Chapter 6 – Beginning
AN: Hey guys! I know it has been forever since I've updated but I have been incredibly, incredibly busy (I know that seems to always be my excuse.) However, I have a legitimate excuse this time. My best friend that I've known since I was born died about three months ago from brain cancer. And before then I was always visiting in the hospital and such. It's been a really hard 6 months and so I am so sorry that I didn't update I just lost inspiration and was dealing with the loss of such an important person in my life.
I hope I haven't lost too many reviewers. Especially because this story is just getting started. But with the number of people I had e-mailing me for an update I hope I get a good number of reviews… and because I'm back into a regular routine I'm going to find more time to update my stories a lot sooner!!!
So again, sorry, and here's the next chapter.
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"How's she doing?" my father asked me as I walked into the kitchen. It had been two days since Gabriella had first entered out home, and her father had already been imprisoned. Surprisingly, she was in slight better spirits knowing that her father could not get to her, but there was always the lurking presence of him in the back of her mind.
"She's not that great. Dad she's really frightened. Not to mention the fact she's still not comfortable associating with people well."
"Son, she's just beginning to get used to the fact that she's free from her dad."
"I guess that's true." My dad put his arm on my shoulder.
"Don't worry son. She'll one day get used to a normal life." I nodded.
"Yeah, you're right."
"I always am son." I laughed. "So, do you have any plans for today?"
"I was just coming down to grab some breakfast for Gabriella. Then I'm going to try and get her out of the house today."
"That's a big step."
"I know, but there is no harm in trying at all. In fact, maybe it will help her more than it does harm her." My dad just smiled at me.
"You really care about her."
"I've been trying to find her for years now. I guess over that time I grew some sort of attachment towards her. Her life was terrible, and I just feel like I want to help her out."
"You're a good guy Troy. She's lucky to have a friend like you." I smiled, grabbed the tray of food, said goodbye to my father, and then headed upstairs. Once I got to Gabriella's bedroom door, I quietly knocked.
"Hello?" A quiet voice said from behind. I slowly opened the door and stuck my face in the room.
"Hey, Gabriella" I greeted. She briefly smiled nervously.
"Hi." I walked into the room, setting the tray of food on the table beside her bed. "What's that?"
"It's breakfast." I said, lifting up the lid. "Specifically, I think that there is some bacon and eggs with a fruit bowl on the side." Gabriella just looked at me. Then, a gentle smile graced her face.
"Thank you." I smiled at her.
"You are very welcome."Gabriella tentatively picked up the tray and placed it on her lap. Lifting the fork, she carefully pierced a slice of bacon, sliding it into her mouth. Her eyes closed, savoring a taste she probably had never experienced before. "Now, you better hurry up. We have a busy day ahead of us." Her eyes looked up towards mine in confusion. "Well you see, you need a break, and I want to get out of this house, so I'm going to take you out today." Gabriella's face went white.
"You mean…outside? Like, in p…public?" She whispered quietly. I moved towards her, sitting down beside her on the bed.
"Not in public, don't worry." I whispered to her. "Just, a place away from this house; somewhere where we won't have to worry about anyone bothering you. A place we can talk." She looked at me, a confused look on her face.
"Where?"
"It's a surprise." I winked at her. Just, trust me. Can you do that?" Gabriella nodded. "Good. Now, finish eating your breakfast, and I'll come back and get you in fifteen minutes. Okay?"
"Okay." She said.
"Great." I said, not able to control the smile spreading on my face. "I'll see you soon."
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Twenty minutes later we were walking through the backdoors of the estate. The water in the pool sparked in the morning light. I turned to look at Gabriella, not able to take my eyes off of her.
She was gorgeous.
Gabriella was wearing a pale pink sun dress, with a delicate pattern of roses imprinted on it. Her hair was long, with one side gently clipped back with a delicate butterfly clip.
Gabriella must have noticed my staring, because she turned to look at me. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." I smiled gently at her, and was relieved to see a smile spread on her face too.
"So, can I now know where we are going?"
"Nope" I said, grinning. "However, I am sure that you will love it."
Walking through the grounds with her, it was silent. The silence, however, added to the perfection of the moment. Gabriella, for the first time since she had arrived at the Bolton estate, seemed genuinely peaceful. Granted, the fact could have easily been that she was not around adults, which made her uncomfortable. However, a small part of me wished that she was comfortable because she was around me. After walking for around ten minutes, I finally stopped.
"Are we here?"
"Not just yet. However, I told you it was a surprise. So if you don't mind, would you close your eyes for me?" Gabriella raised an eyebrow.
"How can I be sure this isn't a trick?" I listened for a nervous tone in her voice; however I was surprised that instead her voice contained a hint of teasing.
"Just trust me." Gabriella nodded, closing her eyes. I reached my hand and grabbed hers, feeling her flinch gently. "It's okay, it's just me." Gabriella calmed down, squeezing my hand. Smiling, slowly led her down the small path, between the rows of shrubs, until I finally got to a small door. Putting the key in the lock, I gently pushed open the door, leading Gabriella through.
"Can I open my eyes yet?" Gabriella asked. I was surprised that, though we had stopped, she had yet to let go of my hand.
"Sure." She did, and I heard a gasp emit from her mouth.
"Oh Troy…" Together, we should in a garden of roses. Roses of all different colours and sizes grew in every inch. A small fountain sat in the center of the room, two small benches on either side. In the far end of the rose garden, a large swinging bench sat, covered by a large shelter that was covered in roses on vines. "It's beautiful"
"You like it?" I asked, watching her. Gabriella turned to face me.
