Chapter 4
Feeling her warmth pressed against me, I was surprised at what I was doing. However, I couldn't deny that I was comfortable. Franziska had pressed herself against me as soon as I had taken off my waistcoat and climbed in. Her skin was burning up and yet she was shivering, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. I sat propped up against the headboard in the darkness, my hands resting above my head.
"Your warm" Franziska whispered, her voice an echo of her own words, 16 years earlier. Her voice sounded more controlled and less panicky than before but her words were slightly slurred. She wrapped her arm around my waist, her head resting on my lap. I felt a little sad as I realised that I had completely forgotten the last time I had shared a bed with someone. I tried not to think back to the last time. My mind was still riddled with questions, questions that I'd been to much of a coward to properly ask. What did those thugs want with Franziska? Surely it wasn't just a random mugging. Another thing that had bothered me was her whip. I hadn't seen it since I gave it back to her, the day she left for Germany. She was usually never seen without her whip and yet she didn't have it with her. I loud gasp interrupted my thoughts and, at first, I didn't realise it had been me. But as I regained my senses I slowly felt Franziska drape her leg lazily over mine. I felt a shock shoot up my spine, making my head spin. But Franziska didn't seem to notice my bold reactions. She was fast asleep, her fragile chest rising and falling against me. I carefully slid a hand around her back, pulling her tighter against me as my other hand lay carelessly next to hers. I began to feel the days events press down on me-not for the first time today-as I felt my eyes beginning to droop. All the stress and the worry seemed to be leaking out of me as I felt the familiar wave of unconsciousness take over. I felt my head drop down and I could smell the sweetness of Franziska's hair, a comforting smell that reminded me of my childhood. I heard something low, like someone was saying something but I was already asleep before I was able to hear it.
"Franziska!" I screamed, staring down at her limp body. She was slumped against the wall, her clothes and the cobblestones of the alleyway painted crimson with her blood. Her eyes opened weakly, searching to find me.
"Miles?" She whispered, her voice so quiet and weak.
"Franziska, I'm right here" I cried, kneeling down and cradling her to my chest. She held onto me tightly, wrapping her legs around my waist as I picked her up off the street. I ran down the alleyway, the hospital just in sight when I was stopped as a large, metal wall fell in front of me. I stopped dead in my tracks as Franziska continued to whimper against my chest. I turned around only to be met by another wall. There was another to my left and to my right until I found myself in a box.
"No…no…" I whispered, shaking my head. It couldn't be. I gripped tightly to Franziska as I heard the familiar sound of the elevator doors closing. I slumped against the wall, panting heavily as the voices rang through my head.
'Daddy, you did so well today!' I closed my eyes tightly, ignoring the fact that I could feel the lift rising. 'When I'm older, I'm going to be just like you!' I continued to shake my head, trying to shake away these sudden new found memories. The elevator doors dinged open and as I forced open my eyes, I was met by a familiar face at the doors.
'Well, well, well' He laughed, standing just outside of the lift. I gripped tightly to Franziska, shielding her away from her father. 'Looks like your fighting for two, Miles.' His low, barking laughed echoed through the walls as I saw the doors close once again. The light on the ceiling flickered and I felt a familiar sense of fear run over my body. I cringed into Franziska as the walls began to shake, making my eyes fill with tears. 'Not again, not again, not again' I repeated, over and over in my head. There was a loud, metallic noise before I felt the lift drop. The force of the fall whipped my hair around my face as I cradled Franziska tighter to my chest. I leaned my forehead against hers, breathing heavily as the lift continued to fall. This was it, this was were it ended. I felt something warm beneath my hand, the familiar feeling of fresh blood. As I held Franziska out, she fell suddenly out of my arms, her head hitting the elevator floor. But her eyes were stiff and cold, her body still. The colour had drained from her cheeks as the blood began to seep from under her.
"Oh, god, Franziska, No!" I cried, reaching out for her. But as I did, I felt the slam of the elevator hit the floor, a sure sign it was over.
I sat up swiftly, gasping for air as I took in my surroundings. I was in my bed, in my apartment, safe. I sighed heavily, relieved as I ran my hand over my sweaty forehead. The dream, the awful dream I had, I could have sworn I had dreamt it before, sometime in my childhood. I shook my head as if to shake away the bad dream, focusing more on the slim, dainty figure next to me. Franziska was still laying on my lap, fast asleep with no blood in sight, to my relief. I exhaled loudly as I began to feel my heart rate slow again. 'Just a dream, just a dream' I told myself over and over. I continued to distract myself by once again gazing at Franziska. I couldn't help but feel, a little surprised. It still shocked me the way Franziska was almost, breaking down. She had always been a strong person and it was in her name to hide her emotions. After all, that's what her father did. All the years I spent under his care, I never really felt any kind of care from him. He was kind to me, he fed me and trained me to become a skilful lawyer. But sometimes, I think that's all he wanted. Another successor. I felt kindness but I never felt any sort of love as a father. And I'm pretty sure Franziska had received the same treatment. Although Franziska had gotten everything she wanted with a snap of her fingers (or her whip) I'm sure that she had felt the same as I felt from Von Karma.
Franziska sighed heavily in her sleep, stretching her arms above her head. I suppose it made me feel better, knowing that she wasn't so alone anymore. And yet, I knew how she felt. If this hadn't of happened, we would both be alone, in our apartments, same job, same routine. And we were so close and yet so far apart. We knew each other so well, lived together, even grew up together. And yet, there was still a distance between us. We had always been, almost awkward around each other and yet we could be in awkward situations without feeling pressure. It was strange, strange that we were so different and yet still so alike. We both fought fearlessly in court and-until a couple of years ago-we had both been determined to find a guilty verdict in court, no matter what the cost. We both often kept our feelings to ourselves, we had no remaining family. Well, I didn't. Franziska had an older sister back in Germany, along with her brother-in-law and her niece. But she didn't talk about them at all, I only found out about them when I heard Mr. Von Karma speaking on the phone to his eldest daughter, back when I was younger. I had the feeling that he was prouder of his elder daughter and I think Franziska knew this. That was probably why she never spoke of her sister. I yawned loudly as I began to feel overwhelmed with tiredness again, all sense of panic washed away. I knew I had to work tomorrow and I could hear my bedside clock ticking away, a constant reminder that I really should be sleeping. I looked back at Franziska, who was laying on her back now, her arms over her head. Her chest rose and fell gently, a repetitive motion to accompany the steady beat of her heart. I leaned my face carefully over hers, taking in her slightly parted lips and her flushed cheeks. I could feel my head spinning, as if suddenly reacting to the atmosphere. Her breathing was heavy and slow, she was asleep. My emotions seemed to rid me of my common sense, for once, as I felt myself move closer to her, my heart pounding inside my chest. I held my lips nervously over hers, the temptation was excruciating. I imagined what it would be like, kissing her and before I knew it, my thoughts were becoming reality. But as my lips closed into hers, Franziska gasped loudly. I pulled back quickly, shocked. Had she been awake the whole time? I began to fell my limbs trembling with nerves. I was wrong, however. Her body began to shake violently as Franziska arched her back, before crying out a blood-curdling scream.
