Chapter 4: Afternoon, Scum
"His name is Charles, and he shall be our cat from now on. I found him outside the house this morning, and he's such a pretty kitty, I thought maybe he could stay here…"
I frowned, looking down at the cat in Benji's lap. It appeared content with itself, its head held up high. It didn't look pretty to me; it looked like a smug cat that would cause trouble around here.
"Mother has allergies remember? She can't stand cats anyway, and neither can I. It scratched me this morning, and woke me up."
Benji frowned now, petting the cat as he looked down at it.
"Mother is not allergic and you know it! You just don't like Charles because he accidentally scratched you…"
My eyes widened.
"Who says he accidentally scratched me! It was intentional, that is for sure. How else would it scratch me –I was asleep all night until it woke me up."
Benji appeared hurt.
"It is called Charles, and he is as much a part of this family now as you are." Benji stood up from the lounge chair opposite mine and marched out of the room, clearly upset. I sighed, and leaned back, taking in to mind how infected the scratches were starting to look.
"Amy, where are you?" I heard Drew call from the other room. I made a moaning sound in response, and she walked into the room shortly after that, her face a mix of happiness and concern.
"Did you see that cat Benji brought in here? It looks all gross, and mangy… like a barn animal. It's repulsive,"
I nodded, agreeing with her for sure. She sat on the arm of the chair I was sitting in, and took my hands.
"Guess what? One of those boys that I met at the dance wants to me to meet him in town today. We've been writing to each other for a full two weeks, and he is just splendid! I love him already,"
I rolled my eyes.
"You love too easily Drew,"
She disregarded my remark completely as she stared at my scratches. She frowned.
"What are those from dearest? Don't tell me…"
I nodded in honest humiliation. She let go of my hands all of a sudden, disgusted. She wiped her hands off on her dress and backed away slightly from me.
"My God, the cat has been here a few hours and it already scratched you! That is definitely a reason for you to come into town with me –we can find you a doctor in town to make sure you are alright. You can get some medicine for it as well; it already looks infected."
I rolled my eyes once more. She probably thought it was gross and all, but the main reason she said this was because she wanted me to go with her into town. I nodded, and she bounced up and down, clapping her hands in the process. I could tell she wanted me to do this as well, but she didn't want to touch me at all.
She began to run out of the room, but before she was completely gone, she stopped and looked behind her at me.
"I'm going to go get ready now, since I obviously still haven't changed out of my nightgown. Please talk to the guard for me –it's not that big of a deal Mel, you're already ready to go out, and all you have to say is 'please escort us to and from Fairhaven in our carriage please'. That's all you have to say, so please ask…"
Her voice faded as she dashed up the stairs, leaving me no choice but to ask him since at this point I could not argue. Who was there to argue with when she wasn't there?
I sighed heavily, nervous already as I stood up. The scratches on my arm stung constantly, but when I moved in hurt exponentially more than it already did. Would I even be able to use this arm today?
I made my way to his room … I was surprised I even knew where it was. There were a lot of rooms in this house, but I knew what one he had picked for some reason. It was on the very top level of the house, the fourth floor actually, and it was a tiny cramped room that could only be reached by a little pull down ladder. It was meant to be an attic, but we stored everything in the large basement downstairs, so we converted the attic into a cozy spare bedroom. There were better spare bedrooms on the third floor, where my room was, so I didn't understand really why he chose this room. I just knew that he did, because as I made my way up the ladder and peaked through the opening to the room above me, I saw him sitting on the small bed.
He was gazing at the sun as it rose higher and higher into the sky. I noticed his bed was already made pristinely, unlike my own.
I knocked my hand lightly on the floorboards to get his attention, but it appeared he was already looking at me. I blushed lightly, looking away.
"Sorry to interrupt you…"
He shook his head, his expression virtually emotionless but light as he looked at me. He normally regarded me with a scowl, so this was a step up for me.
