Chapter 3: Sentry
I woke up later that night, finding Benji still curled into me, but not asleep. I sighed, and stroked his hair. My mind slowly became more aware, and things from earlier today flooded my memory, causing me to shudder.
"Mel… why did that man want to kill us? I don't understand."
I continued stroking his hair, thinking of what to say to him.
"There are good people, like you and I, out there and there are bad people like that man out there. We ran into a bad person, and this happens from time to time."
He nodded, but still seemed frustrated.
"I know Mel, but that's not exactly what I meant. I mean, was there something mentally wrong with that man? He was in hysterics, and he didn't even know who we were. We were taking a walk on our property. He shouldn't have even been there, and yet he was very angry when we showed up."
I hugged him closer to me.
"There must be something wrong in his head. But we will never know. We probably won't even see him again."
He smiled.
"Yah, that fox of yours took pretty good care of him don't you think?"
I laughed quietly, kissing Benji's forehead.
"Yes he did… But we need to set some things straight now. We can not go back into that forest again, without Father or Mother, do you understand?"
He nodded, and gulped, looking straight ahead of him.
"Honestly Melly, after that experience, I don't know if I ever want to go back in there."
I smiled and patted his shoulder. Good.
"Now, do you want to go get something to eat? I'll be right down, I just have to change."
He nodded eagerly, back to his normal self, and rushed out of my room downstairs. If he had been in my room with me that whole time, I was sure he would be starving by now. I knew I was.
Leisurely, I got up out of bed, and walked to my window. The moon shone just as brightly as the night before, and I found looking at the moonlit trees more eerie than it used to be. I sighed, and began undressing.
Was there going to be anymore weird encounters in the days to come? It seemed like the dance had completely messed up the normal cycle of my life. I prayed that nothing more would happen.
"Miss Weathers? A letter from your mother has arrived,"
Our maid peeked her head through my door after knocking on it. I smiled and nodded, standing up from the chair in front of my vanity. She continued walking in, and handed it to me with an outstretched arm. She smiled sweetly.
"Thank you Marianne," She nodded, her eyes suddenly concerned.
"Miss Weathers, are you all right? You seem very flush. Is it from the scare a few days ago?"
She touched her hand to my forehead. Her hand was burned against my skin, and I flinched. She appeared appalled.
"You are very warm Miss. You should lie down, and I will bring you something."
I swished that thought away with my hand, looking at the envelope in my other hand distractedly a few times. I then laid my hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you, but I actually feel very cold. I feel ice cold, like I was left in a snow drift for a couple days."
Her expression was still very concerned.
"Please Miss, let me bring you something to help. By the sounds of it, you have a fever. We shouldn't let that get out of control,"
I sighed, and nodded, feeling dizzy as I looked at the envelope again. Marianne guided me by my arm over to my bed. I laid myself down, and she tucked me in. Soon after she had left, I opened the envelope, and a folded piece of paper with my name printed on it in my mother's hand writing slid out.
I opened it quickly, eagerly wanting to know what she had written. I had written a letter to her the day after the scare, explaining the horror story that had gone on. It had been a week since then. I wanted to know what her instructions were, since she was the best at dealing with these types of situations. She was always very precautious, and it really became useful in this kind of situation.
It read:
Dear Amelia,
I am so glad you, Benjamin and everyone else are safe. I am also proud of your protectiveness over your brother. Heaven forbid, you may have not made it out otherwise. You have quite the stamina, but I am sure you are sore from that run now!
Anyway, as soon as I got your letter, I took immediate action. I hired a friend of ours to act as a guard of the family. He is strong, intelligent and resilient, and he will be a good man to have around the house while we are gone.
And sorry, Amelia, but we have to extend our trip to a month. I am terribly, terribly sorry, and I miss you all so much, but your father and I have important meetings to attend. I feel even sorrier to leave you out there with a crazed man lurking about, but I am sure this new guard will suffice. Actually, I am pretty sure he will be arriving at the house shortly after you get this letter. I told him to hurry over. By the way, I encourage you to take interest in him! He is not hard on the eyes; let me say that for sure.
