Reign of the Broken Heart

Chapter One The monotony of counting pieces was getting to her, but she continued taking inventory with the other employees. The numbers were quickly rattling off in her head as her fingers deftly took stock of what was beneath them, trying to focus on her work. She'd been having an odd feeling all day. A strange type of tingling on the back of her neck that seemed to wax and wane as she moved about the plant. Certain places it was strong, others it was there but barely noticeable. It had been there since she'd entered the building to clock in. She tried to ignore it and work. She needed to earn her paycheck. Rebecca hadn't been working there for very long, and she still wanted to make a good impression. Going home or slacking off definitely wasn't an option if she was to follow through. She started over for a double check of the count before writing it down. She always double, if not triple, checked everything. “Perfectionist to the core,” she muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes at her own insecurity. As if that would be understood by anyone with whom she had or could ever work. She never felt good enough for anyone. People didn't understand her need to handle everything herself—to always be better than everyone's expectations of her. They didn't realize that she could exceed their ideas of her abilities, but never her own. They had no idea how much it took just to get out of bed each morning, simply because she was broken. Rebecca gave a slight shrug, knowing full well that absolutely no one would notice. She wrote 156 on the inventory note and moved on to the next large bin of metal parts to begin counting once again. Then the tingling on her neck became white hot in an instant and her head jerked up, involuntarily. A young man was standing about 15 feet away, and for some reason, her eyes focused on him. She took in his features and felt a slight tug pull at the corners of her mouth. He wasn't what most people would call amazingly handsome, but she thought his appearance pleasant. Dark hair with a slight hint of auburn, which was pulled back in a mid-length ponytail, covered his head. He wore glasses, but she could see sky blue eyes behind them. He had a fairly full goatee which was well kept and nearly the same color as his hair. Something about his movement made her think he was well muscled beneath his work jeans, in spite of a slight paunch just above his waistline. “You're not here to make friends. You're here to earn a paycheck so we can eat this month,” she heard her conscience practically scream at her. Rebecca sighed and went back to work, doing her best to concentrate on her duties. That tingling on her neck just wouldn't go away, though. And she saw a slight glimmer out of the corner of her eye, so she looked at him again. He had a silvertoned pentacle around his neck that she hadn't noticed on her first inspection. Her breath caught. “Is he Pagan?” she wondered to herself, trying to focus on her job again. She finished the count on the bin, and started recounting. She felt him, rather than saw him, move a couple steps closer. The tingling on her neck was becoming stronger, and she was becoming convinced he was the cause of it. “Damn it,” she thought. But she knew she couldn't stop her curiousity, so as she finished the bin, she stepped a little closer to him. He didn't seem to notice, so she counted the bin in front of her. She tried to ignore the pull she was feeling toward him, the way she was already calming down being even semi-close to him. She forced herself to finish counting the bin and opened her mouth to ask him a question. He didn't notice because nothing would come out of her mouth. “Just forget it,” her conscience said annoyingly. “Why would anyone want anything to do with you?” “I like your pentacle,” she finally squeaked out. He paused and glanced up at her. “Where'd you get it?” she asked, trying to smile while being simultaneously terrified he'd ignore her or answer her. She didn't know if she could manage to say anything else, and she didn't want to look like a complete moron in front of him. She didn't know him from Adam, but there was something so familiar about him. It was almost as if she'd known him a long time ago, but couldn't place where, how, or when. And there was that subtle, amazing sense of calm she started feeling as he got closer to her physically. She wanted to talk to him, but had no idea what to say next. “Oh this?” he said, fumbling with the pendant for a brief moment. “It was a present from my girlfriend.” Her heart sunk into the pit of her stomach, instantaneously regretting asking. “Oh,” she replied, “That's cool. I thought maybe you could tell me where to get one around here. I'm Wiccan, and don't really have any idea where to find amulets in this area. You don't run across many Pagans hereabouts.” “Oh my goddess, shut up!” her conscience said. “He's taken and you're making a fool of yourself, you bumbling i***t!” “I'm not sure where she got it,” he said, seemingly going back to his work. “I don't know too much about it. She's Wiccan, not me. She said it was to protect me.” “Great!” her conscience muttered. “You're not only being pulled toward someone who's taken, he's probably a born again Christian who will either tell you to get lost or talk your ear off for the next week about how you're going to Hell if you don't rejoin the fold.” After years of being called a Devil worshipper, she had a hard time trusting Christians.  