"Don't worry, you weren't interrupting anything. Come up here; don't just stay cramped on that ladder." He mumbled, motioning me with his hand to come closer. I thought for a moment, a little puzzled at his friendliness. But as my legs started yelling at me to sit down somewhere, I was forced to climb the rest of the ladder and walk closer to David. I sat on the opposite end of the bed from him, and he smiled lightly. His eyes seemed distracted as he talked to me.
"I'm sorry about snapping on you the other day. I was just worried –if you had have gotten hurt, it would have been on my head for letting you slip out of my sights."
I nodded, understanding. Well an apology was an apology, and I looked over at him, smiling brighter. I reached out my hand to him, and he looked at me questioningly.
"Truce?"
He actually smiled this time, and reached his hand out to shake my outstretched hand.
"Truce."
We let go of each other's hands, and I looked down at my lap. Was he actually going to change now? It felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Now I knew that he didn't exactly hate me…
He looked back up at me.
"Well, with that all said and done, what did you originally come up here to ask me?"
I looked back at him, my brows raised.
"How do you know if I just came up here for that?"
He regarded me with surprise, and then let out a laugh. He looked back at me with soft, expectant eyes.
I rolled my eyes.
"Oh all right. Well, Drew was wondering if you would escort us to Fairhaven for the day."
A smile slowly spread across his lips.
"Is it only Drew who is wondering that?"
I blinked, and looked back up at him. My face suddenly felt flush, and it obviously was because he laughed once more, and I looked away again.
I reached out my other arm for him, and stood up, motioning him to come with me.
I kept my eyes off him as he stood up, embarrassed.
"All right, let's go… Drew is probably waiting impatiently for us downstairs."
I looked back at him as I heard only silence, and then realized his eyes were roaming my arm, where my scratches were. I tucked my arm to my side, and started to make me way downstairs, him following me closely.
We arrived downstairs quickly, and as I predicted Drew was standing by the door, tapping her foot in impatience.
She frowned at me, and motioned us to hurry up.
"Come on you two! We have to get there soon; Anthony wanted me to meet him in town square at two! It is one thirty, and it takes over an hour to get there," She nagged, her voice becoming increasingly angered and annoying.
I only nodded and ran out the door, Drew far ahead of me already getting in the carriage, and the guard following close behind me.
When I got in, I sat next to Drew. It was a tight fit –it wasn't that big of a carriage and was really meant to carry two people and luggage comfortably. It could carry four people, but not so comfortably.
The guard sat in the seat opposite us, and stared out the window as we began our journey. That journey didn't last as long as I had anticipated, because Drew had obviously paid the driver a little extra to make haste. To say the least, it was a bumpy ride. But this was only to be expected when you make it to Fairhaven in a half a hour rather than an hour and a half. The horses certainly hadn't trotted like they usually did.
The sun was high in the sky, and very bright. It was a good thing I hadn't worn anything too heavy today. Once we had stepped out of the carriage into the town square, it was very humid, and I was especially thankful I had worn a pretty white dress that was made of light cotton. It had sleeves, but it was of such thin material it didn't matter. It was a little showy, and practical.
A breeze brushed past my hair and face and I sighed, stretching. Sunlight hit the exposed part of my chest, and I smiled pleasantly. I hadn't felt this good in awhile.
I looked to the side of me, and saw the guard looking at me curiously as I did this. I turned away, my cheeks turning a bright red in embarrassment, and looked for Drew. She was a few feet ahead of me, standing on her tiptoes and holding her hand overtop of her eyes to partially block the sun. She squinted, trying vainly to find the boy she had been talking about.
I peered around at the driver, who sat with his head rested in his hand. He had a 'I really do not feel like being here' kind of look on his aging face, so I sighed and walked back up to the carriage. I stood up as far as I could to talk to him, who was on top of the carriage.
"You can go wherever you want for an hour and a half. Meet us back here then, and we'll tell you what we're going to do next."
He seemed surprised for a moment, but then he nodded and smiled, seeming more pleased than he was before. He tipped his hat to me before he called to the horses to move.
Drew didn't even notice as she kept her eyes trained on the people in the streets. As soon as the carriage pulled out of sight, the guard walked up beside me, his expression questioning.
