Damned: Chapter 1) Every Even Odd

He’s not dead. He’s not dead.

I couldn’t get that surreal possibility out of my mind. All these years I thought my brother was dead. I tried to suppress my uncontrollable emotions from bouncing up to level crazy. It couldn’t be possible that he was still alive, he met with an accident back home in Chicago. He died two years ago. Didn’t he? Yet, the solid piece of paper in my hand said otherwise. I gave a quick glance at the business card in my hand to ensure again I wasn’t tripping off my sanity. It was real. The writing was his and it was addressed to someone called ‘J,385Y’. The note had my brother’s very own signature, last week’s date, and a request to meet at an apartment building room number 226.

Honestly, I found the bloody piece of paper by accident at the bank when someone pushed me and I dropped my bag. Low and behold, the card was staring right at me on the floor. It seemed as if someone had accidentally dropped it. Maybe it was planted for me? Is that even possible? I mean, things like that only happen in books and movies right?

Well, whatever. I could handle myself, I’m not some sort of Barbie doll who needed a Ken. Plus, I have my white belt in martial arts and I mastered in Crazy. Alright, fine, I admit I had a police friend on speed dial. Not like I needed to use that much.

I tried to swallow my anxiety as I nervously made my way through the filthy apartment building to my brother’s room. What the hell kind of place was this? No respectable lady should even set foot in here. Men crawled around the place like leeches on marijuana. Literally on the heavy stuff I figured. The place honestly reeked with the smell of alcohol and as gross as it sounds- sweat. I seriously wanted to puke. What was Anthony even doing in a place like this if he was alive?

The looks and lines I got from those men were rude beyond a new level. Talk about thirsty. They needed some water. Holy water.

I tucked my hair behind my ear as I tried to walk along the hallway in the most decent and respectable manner possible. No way was I throwing candy for those dogs. I came here to find my brother and so help me God, I will.

Stopping at the room door, I felt my heart hammering nails into my aching soul. I was about to knock on the door but I noticed it was already opened. Gently giving it a knock anyway, I pushed it to reveal the empty room inside. Taking a step in, I absorbed the surroundings of the dull apartment. Someone was definitely here a while ago. Was. The apartment was cleaned out. Empty, as in the person who was once there was gone. I slowly walked toward the kitchen area when I stepped on something solid on the ground.

It was a phone that looked like it was purposefully damaged. There was another kind of writing on a piece of paper on the ground. My heart was skipping so many beats that I swore I needed to head straight to the doctor on my way home. Although the writing seemed to be completely useless information such as a list of food items, my shock was channeled through the fact that it was indeed my brother’s writing.

My brother was in fact alive. He was here. This was his apartment. He left. God no.

I sunk into a state of morbid anguish. Why would he do this? So many questions were bombarding my mind it was impossible to come to terms with this. No, I needed to find him now. I have to. I wasn’t going to sulk about not meeting him. Looking at the phone again, I realized it was a form of hope. It could be fixed if I spoke to the right person. I had to do this.

Inhaling for composure, I sucked up the bitterness, and stuffed the cell phone into my bag. I should also ask someone around here about the person who stayed in this apartment. With that thought, I made my way out of the room when I suddenly tripped on the creased rug at the door.

Instead of hitting the cold damp floor, I collided with the soft material covering a rock-like body. My eyes eased up to the face of the tall man who held me from falling. His face was hard and almost demanding yet it had that youthful elegance in it. Every feature seemed chiseled to perfection almost as if he was an authentic Greek god or something. And for some odd reason, I couldn’t help but stare at how his stubble seemed to highlight him to dangerous perfection. I tried to pull myself away and removed my small hands from his ironed arms. He looked at me as if I was some sort of stray kitten and slightly curved the edge of his lips. Yet, there was neither a smile nor a smirk fully portrayed. His eyes burned through me as if he was mentally undressing me from head to toe. I had this odd sensation within me, giddy almost.

“Now what’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?” He asked in a rich, raspy, caramelized voice that sent a delicious pleasure up my spine. I swore I even heard the hint of a foreign accent in there.

