Falling Through

Chapter Two

When we arrived back at the bonfire, I noticed, first, the silence; the strange, eerie silence of an October evening. The only sounds came from the fire, as it crackled and moaned with life. Then, I felt the penetrating stares puncture my skin like needles, prodding me and poking me. I gripped Ian’s hand with a mix of emotions. Fear, anxiety, and doubt were all familiar to me, but something, a feeling I’d never felt before lingered in me, on my lips. It was like hunger, with more emotion. I didn’t know what to think about it, so I tried to ignore it; doing the only thing I could think to do: act.

            The flickering tongues of orange and red danced around the massive woodpile in the center of the clearing, taunting those of us at its edges. I stopped Ian; he gazed down at me, eyebrows raised in anticipation.

            “Now?” He mouthed to me. I smiled as seductively as I could and perched my hands behind his neck, inviting him down.  Our lips collided roughly, as did his hands with my waist. I had kissed a boy once before, but it certainly wasn’t like this. We kissed repeatedly, barely surfacing for air. His hands slipped lower until they were nestled snugly at my hips. I closed my eyes as I tried to imagine what thoughts were going through Ian’s head, but I stopped after I realized I didn’t even know what was going through mine.

            The night droned on. Suddenly it was nearly one AM; Ian’s plan had succeeded on his behalf around eleven. Maddy took a sudden interest in him and, possibly under the influence of alcohol, attacked him. I had still been in character, still locked hand in hand with Ian, when she threw herself unto him. In just seconds, he had her pinned down in an expert fashion in the bed of a silver pickup truck.

            I was alone. Sitting close to the fire, trying to ignore the constant glares from everyone around me and the tugging at my gust, I was simply trying to warm my chilled bones. The stares seemed to grow in intensity, so I rose from my place by the fire, and moved into the shadows of the woods to be alone, so I could think. It grew colder and darker, but at the edge of the clearing, I sat down. Before I knew it, he was beside me. At first I thought him to be Ian, but I was wrong. He was muscular, like Ian, but even more to. His chiseled torso was bare and greatly enhanced his appearance. He had dark, green eyes and messy, blond hair. He looked like a surfer; tall, attractive in many ways, sturdily built with a mesmerizing smile that was always painted onto his face.

            “Hey Kairi,” Eric said. His voice purred with danger, yet was soft; like velvet against your skin. He scooted closer to me and I instantly swept the surrounding areas for Faith, since she was Eric’s girlfriend, but I didn’t see her. After thinking about it, I realized I hadn’t seen her all night.

            “Where’s Faith?” I asked as apathetically as I could.

            “Couldn’t make it.” I smelled alcohol on his words. “Guess it’s just you and me, angel.” He reached for my face, but I pulled away. He drew back playfully; a mix of emotions conjured into his face. He smiled his brilliant smile, crooked slightly to the left. “What’s wrong? Scared?” I stared at him.

            “No.” This seemed to be the answer he wanted, because he again reached for me. I made a move to sit up, but he reached across me and caught my thigh, pulling me back into him. He brushed my hair back, and sucked gently on my neck. I grimaced; feeling him so close to me sent shivers of unwelcomed fear up and down my skin. “What about Faith?” He stopped briefly to look at me.

            “She’s not here.”

            “But she’s your girlfriend,” I said. Eric smiled knowingly.

            “But she’s not here,” he leaned in closer and closer until he was hovering over me, my hands pinned up above my head in the supple earth. His lips so close to mine, I could nearly taste the leftover alcohol he breathed out. Then he spoke in a hurried, demanding whisper; “And I’m hungry.” Then he kissed me.

            It escaladed quickly. A kiss became my unbuttoned shirt; an unbuttoned shirt made Eric remove his. I lay lifeless, helpless against his rugged muscles, before a stabbing pain shot through me. It seemed to bring me to life as I became aware of what was happening. As hard as I could, I pulled my knee up and struck Eric’s back.

            “Ow!” He shrieked as he clawed at his back, trying to find a way to relieve the pain I had injected into him with my knee. At this sudden distraction, I scrambled off, not even daring to turn around to the vicious profanities that were shouted at me from behind.

            It became clear in a second; the click of a gear. The last thing Eric had said to me rang throughout my mind; “And I’m hungry.” Suddenly everything made sense. Everything I had felt with Ian; the lingering sensation he had left on my lips. Hunger.