Wake Up Call

by Victora Ashley

  The cool breeze playfully brushed against my face, making me feel relieved to get away, as I strolled down the sidewalk in search of my first spot.

  Finally, I was alone and could breathe for what seemed to be the first time in forever. My eyes scanned the beautiful night sky, while taking in the sweet smell of freedom.

  A few miles down the road, I finally spotted my first diner. It was a small brick building with a sign out front that read 'Blu's Diner.' I took a deep breath suddenly feeling nervous as I stepped up to the door. The glass door had a listing of the hours and it looked as if they were about to close at six o'clock. I only had about ten minutes before closing time and the place looked fairly empty.

  I reached out for the handle and got ready to pull it open, when suddenly a young man stepped up to the door and flipped over a sign that read 'Closed.' Are you kidding me?

  Desperate, I waved my arms at him and attempted to get his attention. "No! I need to apply for a job. I'm not here to eat," I shouted, hoping the young man would understand. I knew how it was when it was closing time and you were just ready to go home, but he had to understand. It was important.

  The young man looked to be around my age, with short golden hair and big eyes. His gray eyes looked tired and annoyed as he glared through the window at me, shaking his head in annoyance. He stared at me for what felt like a lifetime before finally, throwing his arms up and reaching for the door handle.

  He groaned, looking me in the face as he opened the door and stepped out of the way for me to walk in. "You're lucky I'm feeling nice tonight. He turned away. "I'll go grab my father."

  I nodded my head and smiled at him thankful that he was giving me a few minutes of his time. "Thank you. I will be quick."

  The kid pointed over at a stool and brushed his golden locks from out of his baby face. His face had almost an innocent look to it, but something told me that he wasn't quite as innocent as he looked. "Take a seat..."

  "Avery," I said, as he searched for something to call me. "The name is, Avery."

  "Sure, Avery, it is," he mumbled.

  I quietly walked over to the red stool and took a seat. The whole diner looked a little worn down, but I guess that meant that it actually got some good use. It would probably be easy to make cash there and I really wanted the chance to find out. It definitely wasn't anything like Jace's diner, which made me sad, but it was hopefully far enough away to not get caught.

  A few minutes later a middle-aged man with graying hair walked out and glanced in my direction. The look on his face said that he was just as tired as his son was and just wanted to get out of the diner and to get home.

  He came at me with a steady pace and stopped at the stool in front of me. He huffed and looked me over. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I don't think that I have what you're looking for." He paused to turn away. "Thank you for stopping in."

  He got ready to walk away, but I wasn't willing to let him leave just like that and without even giving me a chance to speak. "You don't understand. I need this job and I will do whatever it takes to make sure that you understand that," I said firmly.

  The man froze with his hand to his forehead. His face wrinkled up as he frowned and rubbed his eyes. "I wish that I could help you, but I really can't right now. I'm sorry." His voice sounded sincere, which surprised me.

  My heart dropped when I realized that I didn't have a shot. He seemed certain that I wasn't needed and I didn't want to waste anymore of his time.

  "Fine. I guess I will continue my search then." I jumped up from the stool, disappointed, and walked past him and his son as I reached for the door. "Thanks for your time."

  "Wait," The owner called out. "I might have an opening in a week or two. I have a waitress that is planning on moving to Chicago soon. Come back then and we'll talk." He signed as looked over at his son. "We might be able to help you."

  My mind spun just thinking about waiting a couple of weeks. I couldn't wait a couple of weeks to get out of Caleb's place. I needed to get out of there now. The wait seemed insane, although I was thankful for their help. I just smiled and pushed the door open. "Thank you. I'll come back in a couple of weeks."

  I stepped out into the night and stood motionless on the side of the road. I felt lost and clueless. I really had no idea where I was and I didn't want to spend the whole night searching for the next diner.

  At last second I turned back the way I came and decided to head back to Caleb's for the night. I would just have to spend the whole next day searching. I would do it the right way and call for a cab in the morning. Then I would go to Jace's house and grab my things. The sooner I got out of his life the better.

