Shattered Essence (2 page)

Living in San Diego I didn’t get the
opportunity to do any of these things. Most of my days were spent at the beach
surfing. My evenings consisted of fighting with my younger brother by two years,
Scott, going to Kenpo Karate training, and hanging out with my good friend
Steve.

As we drove through the Colorado
Rockies I licked my forefinger and stuck it in Scott’s ear. He turned and
punched me in the arm. I retaliated by punching him on his thigh.

“Mom! Drew’s hitting me,” Scott
whined.

“Drew, how many times do I have to
tell you not to hit your brother? And Scott, how many times do I have to tell
you not to egg Drew on? I swear the two of you are going to be the death of
me.”

Scott continued to whine, “He
started it!” Usually when Scott talks he drowns out everyone around him. When
he whines my ears want to bleed.

I rolled my hands into fists and
pretended I was rubbing away tears. “Oh, poor baby has to go crying to his Mommy.”

“Mom! Drew’s making fun of me!”

“Both of you shut up! Not one more
peep out of either one of you till we get to the ranch. Do you understand?” my
dad stated matter of factly.

My very quiet sister Jessica
whispered, “You just had to poke the bear, didn’t you.”

I rolled my eyes at both of them
then leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I thought about how during winter
break, over six months ago, Max and Mary Kay Malone asked their three children
what they would like to do and where they would like to go for summer vacation.

Scott suggested surfing in Hawaii. I
remember thinking what an idiot he was.

Duh! We live in San Diego and can
go surfing any time, all though the waves would be kickass.

Jessica, my fourteen-year-old baby
sister, who hardly said a word, suggested an Alaskan cruise. I actually thought
it was a pretty good idea. Getting to see the glaciers and live whales, it
would be an experience of a lifetime. Alaska also had mountains, so I could
hike and fish. Only one thing kept me from agreeing with Jessica; I wasn’t
particularly fond of cold weather. Even in July I was apprehensive the weather would
suck.

I was halfway through my freshman year
at San Diego State at the time, and had just finished Southwest American
history. I thought about the Wild West and how fun it would have been to be a
cowboy with a pistol attached to my thigh. With the thought fresh in my mind I
suggested camping or a dude ranch, where we could go horseback riding, hiking,
and fishing. A dude ranch would provide all the thrills of camping without the tent.

Someplace in the back of my mind I
thought Max and Mary Kay choose to go on this vacation to appease me. It was one
final attempt to see me happy before I left in August for the National Autonomous
University of Mexico in Mexico City. I wouldn’t be returning home till next
June.

For as long as I can remember I wanted
to be an FBI, DEA, or ATF agent. I figured if I got a double major in Forensic
Science and Spanish with a minor in Criminal Justice I might just have a
chance.

I won’t lie, I am a little afraid of
going all the way to Mexico just to take some Spanish classes. Sometimes I
wonder if my head’s screwed on tight enough.

“We’re almost there!” I heard my mom
say from behind the steering wheel loud enough to break me out of my trance.

Leaning forward from the back seat, Scott
asked, “How much longer?”

Resting in the passenger seat with his
eyes shut my dad replied, “Less than five miles.” How he knew with his eyes
shut was a mystery to me.

We were traveling up a mountain on a
curvy narrow dirt road. The only scenery was trees to the left of me, trees to
the right of me, trees ahead and trees behind. The closer we got the longer the
road seemed. I can honestly say the anticipation of arriving along with the
view and the smell of fresh air had me feeling titillated.

Man, am I messed up— titillated?
Who says crap like that?

Espe

There is nothing as relaxing as
spending an afternoon at the pool. I worked on my tan, drank ice-cold lemonade
and met Brooke, age 17. She was an anxious person, constantly biting her
fingernails and looking over her shoulder. Matthew, age 15, was currently in
the awkward stage of puberty. He was tall and lanky with a squeaky voice and
his face had a handful of zits. I also met Paula, age 20 from Seattle,
Washington. She was a true extrovert. She was very pretty with a bubbly
personality and huge knockers. It was clear she was the life of any gathering.

This little family vacation was
going to be exactly what I needed. I’d have to remember to thank my mom and dad
when I get back to the cabin.

