BARRIERS OF A FIRST LOVE
Chapter Seventeen
Nothing. Rose’s vision unblurred, and she
felt like crying out in joy to see that Jack was still there, alive. Jumpy, but
alive.
Cal began to laugh. "You must really
take me for a moron if you actually thought I would simply shoot you. No,
that’s too--what’s the word I’m looking for? Common? Impassionate? Unromantic!
Lucky for me, though, I have a much better option." Cal revealed a long
knife with a sharp blade. He expertly held it out so that it caught the
moonlight just right. "Much better." He held the knife at an angle at
the right side of Jack’s chest, away from his heart. "Listen, and listen
good. I want you out of this city, this state, this country; as far away from
Rose as possible! You got it?" Cal pushed the knife gently and Jack could
feel it tear through his shirt. In seconds, blood would be drawn.
"No!" In a flash, Jack lurched to
the side, surprising Spencer and thus giving Jack the freedom to escape.
It seemed as if Jack and Rose ran to their
car faster than the speed of light, but, unfortunately, Cal and Spencer managed
to catch them. Cal caught Jack by the shoulder and pushed him onto the hood of
the car, the knife raised menacingly in the air. Jack knocked it out of his
hand, just as he had seen people do on TV. He pushed Cal to the ground, where
they scrabbled.
Meanwhile, Spencer had grabbed hold of Rose
and was holding a knife just below her collar bone. Cal got hold of Jack’s neck
and brought his head up so that he could see Rose.
"They aren’t taking us seriously,"
Cal said, his voice cold. "Cut her."
Rose whimpered as the knife cut her ivory
skin and blood trickled out. Jack sprang towards her, but Cal had managed to
get hold of his knife again and cut a gash on Jack’s entire forearm as he stood
up. This didn’t stop him. He ran towards Rose and caught her up in his bleeding
arms before Spencer could cut again. Cal and Spencer pounced on them in
seconds.
For the rest of her life, Rose wouldn’t be
able to recall exactly what happened. There was a terrible fight, she knew
that, and they had gotten closer and closer to the edge of the bridge. And
then, with one misaimed hit, Rose had tumbled over the railing and toward the
churning water below. Jack, bruised and bloodied, grabbed her hand to pull her
to safety but was too weak. With Cal and Spencer watching in horror, Jack and
Rose fell over the side of the bridge.