The Unexpected

Chapter 2- Houses

When I regained consciousness, I was startled by how cold I was. My vision was still fuzzy, so I decided to close my eyes while I wondered how long I had been out. I decided I had waited long enough to restore my vision, so I opened my eyes and almost passed out again. I never wanted to return here, ever.

So story time! When I was really little, I lived with my mom. But after I did not show up for school 3 days in a row, the principal decided to investigate. It turns out that I hadn't eaten during that time and my mom wasn't home. I had fallen down the stairs and injured my neck, landed on a pencil or something.

I was rushed to the hospital and they cleaned me up. I was swept into the foster care system and I quickly found a charming little home in Newsburg, Pennsylvania. The loving parents fostered me for the 1 year minimum and then adopted me. A couple of weeks later, I started hearing the rustles. Quick little things, nothing much. But they got more frequent and much louder and I didn't know what to do.

Anyway, this house has a lot of...of what I don't really know. I actually have very few memories of this house which is odd since I lived here for 8 years. I remember that my mom didn't eat much and came home very late and very drunk and very messy. From the little I do remember, she hadn't changed anything, if she even lived here still. I don't know what happened after I was removed.

There was a lull in my thoughts and the freezing temperature filled the gap. I ran my hands up and down my arms and suddenly, I was warm and very startled. A light came on in what I remember as the kitchen. I held my breath and quietly stood up and walked towards the door. But there was one little problem, I'm very clumsy... I hit my pinky toe on the side of the table. I shouted in pain and started hopping around the room on one foot and proceeded to knock over a lamp. I froze in fear of what was going to happen next though I was still on one foot. The light clanging in the kitchen stopped as I froze and I heard a couple of steps that sounded like feet that were enveloped in thick combat boots.

My hunch was confirmed when a tall frame filled the doorway to the living room. Dark curls dusted his head. He was wearing a blue plaid button-up shirt with a white tank top underneath. His thick jeans were a medium washed blue. He was perfectly proportionate, muscles bulging through his shirt. And his hands, though they were slender, they were covered in thick calluses and that skin, the beautiful caramel skin. I gasped in horror and realization, my kidnapper. Quickly, I backed up, tripping over the cord for the lamp and falling. I yelped as the lamp fell on my stomach. My lovely host rushed over to help me up. I growled at him and scooted backwards, hitting the wall. He jumped back in surprise. I don't know who he expected me to feel, excited that he had knocked me out and brought me to the house of the person I hated the most in this world. Then fear flooded me. Was he working with my mother? Had they taken my sweet loving parents? When I looked up his lips were moving, but I hadn't heard what he had been saying.

"...but that's all that I have until-"

"What on Gods green earth are you talking about," I shouted, "You kidnapped me and you're trying to have a causal civil conversation!?!??!" I breathed heavily and my captor looked taken aback. I looked him squarely in the eye and refused to blink.

The young man decided to speak, "Let me start over."

I hope that, while he talked, he could see the burning anger pouring out of my eyes like tears on the day of a funeral for a loved one.

"My name is Jordan. Abby is my mom and-"

"No."

"What?"

"Well you're older than me, obviously, and Abby's my mom. So I think I would remember if I had an older brother."

"O.K. How about I'll say I'm not biologically related. O.K.?"

"Fine. Continue."

"Thank you. Less than a week ago, Abby went to go see her uh-niece."

I saw his hesitation when he said niece, but I needed to know why I was here so I let it go.

"She called me as soon as she got to this little town in Texas. I was surprised when she called me the next day."

"Why? I would ask her to call every day. That is, if I cared."

"But would you ask her to call you at 3 o'clock in the morning?"

"No, I'm not a morning person. But time zones are different. Obviously," I said, my voice filled with contempt.

"I did the math and worked it out already, I meant it was 3 o'clock her time."

I wasn't going to lie, that was a little weird, but I wasn't going to tell him that. "What did she say? Isn't that the real question?"

"That's the thing. We had a polite conversation. She asked how I was and I told her I was a bit tired, I mean it was 3 o'clock-"

"Ya. Ya. Ya. Cut to the chase, you dirtball," I interrupted still not seeing what my kidnapping and I had to do with small Texas towns and cute laboring kidnappers.

"Well," he looked taken aback, "I asked her why she was calling me so early she took a while for her to answer and while I was waiting-"

I made a move to interrupt him but he stopped me. "Wait let me finish. Her breath was very labored. She said only one more word before she hung up. 'Vervain.'"