Gray's Secret

"No you aren't," Claire scrambled to her feet to help the injured man up.

"Really, I'm fine," Gray insisted.

Claire grabbed his uninjured wrist, "No, you aren't," she said sternly. "Come home with me and I'll clean you up."

She led him for the short walk to her farm, not letting go of his wrist. She opened the door and instructed him to take a seat while she got her first aid kit. Claire carefully took a damp wash cloth and cleaned the gash over his eye. He winced as the cold cloth hit his cut.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. Claire finished cleaning the area, spread some antiseptic cream on the gash and bandaged it up carefully. She then proceeded to wrap his wounded hand. "What happened?" she asked quietly.

"I messed something up. Grandfather got mad, it's nothing," Gray looked cautiously at his damaged hand.

Claire was horrified, "Your grandfather did this to you?"

"What? No, I mean… It was my fault," Gray stuttered.

"Has he hurt you before?" Claire attempted to look directly into Gray's eyes.

"What? No, Claire, I'm fine. This is nothing," Gray scrambled to his feet. He grabbed his hat from its spot on the table and affixed it to his head, "Thank you for your help but I have to go. Please don't tell anyone about this." He ran out the door before Claire could get in another word.

The next day, Claire confronted the boy in the hat in the square.

"Gray," she said forcefully, "what was all that yesterday? If Saibara is hitting you, you've gotta tell someone. I know he's an old man but if he can do that to you I'm sure he could do much worse."

"Claire, I don't want to talk about it. Please leave it alone," he tried to walk away from her but the blonde persistently walked behind him.

"Gray if you don't talk to me about it, I'll tell… people!"

"People?" Gray scoffed. "What people? Tell them what? Word on the street is I slipped on a grease puddle. "

"The truth, that Saibara hits you!" Claire exclaimed rather loudly.

"Shut up!" Gray hissed. He grabbed Claire's wrist roughly.

"Gray stop," Claire was beginning to panic. Gray had a wild, angry look in his eye, "Gray, stop! Let go! You're hurting me!"

In an instant it seemed Gray snapped back into reality. He took a step back and looked at his hands in disbelief. "Claire, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-"

Claire looked at him with scared doe eyes, "Gray, what was that?"

"I've- I've never lost my cool like that," he was still in a state of shock and was mainly talking to himself, "I told myself I'd never do that- never hurt a woman. Not like my dad or grandfather."

"Gray-," Claire reached out to touch his bandaged wrist but Gray jerked away. "Please tell me what's going on."

Gray sighed. There was no getting out of this now, "Can we go back to your place?"

"Oh of course."

Gray and Claire walked back to her little farmhouse and they sat down awkwardly across from each other at her little wooden table. There was a long awkward silence. Neither of them knew where to start.

"I don't know what to say," Gray said fiddling with his bandaged hand.

"Start at the beginning, when did the abuse start?" Claire encouraged.

"Pretty much the first week I got here," he shrugged, "I didn't bring home enough ores from the mine and he lost his temper. He always feels bad about it afterwards but…" Gray's voice trailed off. "I can't fight back either. He's old! I'm afraid I'll hurt him."

"You shouldn't let him hurt you though!" Claire protested.

Gray sat quietly in the chair and slowly shrugged his shoulders as if to say, "There's nothing I can do."

"I don't know how to help you."

The change in Gray came quickly. She could physically see him putting his walls back up, the walls Claire temporarily knocked down. "You don't need to, I can handle it myself," He snapped defensively.

"I-" Claire began, but it was too late. Gray was up and leaving before she could formulate a response.

Claire joined the girls for a drink later that night. She liked the maidens of Mineral Town. They had such distinct and different personalities and yet they managed to get along.

Karen had already had too much to drink, Mary clung to the large book in her lap, Ann was busy serving but always came over when she had a moment to spare, Popuri chattered on and on about the chickens and how she can't wait until summer, Claire was lost in her own thoughts. She couldn't stop thinking about Gray and Saibara.

"What's up with you tonight, Claire?" Popuri asked.

"What?" Claire hadn't been listening.

"You've been really quiet," Popuri threw her cotton candy colored hair behind her shoulder.

She debated telling the girls the truth but if she knew anything about small towns it was that no one could keep a secret and news spread like wildfire. Claire decided on a half truth, "My friend back home wrote me that his grandfather started beating him. Neither one of us know what to do."

"That's awful!" Mary quietly exclaimed as she pushed her thick black glasses back up the bridge of her nose.

"Does he have anyone else to talk to?" Karen asked slightly slurring her words.

"Not that I know of," Claire shrugged.

"Maybe tell the police!" Popuri suggested.

Claire's face fell, "I feel like that wouldn't work."

"Perhaps he should move out," Mary shifted her petite body in her chair.

Claire shook her head, "I have no idea where he would go." She grew quiet when the front door opened. Gray walked in. She caught his eye and several emotions past through them- fear, sadness, anger and finally he put his poker face back on and hurried upstairs.

"Will you excuse me?" Claire asked absentmindedly and she ran up the steps. The second floor seemed to consist of a hallway with two rooms on the left side. One door was decorated with an 'A', which she assumed stood for 'Ann', the second door was left open. "Gray?" She called out timidly. She found him sitting on a window seat on the back wall.

"I don't want your pity," he mumbled without looking at her, "or your help. Why don't you just leave?"

"I can't just let you go to work every day and get abused."

"I can handle myself."

"Gray, you need to let someone help you, if not me, what about Mayor Thomas or Harrison?" She pleaded.

"I'm fine on my own."

"But-"

"Please leave me alone," he whispered.

Claire walked down the stair quietly. She was greeted with her friends' prying eyes and a slew of questions.

"What was that about?" Popuri demanded.

"What's going on with you and Gray," Ann looked very confused.

"Are you guys fucking?" Karen asked drunkenly.

Mary sat quietly. She liked Gray. Claire assumed she was probably afraid of the answers to her friends' questions.

"He hurt himself today and I bandaged it up for him. I just wanted to make sure he was still ok," Claire gave the half truth again.

Popuri looked as though she didn't really believe her story, "Oh, you seemed so much more…"

"Horny!" Karen offered.

"No!" Popuri shook her head at the drunk blonde, "I was going to say desperate, concerned. "

"No, no," Claire shook her blonde head. "I should go, though," she said rising from the table, "early morning."

Claire walked down the quiet cobbled stone path, thinking about Gray. She could vividly remember the faint bruise on his face and the blood on his beat up hand.

"What can I do?" She asked herself aloud.

"Nothing."

Claire turned to face the voice. "Why did you follow me?" she asked nervously.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you," Gary walked into the light that was being given off by a flickering streetlamp.

Claire looked down at her feet and kicked a nearby pebble, "It's fine. I over stepped my boundaries."

"You were concerned. I should have been grateful," He stepped forward, "Will you join me tomorrow morning in the mine?"

"Sure, why?" Claire wasn't sure why he would want to meet her in the mine. It sure was an odd place.

Gray just smiled, "I'll tell you tomorrow."