Turned and Taken (Packed 1 & 2) (4 page)

Saki sat there for half an hour taking it all in. She dared not think of anything in particular, scared she would lose the tranquility. But in the back of her mind, she was working things out.

How she could get herself to walk back into her mother’s house was being answered. How she could get herself to go through another day of school was being answered. How she could get herself to do not just another day, but another week in this new land was being answered.

When all of those questions were answered, something interesting happened. Her perspective of the country changed. For the first time, she saw how beautiful it was. The almost-full moon reflected life on the calm water. The trees swayed lightly in the breeze as a gentle beat of island music played hypnotically in the background. It was truly a beautiful place. If she did have to be ripped from everything she knew, for the second time, at least it was to be brought here. At least she was being brought back home.

“You’re the new girl in my class, aren’t you?” A lightly accented voice said.

Saki looked up and in front of her was the leader of the blond boys from her homeroom class. Seeing him out of his uniform and not surrounded by his friends, it was obvious that he was the hot guy that her sister was referring to.

He really was gorgeous. His angular features and high cheekbones were evenly tanned. His lean, fit body was just what she imagined a model’s body to be. He was as good-looking as the boys who never acknowledged her presence in North Carolina. With him looking straight at her, she wondered if he thought she was someone else.

“You started today, right?”

Still sure that he couldn’t be referring to her, she replied. “Yeah, I started today.”

“I thought so.” He leaned in toward her face as if were looking for something. “Are you bleeding?”

It was only then that Saki remembered the blood caked under her nose. She threw her hands up to cover herself. She was humiliated. Her tenacity was long gone, and even then, she’d never imagined someone like him finding her. She wanted to run.

“No, let me see.”

Saki‘s heart clenched when he wrapped his strong, smooth hand around her wrist. At once, she couldn’t resist. He gently pulled her hand away. Although she knew that he was looking at her bloody face, all she could think about was the feel of his touch.

This beautiful boy was gently controlling her, and her breathing quickened. He was leaning into her, and as he got closer, all she could focus on was the way that the light cast shadows on his neck. The parts of her body that she had always ignored were undeniable now. She wasn’t sure what she was feeling, but bathed in the warmth of this beautiful boy, she wanted more.

“Do you want me to get something to wipe that off with?” He asked, sympathetically.

Saki searched for a reply. If she brushed off the request, it meant that she wanted to sit there covered in blood. How strange would that seem? But what if she did accept his help? He would be dragged into her dramatic life. She was sure that he wouldn’t want anything to do with her after a glimpse of it.

“Umm… Yeah. Thanks.”

“Do you want to come with me? We could probably get something from one of the restaurants.”

“Ahh… Sure.”

Saki got up, entirely focused on the boy’s touch. It never left her arm. It was gentle but always there. Saki swallowed nervously, noticing that even in the cool ocean breeze, her face felt like it was on fire.

The boy let her go and stepped in front of her as they both entered the first of the restaurants. He stepped up to the bar and leaned over, limiting how much he had to yell to get the bartender’s attention. While looking over at Saki, the dark-skinned bartender reached under the bar, slid his hand back and forth and then produced a towel that the boy cradled in his hands.

Waving her over instead of going back to her, the boy hung by the bar. Saki, passing by the tables of patrons, was directed to the open seat at the end of the bar.

“Let me get that for you,” he said positioning his finger on the edge of the soft cloth.

Saki couldn’t reply. She couldn’t even move her mouth. It was so intimate. This was how a person treated someone they liked, she thought. She was so nervous. All she could do was sit there and look at him, waiting.

The way that he wiped her face was gentle. It was amazingly gentle. It was like he had done this before. When she flinched as he got closer to her nose, he apologized and stared into her eyes, judging her reaction as he cleaned up the last of it.

“There, that did it. Are you okay?”

Saki knew that she had to say something, so she forced it out. “Yeah, I’m alright.”

The silence grew as they stared at each other. That was all that she could get herself to say. The boy, whose eyes darted around her face, seemed content to just look at her. But when Saki remembered all the imperfections that he was looking at, she looked away.

“I’m sorry,” he said embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to stare.”

Saki wondered why he had stared. Was her plump face amusing to him? Could he not believe how comical she looked?

“It’s just that you smell so good. I’m sorry, that probably sounded weird. I’ll leave you now.”

“No, don’t,” she begged a little more forcefully than she had planned. “No, that’s nice. You smell good, too,” she said, as a desperate attempts to return his compliment.

The boy chuckled and shook his head, trying to erase everything that had just happened. “No, you know what, forget I said that. You want to go outside and walk?”

“Yeah, sure.”

The boy stepped in front of Saki leading her out. Saki examined him. He was wearing a blue, designer shirt with the long sleeves rolled up. He wore khaki cargo shorts and gray boat shoes. It reminded her of the preppy boys she would see on TV and she couldn’t believe that he was talking to her.

Outside Saki caught up to him. They walked for a moment in silence before he turned to her, asking her name.

“Sakina. But everyone calls me Saki. What’s yours?”

