Blood Lust part 1

The room is dark. I can hear the wind blowing outside. It rustles the windows. I feel the breeze on my bear arms. Holding back a shiver I stand up. I can't see a thing. Thunder rumbles above me. I sit back down deciding it's not worth it. My back hurts from sitting on the uncomfortable wooden chair so long.

I sigh. Waiting, just waiting, I sit still. A few minutes pass, I close my eyes and imagine sheep jumping over a fence. I begin to count them as they jump. I can't understand how this is relaxing. If anything it's frustrating because you get angry when you get far but then lose count. I give up and open my eyes.

A door creaks in the distance. I turn my head, though no good came from it because it's too dark to see your hands in front of your face.

"Courtni?" a male voice yells. I try to put a face with the voice but there are too many faces to put with too many voices. "Why is it so dark?" he yelled again, this time sounding closer to me. Obviously he was not aware of the time or the weather.

"I'm in the kitchen. The power went out." I yelled out. Finally figuring out that it was indeed Derek in my house.

"Don't you have flashlights or candles or something?" he said a room away from the kitchen.

I sighed again before standing up with my eyes closed and hands out. I knew exactly what cabinet the two flashlights were in. I knew they both had fully charged batteries in them. My dad was one of those guys who are always prepared for almost anything you could possibly throw at them. I smiled when I found the drawer and opened my eyes. I grabbed a flashlight and hit the power button on. The room was instantly illuminated by a glowing white blue light.

I grabbed the other flashlight right as the kitchen door swung open. Thunder shook the house once more. I handed Derek a flashlight. He turned it on and shone it right at my face. I cringed back running into the side of the counter with my hip. I cried out in pain. Derek dropped the flashlight and ran towards me.

Embracing me tight, he wrapped his arms around my waist. I smiled, returning his hug."You are very warm." I whispered in his ear.

"I missed you. What have you been doing in the dark?" he asked me not bothering to whisper.

"You knew I was here." I paused, waiting for him to say something. When he didn't I continued, "Enjoying the rain and all of the sounds nature."

"You’re afraid of the dark." he stated softly. "You should’ve called me; I would have come to get you."

"Your here to see daddy aren't you?" I said letting go of him.

"Well no, I came to see you too." he stuttered. I bent down to pick up his dropped flashlight.

"Well, he's not here so you can leave now." I said stubbornly, handing him his flashlight. My dad was the chief of police in Chicago. He had a big role in a bunch of guys my age lives, so I never knew if they were here to impress me or him. Derek was one of those boys who seemed to like me but only because of my dad.

"Did he say when he would be back?" he asked me.

Mad, I shone the light right in his eyes. "You’re such a pig." I said loudly, almost yelling.

Suddenly the lights flickered on. Derek looked up at the lights, as if wondering why they had turned on. I looked at Derek. He was a very cute boy. Wearing a long sleeve brown v neck shirt that showed off his muscles and some dark denim jeans that looked kind of expensive, he looked extra cute. He was too cute to just impress my dad.

His thin pink lips formed into a smile. I realized I had been caught looking him over. "You don't really mean that do you?" he said stepping closer. I remembered the counter behind me so moved to the side and then started backing away as he kept stepping closer.

I nodded at him unable to find any of the right words. Before he said anything he looked me up and down. I was wearing my dance shorts and a tank top, with my long blonde hair pulled up into a messy bun. His smile grew bigger when looked back at my face, I should have been creeped out but all I could feel was flattery or relief that he liked it.

My back hit against the wall, with no pain. I was trapped. Derek stopped too. "You are very pretty Courtni," he stated as if we both already knew he thought that. He took a step closer; his face was inches away from mine. "You even smell pretty." he continued. I held my breath waiting for his next move. "I bet you even taste pretty." he said leaning his face into mine.

His lips had brushed my lips, when another voice yells out "Courtni, I'm home." Derek backed away instantly. I let out a deep breath and went to go see daddy. I brushed past Derek, hitting his shoulder. He laughed. I walked into the living room to find my dad holding a pizza hut box.

"Hello daddy." I said taking the box from him so he could take off his shoes.

I peaked inside the box. "Who's here?" he asked me.

I looked behind me, right on queue Derek walked in. "Hello Sir," Derek said firmly. I rolled my eyes.

"Derek! What brings you here?" my dad said. Apparently Derek was high on my father’s list to get remembered like that. Dad doesn’t even remember my friend’s names although they come over all the time.

"The power went out earlier so I called him to come over. I knew you trusted him enough to be alone with me in the dark. Plus Kara and Christy went roller-skating in west point this weekend." I said saving Derek’s butt. He looked at me and smiled. Little does he know that he will owe me big time for that.

