1. Irresistible Offer

My eyes shot open and I was momentarily blinded by the light coming out of a nearby window.  Slowly, I tried to make sense of my surroundings.

It took me a few seconds to recognize my own room.  I couldn’t remember sleeping the night before.  The sinking feeling that I was forgetting something didn’t help with the fact that I was slowly beginning to feel panic.

Did something happen the night before?  Why couldn’t I remember anything?  As of now, there were only two possibilities I could think of to explain the gap in my memory.  One: My friends and I went to the bar last night and I got so drunk that I couldn’t remember a single thing I did.  And two, which is far worse than the first one: I got into an accident some time in the past and I got short-term memory loss.

Of course, both of my theories have their flaws.

The first one would’ve worked if only I had people to get drunk with.  Aside from my best friend Andrea Samuel and her twin brother David, I didn’t really have any other friends.  And Andrea doesn’t drink.  I didn’t know if the not-remembering-anything-when-you-get-drunk myth was even true.  Maybe everything would be a blur, but to completely forget… I wasn’t sure.

On the other hand, if I did have short-term memory loss, I figured I would’ve woken up in a hospital or a recovery center.  Unless Andrea decided that she’d rather have me confined in our apartment…

The odds aren’t looking so good.

I sat up and my feet routinely fumbled for my slippers.  I would have ran out of my room if not only for the sudden pain that stung my legs the moment my weight shifted.  I had to grab unto the bed post to avoid falling.  So I guess that would be another point for the second theory.

As a means to partially relieve the pain, I took really deep breaths as I walked towards the door.  The strong aroma of food filled my nostrils as soon as I got it opened.

The pain was slowly disappearing as I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen.  At least I didn’t have to take medicine.

Andrea was standing by the stove, her long, red hair facing me.  She was murmuring a song to herself.  I reckoned she didn’t hear me come down the stairs.

I could still hear T-Pain’s voice coming from the earphones that were plugged to her ears even against the loud sizzling of food she was frying.  I had always wondered how was it that her ears could still work.

“Hey, Ands…”  I tapped her shoulder to let her know I was standing behind her.

She turned to me with a slight jerk.  “My god Camey, you shouldn’t do that!  I almost had a heart attack.”  She placed her hand on her chest before removing her earphones.

“Sorry.”  I smiled weakly and took a seat in the dining table.

“Breakfast is almost done.”  She turned her attention back to whatever it is that she was cooking.  “You like eggs, right?”

“Mm…”  I had my head down on the table.  It didn’t hurt, per say, but the feel of it somehow made me sick.

I heard her turn off the stove and fumble with the plates and utensils.  I looked up when the sound of things being put down on the table echoed in my ears.

“When did you learn how to cook?”  The food in front of me weren’t burnt, which surprised me.  When we moved into an apartment together, we either ate out or ordered take-out, or in unusually non-busy days, ate what I cooked.  I didn’t even know she knew how to work the stove.

She sat in front of me and grinned.  “Oh, I know how to cook, I just don’t enjoy it the way you do.”  She pushed a plate towards me.  “Dig in.  I assure you they’re edible.”

The chuckle that escaped my throat tingled.  It was only then that I realized that I was thirsty.  I reached out for the glass of water placed at the far end of the table and drank it empty.  The cold water felt really good on my dry mouth.

Andrea watched me with intent eyes.  “What did you do?  Run a marathon in your dreams?”

I looked at her.  She reminded me of something which I think I should’ve thought of the moment I woke up.

Dream.  I was pretty sure I had a dream.  That I had dreamt about something important.

My head throbbed.  Whatever it is, maybe it wasn’t that important.  I hope it wasn’t.  ‘Cause in my current condition, I certainly couldn’t afford to strain this brain of mine.

“Are you okay?”  The look of curiosity in her face was replaced with worry.

I nodded.  “Yeah.”  I suddenly remembered my purpose for going against my aching body.  I couldn’t believe I forgot why I went out of bed in the first place.

“Hey, Ands, did something happen last night?”

If I wasn’t looking straight into her eyes, I would’ve missed the flash of hesitation which lasted for only a split second.