  Wanting to check the time, I blindly reached inside my purse to grab my phone. It felt as if I had been gone for hours and it was really starting to get cold out.

  When I finally got a grip on my phone, I flipped it open to see one missed call. My heart sped up as I read the name across the screen. The one name that was enough to almost bring me to my knees. Jace Montgomery.

  I have to be strong...

  The walk back to Caleb's house was slightly long and cold, but I didn't mind. I was numb anyways. It was a feeling that I was used to and one that I had almost learned to welcome. The familiarity of it was all that I had known most of my life.

  I promptly stepped up to the front of the house and instantly noticed the little purple Sebring that now sat in the driveway. It hadn't been there when I had left and Caleb probably wasn't expecting me to be back so soon.

  I stood motionless in the driveway, the cool wind whipping through my tangled hair while trying to figure out if I wanted to go inside or turn back around. Truthfully, the comfort of bed was sounding quite appealing at the moment and my legs were starting to feel a little sore from the walk anyways.

  Finally making the decision to stay, I made my way past the Sebring and up to the porch that was slightly lit up by the blue fountain lights that remained on.

  I ran my hand over the smooth wood of the porch as I made my way to the door and reached for the handle. The handle was cool to the touch and sent a chill throughout my body. I shivered.

  I could slightly make out Caleb's voice as I slowly pushed the door open and stepped into the house.

  "Shit. Put that away, Kat," Caleb muttered under his breath, thinking that I he was talking quietly.

  I gradually turned my head to my right to see Caleb shoving something in his pocket and waving his arm in front of him as if he was trying to get rid of something.

  "Avery. I didn't know that you'd be back so soon." He pointed over to the girl that stayed seated on the couch; her face was looking down toward the black carpet. "This here is my... friend, Kat."

  The girl’s wave of red curls surrounded her as she briskly whipped her head up to look at me. I knew I recognized the name. Kat's baby blues went wide as she took in the sight of me. "Holy shit." She giggled.

  Caleb looked between the both of us with a very confused look on his face. "Is there something that I should know about?" He looked worried.

  I shook my head and pulled my hair from out of my face, before rubbing my hands together to get warm. "We've met before. That's all," I mumbled.

  Kat adjusted her short red dress while laughing under her breath. She looked just as stunning as the last time I'd seen her. It bothered me.

  "Yeah. It was quite a night." She paused and looked between the both of us before reaching for her black clutch bag. "Thanks for... you know. I'll contact you soon." She grinned.

  Caleb nodded his head and then turned around to face the kitchen. The look on his face was cold and unusual. "Bye, Kat," he said stiffly.

  Caleb's eyes seemed to stay glued to Kats every move as she walked through the living room, hips switching back and forth, as she made her way out the door.

  We both jumped as the door unexpectedly slammed shut behind her. She was definitely up to something and I didn't even want to begin to think what that something could've been.

 
The room was silent for a moment as I sought to take things in. I had never seen Caleb act so strange and jumpy before.

  The desperate look on his face had my heart racing as he fiddled with his hands. He was definitely hiding something big and I wasn't sure if I wanted to stick around to find out. My first feeling was to grab my things and go, but then again I wasn't quite so innocent myself. "I'll be in bed if you need me," I muttered.

  Caleb watched intently as I walked past him and through the hall to the bedroom.

  Once inside I shut the door behind me and threw my purse down on the dresser, ready to get some rest.

  I slowly spun around in the mirror watching my purple dress as it flowed around me and cuddled my every curve.

  I had never owned anything so beautiful in my life and I worked so hard to get enough money to purchase the dress. I worked for three weeks straight in my neighbor’s yard helping her pull weeds and plant all of her flower seeds.

  I actually felt proud of myself for once and I only hoped that my parents would be proud of me as well.

  After one last final spin, I took off down the hall and gripped the railing as I made my way downstairs and to my mother’s room.

