Who ever knew that roofs were such good sanctuaries? It must have been an hour since I had ditched the party, which happened to be taking place just below me. It was odd, though, because I couldn't hear any of the music at all. It was so...quiet. I still wondered why Richard had not showed up to his own party.
There I sat, in the middle of the roof. I looked at all of the nightlife happening below me. A couple making out on a bench, little boutiques on the block beginning to close one at a time, a young girl walking her dog…I would have killed to be one of them.
My eyelids threatened to close at that moment, and without thinking, I stood up without thinking and walked to the edge of the building until my toes were off the building. Any other time I would have been scared to death, but for some reason all of my problems with Richard seemed to cloud my judgment.
I stood there, my arms spread out and my feet pressed together. No, I wasn't about to commit suicide or anything. I just loved the feeling of freedom, because as weird as it sounded, nothing had never felt so liberating than standing on the edge of a 43-story building.
I smiled softly to myself, finally thinking I was at peace, inhaling slowly until…
"Kori, don't do it! Don't jump!" came somebody's voice, worried and angry at the same time.
"What are you talking about-"
I turned around quickly to find Richard in the form of Robin, the familiar mask hiding his blue eyes, running towards me with a scared look on his face. But I had whipped my head around too fast, because I was losing my balance. I began to wobble on my feet and flap my arms around wildly, but it was no use.
I was leaning more to the open air than I was toward Richard's hand.
"Richard, help!" I shrieked loudly, and soon my feet were no longer on the concrete edge, but they were falling with the rest of my body.
I was going to die.
I kept on repeating this in my head until a hand grasped onto mine with a firm grip. Richard hauled me up quickly, and carried me bridal style to a part of the roof that did have a barricade I could lean against. Short of breath, I closed my eyes and dug my head in his chiseled chest as he embraced me tightly.
When we finally pulled apart, he looked at me with a fuse of emotions running through his blue eyes. "What were thinking? Why were you trying to kill yourself, Kori?" he said loudly, his voice rising angrily.
"You think," I yelled in alarm, yet still totally unaware of how loud I was, "that I'm crazy enough to commit suicide?"
We stared each other down, both of us angry, neither of us moving. I thought I was going to melt just staring at him, with his stern features highlighted in the moonlight. His blue eyes were like magnets, so unreadable.
And then all of a sudden he gently but swiftly put his hand on the back of my head and kissed me. It felt…different. It wasn't one of those brief kisses, not one of those passionate ones, but it was one that scared me a little bit.
I gasped immediately as soon as I felt lips on mine, his tongue inside of my mouth yearning to taste every inch of me. He grazed my lips more forceful than he usually did, reckless and unsure. My heart stopped for a split second when I realized why; it was almost as if he was saying goodbye.
But I decided not to say anything to him. Ruining the moment would be idiotic of me, so I stayed quiet about it. He took me home, tucked me in, and stayed until I fell asleep.
Just before I felt myself black out, I heard his voice, low and velvety.
"I'm sorry."
My eyes fluttered open at once. I looked at the clock, the sunshine streaming through the open balcony doors. It was only nine o'clock. Usually I was too lazy to wake up on my own like this, even with an alarm clock right by side. But something prompted me to wake up.
I decided that my first day of summer vacation before college was going to be spent with Raven. Lazily, I got out of bed and changed into a pair shorts and a t-shirt. But when I got out of the bathroom, something was different. I paused in midstep, hearing the leaves rustling just behind me.
Absentmindedly, I picked up the phone and dialed Richard's number. I hoped he wouldn't think I was beginning to get too clingy.
The phone rang at least a dozen times, which was weird because Alfred usually picked it up after the first ring. Finally someone picked up, but there was nobody on the other line; just an unfamiliar voice speaking to someone else in the background.
"Hello? Alfred, is that you?"
"I'm sorry, who?" came a woman's voice.
"Um, hi. Is Richard there?"
"Oh, you mean Mr. Grayson? I'm sorry, but he's not here anymore."
My heart stopped beating. What did she mean "anymore"? "Who is this?" I asked, not wanting to know.
"This is Caroline Fisher, I'm Mr. Wayne's realtor. Are you interested in taking a look at the house? This one was put on the market just last night."
"Do they still live there?"