“We went into a bar last night and you got drunk.  I suppose that’s why you don’t remember anything.”  She grabbed a piece of toast and bit a corner off.

“You don’t drink.  Why would we go to a bar?”  I felt more confused than I did when I was arguing to possibility with myself.

She swallowed the piece of bread she was chewing before she answered.  “Patty broke up with David yesterday and he got pretty depressed.  I got worried and we followed him to the bar three blocks from here.”  In her face was a look of worry again.  “You don’t remember?”

I shook my head.  What she said made sense.  I didn’t understand why I wasn’t buying it.

Andrea shrugged.  “It was the first time I saw you drunk.  I should’ve known I had to stop you.  In the end I had to call Fred to help me get you two home.”

Fred Brandon had been Andrea’s boyfriend for over two years now.  They started going out when we were in our senior year.  He wasn’t really that muscular, but I guess David’s lanky enough for him to carry.  I could imagine him carrying his girlfriend’s twin in his arms and my petite body slung over his shoulder like an extra baggage.

I was hoping to remember the details when Andrea tells me the whole story.  So far, my mind got nothing.  Nada.  Caput.  Blank.  I didn’t even have a head splitting flashback or anything.  The scenario with me being his boyfriend’s bag was all my imagination’s work.

So much for Hollywood clichés.

“Yeah, I guess you should’ve stopped me.”  There was no reason for me not to believe what she said.  I couldn’t think of a possible reason for her to lie to me.  I guess I’ve reached a dead end.

I slowly started to eat the food she prepared.  We remained silent for a few minutes.

Despite the fact that I tried convince myself that I finally found the answer I was looking for, my mind seemed to disagree.  I couldn’t shake off the feeling that I was really missing something.  Something that would make more sense than the explanation I received.

“Maybe you should skip school today.”  Andrea broke the silence after emptying her mug of instant hot chocolate.

“I guess I should.”  I smiled.  “I only have minor subjects this morning, anyway.”

She eyed me for a few seconds.  “You mean, you’re still going this afternoon?”

“Well, at least not until two.  I can’t miss my major.  I’m already hanging by the thread as it is.”

She sighed.  “Well, at least take the medicine for that headache or yours or whatever it is that’s aching.”

I chuckled.  “Stop acting like my mother, Ands.”

Andrea rolled her eyes.  “I’m just looking out for you, you know.”

“I know.”  I smiled at her gratefully.

 

After taking the medicine that Andrea practically forced down my throat, I felt a lot better.  My legs weren’t stinging anymore and my head felt completely fine.  There were no signs of puking either.

I took a quick bath and put on my favorite jeans and a cotton shirt.  I didn’t really have much of a choice with what my cabinet provided.  I found out that half of my clothes are already dirty – so now I have laundry to look forward to after school – and what remained were mostly my working clothes meaning jeans and a plain white shirt.  I was actually lucky that there was still one, clean shirt in my cabinet that wasn’t white.  I took it without second thought.

The mirror that hung in my bathroom told me graveness of how I looked.  My dark, layered hair was messy and my light brown eyes had bags under them.  I quickly tied my hair in a ponytail – a futile attempt to look a wee bit decent.

It would take me ten minutes from here to the university so I wasn’t in any hurry.  I lounged at the couch with my bag on my lap.  I didn’t want to turn on the television and watch brain-damaging shows, so I simply stared at the clock above it and waited for it to hit quarter-to-two.  I stood up and headed for the door once it did.  I knew I needed to be busy if I want to take my mind off of my lack of memory for even a mere second.

I walked to school in no hurry and sat at the back of the room.  I only waited for a few minutes before Professor Jankins got to class.  I tried to focus on what he was talking about, just so my mind would wonder to the more important things like my studies and my parents who would be very disappointed if I fail.  I guess it sort of worked since I managed to refrain myself from thinking of my dilemma at least until the end of the class.

I was about to leave when the girl sitting beside me grabbed my arm.  I recognized her as someone from my block.  I didn’t know what her name was.

“Hey Cameron, how do you know Stanley Rayver?”  Her tone meant business.  I wasn’t sure how she got my name.  I certainly don’t remember giving it to her.

Two other girls were bending their heads to look at me.  I couldn’t tell if it was curiosity or resentment in their eyes.

