My Recycled Soul (A Sample)

There is an unexpected choke-hold around my throat as I try to swallow, so I only manage to smile bashfully.

What is wrong with you, Elizabeth?

Jane and Aaron get into the backseat while Jared starts his Jeep.

We drive straight to Jane's house, and this time it is only Jane and Aaron laughing and joking while both Jared and I stare out of the front windscreen silently.

I know I should be saying something, but I also know that if I open my mouth only gibberish would pour out from between my lips, so I keep my lips tightly shut.

Jane lives in the village and when we stop in front of her house she leans over and kisses Aaron on the cheek. She then pats first me, then Jared on the shoulder and gets out of the car, with everybody saying, "Bye, see ya later," at the same time.

We drive off with Jane standing in her doorway, waving at us.

Looking back at her, I wonder if Jane likes Aaron. Maybe she is just feeling sorry for him and the kiss on the cheek was maternal, maybe even protective? I remember her relief weeks ago when I said I was not interested in a relationship with Aaron, and then the way she sometimes looks at him when she thinks no one is looking at her.

All the happy energy left when Jane left, and all that remained is an awkward silence, so the atmosphere in the car is starting to feel unbearable.

Jared switches on the stereo and after pushing a few buttons, a song by David Gray starts to float through the car, soft and melodious.

I look out the window at the dark houses passing by and smile to myself listening to the words of the song. The lyrics 'be mine, be mine' strike me as ironic.

Once we drive out of the village, I notice we are driving in the opposite direction of where my manor is, and Aaron says from the back, "Jared, why are you doing this?"

" Aaron, please, not now," Jared replies brusquely.

" No. Why are you dropping me off first?"

" Aaron, could you please just let this go for now, we can sort it between us later."

I notice Jared glaring at Aaron in the rear view mirror, and I hear an irritated, exaggerated sigh come from the back, but no one says anything further.

A while later Jared turns into a driveway decorated with a massive, ornate gate. The headlights of the car sweep across the front of the impressive house, and I believe this is what a manor is supposed to look like.