I love you so dearly, and can't wait till this trip is over so I can see you. Bye for now, I will write soon!
Love,
Mom
xox
ps: please find a man soon, and I definitely wouldn't mind if it is the guard…
By the end of the letter, I had a myriad of emotions. For one, I was extremely embarrassed and blushing at my mother's insistence of me trying to find a man, and that man possibly being the guard, or whoever he was. She didn't even give me his name.
Second, I was really disappointed and slightly paranoid that our parents were going to be away for that long. They had never been away for more than two weeks let alone a month. And with a person that was trying to kill us out there… I shuddered, making myself think about something else.
Suddenly a wave of nausea rolled over me, and I wrenched. I laid my head back on the pillow and held my stomach, feeling as if I was about to throw up. Marianne entered the room at that moment, and ran to me, her eyes wide.
"Miss Weathers, you have turned green. Here, drink this,"
She thrust a tea cup into my hands, probably an herbal remedy, and I drank some gratefully. I felt very thirsty all of a sudden. It was a bit scalding as it went down, but I felt a little bit better after I downed it all. Without a drop left, I handed it too Marianne who looked at me kind-heartedly.
"Would you like anything else dear? Would you like me to toast you some bread?"
That idea sounded appealing, and I nodded, relaxing back into bed. My stomach felt a lot better than it had before.
Without warning, Drew ran into my room shortly after Marianne had exited, and bounced onto my bed, her eyes wide, and a wide grin on her face. She looked as if she had just woken up out of bed, her hair all messy.
"Guess what?"
I rolled my eyes.
"I know Drew, I got a letter from mother as well. I know we are getting a guard."
She nodded vigorously, but something else seemed to spark in her eyes. She held up one finger, her face contrary.
"But best of all, he is here. Now. And he, as mother said, is not hard on the eyes at all. He is a shocker."
I was slightly surprised… Mother really was right about the exact time he would arrive here. But I merely rolled my eyes once more at Drew's juvenile affection.
"David! David, won't you come in here?" She turned her head to the direction of my door and screeched his name, causing me to cover my ears.
I heard heavier footsteps downstairs as the guard made his way to my room. I sighed. Well, if he was good looking, I hoped at least Drew would get him. I was not in the least bit interested, and I probably would never be.
The footsteps neared my room. And then a man of tall stature, strong muscle tone through his dress shirt, a mess of dark auburn hair, and dark eyes made his way through my door. I tilted my head, trying to get a better look at him from behind Drew. But suddenly I heaved violently, my stomach and chest burning as I was suddenly up and out of bed, running for my window. I threw the windows open, and lurched my head out, throwing up violently.
I could feel Drew's mortified expression as she stared at me, heaving over the balcony. I heard a crack suddenly as someone dropped and broke a china plate. And the next moment Marianne was beside me, rubbing my back, and holding my hair out of the way.
The next thing I knew, I was on the cold ground, barely breathing. And I blacked out.
"Davie!" I screamed, waking myself out of a dead sleep. I jumped as I realized I was in new surroundings –my room. I didn't remember what had happened in my dream to make me wake up screaming, but something scary must have happened. Breathing laboriously, I continued to look around, searching for light. The window let in no light, even though it was wide open. The drapes were pulled back –but clouds covered the moon. I shivered, cold as a breeze caressed my arms.
Someone suddenly broke into my room. I screamed again, surprised. Someone lit a candle, and I realized it was the guard. The candle illuminated everything brightly, and I realized he had a handsome face; he had fairly high cheek bones, a beautiful complexion, and a well proportioned face overall. I smiled timidly, blushing.
He stayed where he was, obviously at a loss on what to do.
"Uhh… Hello. I'm Amelia,"
I saw him nod, his expression unchanging. His face was stoic, and hard.
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, very uncommon for me, and then I motioned for him to come closer. I wanted to get acquainted, since he would be with us for a month.
He slowly walked forward, looking at me curiously all the while.
"What is your name again? Sorry, I did not catch it that first time," He smiled slightly.
I patted the empty space beside me, and he hesitated before sitting down.
