Stay

A/n: Hey everyone. Once again I can't say how thankful I am to all of you. 100+ follows and almost 90 faves, not to mention 130 reviews! I am so psyched thanks to you guys. Keep reviewing so I can know what you think. The story may seem a bit confusing now but you'll know more as the story unravels.

Exams are coming up so I won't be updating too soon again, sorry:((( They end on 16th May so I may update after that. BTW I am thinking of doing a sequel, lets see how things go :D

Enjoy!

#PrayForMH370

#ILoveJackFrost

Chapter 16

Me

It was hot and stuffy. As I looked around me, more and more people crammed into the scene. Policemen, fire fighters, ambulance people. Everyone seemed to be talking and it all didn't make any sense. The weird thing was, I couldn't hear, like the volume around me had turned down to zero. But I wasn't concentrating on that. My eyes were fixed on this boy clutching a girl to his side.

I couldn't see clearly from where I sat. Standing up, I moved over to where he was, on the leaf-strewn ground, his eyes wide with panic as he snarled at a few white clad people who were obviously trying to get the girl into the ambulance parked beside them. He held the girl's body tighter to his own, like she was the only thing he had to protect in this world. I took a glimpse of the girl. Her face was pale and fragile; her whole body limp and her hair matted. Her dress was stained down the front. She looked more dead than alive. I shivered a bit, grimacing at her.

A policeman grabbed the boy's shoulders from behind and pulled him away, leaving the rescue people to put the girl on a stretcher and take her away through the open ambulance doors. I noticed there was another boy in the white vehicle, a boy with golden-brown hair and blood all over his body. They put the girl's stretcher beside the boy and hastily closed the doors. I turned to see the first boy, the one with gorgeous brown hair, shouting after the ambulance as he almost kicked over the policeman holding him back. Another man, who looked like he was the chief police, came over with a plump woman. He helped hold the boy steady as she injected something into the boy's left upper arm. After a few seconds, his body became limp and his eyes closed.

My eyes averted to a large SUV pulling up beside the scene. A couple jumped out and the man started shouting at no one in particular. Furious, it took him a minute to notice the limp boy who was being hauled to a nearby van with a red cross on the sliding door. He charged over to the boy and started pointing at him, shouting like a maniac. The woman beside him was sobbing profusely as she tried to restrain him. Only when the smug-looking official came to up him did he shut up. The official led him away from the Red Cross van which was speeding up the highway now.

I didn't want to stay here watching the man demanding answers from the official, who was not looking so smug now from being shouted at. I had a strange desire to follow the van with the knocked out boy in it. So I followed the backlights of it, running but never getting out of breath. I didn't feel tired at all. Soon we had reached the huge white building and a few nurses were pushing the boy up to the front doors on a wheeled stretcher. I slipped in the hospital lift with them and continued to stare at the boy's face while the nurses pushed buttons on the lift panel. No one seemed to notice me. We reached the floor they wanted to go and I followed as they wheeled him into a white room. They put him on the bed and lay the covers on him before bustling out. I sat down on a chair and watched him, his hair in a tangled, sexy mess, dark eyebrows in a slight frown. His hand was laying palm-up on the soft sheets. I reached over and made to touch his hand, but it went right through mine.

Everything came rushing back to me. The girl in the dirty dress was me. The distressed couple at the accident scene was my parents. The injured boy in the ambulance was Cameron. And this was Jack.

I felt like someone just threw a whole bucket of icy water on my head. I was still staring at my hand, which hadn't touched Jack's at all but gone right through it. Drawing it back in a hurry, I took several deep breaths. My mouth formed his name, but no sound came out of it. I looked down at myself. I was wearing a shirt and short pants, and I had no idea of how that came to be. Everything about me felt solid. Why couldn't I touch Jack?

Sitting down hard on the chair, I winced as pain shot through my butt. What was I? Was I dead, and Manny had made me a guardian of some kind? Questions rolled through my mind, but nothing could compare to the feeling of hopelessness I felt in my heart now. I was so close to Jack, as close as we had ever been in two months, and I was still farther away than anything from him. It was so horrible I couldn't even cry. All I could do was stare and stare at Jack, hoping feebly that he'd wake up and notice me. I couldn't remember ever wanting something to happen so badly in all my life.