Daddy smiled "Oh that's nice. Would you like to join us for dinner?" I gasped. Daddy had been bringing home dinner on Sunday nights for just me and him for as long as I could remember. He couldn't break the streak now, not for Derek.

Derek saw my face and instantly accepted the invite. Frowning, I went to the kitchen and began to set the table for three.

After we had all settled down and gotten a few bites into our bellies Derek spoke up "Well word is we have a criminal coming to our school tomorrow. He supposedly killed someone in his old town but they didn't have enough evidence to prove it to be true."He sounded as if he was talking to my dad but he was looking at me.

"Oh is that so?" I asked him.

"I have actually heard about that. I looked up the case, gruesome. Courtni you stay away from that one." my dad replied.

"Oh because suddenly I'm into those types of boys," I said sarcastically.

"Really now? I guess I will get right on that," Derek said jokingly.

"Why don't you guys go out?" dad asked between bites. My eyes widened and my stomach churned.

Derek smirked at me. "Good question." I said not knowing how to answer.

"Well obviously I have feelings for your daughter..."

"Obviously, I have to say I was surprised you came all the way here because Courtni called you. Don't you live on the other side of town?" my dad interrupted.

"I wasn't that far away from your apartment when she called. I would’ve done it for anybody though." Derek said trying to act modest.

I grimaced at the way he said apartment. The rich kids always thought they were better than me because I lived in an apartment. They are the most expensive apartments in the city but the kids don't think about that. After my mom died about 12 years ago my dad couldn't stand to be in that house so we moved. I have no complaints except the stupid rich people looking down at us.

"I’m surprised you remember the floor and the apartment number Derek, since I forgot to mention it on the phone." I said looking at Derek. I bat my eyes, acting innocent.

"Well as I was saying I have feelings for you Courtni. You dazzle me. Of course I wouldn't have forgotten where you lived, or that you were afraid of the dark." Derek replied back without missing a beat. He was good at this game.

My dad was smiling, proud of Derek for being able to say that in front of him."I wouldn't mind if you two went on a few dates toget...." he started to say but our door buzzer went off.

"Yes?" I yelled. I stood up and excused myself from the table.

"We have a visitor for the chief." the box called out as I reached the door. I hit the button to allow them access to come up.

"I'm sorry miss but this visitor needs a... an escort." The box stuttered a little.

"Go with him then." I said into the box but I forgot to press the button without realizing it, so nothing sent. After a few moments of silence I added, "Fine I will be right down." I grabbed my jacket and slipped on some slipper that were right by the door. "I will be right

back." I called to my dad.

Once out the door I felt bad leaving my dad alone with Derek but I soon push it aside as pay back for considering that we should date. I walked down the hallway towards the elevator.

Looking around, I remembered why I loved these apartments. It reminded me so much of a hotel. The carpets were ugly colors. There were painting and portraits along the long hallway walls. The elevator was also a plus.

I pushed the elevator button and waited. Ding, a few ladies stepped off, as I stepped on. They looked at me weird. I had forgotten what I was wearing, not normal attire for a trip outside in the middle of January. Ding, the doors open leading me out onto the first floor.

There are not very many people here tonight so naturally the first person I see is this amazingly gorgeous guy standing by the mail slots. His dark brown hair was perfectly messy and somewhat in his eyes. He had on a black leather jacket over a blank black t-shirt. His jeans were dark denim and they fit him super nicely. I stood there for a minute just gawking. His stance, attire, and facial expression screamed bad boy. I wanted desperately to go talk to him. I took my hair down letting the blonde waves come free.

I fingered through some strands as I walked over to Tristan, the guy who talks on the box. Lucky for me, Tristan was standing directly in front of Mr. Hottie. Tristan saw me coming and smiled. I usually had that effect on boys too bad none of the boys seemed to have the same effect on me.

"Hello Miss. Can I help you with something?" Tristan asked me.

"I’m the chief's daughter, remember? Courtni, ring a bell?"I said louder than necessary. I glanced over at the boy in the leather jacket. His attention was definitely on me. I smiled before continuing, "Don’t tell me you forgot me, Tristan."

"N-no Miss Courtni. I could never forget a face like you yours." he said staring at me. I laughed and put my hand on his shoulder,

"I'm just giving you a hard time, don't worry buddy its ok." I removed my hand, "So who is the chief's visitor?" I asked. I looked around for someone important looking. The dark window caught my eye. It was a little after five it shouldn't have been so dark already. As if the weather could read my thoughts thunder clashed and the lights flickered.