"What did you do that for? Aren't we going to need him in a few minutes?"
I shook my head, smiling at his naiveté.
"We will be here for awhile, don't you worry. Either walking around, or staying right here, it doesn't matter; we won't be leaving for awhile."
He sighed, nodding.
And it seemed as soon as he did this, a man ran out of the crowd from behind us, and tackled Drew with a hug.
At first she screeched, and the guard took a hesitant step forward. But then Drew turned around, and squealed. She started laughing hysterically as she recognized who it was.
"Anthony, you made it!" She squealed. He picked her up in the air and spun her around once before setting her down again. I don't think I had ever seen Drew happier… well maybe there were a few other choice times where she had a slightly more hyper reaction than this, but still, she was pretty happy. I smiled lightly.
The boy seemed pretty happy as well –he had a wide smile on his fair face. He also had long, shaggy black hair, and was well built. I assessed him up and down, and didn't really see anything wrong with him. He looked nice enough… He had a soft look in his eyes as he stared at Drew. I guess I would just have to get to know him a little better to see if he was a good man for my sister.
I walked up to them, the guard following close behind me, and smiled at Anthony.
"Hello, I am Amelia Weathers… Drew's sister. It's nice to meet you Anthony…?"
I held out my hand for him to shake, and he shook it firmly. I didn't believe in the kiss on the hand greeting that was most common these days.
"Hello Amelia. I'm Anthony Michaels."
My eyes widened in surprise.
"So are you Sarah's older brother?" He nodded, surprise and delight also lighting his expression.
"Oh, I remember you actually –you're her best friend. Sarah talks about you all the time!"
I smiled; I was already convinced that this man was good. If he was Sarah's brother, then he was a good man. If he wasn't good, Sarah was sure to slap him into shape. She always looked out for our family, so she would also look out for Drew's well being. Sarah would stand up to him even if he were her older brother. She and I were eighteen, so he must be nineteen. That was not such a bad age difference for Drew…
Drew was smiling, seeming almost goo goo over Anthony, and I rolled my eyes.
"Well, Drucilla, what's the plan?"
She looked back to me in shock. She hated her name, and that was why we all called her Drew… but I thought I would tease her just a bit. It wouldn't hurt their relationship to see her get riled up.
She scowled at me then, and crossed her arms. Anthony chuckled lightly as she answered my question.
"I wanted some quality time with him… I think we might walk to the park."
He nodded eagerly, looking over her lovingly. I bit my lip, hesitant. I wasn't so sure I wanted to leave my sixteen-year-old sister with a nineteen-year-old boy that I didn't know that well. True, I knew he was probably a nice boy, but I still would not trust him completely on this assumption. I would not leave room for errors here.
"How about this, Drew? The guard will walk with you and Anthony, and I will walk to a medicine shop. I need something for these scratches,"
They looked like they were slightly green now, and Anthony's face appeared sympathetic as he looked at my arm. Drew whined.
"Oh, Mel, stop being so protective! I am sixteen and can manage on my own."
I shook my head, pursing my lips.
"Maybe next time, but right now, walk wherever you wish. The guard doesn't have to hang out with you,"
I looked to him as I said this. He had a weird look on his face as I said it.
"After I come back, which will be an hour at the most, we can go shopping. I'll leave thirty five minutes at the end of the day for you two to be alone."
Drew's expression dropped, accepting the time I allowed her, and she sighed. I could tell Anthony understood why I restricted their time together –he had probably done this with his own sister at some point. He had an understanding expression on his face, and I could tell he was happy with any time he got to spend with my sister. I smiled. Sarah probably hadn't liked the restrictions Anthony had given her one bit.
I turned to leave, trying to remember the route to a medicine shop I had seen on my last shopping trip here over a year ago, but suddenly someone grabbed my arm and spun me around. It wasn't Drew –she was already walking away with Anthony towards a café. I looked, jostled, into the face of the guard. He had that same, upset, weird look on his face.
"You know, 'the guard' does have a name."
