I'm figuring out a schedule in order to get me to write more regularly, so far so good. Here's to more chapters that are long overdue.
Chapter 9: Unsteady Beginnings
He didn't know what to make of Teresa, for the most part she had struck him as obnoxious, but her question hung in the of his mind. Just a few minutes ago she had been running her mouth barking at him, the next sounding genuinely inquisitive and perceptive to his actions.
Renos pulled his hand back staring at it for a brief moment before returning it awkwardly to his side. She was staring at him with an odd expression on her face. Teresa's nose was scrunched up, her lips pursed together and quirked to one side head tilted away from him.
"That's a strange name." She stated in a confused tone.
The boy frowned meeting her gaze, she was back to being annoying again.
"The Sisters at the New York Branch named me," He replied with a level voice, eyes cold, "They had said that it was a combination of the names of friends of theirs that had passed away."
Instantly she looked away shifting her focus to the flowerbed that seemed to escape her notice. On her lap her hands fiddled with the navy blue fabric of her uniform succeeding in rubbing in the dirt that coated her fingers.
"Oh." Was all she was able to manage at first but after a moment she allowed her eyes to flicker towards him before looking away again. "I'm sorry."
In the distance he could hear the call of a song bird carried by the breeze. He took a deep breath and let it go along with his frustration.
"Sister Azmaria has a picture of them that she carries around with her," He shrugged a non-committal gesture before turning away from her to start tending to the flowerbed once again as a distraction for his own hands, "But she hasn't told me much about them except that they had been very close, and that in a way I sort of reminded her of them."
"I always do that." She murmured so softly he figured that the words were directed to herself.
Ignoring her whispered chastising he picked up the trowel lifting it into the air where she could see and half turned to face her.
"So do you want me to help you with planting the rest of these or am I free to go?" He asked changing the subject, the atmosphere was getting a little too tense and subject too personal for his liking.
The girl turned to look at him as he knelt on the lush green lawn tool in hand awaiting her answer. She hesitated glancing between him, the tray, the flowerbed and the trowel. Sensing that from her behavior so far that this was unusual for her he decided to try a different tactic. He rose to to his feet brushing dirt off his pajama bottoms with his free hand. Looking at her he tossed her the small shovel, her hands shot up fumbling with it for a few seconds until it was secure in her grip. Once she had recovered her face went from surprise to aggravation in the moment it took for him to turn his back on her. A hand lashed out and grabbed his wrist tugging him back towards her.
"Where are you going?" She asked.
As he regained his balance he cast a look over his shoulder not bothering to completely turn around to face her.
"Well you didn't say anything so I figured I would make my escape while the opening was there." He replied with nonchalance giving his arm a experimental tug then letting it go limp in her grasp.
Her cheeks became flushed and puffed up, pale scarlet eyes glimmering with anger directed at him. Somehow he found it easier to deal with others being angry with him than those people chose to pity him, he couldn't stand the look in their eyes. Inwardly he smiled for having elicited such a reaction from her, it was an effort to keep it from infecting his tone when he spoke.
"So, have you changed your mind?" Renos asked raising an eyebrow at her.
She was glaring at him now.
"I never said you could leave!" She shouted giving his arm a definitive yank, "You went and dug up the ones I had planted and only helped me take care of replanting one!" Her tinted cheeks became a deeper shade of red.
He lifted up his trapped wrist between them.
"Then maybe you should have demanded it of me. That is what you do isn't it?" He asked looking her in the eye, "You didn't seem to have a problem with it just a few minutes ago even after seeing that I still had an injury."
Her body tensed up as she sucked in a breath. She reared up on her haunches launching herself forward pulling down on his wrist in the process with a renewed strength so that she stood before of him just inches from his face. His azure eyes widened in sheer surprise as he was forced forward a step to keep from falling landing on his bad leg with a wince.
"I was trying to be nice to you, why do you have to be such a jerk about it?" She yelled thrusting her forehead against his.
His face scrunched up in pain, ears twitching beneath his sleep-mussed hair.
"And I'd been helping you against my wishes to appease you as a means of getting you to leave me alone. And for the betterment of the plants that you were inadvertently torturing!" He retorted exerting enough force to push her back a step.
