Love & Deceit

Chapter 1: The Surface of the Plight

           

"Get up."

"I...can't"

"Yes, you can. Now, get up."

I willed my limbs to move but they just wouldn't budge, I tried harder and harder; nothing. It was as if I was paralyzed. It was getting closer, the blackness closing in around us. This is it; this is how I'm going to die.

"Just leave me, James. Save yourself!"

"I will never-"

His sentence was cut off by the blackness. Everything faded into nothingness...nothing at all.

I woke up with a start. God...I'm never going to stop getting that dream will I? It feels...real, somehow; every time. It wasn't though...that wasn't how he died. A familiar pain started blossoming in my chest, gripping my heart like a vice. No matter how much I wish it was, how much I wish I could just see him one more time, hear his sarcastic comments one more time, touch his face one more time. I wish I could have saved him...if I was there, maybe I could have, but the fact of the matter is I wasn't and now...he's gone forever, and nothing can ever change that. My train of thought was interrupted by the shrill sound my phone makes every time my best friend texts me.

"Raven, knowing you you're probably thinking of wasting your Saturday at home. I don't think so, get up, we're going to I-Hop. I'll pick you up in 10. No excuses loser. - Matt"

For the last few months, he's gone out of his way to always force me out of bed, always make me go out. Amidst all the crap, all the pain, the irreplaceable void in my heart, the pit of shrivel emptiness and despair that my life feels like at times. Matt has managed to be my ray of hope. He's the voice in the back of my head that always keeps me going, and I love him for it.

True to his word, he showed up nearly 10 minutes later, and we made our way to I-Hop, it was our main breakfast place. We ordered the usual; blueberry pancakes and maple syrup topped French toast. The waitress paying seemingly too much attention to Matt... go figure, he's gorgeous; with that infuriating smirk of his, or with his deep blue eyes that reminded me a little too much of the ocean. Wait a second; didn't he already sleep with this one?

"Anything else, handsome?"

"Nah, we're good, thanks."

She smiled and walked off. I turned my attention to Matt, remembering the events of the previous day.

"Where did you run off to last night? You just disappeared."

A smirk flew to his face.

"Where do you think I was, gorgeous?"

His gave me a suggestive eyebrow raise before his eyes flew to the waitress; she was staring at him from the counter. I rolled my eyes at him.

"The waitress? I thought you were over that certain...conquest."

His eyes lit up in mirth.

"Actually I was under her."

Ugh, I walked right into that one.

"I'm not even going to explain how wrong that sentence was."

He let out a laugh, no doubt at getting the exact reaction he wanted from me. Our conversation was interrupted as the waitress set down our dishes, giving Matt a wink before leaving. We dug into the heaps of food in front of us, eating in comfortable silence. I noticed a shadow by the door of I-Hop; which automatically gave me a bad feeling, like something I didn't want was going to happen. Curious, I excused myself to investigate. As I got closer I could see it clearly, an all too familiar figure in a hooded cloak that people seemed to pass by without even looking – they can't see it – it silently exited the restaurant and led me to a dark alley nearby. I recalled the 'revelation spell' and used it to show me the truth.