MELODY (Book 1) ✓

Chapter 34 (Taken)

I groaned and rolled under the soft covers. The piano music still played in my head. Every inch of my body was as stiff as a piece of wood. My muscles screamed at me to stop moving. A faint thought played at the edge of my half-conscious mind; Something was wrong. The pillow was too fluffy, the bed plush and comfortable, and the springs didn't squeak when I moved. My bed at the shelter wasn't that comfy. Was I dreaming?

My eyes fluttered open and darted  around, making out fuzzy, undefined shapes. My pulse accelerated, drumming up an intense headache that bashed the left side of my skull. My arms weighed a ton, straining to massage my throbbing head. The burn in my shoulders didn't help either. My hair felt like a century old cobweb as it caught my languid fingers in its tangles.

I must look like a complete smash-up.

In a New York minute, the alarm of awakening to reality came crashing down.

One snappy movement and I sat up on the bed. My stiff spine protested, but I ignored the pain and snatched the covers to cloak my body up to my chin. I scanned the room with frantic wide eyes. My heart flopped down to my stomach when I didn't recognize the place.

Oh God! Where am I? How did I get here?

My eyes wandered around, scanning the room. It looked nice. Much nicer than a dorm room in a shelter. Warmth and tranquility crept up into me, even though it was an unfamiliar place. The blue-gray walls, light wood trimming and lack of furniture gave it a simple kind of elegance. A set of colorful paintings above the wooden headboard accentuated the place. A modern rug in  deep red carpeted the parquet tiles beyond the foot of the bed.

Trembling, I sucked in shallow intakes of air, mentally freaking out about the possibilities of what might have happened to me.

Holding my ragged breath, I gulped, and moved the covers away, peeking down at my clothes underneath. I was fully dressed. Same outfit I'd worn yesterday. I exhaled, the tension receding a little. There was an inkling in the back of my mind, telling me I was safe, but I couldn't explain why, or how.

Pressing my head between my hands, I attempted to clear my muddled thoughts. It took me a couple of minutes to regain access to my brain. There were flashes of memories, or was it a dream? A nightmare that somehow had a happy ending...

A clash at the shelter...

A panic attack on the sidewalk...

Myself, crumbled on the ground into a fetal position…

A crippling fear of being exposed to the world…

An undefined buzzing, and a piano tune that had seemed to be my salvation...

And finally, a sense of protection while, somehow, I'd been carried to safety.

Am I safe? Is that why I'm not running to the door right now? I do feel safe for some reason!

Restoring some composure, I threw the covers back, and carefully slipped my legs onto the floor. I held on to the edge of the double size bed, stretching my spine and rubbing the stiffness off of my neck. I was afraid I might lose my balance and plump back down if I stood up too fast.

Sunlight filtered through the sheer striped curtain, but it was hard to guess the time.

My cell phone lay on the nightstand, and my duffle bag and shoes on the floor next to the bed. I continued to penetrate the knots in my hair while I checked the digital clock on the phone screen.

11:40 a.m. That's impossible! I never sleep that long!

There were a couple of missed calls, and a new text from Asha, telling me she'd been at the airport and she'd try to return as soon as possible. Apparently, I'd been too knocked out to hear the phone ringing. I bit my lip in regret. I should've been there to see her off.