Torn pages

If you take more than two minutes to finish that small burger, I'll leave you here and be on my way." Logan's arms were crossed as he glared.

"It's not my fault you gulped the food as soon as it arrived," I mumbled as I cut a small piece from the burger and placed it in my mouth. I raised an eyebrow when he gave me a strange look. What! We can also eat a burger like this.

"Lord," he said as he threw his napkin on the table and stood up, taking his keys and phone with him.

"What are you doing?!?"

"Enjoy your time here leisurely," he said sarcastically. "I've got work to do," he said as he walked away. After taking one more bite, I huffed and stood up, sprinting to catch up with him.

"Such a jerk," I mumbled as I wiped my fingers with tissue paper.

"Heard that," he said as I walked alongside him, and I rolled my eyes. As if I care!

"Karrie!" When I heard a familiar person yell my name, I turned around in surprise. Scarlet waved from afar, running happily towards me.

"Scar!" I exclaimed as I dashed towards her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and drew me into her familiar bone-crushing hug. I laughed and rubbed her back.

"I missed you so much," she mumbled, and I laughed.

"It's only been a few hours, Scar."

"Still..." she squeezed my shoulders.

"How did your date go?" Instead, I inquired. She drew back and smiled like a million bucks.

"It was AWESOME!" she exclaimed as she squeezed my hand. Patrick walked towards us, his hands tucked into his pant pocket. I swooned a little when he gave me a cute smile.

"Hello, I'm guessing you're Karolia," he said, his accent thick as fog. Perhaps Australian?

"And you must be Patrick," I said, shaking his extended hand. I raised my brows as Patrick wrapped his hand around Scarlet's waist, drawing her closer. Something seemed to have gotten out of hand.

"Pat?" When I turned around, Logan was walking back towards us, pocketing his cellphone.

"Logan? What are you doing here?" Patrick inquired, surprised. Scarlet was speechless, her mouth agape. I nudge her while glaring at her.

"He's more handsome up close," she said quietly enough for me to hear. I sighed and rolled my eyes. Yes, he is attractive, but his personality is unattractive...at times.

"Shut up," I hissed at her.

"I had some business here," Logan replied to Patrick's question, casting a sidelong glance at me. Patrick looked at me for a moment, puzzled, but then his face brightened as if he realized something.

"You are the girl who has been keeping our guy on his toes for the past few days," he said with a smirk. My cheek flushed, obviously embarrassed.

"Yeah, I guess so," I muttered, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. I blushed even more as he laughed at my reaction.

"I think we should get going," Logan said. "I'll see you tonight," Logan said to Patrick, who nodded in response.

"It was nice finally meeting you, Karolia," Patrick said, and I smiled. He came forward to hug me, and I awkwardly wrapped my hands around his back, standing on my toes, to hug him back. These people are ridiculously tall!

"It's funny to see him get all worked up because of you," Patrick said quietly in my ear. I sighed slightly.

"I'm sure he already had plans to murder me," I said softly, pulling back from his embrace.

"Yet you're still alive," he said with a wink.

*****

"Hey, are you free?" Grecia stood on the threshold of my open door and knocked.

"Yeah, please come in," I said, straightening up. I closed Mom's diary and put it under my pillow, Grecia smiled at me as she sat down on the bed.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the dinner. I got a little carried away with packing "I shook my head as she apologized.

"Please do not apologize. It's all right."

"When are you going to leave?" Grecia is visiting her sister in California and plans to stay for two months.

"Later at night"

"I could always move out," I said once more. She gave a firm shake of her head.

"No, you must stay here."

"But, Grecia, it's clear Logan doesn't want me here, and now that you're leaving..." I pondered.

"He doesn't have a choice in the matter."

"But you're not going to be here."

"Don't feel like I'm not giving you a choice, Karolia," she cut in, "but it would make me so happy if you stayed here. To be honest, it felt good to have someone other than my son in the house to talk and laugh with."

"Perhaps I'm being selfish by forcing you to stay here. And.." She came to a halt, unsure what to say.

"And?"