I flinched, suddenly feeling guilty. Had I really been calling him that this whole time? I felt like a spoiled rotten jerk.
My eyes widened, and laid my hand on his shoulder. He recoiled at my touch.
"I'm sorry David. I didn't realize I was doing it,"
He smiled lightly, seeming a little better. But I could tell there was something else he wanted to say.
"Should you really be walking alone, by yourself out in these streets? Something could happen."
One half of my mouth rose as I thought. I frowned, not seeing anything wrong with it.
"I am eighteen, and can walk the streets alright by myself, I think."
His anxious expression did not fade as I said this.
"Can I go with you at least? I know you don't want to leave your sister alone with this new man, but I am sure she would be safer with just him than you would be by yourself. You know how many unstable people are out there; one of them tried to attack you a few weeks ago."
I shook my head, smiling.
"If it really bothers you that much, I would suggest that you all come with me. But I know Drew doesn't want to be dragged to a disgusting medicine shop, and she wants her quality time with her new boyfriend. Don't worry; I am sure I will be fine by myself. For your sake, I will hurry myself there and back, alright?"
I knew his concern was only due to his job, but it wasn't that big of a deal. I was sure Mother would also side with me on this one; I had acted like her this whole time, mediating the time Drew spent with her boyfriend, and planning what we would do at certain times. I was pretty sure I knew what she would think of me going out by myself, and about this entire trip in general. As long as I followed the 'what would mother do' rule I was alright.
I waved goodbye as I began walking away, looking behind me. David stared after me, his eyes empty, and his face desolate. It appeared he looked after me till I disappeared from sight.
As I walked further away from the town square, the streets became more and more deserted. Only a few people walked by, in the opposite direction I was walking. It didn't faze me though… of course everyone would convene in the town square on such a beautiful, bright afternoon.
I remembered the way almost perfectly, actually. It was only at one point that I had to stop a nice woman and ask her where the medicine shop was. I was actually really close to it when I had asked her –it was the street over from the one I had stopped her on.
As soon as I saw the wooden sign swaying in the breeze, saying 'Thomas and Son's Medicines', I ran for it. I supposed I should actually live up to my word and make this a quick trip for David's sake.
Through the display windows, I saw many various jars with living and or dead things floating inside them. This always turned my stomach when I saw it, but I proceeded anyway. I needed something for these scratches –they were starting to swell.
I walked into the shop, peering hesitantly into the bottles and jars of various floating and preserved goods. One jar looked like it had a floating baby pig in a green liquid in it…
I shook my head, and shuddered, walking across the dark creaky floorboards and up to the counter where a scraggly old man sat, his head buried into a newspaper. His wispy white hair was unkempt and messy. His clothes weren't in that great shape either –he wore a pinstriped dress shirt with a dirty white smock over it. His small round glasses were cracked as well. I looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to respond to my presence. He held up one finger suddenly, and a few seconds later he smiled and looked up at me. He had a few teeth missing, I realized, as I looked at his mouth.
"Uhh, I was wondering if you had any type of cream or medicines for these scratches,"
I tried my best not to mumble as he stared at me. Mumbling and being uncomfortable in general was not like me at all, but this man's stare at me was definitely making me uncomfortable. He looked at me as if something terrifying had dawned on him. Maybe there was something wrong in his head…
He smiled at me a moment later, all traces of fright gone.
"It merely looks like an infected animal scratch. I know just the thing…"
He stood up, losing height as he got down from his stool, and walked to a curtain that obviously led to either the back of the store or a storage room. He was hunched as he muddled his way through the thick dark red velvet curtain. I stood there, tapping my finger against the counter. I wanted to get out of here and back to Drew, and David, as soon as possible. I knew I had left David there to protect her, but I didn't feel like that was enough. I obviously did not completely trust Anthony upon meeting him for the first time, and knowing who he was…
I sighed as I finally heard the shop keeper's returning footsteps.
"Now, how long do I need to keep taking the medicine? I am not planning any trips back to town soon-"
I was cut short by the sight of the shop keeper emerging from the curtain with a loaded rifle. My eyes widened, and I held up my hands. He pointed it directly at me, his hands quivering.