When the girl’s question finally registered, I didn’t know how to answer.

Here I was, for the second time, with only two options.  Maybe somebody up there had a grudge on me.  One is to tell them that I didn’t know him and the other is to tell them the truth and say that I’ve known him for almost five years and that he is the most annoying, self-centered, and biggest pain in the a*s person I have ever had the misfortune of knowing. 

Okay, so I did do a little exaggerating.  The point:  I don’t like him.

“We’ve been classmates since junior high.”  Then again, nobody said I couldn’t make an answer of my own.

The girl seemed to be unsatisfied with my answer.  “That’s all?” she finally asked.

I nodded.  Should I really say more?

“Oh well.”  She and the other two girls stood up and went out of the room without even a ‘thank you’.

Talk about lack of etiquette.

I grabbed my bag and stood up from my seat as well.  Being the last one to go, I turned off the lights and the air conditioners.  At least I had something to waste my time on.

 

It was raining when I got out of the building.  There was nothing left of the warm sunlight that woke me up earlier that morning to testify that it had even been there.  Before I left the apartment, I noticed the dark clouds rolling not far ahead.  I didn’t think it would actually rain though.

I stared at the ripples in the puddle that was forming at my feet.  I knew I should’ve brought the umbrella that stood by the shoe rack when it called me before I slammed the door shut.  Well, technically, it didn’t call me.  It just stood there and I noticed it.  I thought of coming back for it when I saw the clouds, but then I didn’t want to walk back to the apartment.  I should’ve known better that to go against my instincts.

I sighed.  Having free time like this wasn’t really helping.  I could feel my mind starting to wonder off again.

It must’ve been the sound of the rain or maybe of the wind, howling every now and then, ‘cause I swear I was hearing things.

The weird feeling that I managed to stack away to the back of my head during class and during the strange interrogation was now back.

It was like I was in a daze…

There was snarling… howling….

The sound of something snapping…

Glass breaking…

The continuous splatter of water…

Lightning… a bright light…

The cold, concrete floor…

A voice…

“Hey.”

I looked up at the owner of the voice, forcing the daydream out of my head.  I glared the moment the familiar golden brown hair registered in my mind.

“Hop in.”

For a second, I really considered the probability that he was on drugs or something.  “Why the hell would I want to do that?”  I suddenly sounded harsh.

“Because it’s raining.”

I arched an eyebrow.  I couldn’t believe how this day was turning out.

He stared at me, and didn’t say a word.  Was he actually waiting for me to get in the car?

The daze was coming back, for some reason I could tell.  The silence wasn’t really helping either.

I didn’t know what made me do it, but I reached for the door of the passenger seat and hopped in his midnight blue convertible.  The warmth of his car comforted me.

He remained silent as he stepped on the accelerator.  

I watched the raindrops pour at the window on my side quietly.  This egocentric person beside me offering me a ride home was the oddest thing yet.

Heck, this day had been the oddest anyway.

Reviews

[Lady Sothis]

Another great job! You managed to keep up the sense of mystery nicely from the previous chapter and kept your reader guessing as to what on earth is going on. Your writing style is very neat and the feel you give to the story kept me reading throughout without stopping to yawn or going to grab a drink.

The biggest problem I'd see would be when she gets in the guy's car. I myself am generally extremely wary of guys - I don't even like getting in the cars of guys I'm good friends with. As for someone I dislike . . . Well I know that's me we're talking about here and in your story it's not me, it's Cameron. I can even see her getting into his car . . . but still something's missing. She's a little too nonchalant, I think. At least have her hand on the door handle, or perhaps resting on her seat belt button. Something to show us that she's unnerved, something more than just telling us.

Simply a thought, and not a huge one at that. You do have the occasional typo (quite unnoticeable, however. The biggest one is probably "I reached for the door of the passenger seat and ((hoped)) in his midnight blue convertible". I assume "Hoped" should be "hopped." *Shrug*

Besides for those this really was quite well written! You keep up the suspense quite well (especially for a first chapter. Often the first chapters after the prologues can be a let down, this one most certainly isn't). Wonderful job, I'm greatly anticipating chapter two!