An hour passed. The thing they shot into him must've been really strong. I kept watch over him, and he never moved a muscle. When the clock struck three, I looked out the window and saw the horizon starting to pink. I caught sight of the disappearing moon, and a kind warm voice sounded in my ear. 'That's enough for now, (f/n).' A bright light started to shine, and I turned to see the door open just before the light swallowed everything in the room.

A moment later, the blinding light disappeared and I was in a vast circular room covered with golden wallpaper. There were a few squishy armchairs and stools scattered everywhere among tables that held hourglasses of all sizes and twisting, whizzing glass tubes and other funny objects. Someone was sitting on a high backed couch a few armchairs away, gazing at something. I bit my lip. 'Err-' At that the someone jumped up quite a few feet and turned over to look at me. He was a little man, his face round as the moon, and was wearing white nightclothes. A pleased look was upon his face. 'Oh (f/n), I was expecting you. Come here,' he beckoned to me in a voice that was very familiar. I wound my way across the many pieces of furniture and came to stand by the man's side. He beamed up at me, revealing two rows of tiny white teeth. I noticed his nightclothes had a soft yellow glow.

'Been wanting to meet you for a long time, dear.' He took my hand in both his little ones and shook it vigorously. 'I'm very sorry about what happened, (f/n). You must be distressed. It shouldn't have been like this.' He spoke in great pain, but my whole being seemed to have gone numb again. 'You're the Man in the Moon,' I said. He gazed at me for a second and gave a laugh. 'Yes of course, silly me I forgot my manners. I am the Man in the Moon. But with that said, we must get down to business, (f/n). There's not much time.' He put what he had been holding onto the table before him and stood up. The top of his head just reached my chin. The thing he was holding shone and shimmered, too bright for me to determine what it was. Manny was pushing a chair up to his own then gestured for me to sit down. I sank into the comfy cushioned chair and watched as he bustled back to his own.

'I'll get straight to the point, dear,' he said, looking at me anxiously. 'Pitch had a cuppa with me.' I sat up straight. 'You had a drink with that devil?!' I almost shouted, then immediately apologized. Manny smiled. 'I had gone a bit deaf just now and didn't hear a word you said. Now, Pitch came in a couple weeks ago, and we were discussing on you and Jack.' I was dumbfounded. That bastard had no right to do that. And Manny was actually telling me all this like we were just commenting on the weather?

Manny seemed to guess this. He sighed. 'Oh it was me who suggested we have a talk, (f/n). Pitch wanted to carry on with his abominable plan, but consented to talk it over if I promised to not exterminate him on the spot, which would be very painful.' 'Then why didn't you?' I blurted. Manny shook his head. 'I would not, for fear will never be erased from the world. Pitch will survive whenever there is fear in any heart, and that helps him to grow. He feeds on it, and if I wipe him out, even if it puts him in extreme agony, he will come back in a jiffy for sure. Now (f/n),' at this his voice became very serious. 'Pitch is gaining power again. He's been working hard for ten years and it pains me to say he has done quite a good job in planting fear in many people's hearts, including Jack's.' My mind thought back to my now unconscious boyfriend and how terrified he looked when the rescue people wanted to pull me away from him. I hated myself for acting so rashly in the pub.

'Don't worry (f/n). He's fine. But he fears you may not be,' Manny said softly. I frowned. 'Um, Manny, what am I now, actually?' I asked him. 'Well my dear, you are still you. This conversation is happening because you have a phenomenal sense of determination to live, which enabled you to be able to come to me. Your body is still alive, but barely. How well you do in this task I set for you will determine whether you make it or not.' I was starting to panic as I didn't understand anything he said. Of course I was still me. I wasn't (bf/n), or Cameron—'What about Cameron? Will he survive?' I hastily asked. Manny's expression turned grave, 'that, (f/n), remains to be seen.'

'What do I have to do?' I turned to Manny desperately. I felt a heavy burden on my shoulders. 'Tell me, please. I just want to wake up and be with Jack!' My voice was shaking. Manny gazed at me then nodded. 'So you shall, if everything goes right. Now listen carefully. Pitch plans to separate you both forever, thus being able to get revenge on Jack and your grandfather as he knows you both will be crushed when that happened. Personally I feel he is a bit childish to still hold old time grudges for so long, but your love with Jack is unfortunately very star-crossed. Pitch's original plan was very horrendous and a bit ridiculous, as usual, and I will not tell you what it was. I have negotiated with him and we have worked out a way that will suit his hatred and you and Jack's wellbeing. I offered to explain it to you as I couldn't ever trust Pitch to be alone with you and do you no harm. Don't get me wrong, we are not cooperating in anything together. I want to protect you, (f/n), and I know how much Jack means to you.'