"It is that young man over there" he said pointing behind me. Without looking I already knew who he was talking about.

"Why?" I asked.

"I don't know. Three police officers just dropped him off and told me to send him to you." he replied.

"Why does he need an escort then?"

"I’m just doing what I was told to do."

I looked behind me only to see that he was staring at me with a smile on his face. I turned to Tristan, "Okay, thanks" I took a deep breath then turned around. I walked up to the boy with my best smile on.

He watched me, carefully examining."Hi I'm Courtni, the chief’s daughter." I said once I was close enough to see the little stubble of hair on his chin.

"I'm Tanner." he said giving me a sheepish grin.

"Why are you here to see my father?" I asked getting right to the point.

"This town thinks I'm bad news and I was just here to get inspected and to of course spend the night."

"Why would this town think your bad news?"

"Why do you like to ask so many questions?"

"I've only asked two and because I'm a curious girl"

"That's more questions than the amount of time you have known my name."

I looked up at the clock and waited for a minute to pass. I could feel his eyes looking over my body. When the red hand hit the 12 once again I looked back down. "Again, why would the town think your bad news?"

He laughed, not expecting I would actually wait a whole minute, "I 'killed' someone." he said putting quotations around the word killed with his fingers.

I blinked. A feeling of disgust should be creeping over my body right about now. Nothing happened. I liked Tanner, whether he killed someone or not. "Gruesome." I repeated what my dad had said earlier.

"Heard about me before huh? That's awesome." he said smiling. He had such a great smile.

"I’m not sure I would consider that awesome." I said laughing. I started walking towards the elevator. When I noticed he wasn't following me I said, "Well come on now. We do not have all day." when I heard his footsteps behind me I continued walking.

I could hear him laughing behind me. "You’re different."

"Well thanks, that's so flattering" I replied, pushing the elevator button.

"Don't get me wrong, you’re beautiful, but you’re different as well." he said. I looked at him but he wasn't looking at me.

He watched the elevator door waiting for it to open. I don't think he had any idea that what he said had a huge impact on me. I felt butterflies in my stomach and I could feel my face getting hot. I looked away from him and watched an older woman slightly bounce in anticipation. She looked as nervous and scared as I felt.

Ding. The door opened to an empty elevator. Tanner let me and the older woman on first before finally stepping in and pressing floor 11. "How did you know what floor he was on?" I asked Tanner.

He replied by turning towards me and smiling. We stood there looking at each other as the elevator music played. There was something about the way he was looking at me that made me not able to look away.

Finally he looked towards the other lady. I looked at her too. She seemed as if she were about to break down and cry right here and right now. Tanner leaned over to her, "Would you like a mint?" he asked her sincerely.

I laughed out loud unable to control it. Tanner wouldn't kill anyone I could feel it deep down in my gut. The lady shook her head and then glared at me. I tried to focus on something else but her stare was beating down on my shoulder.

Thunder rumbled. The elevator shook. I grabbed onto the railing. The elevator music stopped playing. I looked at Tanner, scared out of my mind. Tanner looked confused but he was in more control then I was.

He hit the call button. "help." he said. I realized that not only had the

music stopped but the elevator itself did too.

"Please wait one moment until we can find someone to answer your call." a female voice echoed in the small space. We all waited silently.

The lights went out for a split second. The older lady was huddled in the corner, hyperventilating. I could hear more thunder in the sky.

Tanner sat down in the middle. I stayed standing unable to give into the terror that I felt. I wanted to go sit by him, hold his hands, and have him tell me that everything was going to be all right and that we were all going to live through this. That wasn't going to happen. I told myself over and over in my head that he is a killer.

"Are you alright?" a familiar male voice rang out in the elevator.

"Yes. Tristan, what's going on?" I asked out loud hoping he would hear me.

"The power went out for a second. The elevator power is still warming back up. We are going to try to get you out of there as fast as we can, but it might take a while." he sounded worried, which wasn't helping much at all.

"Thank you. Please try your best to get this done fast." my voice quivered.

The lights went off. I counted to 27 in my head before they turned back on. The woman in the corner was sobbing loudly.

"Every time the power goes out the elevator has to start warming up again." Tanner said quietly.

I sat down, closing my eyes. I tried to make myself as small as possible. "I'm afraid of the dark." I whispered.

"Me too." Tanner whispered back.

We all sat there for a long time. Every once in a while the power would go off and we realized we would have to be in here that much longer. The only sounds were the lights buzzing and the woman’s quiet sobbing.

"Are you guys okay?" Tristan eventually asked us through the elevator speakers.