  My father would be gone for a few more hours and I really wanted to get the chance to share my happiness with mother. She always seemed less angry when he was around.

  There was even a little part of me that believed she would be better if he wasn't around. Maybe even a good mother. The thought of that still gave me some bit of hope. It was all of the hope that I had left.

  I just had my fifteenth birthday, and the dress that I bought myself was the only gift that I had gotten. I could tell that my mother felt bad.

  As I stepped into my mother’s room, my legs gave out on me and I ended up crumpled up on the wooden floor.

  The sight in front of me was enough to take my breath away and I felt all of my hope slipping away. My mother lay naked on the ground, her eyes wide open as her body twitched and she struggled to get air. I reached out with shaky hands and grabbed for her arm.

  "Mother!" I cried. "Get up. What did you do?"

  "You little bitch!"

  I looked up to see my father step into the room and reach for my mother’s head. "See what you did," he spat. "She can't handle having you around. You made her want to kill herself."

  I backed up against the wall and gripped onto the door. My heart stopped and I wanted to die. I struggled to pull myself to my feet as I fought for air through my sobs. "No. I…no."

  My father shot to his feet and was standing over me in an instant. He reached out and in one fluid movement, he had me knocked back down to the ground and lying flat on my face.

  "Don't just sit there you, little whore. Call 911."

  "Avery. Wake up."

  I sat up in bed fighting for breath. My whole body was wet and my hands were shaking uncontrollably as I reached for my hair and tugged. I felt as if I was about to hurl or fall over dead. Whichever would happen first. "Jace," I cried.

  "I'm not Jace." Caleb's voice soared.

  I slowly brought my eyes up to see Caleb standing shirtless in just a pair of blue sweats.

  His eyes burned into me as he cracked his knuckles and crawled onto the foot of the bed. "It's me Avery. I won't ever let Jace hurt you again," he spat. "I will keep him away-"

  "No," I cut in. "No." I laid back down and pulled the quilt closer to my face. "Jace would never hurt me, Caleb." I shook my head as the tears continued to fall down my cheeks. It made me angry that he would even accuse Jace of hurting me.

  Caleb gradually got closer to me until his body was just inches away from mine.

  He pursed his lips and then reached out to caress my face. "You can tell me. I have people that can take care of him for you and then we can be together. Just the two of us." His voice came out confident and smooth as if he was sure that's what I wanted.

  He was wrong. That wasn't what I wanted and I never would. I backed away from Caleb's touch and turned my head away from his gaze before rolling my eyes.

  "No, Caleb," I growled. "You're not listening to me. You have no idea what I want or need so leave Jace out of this."

  Caleb's eyes hardened as he reached out and firmly gripped my wrist. He briefly squeezed it before he released his grip and placed his hand next to his side, a look of hate in his eyes.

  "I know what you need." He paused. "You don't know what you need." He stood back to his feet and ran his hand over his stomach. "I'll be in the kitchen eating. If I hear you screaming again I won't hesitate to come back in here and crawl in bed with you. I want to make sure that you feel safe." A slight smile crossed his hard face before he turned around and left the room.

  A feeling of relief crossed over me as I sank back into the bed and snuggled up in the quilt. Caleb was making me feel really uncomfortable.

  As I closed my eyes and tried to force myself back to sleep, I felt an empty feeling in my stomach. Not only had I gone all day without eating, but I was also beginning to remember how safe I always felt when Jace crawled into bed with me. It was a feeling that no one else had ever been able to give me. The thought made me sick to my stomach and a completely new set of tears were threatening to form.

  Without thinking, I jumped out of bed and reached in my purse for my phone. I clutched it firmly to my chest and wiped away my tears with my free hand. I wanted nothing more than to talk to Jace, but I couldn't even begin to think about hurting him again. The thought was too unbearable and it left me feeling empty and ill.

