Lost Lies

“Afternoon, Winter. What can a get you today, Hun?” The happy voice of Max, the owner of Swinton leisure pool hall, reached my ears as I sat down on a bar stool. “Your usual?”

Max knew it was illegal to serve me, but he knew me long enough to trust me not to tell anyone. Besides, I always brought in customers with my skills at pool.

“Yes, please.”

Max was a happy fellow, good to talk to and helpful too. He was five foot five like me, had a beer belly, scars covering most of his face from being in the war for a while before he lost his left eye; it would have been blue but was now covered with an eye patch. His black hair was slowly going grey and was cut short at the back and sides. He had lean, muscular arms and a medium sized tattoo of a skull on his right shoulder. He wasn’t the best looking guy, but he had a great personality and a sense of humour.

“Can I ask you something?” He asked as he pulled out a bottle of white wine and a glass.

“Go ahead.”

“What always brings you here to this dump?”

“It’s not a dump; it’s not the best, I know, but it’s not a dump. I come here because it’s nice to talk to you.” I began to rub at the back of my neck. I lied, but I wasn’t in the mood to discuss my life problems at the moment.

“There’s something more than that. I can see it in your eyes.”

I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to dump all my life problems on Max, but I also didn’t want to lie to him. He was kind and he told me secrets, helped me out of problems, and, well, basically he was like another father to me, but I couldn’t just blurt out my biggest, darkest, most terrifying (well to me anyway) secret.

“I-I don’t tell this to many people . . . only people I can trust.” I paused, trying to think of the right words to put my tragic tale in. “It was a few weeks after my fifteenth birthday. I asked my dad for a new laptop and my sister asked for a car, because he promised. He said no; he told us we were old enough to buy stuff for ourselves, it turned into a horrible argument. I woke up the next morning hand cuffed to a hospital bed and put in a mental home for three years.”

His face clouded over with confusion, but I continued anyway.

“On the same night, my family was murdered and I was left for dead. Whoever did it must have swiped my memory, somehow. I can’t remember anything. I don’t even remember if anybody did do it but it’s the best explanation.”

I watched as horror swept over Max’s face, but it soon faded into an apologetic look and he whispered, “Sorry to hear that.”

I nodded and gave him a faint smile.

“I come here because I try to hide from my problems and people. This is the last place people would look for me,” I added when I realised I never fully answered his question.

“Well, it’s nice to have someone like you here. You really brighten up the place on big pool nights.” He smiled and handed me my drink.

I poured myself a glass of wine and said cheerfully, “I know. This place is packed with people trying to beat me at pool.” I grinned and Max began to laugh.

I’m amazing at pool; I’d been unbeatable since the day I first turned up. I was a legend here. Every week on the big pool night, I would come and show up all that challenged me. It all started when I wanted to take my mind of things and I haven’t lost since.

A chair scraped back beside me and a tall, broad guy sat beside me. He was six or seven inches taller than me, similar looking to Danny, except this guy had green eyes instead of violet and white shaggy hair instead of black.

“I overheard you’re the girl who has never been beaten at pool,” he said, glancing at the photo of me on the shoulders of a random guy I’d played against. My hands were held high above my head, a grin across my face as people gathered around me. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.

“What’s it to you?” I replied, a slight threat in my tone.

“I was wondering if you would like a game.”

Our gazes locked and something I couldn’t identify flashed in his eyes.

“What’s your bet?”

“If you win, I will give you a grand.”

I eyed him speculatively. “And what if you win?”

There was a menacing gleam in his eyes and his lips tugged with the threat of a smile.

“I get to take you out somewhere.”

I considered his words for a few moments before sliding off the stool. I grabbed a pool stick.

“You’re on.” I sang with confidence.

“So, who’s breaking, me or you?” He asked as he set up the game.

“I will. What’s your name?”

“It’s Alex. Alex Decaprio.”

“Winter Alexandra Bloom. May I ask you: are you any way related to Danny Decaprio?” I asked, peeling off my coat and hanging it on the nearest hook.

“He’s my brother, well close friend.” He leaned on his pool stick, eyes appraising every inch of me.

“You look like Danny, but with white hair and the green eyes.” I pointed towards his eyes.

“I get that all the time. Shall we start?”

“So, what college or university do you go to? I’m guessing because Danny is going to the university I go to, you will be there?” I asked, leaning over the pool table; I angled my pool stick and broke the triangle of balls.

“Yes, obviously,” he gave a sarcastic roll of his eyes, and swiftly took a shot at a yellow ball, hitting it into a pocket.

“Funny; your sarcasm is horrendous.” I shot back with a sly grin.

Picking up his pool stick and pointing it towards me, he jabbed me in the stomach. I looked down and slowly back up again. A devious grin spread across his face as he slowly raised an eye brow. I looked down again, wondering why he just did that.

“Because I wanted to see how you would react,” he laughed as he took his second shot.

