Chapter One

It's not everyday that you wake up to a living nightmare, but here I am living the dream. My parents are gone. They have been gone now for three years and I still wake up in tears from the memory of that night. The night where my whole life changed. The night of my fifteenth birthday they were taken from me. Killed right in front of me in what I assume to be a home robbery went wrong? Nothing has ever been found and no one has paid the price for their deaths. Just me. I have paid for it every single day they have been gone.

I have no living relatives. Not a single soul to put claim on me and take me in when the murders happened that left me an orphan. So, therefore I spent the remaining three years tossed around like a rag doll from home to home in foster care. And let me tell you it was not all sunshine and rainbows. Then again I should say most the horror stories you hear about foster care is most definitely correct. The only thing I can say that didn't happen to me was being sexually assaulted. Which is more of a common occurance than one would think. How I got so lucky I don't know. Maybe God decided to give me atleast one of his good graces. I mean that's the least he could do for me since he allowed my world to crumble.

I'm out. That's all I can say. I made it out at eighteen and I have been surviving on my own ever since. It's been a year and I managed to move completly out of state. I wanted nothing around me familiar. I wanted to excape. So I moved far, far away and into the lovely state of Tennessee. Managed to get a job at a local cafe and am now renting the very small apartment above the place. But it's mine and one day I'll have enough furnishings to make it a home.

Life handed me shit three years ago and I'm making shit pie. When life gives you lemons and all that.

In the move I managed to get a scholarship to a local university. I suppose keeping my head down in high school and in the books benefited me in more than one way. My Mom always said and made me promise to do better. Do better than her and make something of myself. Don't rely on any man. So, since I have no man and never had the interest to begin with I am making good on my promise to her. I graduated with highest honors. Not like my caregivers cared anyways, but I made myself proud for perserviering in this mess of a life I lived. In the planned moving process I picked a state and picked a school. Didn't honestly care about anything as long as it was away from Jersey. I should have moved further. Like Washington State, but my funds lacked and I've heard good things about Tennessee. So, here I am.

I get hit on at work more times than I could count in the last month that I've been here and one of my co-workers is a complete sleezeball. He's a toucher and man do I hate being touched. 

It's my eyes. Everyone loves my eyes and it just goes from there. I have bright green eyes. Eyes that my Dad said were kind and shined like marbles in the sun and I have my Moms long blonde hair. I never really could bring myself to cut it from it's waist length. Despite how much it irritates me at times and the headaches can be a real pain in the ass too. I guess I'm that "cute blonde with the huge rack that works the counter at Rhondas Cafe" God, I hate that people can't even learn a girls name around here.

I'm finishing my shift and starting to do the clean up when I hear the front door chime announcing the enterance of a new customer. It never fails someone has to walk through that damn door within the five minutes we get to turn the sign to closed and start calling it a night. Without even thinking I walked over and signed back into the register and ask what the order was without even looking up. But then my world seemed to tilt on its axis when a powerful manly voice ripped right into my world. I looked up and was in complete awe of the man standing in front of me. Strong jawlin, chesnut brown hair, piercing blue eyes and his muscular build that barely fit into the black suit he was wearing. Stumbling along and trying not to stare I tried and failed to catch what he had said "I'm sorry. What was that?"

He said "I said, how are you this evening, Miss..." He tilted down, glanced at my name badge smiled and said "Miss Brenna?"

Clearing my throat and attempting to clear my head I said "Umm, I'm doing alright. Same old same old." And giggled awkwardly.  Man, I am an idiot.

"What can I get for you?" I asked.

"Just a black coffee is fine. Since I'm already putting you out by me just walking though that door. But I couldn't help myself." He then had a smug smile. It was rather disturbing honestly. Man, I hate when I close. I'm always alone and then sketchy crap like this happens and makes all kinds of jumpy if I think on it too long. 

"No problem at all. Happy to be of service." My fake nice voice was on par, but I do believe my sarcasm got the best of my response and he seemed to find it rather amusing. 

I finished the sale and then walked over and grabbed the pot that had the most left in it and poured him a cup and placed the lid on and a cup sleeve. Good thing I didn't turn the coffee pots off yet or I would be forced to stand awkwardly and wait for a new pot to brew. Small favors.

Handing him his cup with a forced smile his fingers ever so slightly touched mine and I froze. It was almost like if it were static electricty, but without the sudden urge to pull back. It's like your body involuntarily wanted more and couldn't pull back. I didn't realize my hand still remained on that cup until his finger made a little circle on the top of my hand. It took my breath and made me step back. Leaving the cup in his massive hand. I watched as he took a sip and looked up at me. Long and hard. It felt like he was studying me. In the beginning I would say it was unnerving, but now as it felt like he was looking right into me. Deep down where I don't let anyone in. It felt like someone was sitting on my chest and I'm pretty sure I was close to passing the hell out. 

Then he reached over the counter and wrapped his hand around my wrist. "Hey! Hey, it's okay. Just breathe." He then started to rub that little circle again on me. I don't know what it was exactly, but the combination of looking into his eyes, his touch and that voice helped bring me out of whatever spaz attack I was having.

Damn Brenna, get ahold of yourself.

He didn't let go until I started to nod my head. I stepped back away from the counter and he said almost to himself "That wasn't as bad as I thought is was going to be." Like what the hell does that even mean? I'd call him a weirdo, but I was the one who froze up and lost myself for a second. 

Deep breath and "Okay then. Well, I'm sorry. Guess I'm more tired that I thought and thank you...for...that. Is there anything else I can get for you tonight?"

He set his basically full cup down on the counter and said "No, that's all I needed for tonight. Thank you, Brenna. Be safe, get some sleep and see you soon." Then he just turned around and walked right out without another word. 

As soon as the door closed I immediatly ran up and flipped the sign to closed and locked the door.