Paradox (Unearthly Paradox) (2 page)

I got some painkillers from the pantry and a bottle of water from the fridge. I threw the capsules into my mouth then washed them down with the water as I went back upstairs to my room.

I lay on my bed and tried to relax. Sleep eluded me as I kept thinking about what happened in the canal and if it really was a guy that I had seen disappear into the water. I didn’t know why I was so fixated on him when there were bigger things I should’ve been worried about, but I couldn’t seem to help it.

Eventually, I drifted off, only to dream about the shark guy. His black eyes pierced through to my soul as he watched me intently.

The next morning, I woke up on the couch. I didn’t remember going back downstairs, but I often sleepwalked. The kitchen lights were still on, which meant that my dad hadn’t come home last night.

I rolled over, grabbed the TV remote, and turned on the morning news. They were showing the weather report. We were going to have another hot, sunny day. Well, I certainly didn’t plan on seeing it. There was no way I was going back to school after what had happened, even if it meant failing.

I picked up the ducted air con remote from the coffee table and turned down the temperature then grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and snuggled underneath it. I stayed that way for the rest of that day and the next, only venturing out to get something to eat and use the bathroom.

When my father finally came home, he stood in front of me, hands on his hips, blocking the TV. He was still dressed in his business suit, and his short, dark-brown hair was styled to perfection. He liked to be intimidating, but I never saw him that way. I felt sorry for him. How could anyone be truly happy when he ignored the people who he was supposed to love?

He couldn’t even be bothered to sit down to talk to me. “Why would your school be calling me about your absence the last few days?”

I picked up my mobile phone and checked the screen—four missed calls from Dad. “I don’t want to go back.”

He glared at me. “You’re going back.” He turned around and walked toward the garage door. “I’ll be in China for the next week, and if I hear you haven’t been at school, then I’m going to hire a babysitter to make sure you get your ass there every day. I mean it, Zara.” He stomped out and closed the garage door behind him without so much as a goodbye.

“Yeah, Dad, there is something wrong,” I muttered.

“Oh really? What is it, my dear darling daughter?”

“I was almost raped, Daddy.”

I choked on a laugh. As if that conversation would ever happen. He’d probably accuse me of being stupid for getting into a situation like that in the first place—if he even believed me.

Too pissed at my dad to sit there any longer, I went into the kitchen and grabbed a tub of ice cream from the freezer. I took it out to the back deck and sat on one of the sun lounges.

The salty sea breeze and rhythmic sound of the waves crashing against the shore stripped away all my pent-up anger. Of course, the chocolate-fudge ice cream that I was shovelling down didn’t hurt, but that sounded too clichéd. And I didn’t do clichéd.

The sun had started to set behind me, leaving a pink glow across the sky. People were jogging down on the beach, going about their day as if everything was normal. But I guess nothing did happen to
them
. It was me. And tomorrow, I would have to face the jerks and bitches again at school.

I threw the half-empty ice cream tub on the patio table and stood up to go back inside. As I turned, I saw the black-eyed boy leaning against the wooden fence of the pedestrian path leading down to the beach. But when I did a double take, he was gone. I looked down at the beach but didn’t spot him. He’d probably never been there at all.

God! What the hell was wrong with me? I was seeing that guy everywhere. I couldn’t even escape him in my sleep.

I shook off my thoughts and went inside, locking the door behind me.

The next day came all too quickly. I stood in my bedroom, staring in the mirror and trying to convince myself that I was okay. I would be okay at school. I wouldn’t run into the jerks that I had thought were my friends. And I wouldn’t have a crap day at school.
Yeah, right.

I waited until eight thirty before I hopped in my Merc and drove to school. I had sworn never to drive the car to my new school, but back then, I hadn’t needed a quick method of escape.

With the top up, I drove the five minutes to school and still managed to get a decent parking space thanks to my being one of the few students with a car. Before getting out, I quickly looked around, making sure that no one I didn’t want to see was nearby. Apart from the few stragglers, the coast was clear, so I grabbed my bag off the passenger seat and got out of my car. I made a quick dash through the school gates.