"I’m sure we have all had better days." I replied, "Any good news?"

"None. We are going to try to get you out manually now. Do you remember the last floor you were on?" he asked.

"What time is it?" the older woman asked. Both Tanner and I looked at her; amazed that she had actually spoken.

"A little after eight o'clock." Tristan said without pausing.

"We’ve been in here for two and a half hours," she whispered.

"I think it said floor nine." Tanner said answering Tristan’s question.

"Thank you for being so patient we hope to see you in person soon." Tristan said, leaving us alone again.

We all sat still, just waiting. The power would go off and then back on constantly. I closed my eyes and imagined if it would hurt to die in here. I imagined suffocating or the elevator crashing to the bottom and we all explode. I pictured the things I thought would only happen in movies.

"Courtni?" Tanner said my name so soft and sweet.

"Yes, Tanner?" I replied looking at him.

He scooted closer to me. The lights went out. My heart beat faster; I could reach out and touch him. He smelled like sporty cologne. It made my mouth water. He reached out and grabbed my hand. Intertwining his fingers between mine he said, "You don't have to worry."

I was glad the lights were off so he couldn't see my face heating up. "About what?" I asked wondering if he could read my mind.

"About everything. I won't let anything bad happen to you." he said in a very serious tone. I instantly felt safer.

"I believe you." I whispered to him.

"I don't usually hear that." he joked.

"I can’t imagine why." I said laughing.

He didn't say anything right away. I feared I might have gone too far. "I didn't kill her, I swear." his tone was serious. His body got tense.

I didn't know what to say to that. No one had ever told me that before. I wanted to be sympathetic and comforting but I didn't know how.

I took too long to answer so he went on. "Her name was Stacy. She lived right next door to me. She could play the piano like no other. She was always smiling and full of life. Only recently had I noticed a difference in her. She knew something was wrong, she wouldn't tell me what it was though. Of course I didn't do anything to help her. I might not have killed her, but it's my fault she died." he finished sounding like he was about to cry.

I let go of his hand and moved closer to him. I attempted to give him a hug. "You shouldn't blame yourself for her death." I whispered.

"But it..."

"Did you kill her?" I interrupted.

"No, but..."

"Then you did nothing wrong. You have to move on Tanner. Find another girl. There are plenty of fish in the sea."

"I don't think that's going to be too hard." he said. His tone was different, happier. I could tell he wanted to drop the subject of her.

"See, your cute I'm sure a lot of girls would want you."

"I’m not worried about 'a lot of girls'. I just want one at the moment."

"Well that's nice of you. This world has too many players in it anyway."

"I was actually talking about one girl specifically."

"Oh." I said disappointed that someone had already captured his heart. I was beginning to think he is just another super sweet guy and had no interest in me at all.

"She happens to be sitting next to me at this very moment." he said seriously.

The corners of my mouth turned. My stomach tingled and my heart pounded.

"You barely know me," I whispered too much in shock to talk any louder.

He laughed at me then said, "I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about that woman on the other side of me." We both laughed at his joke.

I turned my head to look around Tanner, at the woman. As soon as I could make out her shape in the darkness the lights turned on.

She was glaring at us. I turned my attention back to Tanner who was sitting awfully close to me. His body heat was radiating from him. He reached across and grabbed one of my hands, closing it in between his. I could still feel the lady's stare on me so I looked back at her.

She was looking through a big purse she had. The lights flickered, and then turned off. Finally finding what she wanted she said, "You guys think making fun of me is funny? Do you have any idea what that does to a person. You don’t know that whatever you say to or about someone might have a huge life changing impact on that someone. Have you ever realized that?"

While she was talking, Tanner had turned around to face the woman. He was still holding my hand, but something felt wrong. He looked like he was prepared for something to go wrong. I tried to see what the woman had wanted out of her purse, but her hands were hidden inside of it

still.

She continued, "Now, just know that I already planned on doing this. But maybe, just maybe, if you would’ve included me in your group tonight I would have rethought things, if you would’ve been nicer to me, rather than shunning me."

The lights came on, briefly. I had no idea what she was talking about. All I knew was Tanner seemed scared. His face leaned over inches away from mine, "back up." he whispered. I scooted back an inch or two. "More," he whispered to me again, this time letting go of my hand. I moved back about four inches. "More," he repeated. This time I just pushed myself to the corner diagonally opposite the woman, trying to get myself as far away from her as possible.

Tanner, on the other hand, seemed to be moving closer to her. The lights turned on as the lady pulled her hands from her purse. A silver blade shined underneath her fingers. She smiled at me. The lights shut off. I screamed. Tanner moved quickly. I huddled in the corner, hugging my knees up to my chest. Tanner and the lady were making a lot of noise. The woman screamed. Tanner grunted. I tried to make myself smaller.