"You're complete scum!" He shouted, and I flinched, causing him to move forward and point the gun more fiercely at me.
"P-Please, I didn't mean to hurt you or anything of the sort, I swear,"
I truly hadn't done anything to this man… And I didn't understand why he thought this. It was no reason to point a gun at a defenceless woman anyway. Did I remind him of someone who had done something to him?
His eyes widened and then narrowed. He walked out from behind the counter, and I saw that his legs were twisted at odd angles. He walked dementedly, something I had not noticed before.
"Just look at me! Don't tell me you didn't do anything, and don't tell my dead father that either!" He roared; his face was pained.
My voice was barely a whisper now. I had never killed anyone in my life.
"I never did those things, I swear… I don't know what you're talking about,"
This seemed to set something off. Good going for me and my big mouth.
He shot, and barely missed me. The bullet scraped by my rib cage, and merely tore through my clothes and left a flesh wound. Blood trickled, then flowed out onto my dress and dripped onto the floor. Bottles exploded behind me.
I inhaled sharply, pain enveloping me. What would Mother do? I think she would run for dear life.
I sprinted for the door. I had to react fast; I had no time to stick around and say hello to the barrel of his gun.
The door wasn't that far because I had been edging for it the whole entire time, but still he missed me again by an inch. More glass bottles around me exploded, and presumably preservatives splashed on me.
I took off into the street, sprinting at full speed, and ran down the first alleyway that I came to. I ran down the long expanse of it and ran even faster as I heard more shots being fired and footsteps behind me.
But suddenly my heart dropped down through my throat and into my stomach. I was in an alley, with a dead end. There were garbage tins in front of me, but not enough to hide in or behind. There were no doors I could run in, or an escape ladder I could climb up. I was literally trapped.
I turned around to see the old man hobbling towards me, his gun still raised and armed. He was in shooting range now.
I wrapped my arms around myself, and closed my eyes tightly, hot tears running down my face. This was it. I sunk to my knees and let tears roll freely down my face.
When the old man reached me, he kicked me over with surprising and horrible strength, and then got down on the ground where I was now sprawled out. He punched me in the face, and then spit on where he punched me. The metal of the end of the gun was grinded up against my scalp, and I bit my lip in pain as I felt the hot liquid ooze from the wound. I smelled blood all around me.
"You are a vile, filthy creature. I vow that I will kill you even if it takes me to my final breath. You are an abomination, and you will die!"
The gun shook where he held it against my head. I cried. How could it end like this?
"Abomi-" His words were cut short as I felt him disappear from where he had been sitting over top of me. The gun was also not being forced into my scalp, but I still squeezed my eyes shut and held my head down. Tears still streamed from my eyes.
I heard the old man scream; it was a hoarse, guttural sound. A few hard punching and cracking noises I heard was probably evidence of why the man was screaming. And then all of a sudden, there was silence. It had all been over in a few seconds.
I opened my eyes. Shock registered in my mind as I saw… David.
He was standing over the old man's body, his expression sullen. The old man's face had been beaten to a pulp, all purple, red and oozing. His face appeared to be beaten in, and the rest of his body didn't look all that right either. Blood was everywhere.
David regarded the other man in disgust, and then looked over at me, his eyes suddenly concerned.
He ran then, and got on his knees next to my own battered body. And the next thing I knew he picked me up so I was sitting, and wrapped his arms tightly around me. He buried his face in my neck, and made a distressed noise. I broke down then, unable to control myself. I sobbed, burying my face in his hard chest. I listened to the sound of his strong heartbeat as I cried, and his arms remained securely around me.
"Davie," I whimpered, feeling helpless. I felt my arms slipping from where they were on his back, trying to keep myself up; I barely recognized he was actually doing this for me.
The only thing I could feel right now was pain. All I wanted was for him to do exactly what he was doing now.
I saw his eyes widen, and the last thing I remembered was looking into his terrified, blood spattered face before I fainted.