“Dax.”

Silence fell as Saki searched her mind for what to say next. She had never before been at a loss for words, but now she second-guessed everything that came to mind. She didn’t want to ruin this moment. Although she couldn’t explain it, the cutest boy in the school was acting like he liked her, and she wanted it to last as long as possible.

They continued walking past the crowds to an open area on the pier that overlooked the water.

“You want to sit?” He asked shyly.

Saki sat without talking. With Dax next to her, she looked out at the water with him. It was beautiful. Looking closer, the setting moon cast a long reflection that twinkled as it hit the rippling waves. The cool breezes rolled in, caressing her warm face, which she was sure was glowing red.

She wanted to see what Dax looked like sitting next to her, but she dared not look. She was too nervous and she just didn’t want to ruin anything.

“So how did you get the bloody nose?” He asked hesitantly.

She searched her mind for what her answer should be, but in the end decided on the truth. “My mom,” she said turning toward him. He looked down.

“Oh.” He paused. “My dad was like that.”

In those few words, Saki felt bonded to him. Although she’d come out here to expose her mother’s actions to the world, she never guessed that she would find someone who truly understood her situation. The boy seemed so perfect and put together. He was the last person she would have thought had gone through something like she had.

“Dax!” A voice called from behind them. Both turned around to find the boys who surrounded Dax in homeroom. “We’re heading out,” the tall boy said.

Dax turned to Saki. “I came with them so…”

“No, I understand.”

“I’ll see you at school?”

“Only if I go back,” she said trying to display an ironic smile. He looked back at her confused.

“Yeah, okay. Then I’ll see you around.”

“Okay.”

Dax got up and rejoined his friends. Saki watched as they huddled around him talking. When one of them looked back, she knew that he was talking about her. She could only imagine that the other boys were making fun of him. After all, she wasn’t the type of girl that boys like him talked to, much less dated. They were probably reminding him of that fact right now.

Only if I go back? What was I thinking?

Saki again looked out toward the water. She knew that she had humiliated herself. She shouldn’t have come here tonight. Out of her desire to embarrass her mother, she had embarrassed herself in front of the last boy she would’ve wanted to.

She didn’t want to be here anymore. She wanted to go home. She thought about where home was, and to her own surprise, she decided that it was where her mother and sisters were. She didn’t understand why. Nor did she understand the kindle of hope that was building within her. She had humiliated herself in front of Dax. She was sure of that.

But still
… She considered.
What if…?

Saki pulled herself up from the edge of the pier and walked back home. When she entered the light blue door of their rental house, no one made a big deal about her coming back, for which Saki was grateful. She closed the door behind her in her room and fell in bed thinking about Dax.

What if…?
She considered.
What if…?

Chapter 3

The next morning Saki woke up excited about going to school. She made herself up as pretty as the school’s conservative Catholic rules would allow. She ate her breakfast in silence, and her mother dropped her and the twins off without a word.

Saki liked her mother’s silence. She knew she was quiet because of what had happened the night before. Even if she hadn’t accomplished what she wanted to by going to the Fish Fry, she had managed to temporarily shift the power dynamic at home.

Saki immediately spotted Cliff as she got out of the car. She gave him a look of derision, knowing that she had become friends, or more than friends, with the hottest guy in school. She didn’t think that Clint could’ve done as well in the six years he had to do it.

Passing the cross and entering the quad, she headed directly to her homeroom. She didn’t know if Dax would be there before class, but she hoped so. Stepping onto the elevated sidewalk in front of her homeroom, she scanned the kids for a blond head. He wasn’t there.

Slowing down, she suddenly remembered the fight in the locker room. She hadn’t thought about it since the night before. She scanned the kids for the girls. Not finding them, she continued on. 

As she made her way to the concrete benches, all of her fears from the day before came swirling back. How could she escape them if the girls came after her a second time? Her chest clenched at the thought. She put her hand on her leg where she had been kicked. The pain was gone, but the bruises were still there. 

Saki sat without saying a word to anyone else. Though the students were gathered a few feet away in front of the door, none of them said a word to her, either. Their silence was painful.

The ringing bell came as a relief. She had 10 minutes to get to class. As Saki stood up and joined the crowd of students, she saw the angry girl and the bad boy step onto the long path toward homeroom. Saki waited for the girl to look up before she looked away. As the girl approached, Saki waited to be bumped. She wasn’t.

Maybe yesterday was a one-time thing
, she hoped. When Mr. DeMarco unlocked the door, Saki sat and waited for the only one who she was sure would be nice to her.

Turning her head every time someone entered, she was disappointed. She looked back at the open seats; none of Dax‘s crew was there. Saki looked at the clock above the chalkboard. The second bell was about to ring. Just as the bell went off, the boys stepped in one by one. Dax was the last.

“You’re late,” Mr. DeMarco announced.

Dax didn’t say anything, nor did he look at Saki. Saki watched as all the boys passed by her and took their seats. Even seated, no one turned in her direction. All of her “what if” fantasies were quickly disappearing. When the morning announcements began without even a glance by Dax, she was sure that Dax had realized the night before was a mistake.