Soon I could smell the salty, coppery smell if blood. I closed my eyes and started counting in my head. Blood was something I could not handle. I tried to concentrate on anything but the smell. The others continued struggling. I was too distracted to remember anything. Soon nothing mattered anymore, I could barely feel anything. It was getting hard to breathe. The last thing I remembered was the lights turning back on and my head hitting against the ground.



Tanner



Whenever I first saw her walk out of the elevator. My chest throbbed. I realized it hurt because she had just stolen my heart and she didn't even know it. Who knew she would be looking for me, what were the chances. Her voice was so sweet and soft it wisped through my ears and around my head making me dizzy. I saw her lips moving. I knew words were being spoken to me but all I could see were her lips. Her words meant nothing to me.

I followed her back to the elevator, in a trance. She had me hypnotized."Pay attention," I told myself once she talked to me again. I responded instantly. Lingering on her every word, she didn't notice how much I was falling for her. I was secretly glad when the elevator broke down. It meant I had more time with her. It gave us a chance to actually connect. I didn't know if I had the same effect on her as she did on me. Apparently I did. It must’ve been a soul mate thing because I have never felt this way before for any girl.

Not even Stacy had meant this much to me. I barely knew Courtni. She was a mystery to me but a whole new adventure to discover a hidden romance. I expected her to like me by the time we were rescued I didn't expect, however, the fact that we had been joined on the elevator by a suicidal older woman.

When she started talking to us I realized Courtni had me so distracted I hadn't noticed the signs and that the woman was completely right. Right there and then I knew this whole experience would end badly. No matter what happened I was going to protect Courtni with my life. There was no doubt in my mind that I loved her and would do anything for her, even though we barely knew each other. I felt as if I found something I might never find again. And I wanted to keep it. I wanted to keep her forever.

The woman with the knife was deadly. She stabbed at me, herself, and the wall. She was set on killing herself that night no matter what, or who got in her way. Fighting for the knife, I got a few scratches here and there, elbowed in the ribs a few times, and a lot if kicks in right on the money. She was tough. And after all my effort she still won. The blade went right through her skin and squished into her heart. I heard the sound as it plunged through the softness of it. Blood squirted everywhere. Courtni had passed out a few minutes ago. There was nothing I could do.

I stood up and kicked the stuck doors a few times. I sat back down in between Courtni and the dead lady, with my back against the wall. I cried until the lights turned back on, praying that Courtni did not die from being out for too long. I searched the woman’s purse for something useful to use to wake her up or to get out of here.

I tried cutting through the wall with the knife the woman had used to kill herself but it wouldn't break through the metal. I tried the help button a few times but Tristan wasn't close enough to his desk to hear it.

I sat back down, next to Courtni."I give up." I told her, putting my hand over hers. Suddenly this elevator didn't feel like an elevator. It felt like a trap, a cage. I tried to ignore the feeling that something was wrong because I knew it was just an elevator but I couldn't shake the feeling that I had messed up.

After a few minutes, Courtni's hand moved slightly. I gripped harder. Her body was beginning to wake up. I sat patiently, staring off into space, giving her time.

"Tanner?" she wondered.

I smiled; her voice was so soft and gentle."Of course." I replied not quite sure what she was asking.

"Your bloody." she stated.

I looked at her. She was still lying on the ground, with her eyes closed. She had hardly moved."Yeah," I stopped, not knowing how to go on, "she killed herself. I tried to stop her but..." I said, trailing off.



Courtni



I knew what he was talking about without opening my eyes. The last thing I had seen before passing out was the knife come out of her purse. She had come in the elevator with a plan and no matter what, she was going to get it done.

“I feel bad,” Tanner said, “I didn’t even know her name and yet I watched her die.”

I was secretly glad I had passed out. I didn’t want to have the guilt of someone killing themselves on me forever. Poor Tanner was forced to deal with it even after all he had already been through. “Don’t beat yourself up about it, It’s not your fault,” I told him

‘Courtni! Courtni, can you hear me? Are you in there?” the loud manly voice of my father’s said.

“Yeah dad, I’m right here. I can hear you.” I replied loudly.

“We are going to get you out of there. Just hang tight for a few more minutes,” he told me.

Still holding Tanner’s hand I stood up and smiled. Tanner stood up too and looked at me, watching me carefully. His eyes were filled with sorrow.

“What’s wrong? We are getting out of here, how can you be sad?” I asked him.

