Cracks Within

Chapter 8

Tuesday 9th October 2040.

I jump out of my memory as I feel a hand on my shoulder. I scream out, wrapping my hands around the stranger's arm and twisting it.

"Anna, calm down sweetie, it's me!"

I stop twisting. "Sam?!" I turn around to see my husband, his concerned eyes wandering all over my face.

"Hey, are you okay? You've been acting strange for the past couple of days. What's happened?" he asks me, sitting down.

I nod my head. "Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing. I'm fine."

He studies my face. "No, you're not. Izzy heard you shouting when you were asleep on the sofa yesterday. It scared her."

"I'm fine. Must've had a bad dream."

He gazes across the lake. "Okay. What are you doing out here?"

"Decided to take Harvey for a walk. He loves water so I thought it'd be nice for him to come here."

"Fair enough."

I suddenly move backwards and face Sam. "How did you know I was here?" I ask him, suspiciously.

"I was walking around the park after going to the shop, and saw Michelle Orom. She said you were talking to some woman on a bench and she saw you go through the trees."

"Ah. Okay, thought you had powers then."

Sam laughs, his laugh deep and rumbly. "You never know. Come on, let's go. We can have some time together before I go to the practice rooms."

"What time do you have to go?"

"Four-thirty. So, we have about an hour and a half to spend with each other." He kisses my playfully on the cheek and then on the neck.

I shiver. "Oh, I see." I say seductively. "Let's go!"

After running back home, we're out of breath, I check my phone. 3.35. Sam holds me from the back. "Let's go upstairs." He whispers in my ear. He turns me 180 degrees to face him. He kisses me on the lips and we walk upstairs. As we both collapse on the bed, Sam's phone rings. "Damn it!" he says through gritted teeth. He sits up on the edge of the bed. "What?" he barks down the phone. "Are you kidding?" he sighs and hangs up the phone. He looks at me, regretfully. "I'm so sorry. I've been called in, Sierra wants to book the room for six hours today instead of two, I'm gonna have to go."

I sigh, trying to hide the disappointment off my face. I'm unsuccessful. "Okay. See you whatever time tonight."

Sam kisses me on the lips. "I love you." he says as he grabs his bag and runs downstairs.

I lie down, wishing we had more time. I start to drift into a memory, a bad memory, until I smack myself in the face. I know what I need to do, I think to myself. I jump off the bed and change out of my clothes, opting for a pair of blue skinny jeans, brown boots and a black sheer top with a silk vest top underneath. I quickly mess up my hair and put on some makeup. I must look nice for this, I think to myself. I run downstairs, nearly tripping over Harvey. I rip my bag open. I start to type a number until my hand freezes over the call button. Can I do this, I think frantically. Can I go back? I take a deep breath and press 'dial'.

"Hello?" A deep familiar voice booms down the phone.

I take a deep breath. "Marshall, it's Anna. Anna Delaney."

"Anna!" he says delightedly. "It's lovely to hear from you. After you left last time, I didn't think you'd talk to me again."

"Me neither. The memories have come back. Worse this time. They're overpowering me. It's starting to make me think that I need to leave and not come back."