Sorrow's Gift

Chapter Twelve: Karmen

I need coffee.

Karmen was awake but groggy as she stepped over Parrish's sleeping body and made her way to the tiny little kitchen. This apartment was so gross. She didn't understand how anyone could live like this. And where were his parents? Was he really old enough to have his own place?

The kitchen itself was more like what Karmen would have called a kitchenette. There was a small toaster oven and a hot plate. No stove. No full-sized fridge. There wasn't much storage, either, but when she looked inside the cabinets, they were mostly bare. Except for dust. It didn't even look like he ever used them.

Now, the microwave, on the other hand, looked like it was used several times a day. The outside had a string of something that looked sort of like cheese caked on the door. Karmen had never actually seen a microwave that used a dial for the timer. She was used to the large digital stainless steel microwave back in her house.

Just the thought of her own house made her feel sick to her stomach. She hadn't wanted to leave it in the first place, but she didn't want to be alone either. In the beginning, she really thought it wouldn't be long before the government got things under control. She'd imagined them making sweeps of each neighborhood, securing the streets and restoring people to their homes.

Now, though, she wondered if there was even any government left. After what they'd seen at the rescue center, she wasn't so sure. What if there was no one coming to save them?

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She couldn't think like that. She just needed to sit down and have a nice cup of coffee to clear her head.

There was no sign of a coffee maker anywhere on the counter, so Karmen switched to looking through the cabinets. No luck there either. What kind of person didn't even have a coffee pot in their house? She was dying for a sugar-free vanilla latte with skim milk, but to be honest, she would have settled for a plain jane cup of coffee with milk at this point.

"Whoa, Barbie, what's going on in here?"

Karmen whirled around to find Crash standing in the doorway, rubbing his eyes and yawning. She wasn't going to let him get to her today.

"Good morning," she said sweetly, determined to keep from arguing. "I was just looking for the coffee maker."

"Well, you can stop slamming doors in here and tearing the place apart, 'cause I don't have one. Mine broke from overuse, and I haven't had a chance to replace it."

"What? How can you not have a coffee pot? Everyone has a coffee pot, even if they only pull it out when guests come over." She heard her shrill argumentative tone, but seriously? This guy was annoying.

"I guess you should call the etiquette police, then. Have them come arrest me for not being the best host. Forget that I saved your pretty little ass yesterday," he said with a laugh.

Did nothing faze him? Every time she got around this guy, she ended up heated and flushed, and he ended up laughing. It wasn't fair.

"Look, Nakamura, or whatever your name is, all I want is some caffeine. It's not my fault you're some kind of barbarian who doesn't care about common decency."

Crash walked forward, his black eyes holding her gaze. Karmen took a step backward, but he kept coming toward her. Her butt hit the counter behind her and she leaned back. Crash stood so close to her, it sent her heart racing like a pack of wild horses. What was he going to do to her? She imagined him pulling a butcher knife from a nearby drawer and splitting her open with it.

Instead, he yanked open the door of the cabinet at her hip and, without dropping his gaze, pulled out a silver can. "Here," he said, opening it with one hand. The soda let out a hiss as the carbonation released. "Red Bull. It's better than coffee."

Crash shoved the can in her hand. It was warm. She slammed the can down on the counter behind her as she watched Crash walk away. Fuming, she focused on that ball of red light she had recently discovered inside her. The energy of it was becoming familiar. Even though she wasn't exactly sure where this new ability had come from, she was slowly learning what she could do with it.

She felt the light pulse through her, narrowed her eyes on the back of Crash's messy bed-head, and thought: You cannot move. Your feet are frozen to the floor.

Crash stopped in his tracks, his body lunging forward. His hands whipped around to steady his body and he tried to move his feet, but they were stuck like glue to the bad linoleum.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Legs stop working?"

He turned his head to the side and she could see the confusion and fear on his face. He wasn't laughing now, was he?

"What did you do to me?" His voice was quiet, all amusement now replaced by fear.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She kept her voice innocent and giggly, feeling high on the power of her new ability. Maybe next time he'd think twice before he called her Barbie.

"I can't move my feet," he said, his voice getting higher and more frantic. "What did you do?"

"What's going on in here?"

Of course, Parrish would be the one to ruin her fun. Karmen let go of her focus and smiled as Crash stumbled forward.

"Nothing." She grabbed the warm energy drink and took a long sip. "Crash and I were just getting to know each other."

Karmen... love her or hate her? haha It's hard to know just yet! Thanks for reading!