'Now, this is what we agreed on: You will wake up as yourself in another life, having totally forgotten your true one. You must find Jack and build up the same kind of love you have now. If you succeed, you will wake up in the real world and have your happy ending with him. But if you have not done it when a year has passed, Jack's health will start to fail. And once that happens, he will slowly turn back to the winter spirit and his memory of you will fade.'

Manny stopped to take a swig out of a long slender canteen while I sat frozen and rigid. It was all so simple, but I doubted I'd be able do it if I had my memory erased. What if Jack wouldn't love me back, what if I didn't feel interested in him in that life? What if I really failed, and Jack forgot me?

'(f/n), you overthink too much.' Manny chuckled. I blushed slightly; I had been voicing my thoughts out loud again. He closed the canteen and put it down on the table before looking at me. 'One thing that Pitch doesn't understand is love, so that is why he agreed to this task as he thought it would be impossible to do. But I doubt you will fail if your love is true.' With that he got up and took the shiny thing off the table. Gesturing for me to follow him, we wound our way through more chairs to a small door I hadn't noticed. Manny opened it and we came to a perfectly squared, high ceilinged room which was painted a sterile white. In the middle was an armchair like the ones used in dental clinics, just that this was exceptionally large and bulky. I stared at it.

'Do you want to do this, (f/n)?' Manny whispered below me. I nodded my head determinedly. He sighed before telling me to sit in the chair. I moved towards it and lay down, resting my head on the headrest and feeling my body sink a little way into the soft padding. Manny came over and put his warm little hand on mine, which felt cold and clammy right now. His eyes had an apologetic look about them. I started to panic. 'Isn't there another way out of this? Couldn't you stop Pitch?' I asked. Manny shook his head and patted my hand. 'Once this is over, you will have nothing to worry about. This is just to pacify him.' Manny ran a hand over the shining object and its glow stopped. Manny held what seemed to be a glass tube of clear liquid in his hands. He opened the cork and inserted the tube into a hole in the side of the left armrest. It started to turn into a murky grey, then pure black.

Two large straps of strong leather came up from the armrests and bound themselves tightly onto my arms. I was about to call Jack's name for help before realizing just in time that he was probably millions of miles away for me. Manny held both my hands in his now. 'Just remember who you truly are, (f/n), and things will all fall into place.' I was starting to feel really drowsy. The room was swimming before my eyes, and I could just hear Manny speak before I closed my eyes. 'Good luck (f/n). You deserve so much more happiness than this.'

I thumped my leather-bound storybook onto the table. 'We're moving again?!' I shouted loudly. Daddy's spoon of milk stopped midway to his mouth as he glanced up at me. 'Yes, my dear. As I just said my business is growing there and there would be a lot of opportunities missed if I weren't there to see it myself.' He pushed the spoon into his mouth then proceeded to drink up the whole bowl. I was fuming. The snow outside was thickening steadily as I stood gazing at it, the beautiful white powder making me itch to go and dance in it. But I was still angry.

'When is it?' I asked in a forced tone. Daddy muffled something that sounded like a week from now. 'But Mary Steerforth's just invited me to her birthday celebration today, and its next week!' I whined. It had taken me a whole six months to find a best friend in this town we moved to a year before. Daddy's ever-growing cloth business meant we had to move around a lot, and it was hard for me to have to get used to new surroundings and move again just when I felt at home.

Mother died when I was five, and the clearest memory I had of her was her sitting before the large loom in our old house, spinning out cloth with which she used to make coats and handkerchiefs and dresses for me. 'Whatever your father says, homemade cloth is the warmest and best,' she used to say as she fitted a new dress on me. She loved spinning, and wouldn't stop even when she was weak with fever. One day I went to wake her up to find her body cold and rigid. She'd insisted to stay up the night before to finish my new frock, ignoring our pleas for her to rest. We moved away after the funeral, leaving mother's grave behind.

