Scapegoat

Unwanted past

Later that night, I had explored the house and found a Jacuzzi. I sat in the warm bubbling water, taking a cool breath of open air. I felt exposed only wearing boy-shorts and a top. It was lovely sitting outside but still being warm, I hadn’t been in a Jacuzzi since I was a little girl. I had begun to drift of when an image popped into my mind.

How long had I been lying here? The sheets beneath me were damp and cold. I looked at my body, I was dressed in a white linen dress that fell above the knees and my toes were painted with a red polish. I glanced at my hands and saw that they were stained with scarlet, the colour spread onto my sheets and my dress. I could feel the panic rising but I couldn’t move my body, I had to close my eyes and take a deep breath before I could get my body to sit up. I sat on the edge of the bed, stepping into the pool of blood settled around the bed, the liquid seeping through my toes. I stepped cautiously through the liquid and opened the door; the lounge was empty except for someone standing in the middle. I saw whom I assumed to be Marshall and walked over to him, he looked deeply into my eyes. I tried to give him the same look but my eyes kept darting to his neck, I stared at it, the pounding of his pulse in my ears. My instincts took over and I gripped his neck before biting into the juicy flesh, I felt the thick blood flow into my mouth before everything went black.

I woke up under water, I couldn’t move and I was losing oxygen. My whole body went numb and I slowly closed my eyes, embracing my slow decent. Something jolted my eyes open as my limp body was pulled to the surface, Marshall held me in his arms, and I looked up wide-eyed at him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Marshall stroked my wet hair back from my face and stroked my cheek. I suddenly remembered what I was wearing and wondered how transparent I was; I wrapped my arms around me, pretending to be cold. Marshall hugged me tighter to him.

“How did you find me?” He carried me out of the Jacuzzi and walked me into the house, placing me onto the sofa.

“Damien called me and told me to stay with you for a while.” I was shocked, although Damien hadn’t comeback after disposing of my victim.

I spent the rest of the day with Marshall, we acted as if nothing happened and I was grateful he didn’t know about anything I had done.

We both sat in the corner of my dully lit room, the windows almost overflowing with thick white snow. A nostalgic feeling had taken over, giving me the first nice feeling of today. Marshall had his arms wrapped tightly around my shoulders; I clung to his hard muscular chest, and lent my head on his shoulder. Marshall looked down at me, his eyes dulled by the darkness of the room. He gave me that quirky smile, that one he knew I had loved from a long time ago; it gave me the feeling as if he knew something I didn’t. Caressing my cheek, he lifted my chin; our noses almost touching. I could feel the warmth of his breath brushing the top of my lip. I stared back into his hardened eyes. Marshall and I sat in silence, watching the gentle snow drift past the window. We were so close I could feel the heat of his body warm mine, could hear the soft whisper of his breath as he exhaled. I inched closer, and felt his hand encircle mine again. I looked up at him, his soft brown eyes already locked on mine. He ran his fingertips up my forearm, leaving a trail of goose bumps blooming in their wake. He brought his hand up to cup my cheek, his thumb running along the curve of my cheekbone. I nestled into his hand, feeling the warmth seep into mine. Marshall leaned in, lips parting slightly, his eyes flitting down to rest on mine.

A loud knock on the door made us freeze and turn to look over at the open doorway.

“Am I interrupting something?” Damien stared at us both as if we were naughty children caught red handed. I cleared my throat and turned to look at Damien.

“Where were you then?” I got up off the sofa and walked towards Damien with my hands crossed over my chest. I heard Marshall get up and walk beside me, he snaked an arm around my waist, as if claiming I was his.

“I went out, I think you should get some sleep.” Damien held my hand as we walked up the small rounding staircase that led up to the bedrooms. I was led into a room that was barren of furniture except for 2 beds. They looked comfy enough but I wasn’t one for complaining about the quality of a bed.

“I’m sorry there aren’t three beds, I didn’t think I would bring anyone apart from you here.” Damien rubbed the back of his neck before sitting on the edge of one of the beds.

“So will it be awkward for you to share a bed with Marshall?” I tried not to sound condescending as I sat next to him.

“I won’t be because you’re sharing with me.” He didn’t even flinch as he said this, as if it was the norm.

We were sitting on the edge of the bed; we were so close to each other. I could sense his mood and intentions by the way he looked at me, I could sense a change in his breathing as it became raspier. My nervous gestures made him laugh; I had begun to smile along with him as we sat in silence. All of a sudden he reached for my face, brushing a strand of hair off my cheek as it slid ever so slightly past my ear, his thumb caressing my cheek. Before I knew it we were kissing, our mouths moving in unison and becoming one as passion surged. Time stood still as our lips moved together, making me forget how annoying the situation was. His soft, warm lips tasted like mint. I could feel him smiling which made me smile too. I pulled away, my forehead leaning against his. He smiled genuinely, making his already beautiful blue eyes, even more captivating. I was excited and nervous as to where this might lead next but before I could do anything I blacked out…