Chapter One

~STORMI

Oh, no!

My eyes widen as I tear off the age-old beige blanket I'd used to keep warm the night before. I saw it crash to the foot of the only sofa in my trailer house apartment, but I looked away. I can't afford to be late today. My tiny cubicle of a kitchen, which doubles as my bathroom, is at the far end of the wall next to my sleeping couch. I make my way to it and start rummaging through the various cans on display until I find my toothbrush. In a split second, I start brushing my teeth and spit into the nearest available cup. It's the last Friday of the month, which ultimately means it's library inspection day, which means I can't afford to be late, which I already am, or I'll lose my job, which I obviously will.

I sigh as I try to pull my hair into a messy bun. This wouldn't be so hard if I had a single hairpin in my possession - just one, like every other normal female!

I live on my own and have done so for the last seven years of my life since my father died. I only turned 20 yesterday. When I had Dad to look up to for the basics like food, clothing and miscellaneous expenses, things weren't so bad. Now that he's gone and I'm on my own, I've learnt the hard way that life isn't so easy. Even harder is the fact that I have to take care of an adult human being, mostly myself and all by myself.

I'm thankful dad left me this old caravan, because otherwise my eight-to-five job as a library assistant only pays me $75 a month, so I couldn't afford to rent a crappy studio flat even if I wanted to.

I really like living in this cramped place, so I am not complaining. I can concentrate on my other needs, apart from worrying about having a roof over my head. But for those needs to be met, I need to take my job as a library assistant more seriously. I am only a few weeks into this job, having quit my last one as a bartender after the bar owner's son grabbed my ass.

Oh, fuck it!

I stopped trying with my hair and went for my clothes instead. It's not like giving up on a formal hair look is my absolute worst luck. I have the keys to the college library and it's a quarter after eight and I haven't left the house yet. I am so dead.

I pulled my pale pink short-sleeved textured jumper over my dark voluminous skirt - the darkest shade I could find in my meagre clothing collection - then slipped on my shoes and slung my cross-body bag over my shoulders.

The bitter cold greeted me as I walked outside. Normally I would go back inside and grab my parka as I'm prone to catching a cold, but I don't go back. I have to walk a mile before I even reach the school grounds.

One!

Two!

The double slap on my back made my shoulders jump. My legs freeze.

In a quarter of a second, a familiar voice mutters, “Gotcha!”

The peculiar sea-blue eyes of my best friend come into view, gleaming beneath a boyish fringed haircut.

“Christ! You almost scared me to death!” I half-yelled.

“Believe me, that was never my intention,” Jacob said, smiling.

“Why are you even out here?” I say gruffly, quickening my pace.

“And you? I thought you'd be at your station by now, I didn't expect to find you here,” he said.

I ignore him maliciously and push on, practically running now.

“Storm. Wait.”

Jacob races after me. I know he'll catch me in a blink of an eye. He's always been the better athlete, ever since we were kids.

“Hey, look. I brought my bike, okay?” Jacob announced.

His sudden grip on my arm stops my attempt to run.

I looked at him and noticed how dull his usually bright blonde hair had become. Must be the weather.

“Before you ask, I was driving nearby and heard a sudden crash coming from the direction of your trailer. I thought it was a thief trying to rob you or something while you were away. I rushed down to help,” he said in a rap.

“What thief?” We shared an easy laugh for a moment, for we both knew I had nothing worth stealing.

“Where have you parked?” I said, looking around the clearing. I was almost sure I could not see it anywhere.

–

I let out a short sigh as soon as we stopped at the entrance to the school library. I got down first and took off my helmet, my thick, shiny brown hair falling all the way down my back. I didn't bother to say anything other than “Thanks” to Jacob before walking up the steps where I could see Mrs. Gallagher, the head librarian, pacing up and down.

“Hey, kid, shouldn't you be choosing your classes this early?” Mrs. Gallagher said. I glanced back at Jacob, who nodded rigidly at the woman's words.