In the second next town we moved to, daddy hired a middle-aged woman as a caretaker since we really needed one. Peggotty grew so attached to me she insisted on coming along with us when we went on, as she had no family of her own there. Daddy would go out early in the morning and not come back until past bedtime. So Peggotty and I gave each other company as she showed me how to do housework while I sang for her.

I didn't go to school, and knew few other people who did, for daddy was strict when it came to making friends, and so far he hadn't let boys on the list. Girls didn't usually go for schooling, and I had a private tutor only once in one of the towns we stayed in. At least I could read and write.

That night, Peggotty brushed my long (h/c) hair as I sat down by the fire in the large living room. She smoothed out the stubborn tangles with her skilled hands before running my brush through my hair. 'Peggotty, why does daddy have to move so much?' I sighed. We both knew I knew the answer, but the good soul stopped brushing and rested a hand on my shoulder. 'Oh (f/n), I hope he would settle somewhere too. It must be so hard for you,' she said sympathetically. I grumbled about how unfair it was even if he did it for the family's wellbeing. 'My dear, life ain't easy you know. We all have problems we wished weren't there. Now, you had better get some rest, it's past bedtime.' I nodded and stood up, turning around to give Peggotty a hug and let her kiss my cheek before making my way to my bedroom.

I took my time while changing into my nightclothes. Sinking under the warm woollen patchwork blanket, I fluffed up my pillow and rested my head on it. My eyes travelled to the window beside my bed and I watched as snowflakes drifted down and heaped up on the window sill outside. The candle beside my bed was flickering and dancing, sending jumps of light around the room. I blew it out and buried my head into my pillow again. My mind was still wide awake, thinking of mother's old spinning wheel and loom daddy brought along with us wherever we went which resided in a closed room somewhere in the house, thinking about Mary's blonde hair shining in the summer, thinking of how she'd tell me about the boys she met in the dances and parties she went to…

Boys.

The only times I had ever spoken to boys was when I was a kid and daddy would let me play with children of some friend who came over to visit. As I got older, he wouldn't let me go to village dances in the fear that I might 'mix with troublemaking delinquents'. I remembered feeling nervous whenever this golden-haired boy walked by my house on his way to the field in one town we stayed in. I was sitting by the window one morning, almost bored to death when I saw him strolling by, his cheeks puffed like he was whistling. I stared transfixed at him, unaware my tea was dripping onto my skirt, earning me a telling off by Peggotty. One morning, about the time he would pass, I plucked up enough courage to open the door and go outside to pretend to pluck some flowers. When I reached a handful, I heard footsteps coming along behind me and stood up to see the boy walking by with a dark-haired girl I had never seen before. He was talking to her animatedly while the girl smiled shyly beside him. The worst part was that they were holding hands. No one noticed the disappointed girl standing in her little garden, staring after them with a broken heart.

The next morning, I woke up to weak beams of sunlight shining through my window onto the covers. Turning around with my back to it, I closed my eyes and tried to fall back to sleep, not wanting to face real life when Peggotty bustled into my room. 'Wake up, sunshine. Your father's changed his mind. We're leaving in three days.' I sat up straight in my bed. 'Oh but really?' I groaned. Rubbing my eyes, I slid out of bed and washed my face in the basin of water Peggotty brought in. The coldness of the clear water made me feel wide awake. I slipped into a fresh dress and took my long fur cloak out with me into the dining hall. Daddy was sitting there fully dressed, and he beamed at me as I sat down opposite him. We bid each other good morning. Peggotty brought out porridge and boiled eggs and apples, setting them down on the table before taking a seat with us. We had been together for so long Daddy hadn't the heart to keep treating her like a servant, so she was allowed to dine with us.

I took an egg and broke the shell, taking a large bite. Daddy was crunching an apple as he looked through a good stack of papers beside him. Peggotty was ladling porridge into three bowls for each of us. 'Why three days, daddy?' I asked him. His eyebrows furrowed as he squinted at the handwriting on one of the papers. 'The earlier the better, sugarplum. There isn't that much paperwork to be done, and there is a family who's offered a very good price for this house.' He looked up and caught sight of my frown. 'I'm sorry, (f/n). You can do whatever you like these few days. I suggest you go over to Mary's house and spend the day with her.' He pulled his porridge over to him and started to scoop spoonfuls into his mouth. I stared down at my half-eaten egg. I didn't feel at all hungry, even when Peggotty's cooking was the best in the world. Still I forced down the egg and my porridge, and when I finished Daddy was already out the door, getting the moving arrangements done.