  I carefully crawled back into bed while running my fingers over the smooth phone. I pressed my head into the stiff pillow and then slammed my face into it to try to escape the hurt. I got startled when suddenly the phone vibrated under my touch. My heart did flips in my chest as my stomach dropped to my feet. I knew who it would be and I didn't know what to do. All I knew was that I missed him. I actually missed him.

  I guess we'll make that two missed calls...

  Chapter 12

  Early the next morning, I woke to the sound of Caleb leaving. A wave of relieve washed over me as I realized that was my chance of getting ready and out of here before he could return. After what happened last night, I really didn’t want to deal with him again.

  I slowly opened the bedroom door, poking my head outside; to be sure, that Caleb had really gone. When there was no sign of him, I sauntered out of the bedroom and down the hall to the bathroom.

  I flipped on the light switch, realizing that in the whole eighteen hours that I had been at Caleb’s house that I hadn’t even bothered to use the bathroom. The sight astounded me.

  It was complete with a two-headed shower, a gray granite sink, decorative mirrors that lined three of the four walls, and another Jacuzzi that sat in the back corner. The glass on the shower was crystal clear and looked as if it were brand new. It was incredibly beautiful and over the top. This is crazy!

  I tiredly stared at my reflection in the mirror and frowned. Pulling my eyes away from the mirror, I slowly let out a deep breath and leaned into the sink for support. I still felt a little weak from my lack of sleep and was finding it hard to function right.

  Turning on the faucet, I ran my hands through the frigid water and splashed it over my heated face. Even though it was cool in Caleb’s house, I still managed to sweat through the whole night. My skin felt hot and my stomach felt ill.

  After quickly showering and dressing, I threw on my leather boots and wandered into the living room. I looked around for a few moments before sighing and walking toward the couch.

  I got ready to take a seat, when out of the corner of my eye I noticed something sticking out from under the far left corner of the couch. I mindlessly bent down to reach for what appeared to be some kind of tin tray, but quickly realized that I really had no right to go through his things. I didn’t want him in my business so I certainly had no right to be in his.

  Taking a deep breath, I reached for my phone and called for a taxi. As usual, they
had a free driver and said that they would send one right away.

  I would have at least ten minutes before the taxi would arrive and my curiosity was starting to get the best of me. As hard as I fought it, a part of me believed that there was more to Caleb than he had led on. The strange way that he acted around Kat made me nervous.

  I steadily made my way back over to the couch and bent down to reach for the tray. Once my hand reached the tray, I paused for a moment to look around, even though I knew that Caleb wasn’t even home.

  I carefully started sliding it toward me when suddenly I was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. I quickly pushed it back under the couch.

  Caleb stared over at me, eyes wide, as he slammed the door behind him. He hastily made his way over to stand in front of me. "Avery," he hissed. "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't go through my personal things when I'm gone."

  He leaned above me and pulled my hand away from the tray, his heavy breathing brushing against my ear. "I think I hear your taxi outside. You should hurry," he said stiffly.

  I pushed myself back to my feet while looking Caleb in the eye. The look on his face was scared, but vicious. I didn't like it. "Sorry," I mumbled. "I didn't think it was such a big deal. I just thought it was garbage or something."

  Caleb nodded his head, reached over to the couch, and grabbed the strap of my purse. His hand shook as he held it out to me with an apologetic smile. "I'll see you when you get back. Good luck on your search."

  I grabbed my purse from out of his loose grip and threw it over my right shoulder. Then I turned and faced the door. “Thanks," I said. I gave him one last look before hurrying outside.

  The taxi sat outside just as Caleb said. When I approached it, I noticed that it was a different driver. One that I had never seen before.

  Sighing, I hopped into the cozy backseat of the taxi and closed the door. I just didn’t have the energy to deal with anything and didn't have much hope in finding a job.

  A young man, maybe in his mid-twenties, turned around, placing his arm over the leather seat. He had light chocolate skin and big hazel eyes that seemed friendly and outgoing. He flashed me a carefree smile and lifted an eyebrow. “Where to?”