The Guardian Chapter 2: The Stranger in Black Pt 2

~Recap~ (flashback)

The light patter of small feet echoed throughout the gloomy hallways of the mansion. A small girl with unruly, curly, brown hair bouncing away as her small, bare, and calloused feet sped her towards her destination, the master suite.

~End of Recap~

(Still in flashback)

She ran as if her life depended on it, her small feet gracefully letting her glide throughout the vast hallways. Her big-doe brown eyes sparkled with curiosity and fear. She rounded a corner sharply, narrowly colliding in with a young boy all dressed in black.

"SORRY!" she yelled as she continued towards her destination.

The boy turned, his long black hair hiding his eyes as he looked in the direction the girl went. He chuckled and smiled before continuing down the hall.

"Soon my little Angel, soon…" he said quietly then he jumped out the nearest open window. He landed with expertise and precision before sprinting for the tree- line whispering, "Soon…"

~Back to the little girl~

The young girl stood frozen in place as she faced the two doors that separated her from her so-called "Parents". Time seemed to slow down and the doors became more menacing looking by the seconds. The girl fidgeted with herself as she carefully reached a small, delicate hand out towards the doorknob.

"…"

She couldn't reach it, she was too short and the knob was so high up. 'Uh-oh' she thought.

The girl sweat-drooped and attempted for the doorknob again. Still she couldn't reach it. She Stood on her tippy-toes and tried for a third time. She was an inch too short. Sighing the girl tried jumping for the doorknob. Just as she was about to grab it, the door swung open and smacked her square in the face causing her to fall down onto her bottom. She whimpered pitifully, knowing that she would likely have a big red mark on her face, and looked up to see who opened the door. She gulped and a small shiver ran up her spin as she saw who it was. It was her "Mother".

"Oh GROW UP! It didn't hurt that much you little wimp!" her words were like sharp knives shredding what little self-esteem the young girl had left. The girl kept her eyes downcasted in order to hid her teary eyes behind her bangs from the heartless woman.

"Sorry," the girl mumbled out.

The woman became enraged and picked up the girl by the collar of her worn and tattered summer dress before slapping her across the face.

"DID I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO SPEAK? WELL, DID I?" the woman shrieked in the girl's face.

"No m'am," the girl replied shaking slightly as the woman dropped her. The girl winced as she fell onto the side of her face where she had be hit and held her face. She could feel the outlines of a angry bruise beginning to form.

The woman smirked before saying, "Now get your ass in here and listen to what I have to say." Then she went back into the room.

The girl followed and went to stand in the middle of the room near the blazing fireplace. The woman went over to the chair next to her husband, sat down and scrutinized the girl before speaking.

"How old are you?" she questioned.

"I am six years old m'am," replied the young girl.

"Damn still too young…Anyway, I was looking through the day's mail and found a postcard from that woman for you, come here, take it and be gone," the woman commanded.

The girl's eyes lit up as she carefully took the postcard from the woman and takes a glance at the picture on the front of the postcard. The girl becomes easily entranced by the lovely picture of a clear blue ocean overlooking a pure white sanded beach. She gasps completely enraptured by the mesmerizing blue color of the ocean.

(end of Flashback)

"…"

"Hey are you okay? Hey! Hanna-I mean miss! Can you hear me?"

Hannah slowly blinked her eyes as she resituated herself with reality. The boy had her by the arms and was frantically looking her over with eyes full of worry and something else. Shocked and unnerved by the closeness, Hannah began to fuss about and try to attempt to escape the boy's hold. But he wouldn't let her go, instead he brought her closer and closer until he was hugging her.

Hannah lost it with all of her emotions and feelings finally crashing down on her. Crocodile tears poured out of her eyes as she sobbed into the boy's shoulder, desperately clutching at his black and bloodied shirt trying to regain at least one cent of solid ground in her warring emotions. The boy held onto Hannah as she cried, his right hand gently stroking her damp hair as he whispered sweet nothings into her ear as a means to calm her.

Still she sobbed and clutched on tighter to his shirt, sighing the boy chuckled softly and whispered, "Still the same as when we were little, huh?"

The boy sighed again and began to sing in Hannah's ear knowing that this would definitely soothe her.

I open my lungs dear

I sing these songs at funerals no rush

These lyrics worth a thousand words just plush

A baby boy you held so tightly,

this pain it almost visits nightly

Missing hotel beds I feel your touch…

Hannah's sobbing subsided to mere whimpers as she slightly trembled in the boy's grasp as he sang. When he finished, she mumbled something inaudible.

Curious the boy looked down at Hannah and asked "What was that? Are you feeling better? Can you please repeat what you just said? I couldn't hear you."

Hannah just shook her head mumbling something again. Now the boy really wanted to know what she had just said. He gently but carefully detached her grip from his person, although he really did not want to and made her face him. Her damp hair still hid her face from his probing eyes.

"Can you please tell me what you said?" asked the boy again, his deep voice causing Hannah to shiver slightly.

Looking off the side Hannah replied, "Yes, thank you…I'm better now and…uh, you have a very beautiful voice…"

"Good. Thank you, and can you please look me in the eyes?" asked the boy smiling slightly.

"Uh…no…" Hannah did not want him to see her face right now for she knew she looked liked a complete mess.

"Please," the boy pleaded but to no avail as Hannah shook her head.

Weak and concerned for Hannah's well-being, the boy reached his hand out and gently turned Hannah's face towards him. With her face still cupped in his hand, he lifted her face up so that they were seeing eye to eye and then he pushed away in order to see her eyes. He was blown away. His heart stopped before picking up its pace as he lost himself in the swirls of two milk chocolate orbs. Her eyes were big, doe-like and full of emotion. The boy felt his heart clench when he saw the red tinge from tears begin to flow into her lovely eyes. Encasing her breath-taking eyes were long lush eyelashes fanning out in the similar way of angel wings. Her slightly chubby cheeks were dusted with a rosy pink tint. Her lips were medium-sized, plump, pink, and smelled of cherries, the boy wondered if they tasted as good as they smell. His inner demons daring him to have a taste, unwilling to do that he went back to admiring her heart-shaped face before turning his attention back to her soulful eyes. They were filled with mixed emotions such as confusion, fear, panic, self-consciousness, and…Love?

'So she does know who she is bonded to.' The boy smirked, but that was soon replaced by a mask of pain. 'No…not now…not infront of her…"thought the boy as wave after wave of pain and animalistic instinct crashed into his beaten form.