I walked towards the boys on the boardwalk, and this time I didn't even bother to cover my face, they already knew. Paul just staired at me. "That seemed smaller last time." was all he said. I suddenly felt self conscience, now everyone was looking at me. "They know what happenes next, so do we really have to meet them on the beach now?" I asked changing the subject. Marko put his arm around me looking towards David, waiting, and hoping for the same answer I was. After a moment of silence he finally spoke, "No, I guess we dont." His smile was comforting, but the relief I felt was incredible.
It felt good to be back in that room with Marko. "Has this ever happened before?" I asked him. He shook his head. "Never." I didn't know what to say to that, I mean i'm just some random kid from New York, I wasn't prepared for this. "By the way don't get comfortable, tonight is the night you go back for your Diary." There it was, I knew this night was too perfect...
The house was completely engulfed by darkness, I had Once though it to be empty, now I only anticipated the pain to come. "I'll be right back." I looked back at him on my way up to the door. When I pushed it opened right away. That should have been my first warning that I was NOT alone. I ran right up to my room and searched all over the place for my diary. It was no where to be found. Then I smelled it, liquor. Coveny. I didn't even have time to turn around, last time, Now I knew before I even smelled the smell, I knew before I even got out of the car. "Are you looking for this?" He obviously had my diary, I forgot that. I felt his breath though my think hair and his voice was so close, he was right behind me. My heart felt as thought it would pound right through my chest and I knew what was gonna happen this time! "MARKO!" I yelled suddenly as screeching and as loud as I could. Coveny's hand pressed quickly on my mouth. He pushed me roughly to the ground. I felt a little dizzy. "You filthy whore, is he who you've been writing about in your fucking diary?" He ended that sentence with a brutal kick to my ribs. "Stop, please." I tried, I didn't have much energy after that kick so my pleads were too weak. "You're a filthy fucking cheap whore, I'd spend cheap bills on girls like you!" he kicked me again. "Marko." I tried, it was just too weak. He bent down and viciously grabbed my face to face his; he punched my cheek so hard I thought I was going to die. Marko finally came into the room and hit Coveny over the head with his own bottle which he dropped in his attack on me. He wasn't dead, just passed out. Marko had a complicated mixture of anger and hurt in his eyes as he bent over to heal me. I stopped him, just like last time quietly and weakly, but I stopped him. "Marko, please not here, just take me out of this place." He tried to argue "Bernie if I don't do this now, I'm not sure if it will work later." I looked into his eyes and pleaded, "Marko, please." I felt like the dirty whore Coveny said I was pleading in that way. Then, stunningly, a tear from Marko's face hit mine, if tears weren't already falling from me they would have started then. He picked me up and got me out of that fucking house.
I wasnt looking forward to the stunned and sympathetic faces of the boys inside. "Marko wait." I said grabbing his arm right before we entered. "What the matter?" He asked me. I didn't know what I was gonna say to him, all I knew was that I didn't want to go in there. I guess the truth couldn't hurt...that bad. "I just dont want to go in there right now. The three of them will just drop there jaws and i don't feel like blushing tonight." Okay, you wanna go somewhere?" He asked me. I thought for a moment before nodding my head in agreement.
The Boardwalk was the usual living lightbulb it always was. The breeze was fresh and calming, much needed after the last few days. "Why can't this just end?" I asked. I was so tired of being so scared to walk around a corner. "Its almost over." He said stairing out into the ocean infront of him, with his arm tightly clasped around my waist. "What if you cant save me?" I asked him. Really though, what if they couldn't my only fucking option was dying? Im too young for that, I don't care how cliche it sounds. "What are you talking about?" Marko asked me. What am I talking about? What is he talking about! "Im talking about what if the mother fuckers stick their god damn teeth inside my fucking skin, and fucking kill me! What if you can't stop that from happening? And honestly, whats stopping me from running, going back to New York on my own?" He pulled his arm away from me, That wasn't good and I suddenly felt unsafe. "You don't trust me?" He asked. I began to feel the guilt I knew i'd feel, if the roles were reversed I guess i'd be upset too. "If you dont trust me, then run, get yourself fucking killed." he said before walking away. I was in shock and it was like my feet were glued to that spot. "Marko." I tried weakly, it just came out of the blue. After everything we've been through the dirty bastard actually left me there! I should kill myself right now just to spite him! Then I began to fear actually losing him. Was he done with me? What was I supposed to do now, Go back to Glenda and Coveny? Like that was gonna fucking happen. After five minutes it was clear that he wasn't coming back, and I decided the dark secluded spot on the boardwalk wasn't the place for me to stand, so I began walking.