“This is the last time I’m going to see you.” He replied softly.

“No it won’t. We can hang out after school, we can call…” I was interrupted by his finger on my lips.

“Shhh,” He told me. “Don’t worry about it yet. Just focus on getting out of here.”

I couldn’t help but smile. His hands were so warm. I frowned when he took his finger back and let go of my hand. There was something wrong, I could tell. I just wasn’t sure what was going on inside of his brain.

Above us there was a lot of banging and smashing and cursing. We just waited it out, staring off into space. No one said a word. No one looked at the dead woman. After a while the noise stopped and silence filled the elevator once more.

“The power has actually been on for a while.” Tanner finally spoke.

Seconds after, as if that was all it needed, the elevator powered on. The buttons flashed lights. A computer voice told us that the elevator had a small power failure and that we will be directed back to the first floor.

A few minutes later the elevator doors opened. I sighed of relief, I wasn’t sure we were going to live to see those doors open again. I glanced over at Tanner, who looked extremely nervous. My dad came running forward with open arms. I smiled and embraced him warmly. It felt so good to see him again. Behind my father was Derek who I expected to be watching my every move, but he was looking past me. I let it go.

“Oh it’s so nice to see you again. I was so scared. I didn’t think I was ever going to make it out of there.” I said letting go of my father. His body went rigid. He looked as if he had just seen a ghost. He wasn’t even listening to me. I waved at him wondering what happened to him.

“What is…that?” he asked, pointing behind me into the elevator. I whipped around only to see that he was pointing at the bloody corpse.

“Sir, my name is Tanner O’Neil. I too was in the elevator. That woman was suicidal. She killed herself with a knife while we were stuck. I tried to stop her. I fought with her for it…” he trailed off realizing my father wasn’t listening to him either.

“Call an ambulance NOW!” my dad shouted. He rushed over to her and kneeled down. Slowly he went through the motions of checking a person to see if they were alive or dead. Obviously the woman showed no signs of life but he didn’t give up. He tried everything he could to bring her back to life.

“Dad, she’s been dead for hours. She is not alive. We saw her plunge the knife into her body.” I said softly. Tanner stood quietly staring at the ground.

Dad sat back away from the woman, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. “Courtni, please get Derek and Mr. O’Neil and show them to our apartment.” he told me. He sounded stressed out. I nodded. “Oh and stay up there the rest of the night. Don’t leave for anything.”

I did as I was told, to afraid not too. No one said a word to me on the way up the stairs to our apartment. I lied down on my bed and fell asleep within minutes of arriving back home.



Tanner



I thought this was going to be an amazing night when I first saw her. Now I think that there is no way things can work out good for me tonight. I was in a whole lot of trouble as it was, now there is another dead girl and I was there. I learned two things by the end of the night: one that the world hates me and will never let me be happy, and two that I am in love with Courtni.



Courtni



I woke up and stared at the ceiling for what seemed like hours before Derek opened my door and peaked into my room.

“Come in.” I said softly, quickly making sure I was fully clothed and decent looking.

As he stepped inside, he looked around. I guess he had never really been in my room before. Although I bet he had thought about it many times.

I waited for him to tell me what he wanted. I doubted it was going to be good. He must have notice I was waiting because he said, "I was just coming to check on you that's all."

"Yeah right. If you don't have something bad to say then you are coming in here to make a move and be a pervert."

"You know me so well." He said smirking.

"Get out of my room right now! I am not in the mood to put up with your childish games." I yelled. When he didn't move I added, "I will tell my dad."

His smirk turned into a full smile. "Actually that's what I came to talk to you about."

"Oh really? You came to talk about him? Surprise, surprise." I rolled my eyes.

“Don’t be like that baby,” he said to me as he walked over and sat on my bed. I moved my legs so he wouldn’t sit on them. We sat in silence for few minutes just staring off into space. Finally he continued “So what happened last night?”

“Nothing. I rode in an elevator, it broke down, some lady killed herself, and then Tanner and I got off alive.” I said, briefly seeing the whole night over in my head.

“I think there is more to it than that.”

“There isn’t. That’s what happened. End of story.” I sat up in the bed so we were talking face to face. I was able to look at him closer. He was wearing the same clothes as yesterday only they were slightly wrinkled. He had bags under his eyes, making him look older. And I could barely see little stubble hairs on his chin.

“You do know that Tanner has killed someone before.”

“He has not!” I yelled louder than necessary.

“So there was more to the story, please go on.” He smirked. I had fallen into another game of his. This game felt more like a trap.

“Okay, okay. He told me about Stacy. But really that’s it. The elevator was really quiet most of the time.”