"My name is David Drescher. It is nice to finally meet you, Amelia."
I smiled, looking down and biting my lip as I did so. Embarrassment was my main emotion right now –the first time I had met him, I had thrown up all over the place. What an introduction to remember!
"It's nice to meet you as well."
He raised a brow.
"That's a surprise to hear. The first time you saw me, you threw up everywhere. I didn't think I was that much of an eyesore,"
I bowed my head in apology, my cheeks turning a bright red. He laughed quietly at my embarrassment.
"Speaking of that," He murmured, I felt his hands touch and move my head to the side slightly.
"What?"
He looked disconcerted.
"You must not remember hitting your head off the ledge. Does it still hurt?"
His hand on my cold head was warm, and I melted, my eyes drooping.
"Not really… It doesn't appear that I damaged my brain either," I added jokingly, becoming less aware by the moment.
"Are you sure of that…? Hey, are you okay?"
The last thing I remember was him catching me, and I sighed deeply, warmth enveloping me and dragging me under.
Staring at my full plate of food, I wondered if I could even eat a few forkfuls before I began throwing up again.
There was an eerie silence as no one spoke –there was only the minute sound of people eating, and their forks colliding with their plates.
I pushed my plate away, and looked up to see that Drew had glanced at me. I looked at the guard, narrowing my eyes. He seemed majorly focused on eating, and would not look up for anything.
"Amelia… you should probably eat something. Try to see if you can hold down anything,"
I shook my head. The guard looked up at me then, his eyes almost piercing. He was across the table from me –we were sitting at the heads of the table- but I was still afraid of him even then. It seemed as if he stared into my soul. It gave me chills.
"Amelia, when I arrived here you had a full beautiful figure. Now you are skin and bones, if that. That's not attractive to most men you know… you should try to eat more."
My mouth dropped as I stared at him. I could not believe what he had just said. I didn't know what to think, didn't know what to do, but I did know that I could not sit at this table any longer.
I stood up forcefully, and ran through the house to the back doors.
Almost slamming the door on my way out, I stomped to our picnic table shaded by a few trees in our backyard. Once I got there I sat down on top of it, and wrapped my arms around my legs. This is where I usually held my pity parties, and no one was invited but me. I was rarely in moods like this, and I was in a huff to say the least. I just could not believe it…!
I heard the door softly shut after a few minutes, and luckily I had blown off enough steam to allow Drew into my presence. I still sat with my arms wrapped around my legs, and my chin resting on my knees with a furrowed brow though.
She looked at me, very concerned. I had not eaten very much in the past few days –I kept throwing it back up. I knew she was very worried about this. It was hard to keep anything down, and I was not sure how I was going to survive if I didn't get over this sickness soon. And on top of it all, I was furious. Furious with him.
"Mel… It's okay,"
I shook my head, and she gently rubbed my back, calming me slightly.
I broke down after a minute though.
"Drew! He's been living with us for a week and a bit, and he's barely spoken a word to me since he's been here! And the times he actually has talked to me, he's been downright rude. I don't understand why he doesn't like me,"
I sighed, exasperated. My sickness continued to get worse everyday, and on top of that I had to deal with this rejection. I wasn't used to rejection, and even if I was, there was no reason for his rejection of me. What had I ever done to him?
She patted me on the arm.
"He's basically like that with me as well, Mel. Maybe he will need some time to warm up to you."
I closed my eyes, and leaned over to rest my head on Drew's shoulder. She stroked my hair, concern etched her features.
"Did you sleep at all last night?"
I shook my head, the feeling of queasiness returning to me once again.
She held a hand to my forehead, taking my temperature. Her lips pursed in verdict as she looked back down at me.
"If this sickness gets any worse, you know, we will have to call on a doctor."
I nodded, not too enthused about seeing a doctor. But I really wanted to be able to sleep a full night without having to wake up and throw up. My body was suffering as well –my stomach always screamed for food I couldn't hold down, and as a result I had lost a lot of weight, and from lack of sleep I had deep purple bags under my eyes. Maybe that was why I was so repulsive…?
She touched my face softly, closing her eyes.
