When I Woke

Chapter 4: When I Question

Sweat trickled down my body as I stared at the broken air-conditioner. The repairman was extremely busy so he could only come to fix it in the next week.

"This sucks!" Marcus exclaimed.

The air-conditioners in both of our houses had broken down in the middle of summer. So Marcus and I laid on our backs on his front yard in just our boxers in an attempt to relieve ourselves of the heat.

"What if we go to the public pool?" I suggested.

"It's always full of gross, sweaty people this time of year," Marcus groaned. "Ugh! And every ice cream parlour has sold out every flavour. This has got to be the worst summer ever!"

We continued to lie on the grass, suffering in pain as the scorching sun rays beat down on us. I shut my eyes but the light burned through my eyelids.

It was torture.

"Um... Do you guys want some ice cream?" A gentle voice asked.

I peeled open my eyes to see a nine-year-old girl looking down on us. She was holding two cones of chocolate ice cream. However they were melting quickly in her hands.

"Uh, they're gonna melt soon so hurry and take them." Her face was very red, I assumed it was because of the heat.

"Alin," Marcus suddenly spoke. "You are a lifesaver." He grinned as he took one of the cones out of her hands.

I sat up from the grass and took the other cone. Her face grew a darker shade of red when our hands made contact.

"Thanks, but you shouldn't stay out for too long or you'll get sick. You're face is really red," I voiced out.

She jumped slightly at my words and started to squirm and mumble to herself.

"I... uh... thanks," she squeaked out. "E-enjoy the ice cream!"

She quickly turned away and ran back into her house.

"That was weird," I told Marcus, not realising that we were shirtless.

"Yeah, but she's a nice girl, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she is"

*****

It was late in the morning and the overbearing heat heightened my irritation level, however I'd somehow managed to maintain myself and keep my emotions under control.

For the most part at least.

"I don't trust you," I spoke with a hint of anger in my voice.

I don't know how other people would feel in my situation but I felt very frustrated by being tied up to a tree and held as a prisoner against my will. At least I wasn't dead. Not yet anyway.

The blonde-haired boy, whose name I learned to be Jamie Everett, looked up from his food.

"The feeling's mutual," he responded and continued to chew on his bread.

The next few minutes passed in silence yet the rage in my heart struggled to be quelled.

"Argghhh!" I screamed out in frustration as I pulled against the ropes that had already begun to burn my skin.