4
Marlie sat up in the bed in silence, listening to the two house mates argue loudly back and forth. She could tell that there was some tension brewing between Selena and Jim and didn't know what else to think.
"It's best not to say a damn word 'bout it," Marlie thought as she slid into the dark hallway and into the washroom.
Marlie was still nervous around the two of them, and felt even more nervous when she was around Selena. She wasn't sure if it was Selena's arrogance or appearance, but it left her feeling frightened either way. Jim seemed nice enough, aside from Selena.
He seemed to understand her and felt more like a new friend whenever they managed to lock eyes or start short conversations. Marlie liked him...even though it had only been a few days.
As Marlie grabbed a clean glass of water, she heard Selena yell out a curse and throw something against the wall outside, which caused Marlie to drop to the floor and cover her head, letting the arguments continue and flashbacks start up again.
----------------------------
She remembered being thrown to the pavement and seeing the flash of a pocket razor as the uniformed group held her down hard, taunting and sneering at her. As she tried to struggle, she saw the whites of their eyes change to a bloodied red and yellow color and tried to scream.
--------------------------
"What're you yellin' about! Huh?"
Marlie felt Selena's hands grip her shoulders, shaking her almost violently as Jim quickly flipped on the light-switch and bent down in front of Marlie.
"Answer me, you stupid girl! What're you yellin' about?" Selena roared as tears started to drip down Marlie's face.
"Would you stop that? You're scarin' her!" Jim yelled, pushing Selena out of the way.
"I'm scarin' her? You got it all wrong! She's the one who's scarin' me with that freakish mute act she's been pulling! And you're so stupid enough to fall for it!"
Jim glared up at Selena as more tears started to stream down Marlie's face. After their intense staring session, Selena turned around and slammed the door of her room, leaving Jim alone in the bathroom to console a frightened Marlie in silence.
"I'm sorry," Marlie mumbled, struggling to wipe the tears from her face, "I didn't mean to get her aggravated. Really."
"Don't worry 'bout her. She's got her own problems to wrestle with. Just relax for now," Jim replied, rubbing her shoulder while she rested her head in his lap.
(To be continued...)
