Free Cast & Fall by Janice Hadden

intense on me. I felt
blood drain from my veins, and I could only imagine the power behind
those eyes that could invoke such a deep emotion in me. It was such
an unfamiliar territory; there was something to those eyes that draws
me in and at the same time, a warning that made me automatically want
to avoid him at all cost.
    A
briefest of moments passed before something strange started to form
inside my head, emerging at the edge of my mind again. But just as
quickly as it started to clear, it vanished in a puff of smoke and I
drew another blank. And as quickly as he walked pass by me, it was
enough to send shivers down my spine.

    Cross ing the
Line

    M y
head was spinning as I woke, feeling the unknown mysteries of the
night before—the details of my nightmares that continued to
vanish, felt like a hang over—my mind clearing. Tears were
evident on my face. I wiped my eyes dry, still feeling the heavy ache
in my heart. I quickly concentrated my thoughts on the day that lay
ahead. Having a job and going to school was so much harder than I had
realized.
    Unprepared
for what’s in store that day, I pulled a pillow on top of my
head and buried my face in it. Oh,
how I just want to stay and cradle in bed all day today. I
murmured to myself, waiting another second before I realized I had so
much to do today. Crap!…Couldn’t
I just get a day off or something?…Of course I can…Oh
no, I can’t…Okay, Kat, get up!” Groaning,
I dragged myself in the shower.
    The
warm water felt amazing. I felt exhausted. The water woke up every
inch of my tired senses. After I completely felt coherent, I patted
myself dry and quickly changed to my usual jean and tee. I was
walking down the stairs when something startled me. I heard Steve
cough. “Oh Dad, you’re here! You almost gave me a heart
attack.” I was very surprised to see him still at home. It’s
unusual for Steve to be here this late. He’s usually gone by
the time I get downstairs to have breakfast. It’s also unusual
for him to miss work, if that‘s the reason he‘s still
here— he
must be sick! Before
I could ask him the question—
    “ I’m
going in late today, thought it would be nice to at least see you in
the morning once in a while before you head out.” I grimaced,
not sure if I liked the idea of Steve checking up on me, though I
wouldn‘t mind knowing what he‘d been up to. I worried
about him too.
    “ Well,
I also have a surprise for you!” Excitement shot from his tone. Surprise? My face was instantly brilliant. I love surprises, but I hope it’s
not one of those, good-news-bad-news, type of thing. I paced myself,
all of a sudden, I felt a little weary of the fact that he planned to
go to work late just to tell me. I kept silent.
    “ A
friend of mine at the dealership gave me a good deal on a Cooper.”
A Cooper! I’ve been wanting to trade in my beetle for a Cooper,
but I knew it wasn’t really practical since I knew it will cost
more than what I really can afford. “Dad, I know I told you
that I kind of like that car, but really, it’s fine. I really
don’t want to spend the money and…”
    “ Now
hold on before you turn it down, it’s not exactly new and
they’re trying to push out the old models. I crunched the
numbers and it looked pretty good. Tim, told me he’ll give me a
good price on your trade in and I’ll be putting a couple of
grand as a down
payment so your monthly will be low. I don’t really like the
idea of your old car stalling
in the middle of the road, so give your old man some piece of mind
and think about
it.”
    “ I
don’t know what to say! Thanks, dad. You’re the best,”
I said, wrapping my arms around him like a little kid as I kissed his
stubble cheeks. He smiled as he tapped my
shoulder—my arms still wrapped around him.
    “ That’s
what dads are for!” Steve had always been a generous father.
Even as a single
dad, he’d always managed to give me things and thought of
things that he knew I needed and