Shatter .:7: Light in the Dark:.

“YOU’RE SOOOO LATE!!!!” Ami starts screaming, shoving me so hard I fall out of bed and hit the ground with a loud thud.

“For?” I groan. School? No...No, it’s Saturday. My mom was wrong, I don’t have school today....so what?

“WORK!” She snaps. “You’re late for work! Anne has called like a million times.”

“Shit! I need clothes!” I say, running to her closet. I trip and hit the ground again. Ami burst into laughter as I scramble back up and start tearing things out of her closet. I grab a dark blue t-shirt, some standard jeans, her black 3 inch heals, a black jacket and scramble for makeup. “Call Anne. Tell her I’m on my way.” I tell her as I brush my hair frantically. I pull it up into a ponytail and glide on some eyeliner. I shove the mascara in my pocket and look for my keys.

“Downstairs on the coffee table.” Ami informs me, handing me my phone. She’s got a bad case of bed head but she’s much too amused to realize how bad she looks.

“Thanks! Love you! See you!” I yell as I rush downstairs. I make sure I don’t trip again as I run out to my car, keys jingling in my hand. I start up my car and drive off quickly. Of course I hit every red light on the way, though.

“Where have you been?” Anne asks, her eyes wide and glassy. I stop rushing and take a moment to notice what’s happening.

“I spent the night at Ami’s. I forgot to set an alarm. Is everything OK?” She looks to the back room

“There’s something wrong with Germane. He....He’s not like himself. If I didn’t actually believe in such things, I’d joke that he’s possessed. He’s been asking for you all day. Did you do something wrong?” She asks me. I shake my head.

“I followed all orders. That’s all.” She sighs.

“Go. He’s waiting for you.” She tells me. I gulp and walk to the back room. He’s sitting on the hot red couch matching the fridge. I clear my throat. He looks up at me with eyes not his own. Instead of the loving, forgiving eyes I see pure intimidating harshness. There’s not a hope for mercy in those eyes.

“You’re fired, Trinity.” He says. I gasp.

“What did I do?!” I ask.

“They broke into my store because of you. I can’t have them do that again.” He tells me

“Germane!” I say. “That’s not FAIR! I’m not hanging out with them they’re STALKING me!” I tell him. He looks over at me with hatred in his eyes. I take a step back.

“Get out of this shop and never show your face again. You’re fired. Leave before I call the cops.” My jaw sets and my hands ball into fists. I storm out of the place, anger turning my cheeks red, tears slipping down my face.

“Trin!” Anne calls, running down the street after me. “Trinity! Where are you going? What happened?”

“The people who broke in are stalking me so Germane FIRED me!” I say in the harshest tone I can manage. Secretly, I’m dying on the inside. Isaac’s Ink was a safe place for me, a place with people who loved me, they were my second family. Anne covers her mouth to hide the fact that her jaw is dropped.

“He WHAT?!” She screams. “I’ll fight for you, baby, we’ll all fight!” She says and storms back into the store I once felt at home in.

I walk all the way back to my house, needing the time to calm down. When I go inside I see Kieran napping on my couch. Pretending to nap.

“Get my car.” I tell him and go upstairs to my room. In my room I pace. I pace for a good 20 minutes before deciding a shower would calm me.

I grab towels, my favorite smelling body wash (vanilla), my iPod and player, and turn the water on hot. I spent almost an hour in the shower, ignoring when the water had turned cold. I step out and wrap myself in a big fluffy white towel (the best kind) and go to my room, leaving the music blaring so I can hear it in my room.

I change into my most comfortable black t-shirt (cotton brand or something close to it), my favorite pair of gray sweatpants, and my running shoes. I let my hair dry and then brush it until it’s relatively straight, all the while singing to whatever song happens to pop up.

I haven’t felt normal since the day of the almost accident. I haven’t felt truly happy since my daddy died. I haven’t felt loved by anyone but my mother and Ami in a long time, the Isaac’s Ink family making me feel that to a certain extent. So when do I get to feel normal, happy, and loved again?

“Such a sad, beautiful girl.” I look over at Kieran.

“I’m not beautiful.” I inform him.

“In your way you are. Not the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen, I will admit, but you do have beauty, Trinity.” He says. I rub my eyes.

“I’m going to the bookstore, are you coming with?” I say, ignoring everything he’s said to me.

“I am.”