"Logan needs a friend," and to say I'm not surprised would be a lie. "With his father's death and my depression, his childhood was not easy. Trouble was always following him, and no one wanted to be his friend. Patrick was his only friend" I took her hand in mine and gently squeezed it. She appeared depressed and guilty.

"When the business prospered, all his thoughts and actions were business-related, including his previous girlfriend," she shook her head.

"So, I'd like you to be his friend. Someone who can teach him the true meaning of friendship. That can only be done by a true friend. I'm not implying that Patrick isn't a genuine friend. But he's just a guy. You know what I mean when I say that girls have a way of making their friends understand their mistakes, right?" Her words touched my heart, and I promised her I'd stay, but only for her sake. We talked for a while longer before she went to sleep before her flight.

********

The room was completely dark. I could feel myself spinning in circles, but I wasn't dizzy. Everything was crystal clear, and I could make out the outline of a figure in the darkness around me.

A light was turned on. Everything became blurry when I abruptly came to a halt. When I opened my eyes and regained my balance, the figure in the flaming light bulb was clearly visible. As I realized who it was, a wave of fear washed over me.

I tried to scream, but when I opened my mouth, no sound came out. His demonic eyes reflected my face as he stared at me.

"You bastard, leave me alone," I yelled at him, and I heard him chuckle as he moved closer.

"Oh, poor girl, you don't have anyone to help you right now." He chuckled darkly, and tears welled up in my eyes.

"What do you just want? I've done nothing wrong to you. What are you doing to me? "I pleaded with him,

"I'm just doing what the boss told me to do," he explained as he approached with a gun in his hand.

"To kill you," he said before shooting me.

"NO!" I screamed and clawed at my face. My hands began to shake violently, and I lost control of my body for a split second. My eyes welled up and hot tears streamed down my cheeks. I kept hearing the sound of the gunshot, replaying it in my head and breaking it.

"Make it stop, make it stop," I yelled, clutching my head and furiously shaking it. I kicked my legs because I couldn't get the panic out of my head.

"Lia, look at me, hey hey," I said, shaking my head, terrified. He's going to kill me.

"LOOK AT ME," someone screamed in my ear, overpowering the deafening thumping of my head and throat. I blinked open my eyes and looked at Logan. He appeared to be in a state of panic, his eyes wide with concern. My body was drenched in a cold sweat, and I whimpered helplessly. As I began to cry, he drew me into his chest, stroking my hair with his hands.

"It was just a dream," he explained softly.

"It-it-felt-so-real. He's going to kill me. H-he will come s-looking for me "I cried as I looked at him, my tears blurring his figure.

"Shhh…You're safe" He wiped away my tears.

"Logan, I'm terrified. He is going to"

He stroked my lips with one finger while caressing my cheek with the other "Don't say anything. You should get some rest. It was only a nightmare. Now, try to get some rest." I relaxed at his touch.

I nodded silently and sat down on the bed, sobbing quietly. He gave me a brief unsure look before getting out of my bed and walking towards the door.

"Wait." I stopped him. He turned around to face me.

"Thank you," I said gratefully, and he nodded before turning off the light and exiting the room. I stared at the ceiling, silent tears streaming down my cheeks. I took a deep breath and wiped away my tears. I yanked the blanket off my body and switched on the bed lamp. I pulled my mother's diary from under my pillow and began flipping through the pages.

20th of February, 2006

It's our sweetheart's 5th birthday today. She is very excited for today, mostly to open her presents, as Benjamin has promised to get her brand new skating shoes and a bike helmet. I invited all of her classmates as well as some of our family friends. After a few hours, the party will begin. My baby was showing off her new princess gown to her toy friends, with a plastic crown on her head and a magic wand in her little hand.

She asked me today why she can't have a baby sister with whom she can share her toys and clothes. Her question bothered me, but we can't give her what she wants while I'm unable to conceive again. But we'll make sure she doesn't feel lonely by being available to her at all times, at least until she finds her own prince charming.

My eyes welled up with tears. This is the umpteenth time I've read this page, but it always gets to me, engulfing me in grief and despair. I turned a few more pages before reaching the end of the diary, my fingers tracing the last few torn pages. I'm curious what was written there that prompted Mom to tear those pages away.