Marked

The Beginning

Thanks for choosing to read Marked! Marked is a paranormal romance with passion, adventure, mystery, heartache, and love. In this chapter, we are introduced to Victoria and the struggles in her life. She has been feeling strange all month--flu-like symptoms. Victoria has a strange feeling that she is being watched and followed. 

I hope you stay with me for the journey.  I love this story and I hope you will. 

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  Goosebumps rose on her arms and Victoria whipped around and squinted against the bright morning light. Trees lined the sidewalks, new cars populated the driveways, and a food delivery car drove by. Nothing out of the ordinary. And yet she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.  

*****

Part 1

"Mom lets talk about how I'm ruining my life another day," Victoria said with the phone squeezed between her ear and shoulder. 

She'd overslept this morning again and was rushing around her studio apartment tripping over empty wine bottles, take-out boxes, and pizza boxes (some with a few slices of old pizza in it) looking for clean clothes. The windows were closed and the apartment appeared to be bathed in twilight. 

"All you do is work for a library. You should have all the time in the world," her mom sniped.

"Library work can be very demanding," Victoria lied.

She put the phone on speaker and tossed it on the bed. At one end of her couch was a wrinkled pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a baggy cardigan—it was all that was clean. The taste of cheap wine and wontons lingered in her mouth. She gathered her pile of clean clothes and went to the bathroom was. Victoria tossed the clothes on the floor and pulled a clean bra and panties from her linen closet.

"I have time for a quick shower," she said looking at the small digital clock on her bathroom wall.

Ten minutes later Victoria was clean, teeth brushed, face washed, and wearing clean clothes.

"I just want to go back to bed." She leaned on the sink counter still fighting a hangover. The hangover wasn't the only thing that had her feeling terrible. 

"Victoria!" her mother's voice echoed through the apartment.

She rushed to the bed grabbed the phone and took it back to the bathroom. "Yes." She sat the phone on the counter and started applying some make-up. 

Victoria's dark skin was flawless, unfortunately, her life was anything but flawless. She applied some mascara, eyeliner, and red lipstick to her full lips. 

"Are you dating anyone?" Her mother's voice filled the studio apartment.

"No." Victoria rolled her eyes.

Her mother clicked her tongue. "You're twenty-five, too old not to be dating."

Victoria pulled her box braids in a high bun and looked herself over in the mirror. Considering how she's been feeling lately, she thought she looked good. "I don't want to be with anyone."

"You've only said that since you broke up with Mark."

Victoria clenched her jaw. "I don't want to talk about him."

"I'll call you when I'm off work." She left the bathroom and placed the phone on the sagging couch. 

This place is a wreck and smells like a dumpster festering with old Indian and Chinese food and alcohol. She wrinkled her nose and grabbed a trash bag from under the sink and started tossing days of wine bottles, take-out boxes, and other garbage.