Chapter one
hundred and eighty-three:
Jenna had gone
off in search of a quiet place.
She didn’t even
bother to tell anyone where she had gone.
With only her
cell phone stuffed into the front pocket of her jeans, she couldn’t get far,
but wandered throughout the hotel.
She took the
elevator to the main floor and went from room to room looking for a place to be
completely alone.
Becky had
offered to let Jen go with her and Zac, but wasn’t entirely sure where they
were going.
Jen politely
declined. Being with Becky and Zac, who were both so happy in their
relationship, only made her feel miserable.
She probably
could have stayed with Isaac and Christy, but they were both so clearly excited
about their upcoming wedding, she would have been nothing more than a kill-joy.
Jen could have
even stayed with
Jen wandered
down an empty concrete corridor, and stopped outside a door, which was clearly
labeled “Hotel Pool.”
A sign had been
hung on the door, which proclaimed the pool closed and set to re-open at 9am
the next morning.
Jen removed her
cell phone from her pocket and glanced at the screen. It was only 11pm.
Quickly glancing
down each side of the long corridor, she made sure no one was coming, and tried
the handle.
She slipped
inside, and closed the door quietly behind her.
The pool was
eerily calm and dark, with only the emergency lights to illuminate the room.
She stood at the
edge of the pool and removed one sandal, dipping her toes in the water.
The water
rippled gently at this violation of its calm exterior. The water was freezing
cold to the touch.
Leaving both of
her shoes at the pools’ edge, Jen walked over to a lounge chair and sat down,
placing her phone at the foot of the mattress in front of her.
It suddenly
erupted in sound, ringing loudly.
She grabbed it
quickly to silence it, so she wouldn’t get caught and loose her quiet haven,
and answered with a hushed ‘Hello’.
The only
response on the other end of the line was a ragged heavy breathing, and Jen
knew instantly who it was. It was the same group of radicals who gave true
meaning to the word fanatic.
It seemed lately
they had been singling her out as the weakest member of the pack because she
was feeling so miserably.
In all honesty,
she was beginning to question her own motives for being on the tour, and
thinking maybe those people were right.
“What do you
want from me?” She choked out, unable to suppress a wave of tears which were
now escaping from her eyes.
“Leave the
tour.” Came the same husky and menacing voice as
before.
Jen quickly
closed her phone and suppressed a heavy sob.
There was really
only one person left to talk to. Only one person she actually felt like she
needed to talk to.
Again, she
picked up her phone; this time in search of comfort and solace and dialed the
same ten numbers she had memorized almost since the day they met.
She breathed
slowly through the first two rings and when she heard the voice she had
secretly wanted to hear for ages, she nearly cried in elation.
“Hello?” The
voice asked again.
“Luke?” Jenna
squeaked slightly.
“Jen?” He asked, now sounding concerned. “Are
you alright?”
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