With a grunt she halted any further backpedaling digging her back foot into the ground as an anchor.
"What's it with you and your aversion to people?" She ground out through barred teeth. "I know I can be pushy, but why is it that you feel the need to bite the hand bearing good will, huh?"
His face darkened.
Her scarlet eyes widened at the expression he bore and relented in her shoving, a look of fear crossing her features as he pulled away from her.
Renos backed off jerking his arm out of her hand with ease keeping his gaze set on her face. Concentrating on the flexing of the muscles in her jaw as it worked, her silent words lost on him. She stumbled backwards a few paces bringing a hand to her lips in a soundless gasp. He began to raise his arm when there was a shout that broke through the wall of silence that surrounded him.
"Teresa! What are you doing over there?" Called a Sister from just around the corner of the brick building.
The small Sister was approaching them at a brisk pace tendrils of her long dark hair coming loose from her habit as she closed the space between them.
Teresa had gone stiff at the sound of the woman's voice, her once red face going pale in seconds as blood drained from it. But her eyes still stayed trained on Renos never leaving his form even as the the Sister came up alongside her. He blinked a few times a feeling of breathlessness coming over him. Renos paced backwards a few steps bringing his extended hand to his head. He ignored the brief appraising look he received from the Sister before she turned her full attention to the strawberry blond.
"You were suppose to be with Anna's group in the main courtyard." She chastised.
"I'm sorry Sister Camellia, I – " Whimpered Teresa averting her eyes.
He took another step back, a wave of lightheadedness passing over him leaving him unsteady on his feet.
"And you!" Cried Sister Camellia turning on her heel to face the boy, he looked up at her abruptly and was quick to regret it, his vision was swimming. She gave him a disapproving glare as her eyes roved over him picking him apart. "What business do you have with her?" She inquired staring down her nose at him with piercing green eyes.
Renos staggered back a few steps continuing to blink trying to clear his blurry vision. He squinted at her choosing to focus on her eyes, not liking the condescending curve of her mouth.
"I was just leaving." He murmured, looking passed the Sister he saw Teresa looking at him a different expression on her face, one he recognized.
The boy took another step in retreat, panic rising in his chest when a hand grabbed him by the forearm and jerked him forward.
"No." Came the Sister's terse statement. She turned her head to the strawberry blond, "Teresa head over to the main courtyard, I have somethingI need to deal with." She jostled the startled boy in her grasp dragging him closer..
"But –" Teresa started taking a step towards them reaching out with one hand.
"Not now Teresa. Go join Anna." Commanded Sister Camellia.
Teresa hesitated standing there looking back and forth between them, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides. She shook her head violently.
"No!" She shouted bringing her fisted hands to her chest as if in prayer.
"Enough." Interjected a familiar voice from outside Renos' range of vision.
"Sister Azmaria," The dark haired Sister spoke sounding breathless, her lip curled, "Weren't you supposed to be looking after this boy?" She spat thrusting the boy between the two of them.
There she stood a few steps from the door she had exited from, he watched as her face flickered through a series of emotions, relief, then fear, and settled on anger much to his surprise.
"Release him Camellia!" Demanded the white-haired Sister as she marched towards them her voice expressing but a shard of her fury.
"Sister Azmaria?" Said Renos, becoming more aware of what was going on around him. His hand slipped from its place on his face, his vision was still blurred on the edges but he could make out the scene well enough.
Sister Azmaria slashed an arm diagonally along her body.
"I said release him." She snapped her words cold as ice as she stared the raven haired Sister with an equally vile glare.
Sister Camellia pulled him back and shoved him at Sister Azmaria who caught the boy. Drawing Renos back from her chest she looked him over and stopped on his face. In her eyes was a brewing rage that he had never seen from her before, but he was too tired to dwell on it.
"You best keep a better on him or I'll see to him myself." Came Sister Camellia's voice from a distance followed by small vocalized protests and retreating footsteps.
Renos blinked Sister Azmaria was focusing on him again this time with a much softer expression, one that suited her much better not that he would openly admit it to her should he be asked.
"Can you walk?" She asked.
