Arabella Quinn
"Why are you doing this!?" I sob, trying to control my breathing.
My mind was going a mile a minute, where am I? All I could see was darkness, wherever I looked. My fingers trembled and my mind was flashing warning signs, I knew I was in danger. I look up, all I could make out was a silhouette of a man and a pair of green eyes that made me want to jump out of my skin. The shadow holds up something to my head and I hear a click. No, no, no. An icy laugh pours out of the man's lips, causing me to shudder.
"Please, don't-" I'm interrupted when he pulls the trigger.
The last thing I see is those green eyes.
I wake up gasping, moisture forming in my eyes. The light coming from my window blinds me, but brings me back to sweet reality. I stretch my hand to my forehead, stupidly checking for a wound. I am an idiot. All this talk of murder in the town of Havencliffe was getting to me. I stand up and make my way to the bathroom, happy to be back to reality. I wash the sleep out of my eyes and brush my teeth. My mind continues to race as I brush the tangles out of my wavy, black hair.
It felt too real. I could feel the force in my head and I could still taste the blood in my mouth. My head was still pounding where the bullet went through, my heart still pumping all too quickly. I shook my head, the images spilling out of my mind, but those haunting green eyes remain etched into my memory.
As I stepped out of my room, I am greeted by a news reporter giving us updates on the Theo Hayes case. Her aggravating high pitched voice giving details on his story. I'd rather not wake up to this. What a way to start your morning.
I join my two roommates and best friends, Sophie Pierce and Nicki Arden at the kitchen table.
"Hey Bells" Sophie says, her eyes glued to the screen.
"Morning." I replied forcing a smile.
"Woah, you okay?" Nicki asks, worry clear on her face.
"Yeah," I sit down next to Sophie. "I'm just a little freaked out, I guess."
"Right?" Sophie jumps in, "I can't believe they're letting that psycho free." She says shaking her head in distaste.
She was talking about Theo Hayes. The whole city was buzzing about it, all evidence shows that he murdered two women. But after several trips to court he was proven innocent. I wasn't quite sure what I felt about this whole thing. Whether I thought he was innocent or not, but either way it still made me feel a bit uneasy to have him walking around the street. The small chance of bumping into him made my stomach turn.
"Theo Hayes, age 22, suspected murderer of both Grace Young and Lux Hawthorne is being released today from Havencliffe penitentiary. But is it really safe for us when Hayes is released?" The first news anchor says.
The shorter, blonder girl replies, "I don't think so Lydia. Although he was proven innocent, the evidence points directly at him and his father is currently in prison for first degree murder."
The word murder rings in my ears as I watch "Lydia" speak, but I can't seem to hear the words that spill from her painted lips.
"Who wants cereal?" Nicki asks, in attempts to lighten the mood.
"Me! Cheerios please." I reply, giving Nicki my attention rather than the tv.
I ended up caving in and watching the Theo Hayes story with Sophie, absentmindedly picking at my cheerios. I usually hated watching the news, but this story was so local and I couldn't help but be fascinated in this case. I checked my watch. 7:43am, damnit.
"Aaaah. I'm really late, bye!" I call to my best friends, grabbing my bag and heading out the door.
I work at "Daily Chronicle," for our towns paper. Walking to work was awful considering that it was the middle of February, but I hoped that today would be a bit more interesting. Okay, so I passed the Havencliffe penitentiary in hopes to catch a glimpse of some action, could anyone blame me? I am a writer...
But, I got more than a glimpse. I got a front row seat to the horror show that everyone in Havencliffe was dying to see. Theo Hayes, murder suspect, being swarmed by a crowd of reporters. He was just a couple metres away, as he was being led into a car by an officer. A couple meters away. Never in my life did I think I'd see the face that may or may not have looked into the eyes of Grace Young and Lux Hawthorne and ended their lives.
I had seen him in pictures before, but not this way... Never, ever in my life would I say it out loud, but he was insanely attractive. Messy dark brown hair which framed his face perfectly. His lips curved into a slight smirk despite the current situation, I look up at his eyes. Brilliantly green eyes, looking back at me. He quickly looks away, but in that second where he looked back at me, I felt as if I had lost my mind. My heart beating wildly, my mind thinking a thousand thoughts in the time of one second. What is this? I felt a fear I've never experienced. It was a different feeling. I felt more afraid now than I did watching any horror movie. It was probably those damn green eyes, and how they seemed to swallow me whole the second he looked at me.
Wait, what? There was a huge chance that he murdered those two women, I thought, a chill creeping up my spine. This slight infatuation for this chaotic man would have to be ignored. I'd have to get over that face that seemed to captivate me the second I looked upon it. What is wrong with me? Murderer or not, he had to be a dark, dark person to be a suspect in the first place. Somewhere beneath that beautiful exterior, lies a twisted soul. He's a terrible, terrifying person and I'd stay away. But, I can't seem to erase those green eyes out of my memory.