Saki turned forward before looking over her other shoulder. The bad boy and not the girl was staring back at her. She couldn’t understand why they were, so she turned forward and just hoped that they would stop.

Saki’s first class was Spanish, one of her electives. She chose it because she had taken it for three years in North Carolina. What was being covered in this class had been covered during her second year back at her old school. In other words, it was an easy “A.”

Her second class was Caribbean geography, which was new to her. That would be a little tougher. Next was recess, followed by English. Her fourth class was chemistry, and her fifth period was lunch. Again she sat alone, and again she wished for the day to end. She hadn’t shared any of her classes with Dax. But biology was next, and he had been in it the day before.

As the bell rang for their six period, Saki looked around unable to find Dax. The bad boy was there though, and again, when she looked back, she found him staring at her. She could only imagine that he was plotting against her, operating under the mistaken impression that she had stolen the medallion from him.

Or maybe he wasn’t, she considered. Maybe he knew the truth and wasn’t telling his friends. After all, he was there. He must have known what happened to the medallion.

Her last classes for the day were advanced math and literature. Both were without incident, and it wasn’t until homeroom that something happened again. Surveying the students, she caught the eye of the angry girl. She’d heard her literature teacher refer to her as “Torkel” before she told the teacher to call her “Torque .”

Torque  wouldn’t stop staring at her. No matter how long she looked away, when Saki looked back, Torque ’s eyes were always on her. It made Saki want to cry. She wouldn’t, though. She accepted it was an unjust world, and she only cried when something unexpected happened. Torque ‘s stares were distressing but not unexpected. This situation was simply her new reality. The question was what she was going to do about it.

Having not any acknowledgment, Saki let go of the “what if’s” she’d had about Dax, which she’d also expected. Boys like him never liked girls like her. She was too fat and too weird for the cool kids.

She didn’t even know why she had entertained the thought. Perhaps he could be nice to her while alone in a place where no one knew them but not here at school. That was always the way it was with boys like him. It was nothing new for her.

When the final bell rang, Saki dashed out of class. Exchanging her books in the locker room, she immediately headed toward the cross to wait for her mother. She sat on the bench, anxiously scanning the cars for their ugly blue minivan with the fake wood panel down its side. She’d never been so anxious to see it in her life.

When Saki looked back and saw Torque  and her group of girls heading towards her, she knew her mother couldn’t arrive soon enough. Saki looked the other way, hoping that if she didn’t look at them, they might pass by without incident. She hoped, anyway. That didn’t happen.

“You thought that you could run from us?” She heard the familiar voice say. “You can’t run, and you can’t hide. You may as well just leave the school now because I’m gonna make your life a living hell.”

Saki couldn’t take it anymore. Ignoring her wasn’t going to work. She had to do something. Even if she got beat up every day, she couldn’t take the torture of having to run. Girls like Saki always ran. The cruel taunts she had received growing up, the bullying, had all gotten to be too much. She had to fight back. She couldn’t take it anymore.

Saki grabbed the arm strap of her backpack with a firm grip. She knew what she was going to do. She would wait until Torque  got close enough, and then she would get up, turn, and swing her loaded backpack as hard as she could. She wasn’t sure what it would accomplish, but it was better than playing the victim again. She was in a new place. She had to adjust or die.

Saki listened to the taunts get closer. It was almost time. The girls could almost reach out and touch her. She waited. She waited. She gripped tighter, and as she stood up, someone stepped between her and the girls.

“Do you girls have a problem with her?” Dax asked in a threatening tone.

“If we did, what are you gonna do about it,” Torque  asked not backing down.

“You know what I’ll do about it. You want to start this here? You sure you don’t want to check with your lapdog? You know what time’s comin’. You all prepared? I know I am.”

Saki listened to their cryptic exchange unsure of what was being said. Whatever it was, it worked. Torque  and all of her girls backed down.

“Girl, you have bad choice in friends. You don’t even know who this fucker is. When you find out, it’s gonna be too late,” Torque  said leading her girls away.

Saki watched them go and turned her attention to Dax. Looking up at his steely demeanor, she had never found someone so attractive. She liked him. Now she was beginning to think he liked her, too.

Dax turned toward her, looked into her eyes and smiled. “You were gonna take her out with your backpack, weren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Saki said with a smile.

“Cool.” The two looked awkwardly at each other before Dax shifted to leave. “Are you gonna be at the Fish Fry tonight?”

“Maybe.”

“I’ll be there. Without my boys.”

“Cool.”

Saki watched him walk off. His broad shoulders swayed from side to side, and his narrow hips accentuated his round butt. It got harder to breathe watching him, yet she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. She knew that she would do anything to be his boyfriend.

Saki thought about what it would be like to kiss him, and the warmth developed between her legs. Knowingly looking down at her chest, she found her protruding nipples and sat to hide them. Yes, she would let him do anything to her that he wanted—tonight.