She knew they weren't all bad, that most were accepting and respectful of her religion, but she had yet to meet one.  The fact she was so bitter about it actually made her irritated with herself. “I'm an atheist,” he said matter-of-factly. “I wear it to shut her up.” With that comment, Rebecca couldn't help but smile at him. “That's nice of you. Not many guys would care enough to do something just because their girlfriend wants them to.” Something barely noticeable happened to his eyes. A slight sheen came over them for an instant, and then it was gone. He smiled back at her, and for a second she was completely floored. His smile made her feel warm and cozy. It was as if the sun had suddenly come out from behind a cloud after it being cold and wet all day. Gods, she wanted to feel like this all the time. She knew it was impossible, but she wanted it all the same. “Yeah, I s'pose so.” He shrugged and went back to counting. And the sun disappeared again. She let out a soft sigh, and went back to work. The tedium returned for a minute or two until she heard his voice again asking, “So how long have you been Wiccan?” She didn't turn to him, so he wouldn't see the gigantic grin on her face or the slight blush coming to her cheeks. “Just since high school,” she replied. “Not like I was raised that way or anything.” She forced herself to continue working on the inventory count, not really willing to let him see the effect he was having on her emotions. “He's TAKEN, Stupid!” her conscience started in again. “And why, pray tell, would ANYONE want to spend more time with you than necessary, W***e?!” “Just shut up!” she silently screamed, biting her lip to keep from crying out loud. She had a horrible past. She was ashamed of it. And everyone she had ever trusted had used her, stabbed her in the back, and thrown her aside when she was no longer of any use to them. It hurt. A lot. She was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. She was always expecting another emotional, if not physical, attack on her, and by the gods she was getting sick of it. The torture of not trusting anyone had almost become to much to bare lately. She had no one at all to confide in. Trust was stupid. Trust got you hurt. Trust almost got her killed. So why did it feel like she could trust him? With anything. With everything. “Yeah, I don't practice the way I was raised either,” he said, finally rousing her from her own thoughts. “I was raised Lutheran. Including a day school when I was younger, run by the church.” “Oh,” was all she could think to say. She figured what he was talking about was some kind of a private school. She had only gone to public schools until she went off to college, so she really had no idea about what that would have been like. Private schools usually meant money in the family though, so that was another strike against her. She was, and had been for her whole life, nearly penniless. She only went to college because she got a decent scholarship, and even that didn't help her avoid WAY too much student debt. It wasn't because she or her family weren't hard workers though. Bad luck just seemed to follow her family around like an abandoned puppy, especially her. “So why are you working here?” She finally forced something out to change the subject, hoping beyond hope, that he wouldn't stop talking to her. His voice was soft, but clear, and mellow like a well aged bourbon. The sound of it was intoxicating to her. She was still working, but her mind was constantly shifting back to him. “Hmm?” he muttered. “Oh, I'm trying to save enough money to move to Australia.” “AUSTRALIA?!” she thought. “That's so far. Why would he?... Oh, yeah. His girlfriend. How long until he leaves? Will he come back?” “So since it seems like we're having a semi-lengthy conversation,” she mused, “what do I call you? I'm Rebecca.” “Edmund. Most call me Ed.”  She smiled, rolling the name around in her head before actually trying it on her tongue. “I'm glad to meet you, Ed.” "Same here, Rebecca," he said, as the sun came back with another of his smiles. She loved that smile.  He had her in the palm of his hand and she didn't care in the least.  She wanted to talk to him for hours.  To find out everything about him before he left for good.  If all she was going to have were memories, she at least wanted some good ones...with him. She turned back to her work again, but asked non-chalantly, "So, you live around here?" "Yeah, a little ways outside of town.  With my parents," he said a little coldly.  "Please don't hold that last part against me, okay?" Rebecca laughed softly, and his expression went from shocked to hurt to angry in a flash.  She gave him the biggest smile she could muster.  "Why would I hold living with your parents against you?  I'm still living with mine, and you can't be too much older than I am.  I doubt you're over 25 by the look of you." He smiled again, gods did she love that smile. "Yeah, about that," was all he said, relief washing over his face like a warm shower's current, all the anger seeming to melt away in an instant. "So, I don't recognize you from Midford.  You living around here too?" Edmund asked cautiously. "I wish," Rebecca scoffed.  "I'm about an hour away.  Little town.  Blink at the wrong time and you'd miss it.  You know, middle of nowhere." "Sounds nice," he muttered. "You lived there your whole life?" She winced, but luckily he was paying visual attention to his work, so he didn't notice.  "I was born a little ways away actually.  Moved there in forth grade.  Went away for college.  Came back home.  Pretty typical really." He glanced her way with a smirk on his face. "Goddess help me!" she thought.  "And I thought his smile was captivating?" "College girl, huh?" He raised one eyebrow slightly.  "And you're working here? Why?" She blushed, turning back to her work.  "Girl's gotta eat.  And I'm trying to help my folks out.  They  aren't doing great financially right now."  She clamped her mouth tightly shut, cursing herself for saying that.  D**n it! "Why? Didn't you..." "...Go to college? Nope.  Parents couldn't afford to send me, and I couldn't manage to get a job right away after high school to save up the money myself." She simultaneously felt ecstatic that he didn't have huge amounts of money, a plus because he wasn't going to look down on her for that, and sad for him, because it was obvious by the look on his face that he regretted not going.  He was intelligent, from what she could tell, and had a little determination, seeing as he wasn't sitting at home all day living off mommy and daddy. "Are you going to continue your studies in Australia?"  Just saying it felt horrible.  She didn't want to acknowledge that she had absolutely no idea when this man would pick up and leave her life.  No clue when that awesome feeling of calm would disappear and never return. "Doubt it," he muttered.  "Don't know if my visa will allow that or if I'll have to apply for a different one." She just nodded, trying not to cry. "So..." he trailed off and her heart froze for an instant.  "You read any good books lately?" She laughed at that.  "Not really time right now.  Last thing I read was a text book to be perfectly honest." They had finished counting that area and started moving to a new section of parts.  Rebecca posed the question a different way with, "What's the best thing you've read lately?" "James Patterson," he replied. She looked at him quizzically, and he laughed. "I've been reading a lot of his stuff lately." "Oh," she replied with a blank stare.  "I haven't really read a lot of contemporary authors' stuff.  I'm more of an old classics kinda gal."  The remained of the work day passed with much the same banter back and forth.  Rebecca smiled more than she could ever remember doing and she honestly couldn't be more happy to be near him.   "Edmund is a sweet and considerate guy.  His girlfriend is so lucky to have him willing to move halfway across the world for her!" She thought, her heart sinking at the thought of him going away when she had barely started getting to know him. So, as the work day was wrapping up, her heart positively soared as they were walking to her car and he said, "You wanna maybe get something to eat?  I'm starving!" She beamed at him, so happy to have any opportunity to be near him for just awhile longer.  "You know what?  I'd like that.  I'd like that a lot." "Well, there's a few fast food joints in town," he mumbled, scratching his head.  "You wanna meet me up at the McD's?" "The one on 12?" "Yeah, that's the one," he grinned at her.  "So...Whaddaya say?" "Okay, but I'll pay my own way," she said.  "You're trying to save your money, remember?" She barely noticed a slight tensing in his shoulders.  "Nah. I'm imagining that," she silently told herself. If he had a girl, she wasn't going to push things.  She wanted to keep him around, selfishly.  Yet, more than anything, she wanted him to be happy.  She wanted this amazing man, who made her feel like she was walking on air, to be happy.  If his girlfriend made him happy, she wasn't going to stop him from being with the girl he cared for. He started to walk away.  Then he turned, smiling over his shoulder as he reached a sapphire blue Grand Prix.  He opened the door and hollered, "See you there, Becca!" before he got in, and took off. She smiled as she got in her Saturn.  She deftly turned the key, and pulled out onto the road to follow him, determined to enjoy giving him her full attention for as long as humanly possible.