CHAPTER 4 - AN OFFER

Of every possible act he could have imagined her making, he had to admit this one took him by complete surprise.

Sighing as he dropped his arms in defeat, he turned back to her, all of his anger and fight snatched away by her one, unexpected gesture.

He had already taken everything from her, and from the look on her face, it showed just how deeply she felt it.

And now it seemed like his last act would be leaving her homeless.

There were several apprentice engineers already starting training and Bennett had moved them into her old cabin as it had several bunks. So the cabin she was in was her only home now. And now she stood on the verge of losing that due to Ruth's vindictiveness and her own stubbornness.

What he truly hated was if she actually left, she likely had nowhere else to go other than the corridors. A small nook or cranny somewhere akin to where some lived in the Tail. And what few things she did have past her books; her few pictures, small memento's, treasured articles..., would all be at the mercy of the looters skulking about at night. And while he didn't for a minute doubt she could fend off a few, they rarely traveled alone, or even in small groups.

"Melanie..."

She turned to him with all the formality of one of her previous white and teal uniforms. Instantly he saw the wall coming up again. Any progress they had made seemed to dissolve right before his eyes as she slotted him right back into the place of 'the enemy'

"I prefer 'Ms. Cavill'." She informed him with that perfected flat, emotionless expression.

But he quickly remembered what Audrey had told him. As much as it may seem that way to him, she wasn't angry. Or even necessarily seeing him as her enemy.

She was afraid.

Maybe that's what he needed to focus on now.

He stared back at her with a small smile. "Well, I prefer 'Andre'."

He only got a slight nod in response as she walked past him with her head down.

"I only need to get a few things for tonight." She told him, heading for the back bedroom. "I'll come back tomorrow to get the rest of my things."

"To go where!?" He asked in likely more of a heated tone than he intended as he followed after her. But that attitude she'd wrapped herself in for protection that he would have bet he could cut steel with was already grating on him.

As though she were suddenly presented with a previously uncalculated problem, Melanie stopped just inside the bedroom door.

It was just long enough of a pause to give Andre his first look at her bedroom. And suddenly he felt he knew what Ruth Wardell was talking about.

It wasn't that it was luxurious, or opulent, or overstated. It was, in fact, quite plain.

What stuck him was its size.

It wasn't overly large, but it had enough room to fit a low, queen sized bed in the center which was framed by wooden panels all the way around it. There were also two nightstands on either side, a dresser, a closet, and covering the floor the softest, cream-colored carpet he had ever walked on.

For a few seconds, he was perfectly happy to let her nobly walk out of that cabin, turning that bedroom over to him. He could, in fact, already imagine how it would feel to sink down onto that mattress and know the whole bed was his alone.

But she suddenly was moving again, immediately catching his attention.

"I'll...I'll find somewhere." She stated as she made her way over to the dresser and opened one of the drawers.

He decided it was time to put Audrey's suggestion into play.

'Don't let her run away.'

Coming up behind her, he blocked her path as she turned around.

"Where?" He demanded. "Or are you going to sleep in the corridors tonight?" He crossed his arms in front of him. A clear barrier to her leaving. "Because if that's your plan, it's not a very good one. In case you haven't heard, the hallways aren't very safe still."

Melanie managed to duck around him with her cloths pulled up tightly in her arms. "I'll...I'll go stay with Bennett." She stated, walking past him with her ever defiant stare. "I'm sure he won't put me out. Bennett is the one person on this train who doesn't hate me."

Layton reached back and grabbed her arm, pulling her back to face him.

'Don't let her run.'

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." He told her.

Melanie yanked her arm free. The stare she gave him this time actually made him smile. A little bit of anger poking through that veneer.

'Good.' He thought. 'She needs to feel something besides fear.'

Layton stared down at her. "Bennett is no different from anyone else on this train." He told her. "He likely feels just as betrayed, scared, and unsure of the future as everyone else right now."

"Mr. Knox is not like everyone else on this train." She fired back. "He knows I never betrayed him and he doesn't scare very easily."

Layton waited for her to finish the list. But when she didn't, the last item was what he latched onto.

"That leaves being unsure of the future."

"None of us knows what the future holds, Mr. Layton."

Feeling like he was losing on this front, Layton tried another.

"Bennett also has a cabin even smaller than you last one. I doubt he would enjoy having a new roommate for long."

Melanie managed to give him a small, sly smile. "I bet he will."

Layton frowned at her. "Don't sell yourself that cheaply, Ms. Cavill."

Melanie gave him a piercing look, then turned on her heel and started for the door again.

Keeping with Audrey's advice, Layton went after her, quickly outpacing her and stopping her just past the hallway. Whatever else he did in that cabin, he swore he wasn't going to let her make it to the front door.

"Mela...," he started, but quickly stopped himself at the look he got from her. "Ms. Cavill," he quickly corrected, "Everyone's life has been upended. Not just yours. Not just mine. Give Bennett some space for now. Let him settle his own life before you try placing yourself in it. Let him sort things out."

Melanie stood staring up at him. She hated when he was right. But this time he was. Probably without even knowing it. Bennett wasn't as comfortable with things as he presented to everyone. He had told her just that morning he wasn't sure the change on the train was a good thing. Everything seemed in chaos. At least with the old way, everyone had a place. An assigned role. Now no one seemed to know what to do.

Layton watched as she stared off to the side, not seeming to focus her attention on much of anything past the floor. This time he could practically feel the fear and uncertainty rising up in her.

"Then where am I suppose to stay?" She finally asked softly.

Layton stared down at her, keeping his expression as neutral as he could. He wasn't sure how she would react to his suggestion. But to him, having now seen the full size of the cabin, it seemed the perfect solution to him.

"How about here?"