Crap!

Thinking about my parents, I needed to
get moving. I still had to take a shower, comb my hair, and find something to
wear before dinner.

“Hey guys, I’m going to head out. I
need to get ready for dinner,” I said as I gathered my stuff from under the
lounge chair I was lying on.

“Are you going to the bonfire
tonight?” Brooke asked from inside the pool.

Wrapping my towel around my body I
had to admit I was intrigued. “What bonfire?”

“It’s by the lake and starts around
nine. It’s usually a bunch of locals and college students from Durango,” Paula
said from the lounge chair next to mine.

Slipping my flip flops on I asked, “How
do you know? Can we just show up uninvited?”

Shielding her eyes from the sun,
Paula replied, “My cousin is one of those college students. She said they have
one almost every week. They like to meet all the new campers as well as see
what new hot babes are visiting the ranch.”

Wrinkling my nose, I had to think
about it for a minute. “Yeah, sure, why not? Can you meet me in front of the
main cabin around nine-thirty?” I really didn’t want to walk to the lake alone.

Rolling over on her belly she said, “Sure
can! See you then.”

“Thanks Paula. See you soon,” I
hollered back as I walked out the side gate.

I hadn’t even taken five steps out
of the gate when I froze. My heart skipped a beat before it tried to jump out
of my chest. I could feel beads of sweat accumulating between my breasts. My
surroundings turned hazy. I could no longer hear the birds or the breeze in the
trees.

Aye Dios mio!
I must’ve been
dreaming because I swear I was looking at an ancient deity. The only thing
missing was golden armor and a bronze-tipped spear. It could be Dionysus, the
god of wine, festivals, madness, and chaos, because I felt drunk and my
thoughts were pretty chaotic.

My heart was beating fast and I
couldn’t breathe. So it must be Hades, the god of the underworld and the dead.
He was here to take me to hell.

I could feel electricity in the air,
so maybe it was the Norse god Thor. He must be assembling a lightning bolt which
he was going to throw, striking me down.

Standing twenty feet in front of me
was the most gorgeous guy I had ever seen. I didn’t know him, yet he seemed
familiar. He was about six-foot-two. He had light brown straight thick hair
that curled slightly at the bottom. It was almost long enough to cover his eyebrows.
His jaw was square and smooth. His nose was straight and beautiful. Not too
pointy and not too round. His skin was sun-kissed bronze. His cream colored T-shirt
showed off his muscular upper body. My imagination was picturing what was
underneath. I couldn’t tell from where I was standing if his eyes were green or
dark blue. But somehow I knew they were emerald green. His smile looked like
sunshine on a cloudy day.

His smile? He’s looking right at
me! Oh, shit!

I couldn’t move. An unseen magnetic
force was keeping my eyes glued on him. I was having an out-of-body experience.
I swear I could actually see the back of my head. I could see myself staring at
him. The only thing in existence was the two of us.

It’s been so long. I never
thought I’d see him again.
I thought.

Confused I asked myself,
What? Where
in the world did that thought come from?

Answering myself back I said,
He
belongs to me, he’s mine and I intend to have him!

Oh god, I’ve lost it!
I am
talking to myself. Worse, I am answering.

Shit!
I need to get the hell
out of here before I completely lose my mind.

Move stupid feet!

Move!

Blink stupid eyes!

Blink!

Oh god, I could feel the blood rushing
to my head; or maybe it was rushing out.

Am I drooling? Oh god, please no.
MOVE STUPID FEET!

I heard Matthew say, “Hey, are you
okay?” only after he punched me in the arm.

Thank you Jesus
! I was able
to move again and turned to face Matthew. “What?”

“I thought you were getting ready
for dinner?” He looked at me, then at the deity, then back at me and smiled.

Still in a daze I said, “Uh, yeah,
sorry. I just got a little sidetracked for a minute.” I was sure my face was
bright red.

Chuckling, he remarked, “You look
like you’ve just seen a ghost. No. Wait. I take that back. It looks like you’ve
just seen the biggest piece of eye candy ever made.”

Reaching for his arm to steady
myself I smiled, saying, “Most definitely!”