I didn’t know my classes by heart, so I fetched the timetable out of my bag. My first subject was art, and fortunately, none of the people I was trying to avoid were in my class. Just as the second bell rang, I ducked into the classroom and found an empty seat in the back corner.

The teacher was late. I heard hushed whispers about the crazy new girl and how she’d attacked Tyler when he turned her down.
What the fuck?
I
attacked
him
?
He
attacked
me!
With four of his friends for backup!
I wanted to scream it to the world, but I knew no one would believe the new girl. And of course, I had no proof—unless I counted the black-eyed guy.

Finally, the teacher walked in through the door and shushed everyone, but it didn’t stop the occasional glance from curious students. We spent the next hour drawing various pieces of fruit with charcoal. I was just thankful that we didn’t need to pair up with someone to complete the task.

My next class was English, and I wasn’t so lucky. One of the bitches was in my class, and the only seat left was in the one in front of her. I briefly considered turning around and leaving, but the thought of my dad hiring a babysitter quickly killed that idea.

I took a deep breath, held my head high, and walked as confidently as I could over to the seat. Amy glared at me. I held her gaze the entire way and only looked away when I turned around to take my seat.

“Slut,” she said under her breath.

I thought I would take the higher ground and not give into her taunting games. But about twenty minutes into the class when she leaned forward and whispered, “Do you have a dick down there? Is that why they wouldn’t fuck you like the whore you are?”

Anger boiled inside me, and all I wanted to do was slam my fist into her face. But I wasn’t going to lower myself to her standard. I slowly turned around and opened my mouth to say something, but her fearful expression rendered me speechless. She looked at me as if I were a demon or something. The colour drained from her face, and an odour that I couldn’t quite place wafted from her direction.

“Zara, please turn around and read page forty-five, section three,” Ms. Whatever-her-name-was said.

I turned back around and saw the teacher standing there with her arms crossed over her chest. She narrowed her eyes at me as if I had a big booger on my forehead. I quickly dropped my eyes to my book and started to read the paragraph. When I was almost halfway through, Amy rushed toward the door with her bag over her shoulder. Strangely, her jumper was tied around her waist. She couldn’t have peed herself, could she? She had looked scared enough and maybe that was what the strange smell was. But why would looking at me cause her to pee? My mind went straight to the black-eyed girl I had seen staring back at me from the mirror the other night and how I’d almost peed myself.

“And where do you think you’re going?” the teacher called after Amy.

Amy didn’t stop. She rushed out the door and disappeared from view. The class erupted in hushed whispers, and it wasn’t about me for a change.

“Okay, quiet, everyone,” the teacher said. I could tell she tried to sound authoritative. She seemed to think we still lived in the sixties when everything was peace and love, so her tone came off as a little pathetic, and no one listened.

Something I saw from the corner of my eye caught my attention. I quickly turned to look out the window but only saw a blur of rippling air. What the hell was wrong with me? I rubbed at my eyes, wondering if I should go to see a doctor about my hallucinations.

The rest of the double period went by without any further interruption, but as soon as the bell rang, my stomach turned to mush. It was lunchtime, and there was a huge possibility that I would run into someone from the canal.

Begrudgingly, I packed up my things and followed the last person toward the door. Just before I stepped outside, five girls I didn’t know shoved me back as they pushed their way into the room.

“Why were you trying to fuck my boyfriend?” a tall brunette asked, taking a step toward me. She stood at least a foot taller than me, and her friends were just as tall.

I knew what they were trying to do, but I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of showing my fear. Actually… I scrunched up my face in confusion. I wasn’t scared at all, which was really nuts considering I was pretty sure they wanted to beat me to a pulp.

“Don’t you fucking understand English, you whore?” Brunette spat.

