Abandonment is one word to describe Evelyn Ward's childhood.
Known as an orphan freak and paranoid schizophrenic, she was dragged through years of therapy after admitting to hearing whispering voices and seeing creatures and living shadows.
...
Ambulances and police arrived shortly after the fire trucks. The EMT's wandered about the scene assessing everyone's safety, determining that there were no serious injuries. I paid them no attention, keeping my eyes firmly on the wraiths who slithered around, reveling in the destruction they had caused.
Mr. Crowley let us go home, announcing that the Shake Shack would be closed for several days while it was inspected and repaired. Although he seemed relieved no one had died, he grumped the whole time about lost revenue and the costs of new windows.
Happy to go home early, I texted Jorden. Chelsea offered me a ride, but he had already responded, letting me know he was on his way. Still, she waited with me until he arrived, our earlier conversation forgotten.
Jorden pulled up fifteen minutes later in his black Chevrolet Camaro. Chelsea disappeared off to her own car to head home and shake off the day's events.
Crushing me against his chest, Jorden captured my lips against his. "Are you hurt?" His brown eyes filled with worry as he inspected me, looking for any sign of injury.
Shaking my head no, I wrapped my arms around him, seeking his comfort. He wrapped me up in a tight embrace and led me to his car, opening the passenger door for me to climb in. As he shut the door and walked around to the driver's side, my eyes scanned the crowd of gathering onlookers.
He stood on the corner surveying the scene, raven hair sweeping across his emerald eyes, blown by the wind. His stance was casual, dressed in dark jeans and a dark t-shirt, but he looked tense, and I wondered if he had something to do with what had happened. After all, the wraiths did seem to respond to him -- he could have caused them to do this. Either way, one thing was certain: this was no freak accident and we were damn lucky no one had been hurt or killed.
The car engine purred to life, and we pulled away. I watched him as we drove past, and his eyes snapped over to meet my pale gaze. His green eyes seared into me, following as Jorden turned the corner.
We pulled into the driveway at Jorden's condo soon after. Utterly drained and confounded, I followed him inside and collapsed on his mattress. The bed dipped under his weight as Jorden lay down beside me and gathered me against him. I barely felt his lips against my throat or his hands caressing my body as I closed my eyes.
My thoughts didn't linger on Jorden as I drifted to sleep. My mind only held room for the green eyes that stared at me from within the darkness.
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Haunting green eyes and suspicious behavior... What are your theories on our mystery man? Did he do it?
Let me know what you think -- I'll give a cookie to the best guesser 😉