Matthew gave my hand a squeeze and said,
“Hey, want to walk with me? I need to get washed up for dinner too.”

“Absolutely!” I released my hand from
his arm and turned to see if the ancient deity was still there.

Yup! Just like I thought. My
imagination was playing tricks on me again. He was nowhere around.

I chit chatted with Matthew until the
path split into a three-prong fork.

“I’ll see you at dinner,” I said and
headed right.

“You bet!” he said as he headed
left.

Drew

“Finally, we made it.” I was closing
the back door of my dad’s SUV, glancing to my right. “I didn’t think we’d ever
get …” Time stood still. I had tunnel vision and I could no longer hear
anything around me. There was a fire in my belly and my heart started racing. I
felt like I was flying. If that wasn’t bad enough, I felt a twitch in my pants,
front and center.

In front of me a big pair of hazel
eyes stood staring at me. Those eyes were attached to a slender body with just
the right amount of curves. She was wrapped in a fluffy white towel and her
long brown wavy hair was dripping wet. She was a tiny little thing, five-three
maybe five-four, and if she was lucky she might weigh a buck ten, even soaking
wet. Her skin was pink and glowing from the sun. She was hot, sexy hot. I
imagined running my hands down and around her slender body. I couldn’t do
anything but smile. Still, she did nothing but look right at me, like she was
looking at my soul. I felt naked and exposed. As I stood there taking in this
magnificent woman I watched as a guy stepped up behind her. I couldn’t help
feeling a wee bit jealous. I also couldn’t shake the feeling she was mine, like
she was made just for me. I knew it the second I saw her.

Calm down Drew, you’re losing it,
buddy.

“Earth to Drew! Come in Drew!” Scott
was waving his hands back and forth in front of me like a big red flag.

Rolling my eyes I said, “You are
such a retard, Scott.”

“I’m the retard? I’m not the one
with my tongue falling out of my mouth. Nor am I the one waving with Captain
Winkie,” Scott mumbled.

Am I that obvious? Damn!

“Shut up!” I blew out a breath I
didn’t even realize I was holding. Then I smacked Scott upside the head. “Let’s
check out this place while Mom and Dad check us in.”

I knew it was only a matter of time
before I met my hazel-eyed beauty. And I couldn’t wait.

Drew

During dinner it was hard for me to
keep my eyes off her. I tried to focus on my dinner but my eyes kept stealing
glances at her. I felt like a lion staring at a steak. I couldn’t wait to take
a bite. She was sitting one table up from us. I caught her looking at me
several times before she hid behind her dad, whose wide shoulders blocked my
view.

It was hard for me to concentrate on
the conversation taking place at our table. All I wanted to do was get to know
her. I wanted to talk to her. Touch her. Smell her. Taste her. It wasn’t a
desire, it was a need. I couldn’t wait till dinner was over. I was going to
lose my mind if I didn’t get some fresh air.

“Mom, can I leave?” I asked as I
placed my napkin on my dinner plate.

Concern shot across my mother’s
face. “Drew, are you feeling okay? Don’t you want to stay for dessert?”

“I’m fine, it’s too hot in here and I
need some fresh air.”

“Is it getting to hot in here, big
brother?” Scott tapped the bottom of his fork on the table. “Are you sure it
has nothing to do with the hottie in front of me you can’t keep your eyes off
of?” He leaned forward. “Or maybe you need to pay a visit to the Captain.”

Scott could be such an ass
sometimes. His killer smile and his charismatic personality frequently hid the
fact that he was rather devious. I smacked him upside the head. Again. “Mom, please?”

Looking back and forth between her
two sons she said, “I suppose it’s okay. Are you headed back to the cabin?”

I scooted my chair back, ready to
leave. “I think I’m going to walk to the lake.”

Scott placed his silverware on his
plate and grinned. “Hey, one of the ranch hands told me there was going to be a
bonfire by the lake. Do you want to go?”

I ignored him. “See you later Mom, I
won’t be out too late.”

“Okay, have a nice night and take
Scott with you.”

Great! That’s all I need. Couldn’t
I have just five minutes of peace? Alone!