Morning eyes cracked open as beams came down from heaven onto the base of the mattress. Fragments of shattered memories that had been broken apart by deep sleep wove themselves together again to form pictures in Marah's mind that she was sure had been only dreams. She felt dizzy, and her head was apart from her body, even though she knew that she had nothing to drink that night before. The party seemed like an age ago, and she was sure that nothing happened...
She ran her fingers down her neck to a patch of raw flesh that she was sure...
Her face turned red. Her body hatched goosebumps. It wasn't a dream.
She ran to the mirror, her hair frizzled from lack of conditioner, her makeup smeared from lack or removal, her eyes drooped from lack of sleep. But the raw flesh on her neck was completely noticeable, and had been from someone the night before. She blushed as she thought of the hazel eyes and the walnut hair....
She checked the time. The clock blinked twelve.
Sh*t.
Marah peered out the window. The sun was already high. She was going to be late. Her piano lesson was at ten. She quickly pulled off her shirt and put on a turtle neck, making sure the collar covered a huge portion of her neck. It did. Good. She didn't want anyone seeing, especially not her family members...
Running down the stairs, she jumped the last two and landed with a thunk with socked feet on the hardwood floor. She did a sharp turn into the kitchen, stomach growling eagerly for something before she flew out the door.
"Sooooo...." Marah heard the voice from the kitchen. She sighed and turned.
It was none other than her twin brother. Mark was a pain in the butt. Especially since being twins, they had some sort of mental connection. They understood each other, felt what each other was feeling, and all that jazz. That sounded cool to Marah at first, she thought she could form a close relationship with her brother, but it turned out just to be a form of annoyance to both of them.
"What?" She said flatly, scooting on the soles of her feet into the kitchen, awakening to the smell of eggs and toast. No matter how obnoxious her fifteen minute older brother was, he had the gift for making delicious food.
He stood with his back facing Marah, cooking something on the stove, spatula in one hand, glove in the other.
"I was just wondering if all this you're hiding from me, maybe, jusssssst maybe, has to do anything with your little lover boy, Roby?"
Marah turned her head sharply, so that her short burgundy hair hit her face.
"What if it does?" She glowered, her voice dripping with malice, "Stay out of my head, you little son of a-"
"Hey, hey!" Mark turned from his cooking, "Don't threaten me, baby girl! I ain't got nuthin' for you to be hatin'. I just wanted to know if you got a little further with him...your little boy toy..."
Marah hissed, "Shut it. There's nothing between us, nothing will be, it was all just a one night thing, I mean NOTHING to him, and he doesn't mean ANYTHING to me."
Mark grinned, knowledge sparkling in his eyes. Of course Marah was lying.
"Sure, sure. Whateva you say, baby girl. Want some eggs, dearest?"
Marah muttered something crossly, but soon found herself flying out the door, stomach jumbled with yummy eggs and toast.
The air was sharp, sharp like nails, but they didn't pierce Marah's lung. She inhaled the cool air welcomingly, loving the cold feeling of fall that was on her skin. She hurried along, her eyes scanning the ground below her, scanning the leaves and twigs that had been trampled into the sidewalk. The fall was at its peak now. Marah loved fall. Nothing was more beautiful when the world was dying for the year. Kind of sad, but fall brought so much joy. Cider, donuts, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and everything that anyone could look forward to. It was a time for hot chocolate, and a time to watch freaky movies and take trips to horror houses. The best part of all.
Marah was walking down the road, content and feeling more alive every second.
There was something more between her and Roby. Was it the way he said her name? Was it the way they snuck out sometimes, to dark, secluded places? Was it the way she was always happy when she was around him? She didn't know, but she was sure this was love. How couldn't it be? Roby had accepted her, her and all her faults, and loved her just as much as she loved him. She couldn't have been luckier.
Her life was completely in line. She couldn't have been happier. She found herself skipping along with a tune in her head, finding herself tapping keys on her baby grand, her beloved piano that had brought so much happiness to her, almost as much as Roby did. The joys of her life. She sighed in happiness.
The silence of the morning was cut in half by a siren. A police car.
It was followed by several others. What was this....a chase?
Marah stopped for a moment, squinting into the distance. Was it up ahead?
The sirens got louder, echoing throughout the small suburb. It was so unnatural to hear of any crime down here. Everyone was peaceful, and the crime rates were so low.
People stood out on their porches, talking amongst themselves in confusion, as the sirens got louder.
There was a squeaking of rubber on pavement, and the sound of an accelerating vehicle as it seared down the road, down the street and through the burbs.
In the distance Marah could see a small black dot, growing bigger, and bigger by the moment.
She examined the car. It was nice. A Jaguar, polished to perfection. A stolen vehicle?
The thought spiked Marah's interest. It was coming this way? Her heart pounded in her chest. If this was indeed a chase, she could be in potential danger.
But she was far enough away from the road....wasn't she? She looked at her surroundings. Not really. A few feet from the road. As the car grew larger and closer, people yelled at her from their porches.
"Get out of the way, kid!"
But she didn't move. Something else wasn't letting her. And as the car grew closer and closer, and the sounds grew louder and louder, she saw that the escape car was coming.....directly toward her.
But she couldn't move. She was planted. People yelled at her, screaming for her to get away from the road. But something held her interest.
Some sort of familiarity.
As the car neared, until it was so close, and the wind was full of yelling and screeching, did Marah blink back into reality.
She was in danger. Serious danger.
She moved out of the way, as fast as she could.
But she was standing on a curb. And as a black Jaguar going at seventy miles per hour rounded the corner, it swerved completely off the road.....
There were bright headlights
shouts
confusion
The last thing Marah ever saw was....
the flashing light.
then there was nothing
nothing but
darkness.