“Was that before or after he killed Miss Reed?”

I gasped, “You think Tanner killed her? She was suicidal. Tanner had nothing to do with it. It was just bad timing, that’s all I swear.”

“Oh really, it’s just a coincidence? Prove it.”

“Check the knife for—“

“We did. Miss Reed’s and Tanners fingerprints showed up”

“Check the camera.”

“We can’t the power was down. Nothing recorded.”

I was running out of things to say, “I was there, you just have to trust me.”

“How do we know he didn’t threaten you to not tell us anything that happened?”

“Because he is a really sweet guy who cares about me!” I said.

“Okay its blackmail. Thank you Courtni. Don’t worry we will put this guy away for what he did,” he smiled at me.

We sat still looking at each other until Derek leaned in to kiss me. I turned my head away. How could he possibly think about kissing after questioning me about someone’s death? Then my door opened to bring yet another person into my room.

“Derek, give me a moment please.” My father’s voice sounded annoyed.

Derek nodded before getting up and leaving the room. The silence got awkward. I turned to watch my dad, trying to figure out what he was thinking. He looked confused.

“Courtni.” He whispered. I waited patiently, letting him think about what he was going to say to me before he said it.

“Please be careful.” He said simply before turning around and walking out the door Derek had just walked out of. He peaked his head back in and said “And get dressed. You have a big day ahead of you.” Then he shut the door leaving me alone to think.



Tanner



The morning after the elevator incident, I woke up on a couch. I looked around completely confused. Where was I?

“Mr. O’Neil? Are you awake?” said a manly voice. I sat up trying to find the person speaking to me. As soon as I saw him I remembered everything.

“Yes, chief, I’m awake.” I replied to Courtni’s father. “You can call me Tanner, sir,” I added.

“Alright, Tanner, let’s go for a walk,” he said, handing me a cup of coffee.

I took a sip then set it down on the coffee table in front of me. I stood up, stretched, and straightened out my clothes a little. I didn’t want to go on a walk, I wanted to see Courtni, but I didn’t think I could back out of this. “Okay. I’m ready when you are.” I said to him.

“Good. I will meet you down in the lobby,” he told me before walking up to a bedroom door in the hallway across from the living room that I was in. “Oh and please don’t take the elevator.” He added before going inside the bedroom.

I watched after him wondering if that was Courtni’s room. When Derek stepped out I figured it wasn’t.

“You look like crap man,” Derek said to me. I had met Derek right after I got off the elevator. He told me not to try anything funny, especially with Courtni, before I had fallen asleep last night. So I figured that Derek was her brother or something.

“Thanks dude,” I said. I looked around trying to find the front door.

“It’s over there,” Derek said pointing to a door that looked like all the other doors, “Have fun.” He walked away into what looked like the kitchen.

I took one last glance into the apartment, wondering if I would ever see it again, and walked out the apartment door.



Courtni



I got out of my bed and stood up. “Be careful of what?” I asked myself. I walked over to my dresser and looked for some jeans and a t-shirt. Fancy wasn’t what I was going for today. I didn’t think Tanner would mind much about how I looked the day after a murder. “Tanner!” I said louder than necessary, remembering that he was here.

“He left a few minutes ago,” Derek said suddenly appearing at my door again. This time he was looking a little cleaner and had an apple in his hand.

“He is coming back right?” I asked, worried. I didn’t even get to say good bye.

“Probably not, and I’m not just saying that because I don’t like him, I honestly don’t think he will be back.” He took a bite of the apple.

“Where will he go? What are they going to do to him? When will he be back? He’s not in trouble is he? He didn’t do anything. Daddy knows that, doesn’t he? They won’t hurt him right?” I was talking fast. Too fast for Derek.

“Your dad is with him right now. They went on a walk. Don’t worry about him.”

“You don’t understand Derek, I need to see him or be with him or something.” I pushed past Derek in the doorway and walked to the bathroom across the hall. Shutting the door hard I started stripping off the clothes I was in.

“Wait, let me get this straight, you like him? No, you more than like him. Do you think you are in love with this guy, this murderer? He killed two people Courtni! He is so poor. He has been in jail before. He… is all wrong for you! He doesn’t even have a house here yet. What are you thinking developing feelings for him? You hardly even know him. You spent three hours together in a small space and you automatically love him? That’s all it takes, a pretty smile, a bad boy rep, and some alone time with you? Well baby, I can be bad if you want me too. And look, we are alone let’s just make the best o…”

I opened the bathroom door, shocked and fully clothed in clean clothes. “Derek. Shut up!” I closed the bathroom door and walked back into my bedroom. Derek followed me. “I thought I had feelings for you but they don’t even come close to my feelings for Tanner. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like we are soul mates or something.” I said smiling, I liked that idea.