Damn these Mother Nature hormones at these uncontrollable times.

I composed myself as I neatly straightened my dress. Why did I even wear a dress today? Out of all days. I looked at the stranger in front of me again, better viewing his attire. His dark jeans contrasted with the pure white linen shirt that was slightly undone under his dark blazer. And it seriously didn’t help the nuns with the black, messy, bed-hair look he had going. Yet, something told me that that was natural.

His looks were lethal. He was the perfect blend of sin and sorry, and I honestly didn’t want to be the sorry one. 

“Sorry.” I apologized, “I-I was looking for my brother.”

“Your brother?” the stranger asked almost in a surprised manner, yet kept his subtle demeanor about it.

“Yes. Do you live here?”

The question was silly of me to even add up. He didn’t look like he lived in this below-the-bar apartment building. The guy looked as if he came out a bloody Vogue or GQ men’s magazine. At that moment, he gave a low raspy chuckle and rubbed his chin with his thumb.

“No.” he stated as he looked at me with his icy blue eyes beneath his long dark lashes.

“Oh-”

Before I could say another word, someone suddenly interrupted me from afar. A middle-aged man who sat on the chair in front of his apartment grinned at me wolfishly.

“How much do you charge per hour beautiful?” His voice was sick and full of anticipation. It was beyond disgusting and the fact that he said it so shamelessly was appalling. To top off the nastiness, he had a skimpy dressed girl on his lap nuzzling into his greasy-looking neck. I tried my best to keep my posture and my cool, even though I did want to feed him to the gators.

The God-like stranger in front of me fixed his gaze upon me intensely. I suddenly didn’t feel very safe in this place again. I got what I came for and I should leave. There’s no time to get distracted like this.

“Look, I have to go.” I inhaled almost breathlessly and pushed away from him. I had to find my brother. He’s more important.

On my way out, I stopped at the receptionist at the apartment and inquired if my brother Anthony Donovan had booked a room here. The answer honestly, screwed with my head. She said no. This discovery made me more than just anxious about what was happening. What the actual hell was going on? Taking, a frustrated breath, I decided to calm myself down. It made no sense getting flustered about it right now. I still had that cell phone and it was my only hope. I had to get it repaired no matter what. Maybe it could help me find out something about my brother’s whereabouts.

Opening my apartment door, I tiredly threw my bag on the sofa and made my way to the kitchen. At that precise moment, I stopped cautiously. There was a faint sniffing sound that came from behind the counter. Taking a step closer, I saw the tragic image of my battered roommate sitting on the floor and crying.

“Rebecca?” I began completely unsure of what to think at the moment.

“Katherine why does this keep happening to me?” she sobbed frantically, “I just don’t understand. I try so hard and he-”

“He? What are you talking about?”

“He cheated on me, Kathy. We-we broke up. Daniel and I broke up.” Rebecca continued with the waterworks.

So that’s what happened. I knew there was a good reason I never took a liking to that Daniel boy she dated. Damn you, Daniel. Still, right now wasn’t the time to tell her ‘I told you so’. I wasn’t going to do that. Rebecca Banks wasn’t just my roommate, she was like my best friend. The person that helped me fit in when I moved here- to Detroit. I needed to do something. As for my brother ‘mission’, that needed to be put on hold right now.

“Becca.” I pouted, “You can’t seriously be crying over some guy who broke your heart like that. He isn’t worth your tears.”

“You don’t understand Kathy, I love him. I just… you won’t understand.”

“Because I don’t have a boyfriend?” I frowned.

“No-no Katherine, that’s not what I meant. Oh God, it’s just so complicated.”

Taking a deep breath, I held out my hand with a smile, “Look, if it’s one thing I know, it’s that that boy isn’t worth it. And instead of crying over that useless relationship, you should be celebrating that it’s over. Do you know why?”

With a sniff, she stood up and wiped away her tears, “Why?”

“Because there are a lot more gorgeous guys out there who actually have a heart and won’t break your trust. There’s someone else out there for you Rebecca and it isn’t Daniel. So don’t break that guy’s heart and trust by crying over the pitiful Daniel, okay?” 