"I will go talk to him about it. Don't worry darling, we will set things straight."
I nodded, and she stood up. She patted me on the shoulder before she left, and walked back to the house.
And as soon as she disappeared out of sight, I took off, running into the woods. I didn't know what I was doing, but I knew I was acting on impulse.
I held my dress up, avoiding branches and rocks to catch it off of. I didn't know what I was doing, but I felt a lot better.
The forest went by me in a blur as I dodged and jumped obstacles, running aimlessly into the woods. I wondered if Wolfy was okay. I hadn't seen him in awhile, but that does not mean that he had been killed… I hoped.
Finally, out of breath, I collapsed under a fairly large tree, and curled up into a tiny, warm, comfortable ball. This wasn't the smartest idea that I had ever had. The last time I was in here, I had been attacked and nearly killed by an unknown man. In fact, that unknown man still might be on the loose. For that reason, it was a really idiotic idea to run into the woods unprotected and virtually helpless.
But I felt like I needed to be alone, for once. Besides, who would be looking for me anytime soon? I was sure it would take Drew a long time to work up the nerve to talk to that guard. No one would even know where I was.
I sighed, and listened to the deathly quiet forest sounds. It was so calm, and I felt like I could just…
My eyes jerked open as I heard a hoot hoot coming from an owl in a nearby tree.
Everything was pitch black, until my eyes adjusted, and then I saw everything in almost perfect night vision. I looked up to see a very faint waxing moon. Clouds mostly covered it.
I groaned, and stretched. Had I really just fallen asleep in the middle of the woods? Where it was very, very dangerous? I shrugged and looked on the bright side. I was still alive. And hey, I had finally gotten some sleep hadn't I?
My body was achy as I stretched myself out and tried to stand up. I had been very cramped, sleeping in that position for over a few hours most likely. I guessed it was most likely around eleven at night. I had left at four.
It was surprisingly not that difficult to find my way back. I could see almost perfectly –the only drawback was that I had run a long way into the woods, and now it would take extra long to walk myself out.
There was no noise as I expected there to be. I wondered to myself where all the animals and bugs were, until I saw the lights glimmering from the house up ahead.
I ran the rest of the way, and burst through the bushes into my backyard. I grinned, and felt better than I had in awhile. That is, until someone came full out running from the backdoor towards me. My face dropped as I saw it was the guard, with a very plain look of fury on his face.
I stopped a few feet away from him, but he advanced closer towards me, until we were a few centimetres apart. His eyes were livid.
"Where were you? You have been missing for nine hours, and you had the whole family worried! I was this close to sending a letter to your mother."
I shrugged and yawned, deciding to not care for his anger. If he was angry, let him be, but I was not about to join the party and react in the same way.
"I had a nap in the forest."
His eyes widened, and I saw his whole body shook. What was his problem?
"You…fell…asleep…in the…" He couldn't finish his sentence, he was spluttering so much.
I attempted to manoeuvre around him to the house, but he grabbed my wrist and spun me so I was facing him. I glared at him. His stare matched my own.
"I thought we had made this clear before. Nobody is to go into the forest until we are absolutely sure that everything is safe. You are not to do this again."
I yanked my arm away from him, rubbing the spot where he had been holding my wrist tightly. I could already see the bruise forming there. I glowered.
"This is my house. I will do whatever damn thing I want to," I hissed.
I could see his hands shaking at his sides, just aching to hit me. But he wouldn't, because he knew what the consequences would be.
I sniffed, and turned around, walking back inside the house. Who gave a damn about what he thought? This was my house, and my rules. And if he could not cooperate with that, I guess he would just have to leave; what a shame.
The guard wasn't around for the next few days, or at least not where I could see him. In a way I had gotten my wish for him to leave. This made me happy, but what made me even happier was the fact that my sickness was clearing up to quite a degree. I could actually fall asleep at night now, and hold down food. I even started to gain some of the weight I lost back.
Closing my eyes, I sighed. I was extremely warm and comfortable. Benji was curled up beside me in my bed, and it was close to ten o'clock at night. But I wasn't tired at all. I felt exceptionally aware of everything that was going on around me.