Derek opened his mouth as if he was going to say something. “Yeah I know that sounds cheesy, but it is true. You were right, I do love him. I can’t believe I am telling you this. I have to see him.” I said. I put my tennis shoes on in a hurry.

My heart was fluttering, and my cheeks were red. Suddenly nothing mattered. I had figured it out. Derek said something but I didn’t hear him. I ran out of our apartment and rushed down the stairs to the lobby. I heard footsteps behind me so I figured Derek was following me but I didn’t care. I just had to see Tanner.

When I reached the last step I looked around. The few people in the room were blurs. They didn’t matter to me right now. I walked to the front door, in what seemed like, three steps.

Outside. It was wet. I walked along the sidewalk, hoping my father had taken Tanner to daddy’s favorite breakfast food place. I didn’t have to walk very far before I saw Tanner strolling along with my dad. I slowed down and hung back. I wasn’t going to let them notice me. But I was going to follow them and try to eavesdrop.



Tanner



The rustling wind was cold and I would have done almost anything to go inside, but the chief was determined to get to know me more. He wasn’t blaming me for anything but he was being nosey.

“Details” he told me. “I just want to get the details.”

“I’m sorry chief but it’s all a little fuzzy. I can only really remember what I already told you. I’m sure you could get more from Courtni.”

“I want to try to keep her out of this as much as I can. I don’t want her to be involved with this or you, or any of it. This is not what she needs. She deserves better. Way better.” He said trailing of and mumbling.

“Then Sir, I have to confess something. I think I am in love with your daughter.”

The chief stopped walking. He looked at me with his mouth dropped open. Anger lit up in his eyes. I could tell he was furious with me. “Leave.” He whispered. “Just go, now!” he pointed a finger in the direction we were walking. “I never want to see you again, ever. LEAVE!” he turned around and started walking back to his house.

I watched him walk away, frozen in place. I messed that up big time. I can’t believe that just actually happened. I guess I could only do one thing. I turned around and started walking away with my head down. I had to leave. I had no other choice. I would never see Courtni again and it was my entire fault.

“Tanner!” a familiar voice said, behind me. I spun around and smiled. She ran up to me and hugged me tight. I held her close. I never wanted to let go.

Courtni let go and smiled up at me. Her smile could brighten the world. “I love you too.” She said unfaltering.

I took a step back, “No, you can’t. Courtni you have to go home. I can’t be around you. Your dad was right. You deserve better.” I felt horrible saying this too her. This isn’t what I wanted. I wanted her to hug me again. I wanted to be with her forever. I didn’t want to have to worry about what might happen to her if I stay or if I leave. This wasn’t fair. This isn’t what I wanted.

She frowned. Her eyes got darker. I was afraid she was going to cry. “You don’t mean that.” she said it with confidence.

“Yes I do.”

“This isn’t what you want. Because I know you feel it too. I know you feel what I feel. You love me Tanner. You said so yourself. Just be with me then.”

“I can’t. I have to leave. You don’t…” I was cut off. She had put her finger against my lips. I felt like I was going to melt just from her touch.

She got up on the top of her toes, making herself taller, and leaned in closer to me. Her breath was hot against my face. I tried not to move, tried not to give in. She was so tempting. Her lips touched mine and I caught on fire.

I backed away. “No, Courtni. I…” her face was glowing. She looked like an angel to me. I couldn’t stop this. I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into me. I kissed her softly, wanting to savor the moment. She wrapped her arms around my neck and for the first time in a long time, I felt truly happy. Like nothing could ruin this.

Courtni pulled away from my lips but we were still close. “Stay with me,” she whispered. “Please.” Her eyes looked into mine as if they were searching for something.

I shook my head. “Your dad doesn’t want to see me again. He doesn’t want us to be together.”

She sighed. I pushed the hair out of her face and ran my thumb across her cheek. She was warm to the touch. A sly smiled formed on her lips. “Then run away with me.”



Derek



There she was, the love of my life, in someone else’s arms. I’m not going to lie, it hurt, and it hurt badly. There was nothing I could do about it. She said so herself.

Hand-in-hand they started to walk away. Tanner called a cab. They both got in and drove away. I stood there for a while before I figured out that they were not going to come back. Good thing your dad is a cop, Courtni.

I pulled out my cell phone and dialed the Chief’s cell phone number. “Hello chief? I think Tanner just kidnapped your daughter.”



To be continued.