I took a step forward, closing the distance between us to less than two inches. “I don’t know what planet you come from, but here on earth, we call what your boyfriend tried to do to me
rape
.” I took another step forward, forcing her to take a step back. “And I think you’ve gotta ask yourself: Why would your boyfriend want to fuck someone else? Huh?” I didn’t know why I said that, but damn, it felt good—even if I was going to pay for it later.

Without warning, she punched me in the face. I expected it to hurt, but there was no pain.

I raised an eyebrow and smiled a little. “Is that all you’ve got?”

The hatred in her eyes suddenly changed to fear. I quickly turned to look behind me, wondering if there was someone else there, like a teacher. But I only saw her friends, and the moment they looked at me, their faces paled.

I turned back to Brunette. “What?” My voice sounded strange. It exuded power, more than just being authoritative, but something I had never heard. By the looks on the faces of the five girls, they hadn’t heard such a tone before, either.

Slowly, they backed away, and I took another step forward. Their faces lit up with fear and they ran from the classroom, never once looking back.

A ripple of air that looked like the steam coming off a road on a hot day passed by the door. I quickly ran over and stuck my head outside. The girls had come to a standstill, staring at someone or something I couldn’t see. A second later, the rippling vapour blurred to the left and disappeared around the corner.

I had expected the girls to run again, but they started laughing and acting as if nothing had happened. I watched them for a couple of seconds longer then headed in the opposite direction toward my car. There was no way I was staying for lunch with so many crazy people around.

The car park was deserted, which didn’t surprise me. Being alone out there didn’t make me nervous, either. For some reason, I had a newfound confidence. Actually, it wasn’t so much confidence as
presence
. I felt whole, which was pretty unusual for an eighteen-year-old girl. I was pretty sure I should’ve been freaking out, worried what everyone thought of me, and crying that my life was over. But instead, I just felt good.

I pressed the unlock button, opened the car door, and threw my bag onto the passenger side as I sat in the driver’s seat. When I leaned forward to start my car, I caught a glimpse of my face in the rear-view mirror. My black eyes were back.

Shit.
I started the car and threw the gearshift into reverse. I slammed on my brakes when I saw my black-eyed boy in the reverse camera screen. He was standing behind the school fence, staring at me through his tousled dark-brown hair, his black eyes piercing through to my soul.

I put the car into park, opened the door, and stepped out. He had disappeared again.

Shaking my head, I got back in the car, reversed out of my parking spot, then pulled onto the road. No more school for me that day. I was going home and calling a doctor. The entire drive I couldn’t get the black-eyed boy out of my head. He looked at me as if he knew me or knew something about me that I didn’t. Shit.

I pulled into the garage, went inside, and threw my bag next to the lounge. Then I walked over to the huge hall mirror and looked at my reflection. My hair was still brown, my skin was still tanned, and most importantly, my eyes were still brown.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I headed to the kitchen, picked up the phone, and went out onto the patio. I sat at the table and called the local doctor’s office.

“Doctor Chan’s office. How may I help you?”

“Hi, I need an appointment with a doctor for today. Do you have anything available?”

“Yes, we have a three o’clock,” the receptionist said. “Would you like me to book you in?”

“Yes, thanks. My name is—”

The connection was dropped. I pressed Off then Talk, but, the line remained dead. I went back inside and fetched my mobile. I swiped the screen and saw the “no service” symbol.

“Shit.” My father was going to have my ass if I didn’t get a doctor’s note to say I was too sick to go to school. My only choice was to go to the doctor’s office or go back to school.

I grabbed my bag and headed to the garage. As I pulled out, I half expected to see my black-eyed boy watching me, but he didn’t appear. In the week I’d been at the Coast, I’d driven past the doctor’s office a few times, so I knew where to go. It also helped that the Gold Coast was pretty easy to get around in, considering they’d practically designed it that way for the tourists.

Once I arrived, I hopped out and walked to the doors. I grabbed the handle, but the door didn’t budge. I took off my sunglasses and put my face closer to the glass. The place was empty. I checked the office hours posted on the door—they should’ve been open. I had just called, so I wondered where the receptionist was.