"Well, actually they just-"
I slammed the phone down back on the receiver and ran down the stairs, fetching my car keys.
Going there was the only proof I was going to believe.
The old truck screeched as I made my down the neighborhood, going at over 90 miles an hour. I stomped on the brakes as soon as I was positioned on his driveway and almost fell out of the car as I stumbled to make it inside the Wayne Manor as fast as I could.
There was a red-haired woman standing outside on the front lawn who looked about thirty, holding a clipboard and talking to a man that I had never seen before. She greeted me with a smile, but one that was fake, as if she was expecting something from me. She was obviously bothered by my presence.
"Hi, I'm the girl from the phone. I'm -"
"-What exactly is it that you need from me?" she interrupted rudely. There was an annoyed snarl on her face, and she didn't even bother to look up from her clipboard. Someone obviously didn't get any sleep last night.
I had the biggest urge to slap her face right then, but then I remembered my real purpose for being there. I shook it off quickly. "Actually, I was looking for Richard, Richard Grayson. Is he here?" I asked nervously.
"Sorry, hon, but they don't live here anymore."
Fear rushed through my blood.
I had only visited the Wayne Manor once, and that was when Richard and I had gotten back from our encounter with Slade at sea. I remembered the beautiful frames and hand-painted portraits that were displayed on the wall, and the beautiful silk drapes that were hung. It was unanimously far more beautiful than my house, since nobody had the time and patience to decorate.
But as I pushed through the slightly ajar door, I saw the sweet memories of the beautiful manor literally fade away. What I saw next was a truly horrifying sight.
The furniture was gone, with the little imprints still fresh and deep into the carpet. Nails stuck out from where frames used to be, and as I rushed into the kitchen the trash had not yet been taken out, with fresh scraps of food still in it. There were pieces of a jade vase scattered on the floor, which made me realize how much of a hurry they must have been in.
There was really nothing left.
I could hear Caroline's heel's clicking against the marble floor. "So have you come to make an offer for it?" came her voice.
I turned around to face her, but her eyes were still glued to her clipboard. I was too angry to answer her. My knees were buckling, I for a split second I thought I wasn't going to breathe.
"Where is everything?" I asked, raising my voice. "What happened?"
She finally looked up at me. The suddenly stunned expression on her face was beginning to scare me. "Red hair, green eyes…" she muttered quietly to herself. She closed her eyes unhappily for a moment before looking me in the eye. "You must be Kori Anders."
"And what the hell of a difference is that supposed to make?" I growled lowly.
Her eyes widened with fright as she surrendered her hands up in the air. "I-I'm sorry…but I have been given specific orders to stay quiet."
I felt bad about threatening the woman, but if violence was the only way to get through to her, then it was something I had to do. I grabbed her shirt collar. By now my teeth were clenched and my knuckles were beginning to turn white. "Listen lady, if you don't tell me what's going on right now, then I swear I'll-"
"Okay, fine!" she cried out in despair. "At about three o'clock in the morning I received a call from Mr. Bruce Wayne himself. He said that it was urgent and that I should come immediately. When I arrived at the manor, everything was already gone; only Mr. Grayson was left waiting outside. He ordered me not to tell you anything about the move and handed me a check."
"How much did he pay you?" I asked, my voice trembling. I tried to fight back the burning tears that had begun to well up in the corners of my eyes- just as long as she was out of sight before I cried.
"Five thousand dollars."
I didn't even notice myself loosening my grip on her shirt collar. My legs gave out suddenly and I found myself sprawled on the floor with my cheeks streaked with tears. I hated the look that she had on her face, with pity in her eyes. She fled as soon as I fully released her, but I hardly noticed when she slammed the door behind her.
I sobbed freely now; I couldn't care less if the neighbors could hear me wailing from all the way down the street. The cold tiles sent shivers down my spine as I curled up in a ball, desperate to wake up and find out that I was having a nightmare.
Richard had left to get away from me. I had done something to drive him away.
He was gone, and that was all there was to it.
----
Where can I find the pieces of my broken heart?
The pieces are too far apart for me to find, and the twilight is too bright.
My unhappy life was just beginning to unfold…
A/N: That was the last chapter of Blinding Twilight. But I'm almost done writing the first chapter of its sequel, Full Moon. Please review!