Final Quest (15 page)

- 41 -

A BAD DECISION

Ten minutes after Michael and Jamie left, I decide to return back to Drew’s. Although Michael, Jamie and I agreed that we would travel to the island of Elpis on Drapesia tomorrow night, tonight I have a more urgent matter to solve. For some strange reason I need to be with Drew.

I’m frantic to talk to someone about Drew, but I don’t know who to turn to. I’m so confused. How can I possibly be attracted to someone who is in a relationship with my best friend? I need to stay away from Drew, not visit him. I know what I should do, but it’s as though Drew has a huge magnet pulling me towards him.

I find myself calling Drew. It’s almost as if he has a spell over me.

“Hi Drew, it’s Emily.”

“Hi Emily. I was hoping you would call.”

His voice is warm and tender.

“I’m sorry for leaving you so quickly,” I say. “I was confused.”

“No problem,” Drew says sweetly. “I  want to be with you whenever you’re ready.”

I try to stop myself, but I can’t.

“Would it be okay if I came over in another ten minutes?” I say, trying to stop the words before they came out of my mouth.

“That would be great,” Drew says. “I can’t wait to see you.”

He hangs up.

- 42 -

A DATE WITH DREW

My clothes are flying all over my bedroom as I try to decide what to wear.

I know I’m being irrational. I know I shouldn’t be going back to Drew’s. But I can’t stop myself.

I finally settle on a tight white top with a revealing neckline, a nice contrast to my dirty blond hair.

Is it too tight? Why am I doing this?”

Then in an attempt to downplay my top, I pull on a pair of old jeans.

I notice a light glowing in my emerald. I’m not sure why it’s doing this. Perhaps I shouldn’t bring my emerald with me, I think. I can’t risk Drew attempting any more commands with it. Maybe he knows some commands that I don’t know. Maybe something happened to him during his imprisonment on Zelares.

I brush my hair again for the millionth time and reapply some bright red lipstick that is a stark contrast to my white top. I rarely wear lipstick. Next I apply eyeliner. I’m not very good at doing this, but I persist.

As I look into a mirror, it’s as though I’m seeing someone else. My emerald is still glowing. It’s acting as though it’s trying to tell me something.

I unclasp the gold chain around my neck. I take off my emerald although I clearly remember Capurni telling me that I should never take it off.

I know I need to hide my emerald.

I walk over to my dresser and pull it away from the wall. A few years ago, I dropped an earring behind my dresser by accident. As I looked for it, I discovered a small space underneath my dresser that could only be reached from behind it.

I tuck my emerald necklace under my dresser, and then push the dresser back against the wall.

Without my emerald, I’m either going to have to walk to Drew’s or take a taxi. I decide on a taxi. It’s a little colder out tonight with a trace of snow on the ground.

* * * * *

I arrive at Drew’s about twenty minutes later than expected.

I look for a doorbell, but unable to find one I knock.

Drew answers the door immediately.

I gasp.

He’s wearing skin-tight jeans and nothing else. His muscular chest begs to be touched.

As soon as Drew closes the door, I find myself in his arms.

He literally picks me up and carries me to his bedroom.

The moment Drew drops me onto his bed, he rips my coat off. He’s on top of me like a mad man.

This isn’t what I was expecting, but my mind is cloudy. I feel dizzy. My head is swimming. I want Drew to get off me, but another part of me wants him to stay.

I attempt to push him off me, but he’s too heavy, and too strong.

As his lips cement themselves around mine, he bites my lower lip. It hurts.

I taste the blood.

Instinctively I bring my knee upwards into his groin area.

For a split-second he stops.

Then he slaps me hard across the face.

Something is desperately wrong.

“Drew, slow down,” I mutter, although I don’t want him to slow down, I want him to stop.

“Drew!” I scream.

I start to cry.

Drew covers my mouth with his hand. He has me pinned to the bed. His eyes look crazy.

Drew’s demeanor changes.

“I’m so sorry,” Drew says in a soft, caring voice. I never met to hurt you.”

Even as Drew apologies to me, his hand is gripped tightly over my mouth.

His other hand begins to softly caress the back of my head.

My body is shaking uncontrollably.

I have to leave.

Why is my head spinning?

How can I get away from Drew? I feel so drowsy that I don’t even know if I can stand.

I have no way of escaping him. He’s much too powerful. It wouldn’t matter if I could scream; there’s no one else in this house to hear me.

Drew tries to pull my sweater off me.

I’m frantic. I bite his hand.

“Bitch!” he shouts as he punches me in the face.

I’m struggling to remain conscious.

I know I can’t physically handle Drew. I’ve got to try another approach. If only I could concentrate. Why won’t my mind cooperate?

“Drew, please stop,” I say. “We need to slow down. This is too fast for me.”

He smiles tenderly at me.

His fingers gently touch my face. They softly stroke my chin, my cheeks, my nose, and then my forehead.

“It’s okay,” Drew reassures me as my body is quivering out-of-control. “I won’t do anything that you don’t want me to do.”

Drew’s fingers slide down the side of my face, gently massaging the skin. His fingers continue to my neck.

His touch repulses me.