It was cool that the boardwalk was still so thriving so late. It was like Manhattan with flip flops. I saw a man fallowing me, he was too far away for me to see his face, and thats when I came up to the comic book store. Edgar and Alan were right inside, just where they always were. I wondered if they ever slept? Anyway, this seemed to be a good a time as ever... "Hey new girl!" Edgar said. I smiled, it was a beautiful thing. "What's up guys?" I looked over my shoulder and onto the busy boardwalk to see if I could spot the man, he was no where to be found. "Nothing really, just tending to the store." He answered. "As usual." Alan chimed in. "So," he continued, "notice any strange activity here in Santa Carla yet?" I smiled. "I guess you could say that." I answered smiling to myself. "So, do you guys ever close?" I smiled, expecting a Yes, its just late tonight because its Saturday, Instead, this is what he said..."We're 24 hours every 48 hours." I looked at Edgar in shock. "So what your telling me is out of every 72 hours, you spend 24 hourse straight awake, and you spent the other 48, what, napping?" I asked, I was getting a bit confused. "As sleep is essential, and every 48 hours we dont sleep for 24 hours, we look to sleep about 20, 21 hours within that 48 hours." My mind is officially flubber... "Oh." I said. we all cracked up, I actually forgot about Marko for a second. I threw a quick look outside again, it seemed clear so I said goodbye to the guys and headed for the door. The minute I walked out the door, I was bombarded by someone with strong hands. Who ever this was whipped me around the building, smashing my back on it painfully hard, which is why I was surprised when I looked up and saw Marko's face. "What the fuck are you doing!" I was pissed. No one does that to me! "Thery're here." Marko said looking intently at the action on the boardwalk. "What." I was monotoned. "If they get too close they're gonna smell you, and my bike is all the way on the other side of the boardwalk." I began to feel sick, and I had no warning of the tears now falling down my face as if my eyes were open faucettes. Marko's bruising grip on my arms didn't help that either. What ever was scarring him so badly passed because without even looking at me, he dragged me over to his bike. He got on first, and looked back at me. "What are you doing?" He asked. "You fucking left me there Marko, you left me there." I said walking away. I knew where the cave was and decided i'd walk there my self after a few hours on the boardwalk.
I no longer cared about what everyone was gonna say in the cave. I was just so mad at myself for getting into the kind of trouble that gave me no other option but to put my life in the protection of four boys. I went into the dark bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror, i pulled off my sweater revealing the large bruises on my arm from Marko's hands. I can't believe what I'm looking at, my boyfriend did this to me. "Was that from your foster father?" I was startled and rushed to put my sweater back on. When I turned I was face to face with David. I didn't know what to say to him. What would happen if I said Marko, maybe I should just say that it was Marko, Its not like he did it on purpose I guess. "Its almost over." I guess he assumed it was Coveny. But really, how many times was I gonna have to hear 'Its gonna be okay'? I smiled at him, "Thanks David." I said, the tears again threatening to fall. He hugged me, and I was greatful that he cared, cause I might have lost Marko tonight.
I walked into the bedroom, Marko was already sitting on the bed, reading something. It was earily quiet whick I broke, "So, what are we now." He didn't look up but he closed the book and shut his eyes, he was thinking about something. "I love you." He said looking up at me. His eyes were red. "Im sorry." He said. I nodded. "I know." I insured him. "So, I can stay with you tonight?" He smiled and pulled the blanket out of my way. I took off my sweater forgetting about the mess underneath it. His face became whit as he looked at the hand shaped bruises on my arm. "I didn't see those last time you were at Coveny's." He was confused. He had to know he did this? "That's because there from you." I felt sick saying it. I looked away ashamed. he came over to me and gently stroked the tender wrecked skin. "What are you talking about?" He asked. Now I was confused. "On the boardwalk when I walked out of the store, you pulled me and pushed me to the otherside of the building..." He just staired at me..."You said that 'They were here' and that if 'they' got too close, they'd be able to smell me." His face dropped. "Bernie, that wasn't me." he said stairing at my shoulders. "Well then who was it." My voice becoming distant and nerve wrecked. "Come with me for a minute." He sid stanting and walking into the foyer. "David!" He yelled. he yelled one more time before he came inside, Dwayne and Paul close behind him. "Show him Bernie." I looked at him then at Davin then at the floor. "He already saw." I said sounding ashamed. "What?" David asked. "The bruises on her arms, She thought they were from me, but they weren't. Can they shape shoft David?" Aparently it was something that was said, but never seen. Well I guess no one would notice anyway. "I don't know." David said looking at me. "Someone tried to hurt you, looking like him?" David asked. "No not really, well I guess later they would have, but the did try to get me on a Bike, i guess he wasn't bringing me back here." I said. "Well thank god your okay." David said, then he looked at Marko. "Any maybe next time you won't be so careless with her Marko, theres a lot at stake." He finished. Marko took me by the hand and led me back into the room. "You know Bernie, I was watching you, I came back for you, but I couldn't find you anywhere. I came back here to see if you were back, and when you weren't I was on my way back out, then I saw you coming. I figured I was the last face you wanted to see and just went to bed." I was shocked, but relieved he still cared. "Oh Marko." I said before hugging him. We fell asleep that night, both with regrets and painful sorrow for how we treated eachother.