He paused trying to take a mental check, everything was shaky but he was at least able to stand. Levying himself from her arms he took an experimental step forward, then another when he had thought that he had things under control he stumbled on his third step falling against his caretaker. Looking up at her there was a kind smile on her face and a shimmer in her ruby eyes.
"I guess that answers that." She said in a decided tone, "You're a little big for it but it's the only way I'm getting you back to bed."
She shifted him in her arms so that he was leaning against her back.
"I'm going to need to you to climb onto my back, think you can do that?" She inquired over her shoulder.
Embarrassed color bloomed in his cheeks but he nodded mumbling a muted affirmation. Giving him a warm smile she turned her head back around and crouched down in front of him sweeping her long hair over her shoulder. With exaggerated slowness he pressed his hands onto her back climbing onto his caretaker's back. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks as he wound his arms around her neck clutching his forearms in a loose embrace.
"All situated up there?" Asked the white-haired Sister bouncing up a little adjusting him on her back as she laced her arms around his legs.
He nodded into her neck humming his assent. She rose from her haunches with a hop for final modifications to weight distribution lifting him a smidgen higher on his perch. All set she headed for the door she had come from.
"I'm gonna need you to open the door for us." She stated upon reaching the small wooden door set in the brick wall.
Renos kept quiet extending his right hand for the worn brass knob as she ducked down a bit giving him the ability to close the space and give it a twist. Sister Azmaria pushed passed it letting it slam closed behind her she approached the stairs. When he realized her intent to carry him up them he squirmed in her arms until she pinched his leg.
"No." She said placing a foot on the first stair, ending the argument in an instant.
One by one she shuffled up the stairs to the second level where she paused to catch her breath. Shifting him on her back again she pressed onward down the long hallway that lead to the infirmary only stopping once the reached the doors.
"This time I expect you to stay in here without running off again." She said pushing doors open with her unoccupied shoulder.
Making her way into the room he saw a nurse standing by a bed with a drawn curtain. A few paces away and she pulled them back giving them a nod of acknowledgment before stepping away her heels clacking on the tile floor. Sister Azmaria turned so that they were facing away from the bed loosening her hold on him he leaned backwards until he landed on the soft material that was the bed linen. Scooting further onto the mattress Sister Azmaria completely released him turing around to face him.
A sigh escaped her lips making him look up at her face meeting her ruby eyes as they opened.
"As much as I would like to know what it is that transpired in the time that it took for me to come get you I feel that you're going to dodge my prying questions. No matter how tired you are." Commented the young caretaker, "But I will keep it to one." Her gaze narrowed becoming serious, "You let your powers slip, didn't you?"
The fight to keep his eyes open suddenly didn't seem so hard, he sat up straight no longer leaning on his arms. His half-lidded eyes looked from the Sister then down at his lap unsure of how to word how he had come to this but her deduction only made sense. The terror that he had seen in that girl, Teresa's eyes when she retreated from him down in that garden. And the way that Sister Camellia had looked down on him with such loathing, in much the same way that he had seen humans look upon demons, upon himself.
Renos lifted a hand placing it on his lap opening and closing it letting the memories of those faces wash over him. Slowly he curled in on himself not caring if Sister Azmaria was permitted to see him in yet another moment of weakness that he had gotten himself into. He had insisted that he preferred to have others be angry with him, that's why he forced her hand whipping her into a frenzy with ease. It had been her eyes, those soft scarlet eyes that were so much like Sister Azmaria's only they held understanding. She couldn't understand how he had come to this, how he could trust no one too afraid to let anyone in, to really see him.
"My control slipped." He murmured so soft that he wasn't even sure he'd said it yet she responded.
"I thought so." She whispered putting her arms around him.
He went rigid in her embrace, his breathing stopped but she didn't move.
"I know I haven't been there for you for the past six years and I can't expect you to forgive me for that. But I will do everything that I can for you now, and maybe it will ease some of your pain even if only a little." She whispered in his ear with an additional squeeze before pulling away.
Her fingers ghosted over his upper arms as she eased him onto his side tucking under his blankets like she used to. Slowly he unfurled glazed sky blue eyes sliding closed. He was barely conscious for the featherlight kiss she placed on his brow before he slipped into comfort of sleep.
Enjoy!