Little Did I Know (unedited)

Chapter 10

I winced as the memories from last night hit me. The words of the man's letter burned on the inside of my eyelids. I couldn't sleep, not with the threats hanging in the air.

I got out of bed, rubbing my eyes. I needed a distraction, I couldn't lay in bed and think about the man right now. My mind immediately flickered to the piano. Why not? Cole wouldn't mind, would he? Ashley and Lance were almost always at work, Cole had told me, so I wouldn't bother them. I needed to play now that my heart was set on it.

I snuck out of my room, silently walking to the living room. On the way, I caught a glance out the window, seeing the darkness of early morning. It was earlier than I thought; apparently it was only about 3 A.M. Oh well, I was up now, might as well stay up.

I looked at the fireplace as I entered the living room, seeing Cole laying on his stomach on a couch. A snore erupted from him, making me laugh. I shook my head, smiling.

Tiptoeing to the piano, I sat on the bench as quietly as I could. I wouldn't wake Cole up if I played softly. From the snores, it sounded like he was far into a dream.

Not thinking, I let my fingers brush the piano keys as soft as the whisper of the wind, and soon a quiet melody came to life under my touch. This melody was different from the one I had played earlier, however. The piece I played now was sad, heart-breaking, and I played it delicately. It told of a lost love, a horrible loss that was never let go of. It cried the lover's name with tears in its eyes. It fell to its knees, giving up all will to live. It wanted to be with the lover so much, it felt a physical pain... I suddenly stopped, tears brimming in my eyes. Where did the pain I felt now come from?

I jumped as I heard the whisper, "Sadie..." I sighed in relief. It was only Cole, talking in his sleep. Frowning, I wondered why Cole was saying my name. On que, he rolled over and whispered my name again. "Sadie..." I blinked.

Some part of me felt like I was intruding, but the other part of me was curious. Was he dreaming about me? My questions was answered when he suddenly started tossing and turning, urgently speaking my name, at normal volume now. Nervously, I shifted my weight to one foot. He was just having a nightmare, nothing was wrong.

I was worried, and decided to wake him up. I leaned to gently shake his shoulder, but in an instant he was yelling my name. His eyes flew open, and he bolted upright. I felt something hard make jarring contact with my jaw, probably an elbow, and with a cry, the force flung me hard onto the floor, on my back. I lay there dazed, as Cole leaped off the couch and ran to my side.

"Sadie!" "Mmmm fine..." I managed to mumble. Truthfully, my jaw felt like it had been hit with a hammer. "No, you're not. I can already see a bruise." He said before running to the kitchen and returning a few moments later with a bag of ice. But by the the time he got back, my vision was already going fuzzy, black spots dancing across the room. I knew I was going to lose consciousness; that hit was too hard to stay awake through.

Cole looked scared as he saw my eyes closing. "Sadie, just stay awake for a little longer, please." I couldn't oblige him, I couldn't even speak anymore. The pain had intensified immensely, and I could tell my jaw was already swollen. "I'm so sorry..." He just sat there, supporting me with one hand and holding the bag of ice with the other. His wounded expression hurt me more than my jaw did. It caused me pain to see him in pain, I realized. That's when I knew just how deep I was in with Cole. Then I saw all black.