“Excuse me?” I asked, puzzled.

“You wanted to know why I did it; I wanted to see how you would react.” He grinned up at me.

“But I . . .”

“I could see it in your expression.” He added, cutting me off and gesturing towards my face.

“Oh...erm, sorry,” I looked down.

“Sorry for what?”

“For presuming different,” I felt a blush grow pink in my cheeks. He gave a quick nod of his head and smiled.

“Hey, Alex!” a voice shouted from behind me. “You got some debt to bay back and times up!”

“I owe you nothing, man. Tell that boss of yours I gave him what he wanted,” Alex replied calmly, not hint of annoyance in his tone.

“Is this your girl?” The voice was close behind me now.

I could feel the guy’s breath on my ear as his arm slowly slipped around my waist. Alex leaned on his cue stick as if he didn’t have any issues with what was happening to me.

“No. She’s a friend.”

“So, you don’t mind if I do this, then?” The hand on my waist slowly began lift up my top.

Immediately, the cue stick was beside my neck and a grunt came from the guy behind me.

“This is where you have taken it too far,” Alex hissed.

“Here; have your mutt back.” The guy growled and shoved me into Alex’s arms.

I never got to see the guy behind me; I was too afraid. Alex clutched me round the waist, still pointing the cue stick to the guy’s neck. I buried my face against his shoulder.

“Find the girl and hand her over,” he laughed.

“She is mine to keep. If you want her, find her yourself.”

“You’re playing on the wrong side here, Alex.”

I heard footsteps coming towards us - more than one pair of footsteps.

I was torn away from Alex.

I could hear the anger in his voice as he hissed, “leave the girl out of this!”

“I don’t think so. Swear you will hand the girl over when she has been found. ”

A chorus of whoops and hollers erupted around me and I felt myself being forced to my knees, my arms pinned tightly behind my back.

I kept my eyes on Alex, too afraid to even look at who held me. His eyes became red orbs. He showed no sign of anger on his face, but it was sharp in his voice as he growled, “Let the girl go.”

“Oh, is the doggy getting angry?”

I screamed in pain as my arms twisted even further around my back, bending out of shape.

“Let the girl go!”

“Not until you swear to hand the girl over.”

“Never.”

“Swear and the girl will walk away with both arms!”

I screamed in pain again as my arms were yanked further behind my back. I felt tears tumble down my face; I could no longer keep my eyes open and squeezed them shut instead. Whatever Alex had to hand over, he wasn’t letting go so easily, and I was paying the price for it.

My head smashed against the corner of something hard; a cue stick or the leg of something. Agonizing pain burned through me, leaving me weak and tired, and a sickening crunch sounded as pain shot up from my wrists.

“Swear boy or she is good as gone!” The man kept shouting the same lines about hand a girl over, over and over again.

“I swear nothing to you!” Alex repeatedly growled back.

My body was dragged across the floor, but I had no strength to fight back, and my vision was too blurred to see who was yanking me so harshly. I heard groans and pained cries; thuds and crunches rang out as things fell to the ground. By the sound of the thuds, it was bodies hitting the floor.

“This isn’t over, Alex.” The now familiar voice was breathless and pained.

“Pretty sure it is, Dan,” Alex shot back, panting.

I heard footsteps approach, stopping beside me. A hand moved the hair out my face and then gripped my chin, turning my face to look at them. I could just about make out Alex’s face and his sad little smile.

“Sorry about the mess; Max didn’t know they would come here.” Alex gave a shaky laugh and a gasp he must have been holding in.

“It’s ok, man. It’s funny how they never recognized her. What are you going to do now you have the girl? Because by the look on your face, you’re having second thoughts.”

“What?” Alex sounded shocked, puzzled, but I was struggling to understand what they were talking about.

“Sorry; I can’t lie, Alex. I can see it in your eyes.”

“I-I can’t love her, she is . . .”

“Mortal.”

“I-I am. . .”

“Inhuman.”

“Shut up, Max, finishing my every sentence. Look I get it: it’s wrong to love her. I want to finish this, but I have affection for her, even if this is the first time I met her. I have only ever seen photos people have taken. There are so many people out there that want her, Max.”

“Because of what she is?”

“Yes, but just look at her the way she talks, at how swiftly she moves and -.”

“Shh, now; she may hear you. Did you think of that?”

“She won’t remember after that blow to the head. Anyway, its best I take her to get checked out.”

“Agreed.”

I felt the world slowly slipping from under my feet and a major deja vu ground my thoughts to a halt...like this has happened to me before. I felt the broad arms of Alex lift me off the ground and carry me out to the cold world outside. The bitter breeze of a winter’s day nipped at my skin and the sound of a car door opening besides me reached my ears. I felt the soft cushion of a car seat and smelled the fresh scent of pine. A click of seat belt, a bang of a door and the opening of another. The growl of the engine and the jerk of the car sent my world finally crashing in on me.