"I love it. How did you find this place?"
"It's my own special garden. Years ago, when my mom was taking a walk with me, she stumbled upon this small area. Immediately I asked her if I could have this area to play. Of course my mother said yes. At first it was a place where I could run around and pretend I was a knight or a pirate, but one day, I noticed a small rose bush beginning to bloom. It was then that I decided that was what I wanted this place to become: a paradise for roses. So I began gardening, spending countless hours hiding away in this garden, tending to every different kind of rose I could have. However, this place is a secret. My parents don't know exactly what is in this place, because I am the only one that has the key to the door." Nodding, Gabriella stepped away from me, finally letting go of my hand. She began wandering through the rows of flowers, bending down every once in a while to smell a rose.
"This place is incredible." She said gently, moving to sit down on the swinging bench. "I can't believe how beautifully these roses have bloomed." I moved towards her, quickly breaking off one rose from the nearest bush. I handed the pale pink rose to her.
"None of them are nearly as beautiful as you." I said, moving to sit down beside her.
"That's not true."
"Says who?" I asked. Gabriella looked down at the rose in her hands.
"My father" at this point, I got nervous. In the last couple of days she had been at the estate, I made sure not to bring up her father, fearing that it would spark some horrible reaction and she would break down, just as she was making some progress. However, looking into Gabriella's eyes, I could see strength, and that she actually wanted to talk about it.
To get reassurance that the things he said and did weren't true, and weren't going to happen again.
"Gabriella," I said, taking my hand and lifting her chin so that our eyes met, "everything your father told you is not true. You are beautiful. You are worth anything. You are amazing. You are incredible. You are a great person. Anybody who can't see that is an idiot, and doesn't deserve to know you at all." Tears glistened in Gabriella's eyes. "Oh, I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm sorry. We can talk about anything else, we'll change the topic. We – "
"I'm not upset" Gabriella interrupted, a smile slowly spreading on her face. "I'm… well flattered. Nobody has ever said that to me before."
"Well don't worry, you'll be hearing it a lot more from now on." I said, winking. Gabriella giggled.
"What did I ever do to deserve such an incredible person like you in my life?"
"I ask myself the same question every day." I said. For the rest of the afternoon we stayed in the garden, talking and getting to know each other. It was a wonderful sight, seeing Gabriella talk normally, as if her past with her father hadn't occurred. She acted like a normal girl, happy for once in her life. I made sure to avoid the subject of her father, just to be safe. It seemed as though she was progressing.
Unfortunately, that progress came to a halt when my father came up to us as we were walking back to the house. Gabriella immediately tensed up. She knew that my father would never hurt her, however her fear of adults, specifically males, was still a dominant factor in her life and that would take a while for her to overcome.
However, she trusted me. Though I felt selfish saying it, I was ecstatic that I was the one she trusted out of everybody she knew.
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"Favourite colour?"
"Hmm…Blue"
"Blue! Blue is such a stereotypical guy colour." I raised my eyebrow at Gabriella.
"Oh yeah? And what's your favourite colour?" Gabriella looked down, a small blush spreading onto her cheeks.
"Purple…"
"You don't think that is a typical colour for a girl?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.
"Nope!" she said, giggling. "Pink is. Purple is a totally different colour than pink."
"Believe that if you want to." I said laughing. Gabriella soon joined into the laughter. It was a melodic sound, Gabriella's laugh. I had only heard it a couple of other times in the time she'd been with us, and in all those times there wasn't one time that she wasn't in only my company when she laughed. Like she only trusted me to see this side of her.
Unfortunately, she wasn't fully comfortable around me. There were times when she would just stare off into space, thinking. I would see tears feel her eyes, but if she caught me watching she would blink them away.
There was also the fact that whenever she was caught off guard, of if I came into the room without knocking, she would crawl back into her shell. She would become frightened of startling sounds, or when she thought someone was sneaking up on her. It was difficult to imagine what her life must have been like, but it definitely wasn't good.
"Zoned out I see…" Gabriella said. That brought me back to reality.
"Sorry. I was just thinking."
"It's okay. I do that too, sometimes one just can't help it. You have a thought, and you get lost in it."
"Exactly." I said. "However I'm with amazing company, so I shouldn't be getting distracted." I said teasingly. Gabriella just smiled.
"It's okay. I promised I won't punish you. Unless this becomes a frequent habit." She teased back.
"Deal"
Gabriella had left the safe confines of the estate today, and trusted me enough to take her away from her "comfort zone". This was a large step. However, it was just the beginning. There were still many obstacles that Gabriella would have to overcome before she was fully rid of the haunting life she had with her father. She would have to get used to people, first her own age, then adults. The largest step for her will be trusting adult males, for they took advantage of her for many years of her life.
If there was one person, however, that could overcome all of this, it was Gabriella. She was strong, she was brave, and she was willing.
Those three things are very important qualities.
They will make all the difference.
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AN: Hey! I really hope that you liked that chapter. Again, I am really sorry it has been so long, and I am working very, very hard on getting a routine in place so that I can get back to the regular updating like I used to have. I just hope I haven't lost any of my readers.
Please comment and tell me what you think of this chapter. Also tell me what you would like to possibly see happen.
You never know, your wants may actually happen in the story.
Xoxo, Lar