“Where’s your emerald necklace?” Drew asks, his question coming out like an accusation that I have done something wrong.

“I didn’t bring it,” I manage to say through my bloody, trembling lips.

Drew’s face turns wild.

He grabs my arms so hard that they feel like they’re going to break. In the same motion he drives my head against a wooden headboard on his bed.

“My head,” I groan.

Drew’s face goes blank. It’s as though someone shot him with a powerful tranquilizer. His eyes are staring right through me.

His grip on my arms loosens.

He pulls back away from me.

“I’m sorry,” Drew says. “I’m not sure what overcame me.”

Drew is like two people. It’s as though he has a Jekyll and Hyde personality disorder. In my psychology class we studied about some people who have two completely opposing personalities, who sometimes switch from being the nicest person in the world to an angry crazed monster. Have I just witnessed this with Drew?

Drew reaches out and touches my legs.

I jerk backwards so hard that I smash my head on the wall.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you. I don’t know what got into me.”

For a moment, Drew is a blur. I’m having trouble focusing.

I’ve got to escape.

“A glass of water,” I say. “I need a glass of water.”

“I’ll get your water,” Drew says affectionately.

Drew edges off the side of the bed. His eyes don’t leave me as he steps out of the room.

I stand, but almost fall over.

I grab my coat.

My head feels dizzy again.

I force myself to walk.

A hallway outside Drew’s bedroom leads to the front door.

Before Drew reappears, I’m out of the house, stumbling in the cold and falling snow.

I’ve got to get away from here, I think. My life depends on it.

- 43 -

SHADOWS IN THE NIGHT

After running for five or ten minutes, I’m exhausted. I’m having trouble controlling my balance. I’m constantly falling.

I’m too nauseous to even consider making it to my house. Right now I have to find a way to prevent Drew from finding me.

I can’t see Drew anywhere, but I’m sure he must be looking for me.

I try to compose myself. Even though I slow down I slip on the snowy sidewalk and take another tumble. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve fallen. My head won’t stop spinning. At any moment I expect to be sick.

I try to focus as I struggle to get back to my feet.

Jasmin’s house is only a few blocks away.

I can’t go to Jasmin’s. How would I ever explain to her that Drew attacked me in his bedroom?

Michael lives two or three blocks away. A few blocks past Michael’s house is a shopping mall.

I’ve got to make it to the mall.

I force myself to stand. I notice the snow around me is streaked with blood. My lips are bleeding. My cheek, where Drew punched me, feels like it’s going to burst. There’s a hole in the knee of my jeans. Blood is flowing from a gash on my knee. My hands are cut and bleeding from falling. My coat and white top are splattered with blood.

I have to reach the mall. I’ll be safe there.

I stumble forward.

What will happen when I reach the mall? Will someone call the police when they see me? I don’t want to involve the police. I don’t want to explain what happened. I want to be left alone. I want to forget that tonight ever existed.

I turn a corner. I look behind me. I think I see a shadow moving suspiciously behind me.

I almost fall as I try to increase my speed.

The air is cold. My hands are beginning to feel numb in spite of the adrenalin rushing through me.

Crossing another street, I’m sure I’m being followed. I’m too frightened to even turn around to look. If only I had my emerald with me.

I hear loud steps behind me on the crisp frozen ground.

A branch snaps off a bush.

I pick up my pace.

I’m a little over a block away from Michael’s house and maybe only ten minutes from the mall.

Footsteps behind me grow louder.

I look back. A dark shadow vanishes behind a bush.

I can’t see anyone, but I know someone is there. Someone is following me. It has to be Drew.

Should I knock on the door of a random house?

The street lights are on the other side of the street. I need to get out of the darkness.

I step off the curb.

The screeching of brakes and the blaring of a horn greet me. I fall backwards.

I almost stepped in front of a car.

The driver doesn’t even stop to see if I’m okay.

The night is still. All I can hear is my heavy panting. My heart feels like it’s going to burst out of my chest.

I look in every direction. I can’t see anyone. Am I beginning to imagine things?

I pick myself up again.

I see him.

A shadow emerges from behind a tree. I know it’s Drew.

I try to run.

Footsteps are pounding behind me.

I’m never going to make it to the mall.

I’m frantic.

I can see Michael’s house.

I cross the street.

Three more houses.

I slip on the slick sidewalk.

I somersault before I come to a stop.

I try to stand.

Someone smashes into me like a linebacker tackling a quarterback.

I’m driven to the ground.

A powerful body leaps on top of me, pinning me to the ground.

It’s Drew.

His fingers wrap around my neck.

“Where’s the emerald?” he demands.

His grip is so tight that I’m unable to breathe.

A car honks.

A voice yells, “Hey, what is going on there? I’m going to call the police.”

Instantly Drew releases his grip on me and flees into the darkness.

I look at the car as I fight to catch my breath.

A male driver, maybe in his late fifties, is staring at me as though he’s deciding what to do next.

Suddenly the car slides away.

How can he leave me?

Drew is going to return.

I force myself to stand.

I taste the blood in my mouth.

My leg feels like it is broken.

My hands are limp.

Two more houses.