I stayed in my room for what must have been several hours. I tried reading a few magazines, but I couldn't focus at all, so I was mostly looking at the pictures and thinking about how things were going outside of my little bubble.
Then finally someone knocked on my door. "Please come in, it's not locked." I was eager to hear what was going on in my absence.
"Hi Burns, it's just me." Kim said as she pushed the door open and came in with a tray of food. "I thought you might be getting a bit hungry in here?"
I hadn't really thought about that, but when I did I realized she was absolutely right. "Thank you. You are an angel. But I am, to be honest, just as hungry for news on how things are going out there."
She put the tray on the bedside table and sat down beside me on the bed. "Not too good I'm afraid, Nate still has problems convincing him that you are our friend."
I could not hide my disappointment of her answer. I sighed and looked down. "Oh, that's not what I wanted to hear."
She put her arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. "I know Burns, I know. We will just have to give him some time."
I hated this, not being believed. I hated that people, humans, were afraid of me. I hated it even more that they had a reason to be. "I just wish there were some way to make people believe me, to believe in me."
She nodded. "You convinced me." She said. "And I am glad you did."
I looked at her. "Thank you Kim, thank you for believing in me. It means a lot to me."
She nodded. "And you mean a lot to us too Burns." She leaned over and moved a few hairs from my forehead. "It is us who should be thanking you." She looked me in the eyes. "Now eat, you have to be starving."
She let me go and it was like I was torn from a dream, waking up to the reality of our situation. But she was right, so I took a sandwich.
She took one too. "The others are eating with Rob, but I would rather be here with you." She said between bites. "It's not right for you to have to be alone like this." Now she was the one looking down at her feet. "I must admit I was very happy to see Rob, to meet another human. It was almost like I didn't believe that could happen. And still…" she sighed heavily. "If this breaks up our family I would rather not have met him at all." She looked at me again.
"Don't worry, Nate will convince him. In the meantime I will stay here out of the way." She shook her head. "No, I will not have it. You will stay with me in my room tonight. If Rob is still afraid of you it is safer for you to be with me."
I saw what she was thinking. It was not safe for me with Rob around until he could be trusted. "Ok. But where will Rob stay?" I was trying to think practical now, but she was way ahead of me. "Rob will stay here with Nate. It's already settled."
We finished the food without saying much more and when we were done she told me to come with her. She led me into the living room. The others were also finished eating now and were sitting around the coffee table. I held back, not wanting to break my promise to Rob. I did not want to push myself on him until he was ready. But Kim did not seem to agree. She went over to the others and her voice was almost hard when she addressed Rob.
"Hi Rob, there's someone that would really like to hear your story." She pointed at me. "And since this after all is his house I think you should let him."
I didn't know what to do, so I made myself as small as I could.
"I don't think I really want to talk to glowie eyes over there." He looked at me with contempt. "I don't fancy their kind."
What happened next surprised us all. Nate stood up and slapped Rob hard across the face. "That is no way to talk about my best friend." He stood over Rob that was holding his sore cheek. "You either accept us all. And I mean every single one of us. Or you can go back out there and try your luck with the seekers for all I care."
Rob didn't seem to know what to believe. He tried to object and Nate slapped him again.
I cringed. "Stop it!" I yelled, almost hysterically. "Don't hurt him. Please Nate, don't hurt him. Please…" I crouched and fell to my knees. "Please…" I couldn't stand this violence. It made me sick to my guts. It felt like I was about to throw up. My voice was reduced to a whimper now. I wasn't even sure they could hear me. "Nate, please stop." My cheeks were warm from tears. I didn't even realize before now that I was crying. I felt terrible. I didn't want them to hurt each other because of me. We souls had done enough damage to this place already. I was totally oblivious to my surroundings now, but I felt a gentle touch.
It was Kim that tried to comfort me. It had always felt good the way she cared about me. But it was more than that. At this moment I realized that I loved Kim. She was as gentle as any soul, as resourceful as any human. I loved her, I admired her, and I respected her. She was my soul mate. I cried even harder now. Not only for Rob any more, but because I realized I was falling in love with someone that could not possibly love someone like me. She cared for me, but she could never love me. I felt weak and miserable.
"Come on Burns, let's go." She said and helped me upstairs.
I tried to say something, telling her not to let them fight because of me, but I wasn't sure she understood me. She just reassured me that everything would be all right.
When we got up she led me to her room and practically dumped me in the bed. "Here you go Burns, you take the bed tonight." She kissed my forehead. Her lips were burning my skin, leaving a ring of fire. All these feelings, I had not experienced anything like this in my previous life or so far in this. I was in heaven and hell at the same time.
"Thank you Kim, you are my angel" I said. At least I thought I did, I was drifting off now. The world was swirling by and going black. And then an angel talked to me in my dream and I smiled.
Comment:
Ok; this was not what was supposed to happen. But leave it to Kim and Burns to mess up my well, uhm ok maybe not so well, planned chapter.
It doesn't seem right to ammend to much on the previously posted chapter, so I'll put this here as a short short chapter. An Interlude if you will.
Sorry about that.
And now I have redone all the chapters up to here to better the readability.
