Angel Unawares

Amber's heart pounded as she stood poised over the bathtub with a razor in her hand. It wasn't so much that she was afraid it would hurt; however painful it might be, she was sure it would be over with quickly. Nor was it so much that she feared the afterlife; she'd never really given it much thought, but whatever it would be for her, it had to be better than what her life was like now. Her hands shook, memories of Bruce's lust-filled eyes haunting her. She wasn't so much worried about Jade; her older sister had a life of her own in California, and she knew that he would certainly never shed a tear over her. She turned on the tap and held her wrist out, preparing to s***h it deeply with the razor. "No! Don't do it!" Startled, she turned to see a tall, slender boy watching her. He had light brown hair, freckles, and soft hazel eyes. Something about him seemed vaguely familiar. "How did you get in here?" she asked when she could speak again. "Please don't hurt yourself, Amber." He sidestepped her question. "It's not worth it. You could have a future with children and a loving husband, a family who will love and cherish you." Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How do you know my name?" He held out his hand to her, ignoring her question once again. "Give me that thing." "It's sharp," she told him. "It'll cut you." "I don't think so." For the first time, he gave a slight smile. Too startled to protest, Amber meekly handed the razor to him. "Don't you remember me, Amber?" She shook her head. "I'm Danny!" For a moment she just stared uncomprehendingly, and then it hit her like a bolt of lightning. Danny! He laughed at the expression on her face. "You do remember me!" "Why, yes, of course I do...but how..." "I came back to keep you from doing a very foolish thing. You're only sixteen, Amber. You have your whole life before you, and you were just about to throw it all away." Her eyes filled with tears. "You don't know." She stared at her feet. "I'm pregnant, Danny...by him." Briefly she glanced up to see that, rather than being shocked, he seemed to be simply waiting for her to continue. "It started not too long after he married my Mom," she went on. "The way he looked at me always made me feel uncomfortable. I told Mom about it, but she said I was just imagining things. Then he started touching me in places he shouldn't. He'd caress my breast or squeeze my bottom. Once he told me he'd give me a candy bar if I'd let him see me naked. I refused, of course. Then one day I was alone in the house with him when he came up behind me and grabbed me and forced me into the closet. He put his hand over my mouth so I couldn't scream, and then he made me take my clothes off and...do it with him." Danny didn't say anything, but his eyes were soft with compassion. "Afterwards he told me that if I ever told anyone, he'd kill me. I was too embarrassed and ashamed to say anything, anyway. He did it to me a bunch of times after that, and then one month my period didn't come. I bought one of those home pregnancy tests and took it, and it came back positive." She looked at him forlornly. "So you see, there's nothing else I can do!" "Of course there is," Danny replied. "You have to tell someone right away!" He took her hand and led her to the police station. Although it was several miles from her house, it seemed to take no time at all, and she didn't get the least bit tired. "I hope you're happy!" Amber's mother, Helen, glared at her daughter. "He's dead now, and it's all your fault!" "No, it isn't," Amber replied. "I told the police what he did to me because it was the right thing to do, but I didn't make him hang himself in jail." Somehow she knew that it simply wouldn't do to tell her mother about Danny, at least not at this point. "You lied about him to the police, that's what you did!" Helen's eyes blazed with fury as she confronted her daughter. "You had him arrested because you had a crush on him and was jealous that it was me he was with instead of you, and just look what happened! If it weren't for you, he'd still be alive!" "It wasn't my fault!" Tears streamed down Amber's face. "I didn't want to do it with him, but he forced me!" "You little w***e!" Helen hissed. "Because of you, an innocent man is dead! I want you out of my house, right now!" Amber was shocked. "But where will I go?" "You should have thought about that before you did what you did." Helen's voice was cold, uncaring. Devastated, Amber began to pack her things. As blinded by love as her mother had been, she knew Helen would never have believed that Bruce would be capable of raping his teenage stepdaughter. She decided that the only thing to do would be to hitchhike to California and try to find Jade. With a deep sigh, she opened the door and left her house for what she was sure would be the last time. No sooner had she stepped onto the sidewalk than she became aware that someone had fallen into step beside her and looked up to see Danny. Angrily she turned away from him and began to walk faster. "Hey." Lightly he touched her arm. It was the first time he'd touched her in three years, and it felt perfectly natural and human. "My life's even more screwed up now, thanks to you!" She jerked her arm away in annoyance. "Please listen to me, Amber. I can help. I know of a place you can go." "I'm going to California to find Jade." "You don't have to go all the way to California. I know of a place much closer that can help you." Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What are you talking about?" He reached for her hand. "Come on. I'll take you there."