Sweet Burden (4 page)

“Bye,” Hitomi mumbled and sat down on one of the benches outside the entrance. She adjusted her back pack and glanced back up to the top of the building. She swore she saw a guy up there seconds ago. Staring at the roof, she squint her eyes spotting an odd red sparkle. With a blink it was gone. Someone had to be up there and maybe it was the source of her odd feelings lately. But she wasn’t feeling the eeriness from previously.

Not really considering what she might encounter, Hitomi rushed back into the building and started up the steps that accessed the roof. The lock to the roof door had been broken for years, so she knew she would have no trouble once at the top. Her legs burned as she hauled herself up. Once at the top, she swung the door open to the roof and stepped out. Catching her foot on the door’s lip, she tripped and fell to the ground.

Hitomi let out an irritated, “Hmph.” She stood up and dusted herself off, then glanced around. “Hello?” she called out. “Is anyone up here?” She placed her back pack in the doorway just in case the door happened to lock and walked over towards the ledge. “Hello? If you’re up here, show yourself.”

****

Obsidian stood with is arms crossed leaning against the ledge facing the girl. His eyes were wide with shock that she had sensed him. Obviously, she still was unable to see him staring right at her. But she had seen something or sensed something to cause her to come to the roof. Obsidian silently cursed himself for being careless with his invisibility. He brushed his hair from his eyes as she neared him.

“Hello?” she called out again with a sense of defeat.

He stood perfectly still as she moved beside him, but couldn’t help but let out a slight gasp noticing her sapphire eyes. They reflected the color of the bluest oceans. He closed his eyes as her hair blew in the wind and he inhaled her scent. The ends of her hair whipped in his face and he found himself longing to touch her again.

She leaned against the ledge and looked down. She made a slight hum as if she was confirming a thought in her head. He looked sideways at her as she pulled a cell phone out of her pocket.  She gave a dismayed look at the time and turned back around. If Obsidian had been smart, he would have taken the opportunity to move a few inches from her. She came within millimeters of touching him. He wanted her to accidentally touch him. He wanted her to know he was there watching her.

She hurried through the door and it slammed shut. Obsidian let out a sigh and turned around to watch her leave the building below.

****

When Hitomi arrived home, her mother’s car was in the driveway. She was surprised to see her home and she rushed into the house.

“Hitomi, is that you?” Regina called from the kitchen.

“Who else would it be?” Hitomi replied dropping her bag by the front door and walking into the bright kitchen. The room was spacious with a small table for two. The cabinets were painted in a once vivid yellow that had faded over time. The countertops were littered with all the modern day small appliances.

Regina Beaumann stood at the sink munching on something and reading over a letter. She was still dressed in her blue scrub pants and a scrub top depicting numerous pictures of butterflies and flowers. Her brunette hair secured tightly on top of her head, she barely noticed Hitomi walk into the room.

“Mom, what are you doing home?”

“I just came home early.” Regina folded up the letter and turned to her daughter. “How was school?”

“It was just school,” Hitomi replied with a shrug. Although her mother was protective of her, she was never one for prying. There was no reason to worry her mother with the suspicions that someone was following her.

“So, how about a girls’ night? We can watch a silly movie and eat popcorn,” her mother suggested as she leaned back against the counter and folded her arms. “We hardly spend any time together.”

“I’ve got homework.”

“Okay. After your homework.” A smile spread across her mother’s face.

Not wanting to disappoint her, Hitomi nodded. “Alright.”

Regina moved across the kitchen to Hitomi and planted a kiss on her forehead. “Is everything okay? You seem a little jumpy.”

“I’m fine,” she lied. “I just have a lot of homework to do.”

“Anything I can help you with? I’m pretty good with math,” her mother gave her a nudge.

“English and History?”

Regina laughed, “You’re on your own.” She moved around Hitomi and left the kitchen. Hitomi grabbed a can of soda and went up to her room. Tossing her bag onto the bed, she sat down at her desk and opened her laptop. She really didn’t have any homework for the night. She clicked the icon for the internet and typed ‘ghosts’ into the browser box.      

After reading many definitions of ghosts and clicking through dozens of photos of supposed ghosts, Hitomi’s eyes widened as she opened up a website dedicated to ghosts and angels.
Angels. Is that what I could be sensing?

She hadn’t realized she had been looking up information for over three hours, until her mother poked her head in the doorway and asked her to run to the store for a few items for dinner. She bookmarked the website and shut her computer.

Hitomi shoved the grocery list into her pocket along with money and started down the sidewalk. The market was only a few blocks away and Hitomi enjoyed the warmer air that was passing through. She glanced up at the sky as it darkened for evening and was surprised to see a few stars. She hadn’t been able to see the stars for weeks.