“I will be on my way now, ma’am,” Jacob said with a brilliant grin. He had such a bubbly energy that made me tolerate his friendship after so many years.

“And you, Stormi, are you going to hurry up and get here or what?” the chubby librarian suddenly shot at me. My eyes had been glued to Jacob as he wheeled his bike away, distracting myself from the urgency of my morning.

“I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry for being late. I don't know what happened,” I pleaded as I started back up the stairs.

Oh, I knew what happened. After work yesterday, I went to a couple of restaurants and bars to see if they had any openings. The fact that I had only been educated up to middle school meant that I couldn't do much else besides these jobs. After my energetic night-time search, I was unlucky on all fronts. I was so exhausted when I returned to my crib sometime after midnight. So it was easy for me to collapse on the sofa and sleep like a log, as I had practically walked to all these places.

“Save your apologies,” Mrs. Gallagher snapped at me.

I don't blame her. I understood she had every right to be angry. I hurriedly opened the library door, and as soon as I'd done so, a swarm of student volunteers from this morning's clean-up stormed in. There was no need to ask where they had come from.

I followed them in.

–

The chatter of the noisy students began to die down. I really appreciated it. It meant that their work here was practically done and they could get back to their lectures. A library should never be a noisy place.

“Thanks so much for your help this morning,” I said dismissively to the volunteers.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the head librarian nodding her blonde head in favour of my ability to easily clear a room. The students had left and at about the same time the library began to fill up with Library users.

Before the university team got around to doing it themselves, I had to do a final inspection of the dusted shelves. Mrs. Gallagher could have my head if a single book was out of place and the inspection team took notice. She was very keen to keep her job as head of the library. I, on the other hand, was more interested in keeping my head above water. This job is the only way I've got to survive now.

For the most part, the shelves in this area looked neat and tidy. But I had a hunch that the one at the back of the wall would be the easiest to ignore. I started in that direction and suddenly felt a sharp pain rip through my skull. I squeezed my eyes shut and raised my hand to my head. Could it be that I was hungry?

As I continued into the small hallway that held the last two shelves of this section, I bumped into a very rigid and hard wall. But when I looked up, I saw the angriest pair of dark brown eyes looking down at me. I had not hit a wall. I had hit this guy.

His tall 6ft 4in frame and bearishly round shoulders immediately knocked me over. His cologne was the most earthy scent I'd smelled in a long time, but I couldn't help but notice the way he sized me up awkwardly. Was he going to fight me?

I moved away from him to protect myself. “I’m so sorry... ” I said. Although, how could I be the only one at fault when it was a two-way body collision?

I expected him to accept my apology and walk away, but he didn't. Instead, his burning eyes hovered over my face as he took a few menacing steps towards me.

Panicked by the sudden fluttering in my chest - he was a sight to behold, with his wavy dark hair and chiseled chin, and I would have totally checked him out if he wasn't so damn menacing and angry at the same time - I dodged to the left, thinking he needed space to pass.

He glared even more.

Did I upset him by doing that?

His eyes grew a shade darker as he turned to me in anger. In a fraction of a second, his big arms had me shelved between the rows of books that my back was somehow now pressed against. They locked me in. The hot air from his flaring nostrils brushed my hair up and away from my skin.

“What are you?” he asked in a detailed, hard voice, leaning closer.

I tried to speak, but his next moves knocked the breath out of me.

He had grabbed both my hands aggressively and slammed them down over my head. He then brought his nose close to my cheek and sucked in a long, deep breath. Has he been sniffing at me just now?

I am sure that this man is a pervert, but why would he attack me in the most unlikely of places?

And why shouldn't my legs shake out of their stupor and give him a good kick in the balls? He'd get the wrong idea if he saw me standing still like an obedient puppy.

He lifted his head and brought his eyes back to my face. His eyes had become dull and I could not say that that was a good thing.

When his lips parted all of a sudden, my eyes closed of their own accord.