass.  Mom's dead coupes lay confined in the glass window, blond hair straightened back with lose bobby pins.  In an utter contrast to her hair, I couldn't get a glimpse of mom's face because of the way she was positioned inside the window.   What makes this situation even more damming is that I can legitimately see where her skull dented the glass because there's a gigantic hole.   Savannah sneaked up behind my still form on the ground, sat down and soothed the red mark I created by clenching my fist.  She takes both hands in hers as she rubs two palms simultaneously, drawing comfort from the pattern she'd assembled.  "I'm so sorry about all this mess, Lucien.  I really have no idea how to console you, considering I've been through something similar and I'm still grieving like it was yesterday!  All my options are severely limited at the moment, so I can offer you a hug.  Do you want a friendly hug, first of all?" She asked with quivering lips.

Shaking my head adamantly back and fourth, I suddenly could stand as if an invisible person forced me to.   "Do you want to go inside and check if Hayden's okay in there?  She's probably a wreck right about now!" I suggested, seeking some diversion from the somber subject.  A cross between helplessness and pity played evidently across her beautiful face all in three seconds, then Savannah nodded mutely.  "Fine, but you can't conceal yourself behind an indifferent wall forever.  It's not healthy." she chastised me sympathetically.  Literally huffing and puffing, my arms went up with one exaggerated sigh as tears fell without permission.  "What exactly do you hope he'll accomplish here, Savannah?  I don't want to discuss what I just witnessed at this moment!  Even if I actually did, I'd break apart into shards just speaking about it.  Do you want to say screw it and grill me?  Go right ahead, then.  Although you'd end up losing me in the process because I wouldn't survive it, and I don't-" I inhaled a shaky breath when I looked down at her red strapless dress, "I can't leave you.  I love you too much." Grasping her cheeks with hands that seemed hell-bent on shaking as well, electricity flowed between our bodies.