She looked at me almost as if I was some sort of messiah.

“Now,” I continued with a playful smile, “We celebrate.”

“What?”

Heading to the fridge, I raised a milk carton in the air and grabbed the pack of Chips Ahoy with a daring smile, “Let go chug some milk and get high on cookies!” 

Rebecca sniffled in a laugh as she stared at me in amazement, “You’re crazy.”

“All the best people are, Becca.” I laughed as I turned on some Classic rock and shook the milk and cookies in my hand to the beat.

“And embarrassing.” Becca finished.

“Hey, I’m not perfect,” I said with a smug smile as I danced perfectly horrible.

“Oh what the hell, it’s not like I have anything better to do.”

And with that, she joined in.

Well, that really seemed to cheer her up. After our episode, I took a bath and stared at myself in the mirror. Rebecca was already asleep and I was no way near tired. Tucking my earthy coloured hair behind my ear, I picked up my cell phone and called a friend of mine who does electronic repairs. The phone rang three times until the person answered,

‘Hello, Cara Smith here.’

‘Cara? This is Katherine, I need your help.’

‘Hey Kathy, what do you need the help with?’ she asked in her usual cheery voice.

‘I need a phone repaired ASAP.’

‘ASAP? Not like ASAP after a week? I was heading to Nevada tomorrow to meet the family actually.’

‘Oh.’ I replied feeling suddenly disappointed.

‘Hey, you know what! You can bring it tonight if you want. I’ll see if I can handle it.’

‘Really?’

‘Really, it’s no problem.’

I was a bit reluctant at first, taking up so much of her time. Yet she, in the end, had the last say. And that was weird because I always had the last say.

Cara didn’t live that far away but I wasn’t going to be an idiot and walk to her place alone at night. Stuffing the car keys into my pocket and grabbing my bag with the phone in it, I exited my apartment building. Before I got to my destination, I stopped at a local pharmacy to get a few necessary ‘girl products’. The place seemed lonely and almost eerie so I picked up my speed walking back to the car parked outside. That’s when it happened.

Almost in a flash of a nanosecond, someone pushed me and grazed my bag off my hand.

No- no, no, no, this couldn’t be happening!

Without a second thought, I rushed after him. I couldn’t let him get away! Anything else but the bag with the phone in it!

“Stop!” I screamed. No one was even around to hear my pleading.

The cool night’s air perfumed through me poisonously. Time felt as if it was slowing down as I ran as fast as my aching feet carried me.  

Taking a sharp turn where the man ran, I suddenly collided with someone, knocking him to the ground as I saw the faint image of the thief getting away. I hadn’t even realized that I was literally on top of the person. The stranger pushed himself up as he looked at me with cryptic blue eyes.

“Please- I – Please help me.” I panicked frantically on the brink of tears, “It’s- it’s the only hope I have to find my brother. I can’t-”

The man steadied my shaking body, keeping a steel arm around my waist while he gave a deep, soft, throaty, laugh, “I’m usually not a comforter to anyone.”

I sniffled in my agony and edged myself away from him. He was the same man from earlier today at the apartment.

“Forgive me,” He breathed. “Are you hurt?”

“No-no I- that man stole my bag- he-” I said, still in utter shock of what just happened.

“Relax sweetheart, everything’s going to be okay.” his voice smothered like glazed hot caramel.

“W-what?”

“I can get the bag back for you.”

“You- how can you? I don’t-” I asked in a soft confused manner.

“Trust me.”

Something about the way he said that worked a slight shiver across my skin.

“Tell you what, be at my place tomorrow evening. I’ll arrange for that bag of yours by then.” he continued as he gave me a card with the initials V.A.R. and an address beneath it.

“Can you really get my bag back?”

“Yes.” he replied in a matter-of-fact manner, “Miss?”

“Katherine- Katherine Donovan.”

“Miss Donovan,” he said almost as if he tasted the name, “I’ll be expecting you tomorrow.”  

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