After saying goodbye to Peggotty, I pulled on my cloak and started down the snow covered trail towards Mary's house. She lived in a cosy cottage a little way away. Coming to a low stile, I brushed the snow off it and sat on it, swinging my legs to the other side swiftly and continuing on. I passed a tiny farm and came to the path leading to Mary's front door. Taking a deep breath, I knocked firmly and was answered a few seconds later by my redheaded friend. 'Oh (f/n)! How good it is to see you,' she grinned. 'Yeah, how're you?' I smiled weakly, stepping into her sitting room which was littered with pouffes and comfy cushions. 'Oh I'm grand, you know last week Lisa brought me this gorgeous pair of boots…' I sat down on a couch and let her words wash over me, waiting until she drew breath to tell her about my leaving. At last she stopped talking about George Waterson asking her to spend the evening with her in the village. 'Are you okay, (f/n)? You don't look as happy,' she said in a slightly worried voice. I thought I might as well get it over with and plunged into my story.

When I'd finished, Mary was staring at me with a bewildered face. '(f/n), you just got here last year. You haven't even finished meeting everyone in the village, and trust me there are lots of interesting people you can find there—' 'Mary, I told you. It's my dad's business. I don't want to leave at all,' I sighed. She gazed at me then nodded her head, ending the conversation. 'Here, hug Yvonne, she'll make you feel better,' Mary said as she handed me her sleepy fluffy ginger cat who curled up in my lap and fell asleep again. We passed the time playing with Mary's dolls, reading books and eating Peggotty's delicious cakes I had brought along. Mary's mother made a spectacular lunch of cold venison and rice and apple cider. By five, it started to get dark. Mary begged for me to stay for dinner, but I promised daddy that I'd be back early. I bid her and Mrs Steerforth goodbye, and sent my best wishes to her father, who was working at the nearby farm and wouldn't be back before night. Yvonne actually woke up and purred at me, rubbing her furry body against my legs. Hoping I would be able to see them one last time before I left, I trudged back up the way I came towards home as snow started to fall.

Peggotty was standing by the door, waiting for me. She ushered me in and made me take a bath with a large basin of water she just boiled. I wiped myself down in the bathroom and came out exceptionally tired. After reading Robinson Crusoe in my bed, I fell asleep with the book in my hands.

Two days passed and I had no time to go visit Mary. Daddy had 'important' visitors and people who came to express how sad that we were going and that they hoped to meet again someday and blah blah blah. I had to sit with him and nod my head and smile and waste my time, when I could've been outside building snowmen or sledding with Mary and her little sisters. On the third and last day, I woke up to see two large wagons stopped outside our house. Men were loading parcels and packages and stuff onto the wagons, which were pulled by two large shaggy palominos. As daddy supervised the workers bringing our belongings out, I went to pat the dear horses and watch them as they pawed the ground impatiently. Peggotty gave me a few apples and carrots to let me feed them. At about three in the afternoon, the wagons set off towards our new home. The new house would be set up with our furniture and ready when we got there.

I was preparing for bed when a knock on the door sounded through the house. I walked out of my room just as Peggotty opened the wooden door. Standing there was Mary and her tall father, both with shocking red hair. She seemed to be trying not to cry as she told me that she wanted to see me before I left. I embraced her as she slipped me a box of the finest sewing materials I'd ever seen. Mr Steerforth wished me a safe journey as he shook my hand firmly. I thanked both of them very much and had a tearful farewell with Mary. I stood by the window and watched as their shadows disappeared into the night.

I was awakened by daddy whispering to me to get up. I tried to force my eyes open since I was still so tired. The yard outside my window was still dark. It might've been about four or five in the morning. 'Good morning, (f/n). Wash your face, and pack up your blankets and belongings in the room.' He hurried out as I sat drowsily in my bed, the desire to curl back up in the sheets tempting me. I got out lazily and started taking my clothes out of the cupboards, folding my blankets and stuffing my pillow in the large box my dad left by the door. I placed Mary's sewing kit in the middle of the package, Making sure I hadn't left anything out, I tied it up securely with the coarse rope I dug out in some corner of my room.