“Are you going to hide in the bushes or act like a normal human being and be beside me?”

“By your tone, I’d say beside you.” He says, reaching out and handing me my keys. I decide to go with the minimum makeup I have on my face and pull my hair into a ponytail.

. . . . . . . . .

At the bookstore, I send Kieran off to get us some drinks. I don’t particularly like when people watch me search for books. I know I reveal too much about myself when searching for books. They just mean so much to me. I pick out a few then narrow it down. I only have enough money for two today.

I go to buy the books but there’s a rather large line. The guy in front of me turns around and smiles. He has spiked up blonde-orange hair. He turns back around but then turns to face me again.

“Hi. My name is Jacob. Do you...do you live around here?” I nod.

“I do.” I say, suddenly very aware of how little makeup I’m wearing.

“That’s great. I’m new here. What did you say your name was?”

“I didn’t. My name is Trinity.” He smiles.

“Beautiful name.” He says. “Matches that beautiful face.” Now, I must be blushing wildly because I’ve never EVER been complimented by some random person before. I turn away for a moment and murmur a thank you. “Would you like to walk down to the smoothie place, just down the way? If not, it’s completely fine.” The next free cashier calls him up. He looks to me for an answer.

“Sure! Wait for me?” He smiles and checks out his books. I let out a sigh and wait for my turn to pay. The man who rings up my books for me won’t stop talking. Usually I’m much more interested by my head is beginning to throb with pain. Jacob is waiting for me at the exit with a grand smile on his face.

We head outside and start walking down the little strip of shops. I start telling Jacob about myself, the bare minimum of course, when a man runs by, knocking me into Jacob and snatching my bag of books and the change I slipped into it. “HEY!” I shout angrily. Jacob quickly slips his books into my hand and sprints after the guy.

My jaw drops at the spectacle. Jacob is FAST. He literally tackles the guy and lands a single solid punch on him. He takes my bag and walks over to me as the ‘mall cop’ of this little shopping strip comes up and picks the guy up. My jaw is still dropped as he comes back, smiling nervously.

“I shouldn’t have done that?” He asks. I break into nervous giggles.

“That was fantastic!” I tell him. He smiles and we continue on to the smoothie shop. I feel more inclined to open up to him and we start really getting to know each other. We sit and talk for nearly two hours before Kieran walks over, staying outside but staring at us through the glass window/wall. We’ve finished our smoothies by now and he looks...irritated. I give him a confused look.

“Who’s that?” Jacob asks nonchalantly.

“My body guard.” I say, less than thrilled. He raises an eyebrow. “I love when people do that.” I tell him with a smile and then a sigh. “That would be Kieran. He’s been keeping an eye on me.”

“Why? You the presidents daughter or something?” I smile.

“Nothing cool like that. Just a really unlucky girl.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Someone wants me dead.” I tell him, scanning his face for a reaction.

“How do I sign up?”

“Huh?”

“To be a bodyguard. I’m a strong guy.” He says, pretending to be secretly showing off his muscles. He stretches backwards, hands meeting in the air behind his back. I control the shudder as I see how well toned he is. I clear my throat.

“I suppose I have a number for you to call.” I say, trying not to show any excitement. He pulls out his phone and I program my number in. I look up at him. “Thank you for today.”

“A beautiful woman shouldn’t be thanking a guy like ME.” He says with a genuine smile. “Best day I’ve had in a damned long time.” Right then I want to confess everything to him because this was the best day I’ve had in way too long.

“You really have a way with words.” I say quietly. “You should call me tonight.”

“Promise I will.” He says, looking at my number as if I’d given him a diamond. “I promise.” He repeats as I leave.

When I get outside Kieran looks furious with me. In fact, he is. He lectures me the entire ride home. I’ve lost all thoughts of him as an attractive young man. He’s more like a 100 year old teacher who’s student just told him that his subject doesn’t matter. It’s excruciating.

That night I dream of Jacob. Not so unnatural for a teenage girl. But in this dream, I’m trapped in the dark. I’m wandering around, looking for a way out, when I find Jacob. His skin is illuminated, much like I imagine angels are, that heavenly glow coming from somewhere within them. He reaches out to me and I take his hand. We leave the darkness and are in the most beautiful meadow I’ve ever seen. My daddy is there, waiting for me. I run to him, tears of joy streaming down my face.

When I wake up the next morning, I feel at peace.