Inside the store, she picked up pasta, chicken, and some sauce. Apparently they had nothing at the house that her mother wanted for dinner. Hitomi picked up a few sweets for dessert and snacks for movie night. After paying, she gathered up the bags and started home. The street was quiet, only a few cars parked on the curb and a man leaning against the outside of the store. She adjusted the bags in her grasp, when she heard steps behind her.

She felt fear again as she stopped. The steps stopped. She glanced behind her and saw the man from outside the store peering at a parked car and fumbling in his jacket apparently looking for his keys. Hitomi let out a deep breath and shook her head, almost laughing at her new paranoia. She started walking again, but the footsteps behind her continued. Her eyes widened as she picked up her pace. Her heart began to pound. She looked around at the empty street and paused. Hitomi’s body tensed as the steps halted. She wasn’t sure if she should scream, but she was convinced that no one would even hear her. She squeezed the bags in her arms and closed her eyes.

“Everything alright honey?” a man’s voice said behind her. Hitomi spun around and faced the man. He was a tall husky man that she was almost sure she could outrun.

“Yah, fine.” She faked a smile and turned back around to another man standing in front of her only a few feet away.

“You sure are pretty,” the shorter lanky man snickered. He rubbed his chin as his mouth curved slyly.

“Just leave me alone,” Hitomi rose her voice, but it still waivered practically announcing her fear.

The man behind her cackled and she heard him coming closer. The man in front of her shook his head. “I’m afraid we just can’t do that love.” He took a step towards her.

Hitomi screamed and pushed the bags towards him. Without waiting to see if they hit him, she took off running. She squeezed between two parked cars and ran across the street. She could hear their thunderous steps trailing her.

“Come back sweetie. We’ll only hurt you a little bit,” the larger man yelled.

“Don’t make promises,” the second man hooted.

The thumping of her heart drowned in her ears as her eyes swelled with tears. She couldn’t believe this was actually happening to her. She tried to see how close they were, when she tripped on the curb and landed hard on the sidewalk. She felt the pain shoot up into her hands and she quickly pulled herself up to her feet. Hitomi began running again up the sidewalk, her lungs aching for air. The pounding of the men’s shoes was getting closer and suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Where in the hell is everyone?
Hitomi let out another scream as the shorter man pulled her back and muffled her mouth with his hand.  He secured his other arm around her tightly as she squirmed to get away.

“It’s no use trying to get away,” the man said pulling her head back against his shoulder. Her nose flared at the smell of whiskey on his breath and she let out a whimper. He tightened his grip more and dragged her back into an alleyway. The stench was horrendous as he pulled her further back into the darkness. She struggled kicking her legs at the strewn trash bags as tears began streaming down her face. The heavier man came into view and walked up to them.

“There’s no need to cry,” he said as his face became visible. He gave her a sinister grin and reached up touching her face. “But I do hope you struggle. That always makes it so much more fun.”

Hitomi’s eyes widened as she tried for another scream, which was still muffled by the other man’s hand. She struggled against the man and tried to kick at the one in front of her.

“Oh, she’ll struggle alright,” the man behind her cackled.

The man in front of her leaned forward, his lips at her ear. “Don’t worry. It’ll only hurt for a minute. You might actually enjoy it.” He rubbed his head against hers and Hitomi let out a squeal. She squeezed her eyes shut as his fingers began fumbling with the buttons on her shirt.

Hitomi couldn’t believe what was happening to her. She felt her shirt being pulled back and her skin exposed, when there was a loud series of thuds.

“Daryl? Daryl?” the man holding her yelled. “What’s going on? Who’s there?” The man let her go and pushed her down into a pile of trash bags. She couldn’t bear to open her eyes as she grasped at the edges of her shirt pulling it across her. She held her shirt closed with one hand and covered her eyes with the other as she sobbed.

She heard the second man yelp, another series of thuds and something that sounded like skin dragging on pavement. Hitomi curled herself into a ball as her entire body shook. She had been released, but she couldn’t bring herself to move.

It was quiet for a few moments until she heard another dull thud and then footsteps approaching her. They stopped beside her, but she couldn’t bring herself to lift her head.

“Please leave me alone,” she whimpered.

“Are you alright?” a voice asked. Hitomi shivered and brought her head up. Through blurry eyes, she glimpsed a hand outstretched to her.

“I’ll be fine,” Hitomi mumbled in between sniffles and shudders while trying to make out who the hand was connected to. She wiped away her tears and saw a boy standing there. He was tall and slender, but his face was hidden in shadows.

“You should get out of this alley,” he pushed his hand closer to her, motioning with his fingers to come with him.

Apprehensively, she stretched her hand out and placed it in his. Instantly her crying ceased and he pulled her up from the ground. Hitomi felt a sense of calm wash over her. She steadied herself on her feet and tightened her grip on her shirt.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” he questioned.