"Amelia… Amelia!" I heard my name suddenly called in a hushed whisper. My head turned sharply to the window. It seemed to be coming from outside, but it was darker than usual outside. Who was calling my name?
Knowing I was idiotic for what I was about to do, I slipped my way out of bed, avoiding waking Benji in the process. Managing this splendidly, since Benji slept like the dead, I tiptoed out of my room and down the stairs. I was thankful for how light I was –I would've woken people up with the creaking of the floorboards as I walked through the house.
As I crept through the kitchen to the back door, I shuddered. The wind swept through the already opened door. Maybe that was what I was hearing… but I was so sure it was an actual voice from outside. I lurked closer to the door. A peek wouldn't matter…
I closed the door softly behind me, and felt the grass between my bare toes as I walked out onto my back yard.
The moon wasn't showing tonight, and an icy breeze swept through the trees, and me. I shivered, due to the fact that I was wearing something hardly appropriate for this weather… It actually wasn't appropriate for anyone to see but myself.
But I pressed onward; no one would see me in this darkness anyway.
Amelia.
My head shot to the side, where I saw movement in the trees. My eyes widened. So there actually was someone out here.
It didn't take me as long as it should have to think about whether or not I wanted to risk my life to know who was calling my name. I just ran towards the tree line of the forest.
I heard the swaying branches of the trees… and a little girl giggling faintly in the woods. I strained my eyes to see into the blackness.
Suddenly all the hairs rose on my neck, and I froze. I felt like someone was watching me… and breathing close beside me. That was all I needed to full out run into the forest.
I dodged and jumped over tree branches that I had no idea how I was seeing. All I could think of was that someone was chasing me, and I needed to run. I felt branches scrape against my arms, and I flinched in pain. That momentary distraction caused me to tumble over a rock, and twist my ankle. I heard a crack as my arm landed on a nearby stone.
Someone was circling me. This was the only thing I focused on, and good thing too because I knew there would be lots of pain in the near future.
"Amelia," I heard someone say. My eyes searched the black of the forest, coming up with nothing.
Suddenly, I felt I was being picked up. I didn't know what to think until I was shoved up against a tree, and someone's body pressed against mine. My eyes widened as my mind registered the guard's face… David.
"I thought I told you not to wander into the forest," He growled, his green eyes luminous and soft.
"I'm sorry…" was all I could manage to say. Sweat rolled down my forehead as I noticed how hyperaware I sensed his closeness. I could feel him breathing lightly against my neck, sending goose bumps everywhere.
"No, I should be sorry. I was the one who gave you a scare…" I felt his lips against my throat all of a sudden, and it sent shivers everywhere. I heard him inhale, and exhale erratically. His hands glided down my sides, pressing me to him.
"Oh, how I've missed you…" He closed his eyes, and sighed longingly.
My brows furrowed, momentarily not concerned about what he was doing. Who was he talking about?
His lips travelled up my neck, to my jaw bone, and stopped right before my lips. He looked into my eyes. And I knew who he was –the man who had saved me before.
How hadn't I noticed it? He was built the exact same, had the same eyes… Who wouldn't remember the strength? I felt his muscles tighten as he hugged me into him, like he had when he saved me.
He touched my face softly, looking deeply into my eyes. Now it was my turn to start breathing unsteadily. He leaned in slowly, his eyes seeming to trace my features. I didn't move. I didn't know what to do…
Then I blinked. Stinging had woken me, as my eyes tried to adjust to the bright sunlight bursting through my window. I looked down at my arm to see a few red scratches on my pale arm. And next to me, there was a cat with orange fur and bright green eyes. It purred as I looked at it, and then back at my scratches.
I shivered as I realized that had all been just a dream. I had always scorned myself for my actions in my dreams, but this dream was over the top. How had I thought of the guard in such a way? It was despicable… besides, I hated him anyway. He was no where near as nice to me as he was in the dream. He hadn't even been that nice in the dream anyway for goodness sake!
I sighed, and looked back at the cat. My brows furrowed. Why was there a cat in my bed?