I pushed the heavy box out of the door and stood in the doorway, looking back and taking in a last look of the place I slept in for a mere year. I didn't feel really sentimental, having moved in and out of so many bedrooms in my life. I closed the door and pushed it out into the hall towards the large front door. A wagon larger than yesterday's was parked in front of it and daddy was chatting to the driver while they both hauled the last packages onto the wagon. I gave daddy mine and went to find Peggotty, who was in the kitchen packing sandwiches and other foods for the journey. 'Will the road be long, Peggotty?' I yawned as I helped her tie up the cloths holding eggs. 'Quite, dear. We'll have to stop by an inn or two, it might be for a couple days.' She put the food into a large basket and thrust it into my arms. I stood there as she looked about her little kitchen, before taking a deep breath and hustling me out the door in front of her.

Everything was packed when we reached the wagon. The sleek black workhorse pulling it snorted and stamped in the cold, waiting to set off. Daddy was talking to a few other men from the village who had just come to have a few parting words with him. I walked to the side of the house and looked down at the snow on the ground. It was still very dark, and the snow was illuminated only by the light of the lamps shining at the front door. I bent down and started to make a ball of snow.

When daddy called me, I'd stuck two round pebbles for the snowman's eyes and kissed it on the head. Looking at it sadly for a few moments, I turned and let daddy hoist me up into the wagon where Peggotty was waiting for me. When I got in, I let down the canvas to cover up the large opening of the wagon. Daddy went to the front to sit next to the driver. I picked my way over large parcels and roped boxes until I got to the very inside of the wagon and sat down next to her. Undoing the rope tying my box which was at my feet, I groped about until I had pulled out two thick blankets. I felt very tired as I laid one on the bench under me and lay down on it, putting my head on Peggotty's lap. Covering my body with the other blanket, I closed my eyes and let the rocking of the wagon lull me to sleep.

We travelled for four days and three nights, passing majestic mountains and iced rivers along the way. By day when we were in the wagon, I would crunch an apple, reading my books while Peggotty knitted. She never seemed to poke herself even when the wagon crossed over particularly bumpy roads. At about evening, we would stop by the town we were in, and daddy would lodge us in an inn where we spent the night. He said the journey was taking very long because we were using the main roads that went through civilisation, not the lonely, slightly more dangerous countryside paths.

On the afternoon of the last day of our journey, I was dozing in my seat when daddy called out from the front, 'We're here, girls!' I blundered over to the wagon opening, stumbling from a few large boxes before ripping open the canvas sheet. I stuck my head out and raised my eyebrows at the sight before me. Children were running about in the melted snow, laughing and singing some unknown song before stopping in their tracks to stare at me. Little houses and cosy cottages bobbed into sight as the wagon trundled to where I would soon be staying. Smoke issued from chimneys and I could see people peering out of their windows, staring at our wagon. This must've been the outskirts of the town, I thought. 'I'm going out, Peggotty I'll just walk behind the wagon.' She nodded and kept an eye on me as I jumped out of the slow wagon, walking behind it as I took in the town looming ahead of me. Far away, I could see what was unmistakeably the town square. To the right of the square was a something like a huge, silver snake; a river. My boots crunched in the dirt and slush on the road as I looked to the large wooden sign on my left:

"Welcome to Burgess"

Oh, so this is the place, I thought to myself as the wagon trotted on past more houses before turning into one of the more secluded lanes in the west side of the town. These buildings were much larger than what I had seen a few minutes ago. I followed until it turned into a large gateway. Jogging behind, I gaped as I took in the immense stone house in front of me.

The walls were a warm grey, and there were many windows built into them. The large front door was made of fine smooth wood. I was the first to go in and gape even more widely at the high ceilinged rooms which held all our furniture that was moved here five days ago. I went back outside to help bring in the lighter pieces of luggage and bring them into the house. Finally at about six p.m., we had everything settled and the helpers and wagon left. The larger boxes would be unpacked tomorrow as everyone was so tired. Peggotty insisted I had dinner and head straight off to bed, but I dawdled in front of the large windows, fiddling with the curtains I had just put up. The soft evening rays of sunshine splashed smoothly onto the lawn ahead, and I imagined a beautiful garden in spring, the yard covered with lush green grass and daffodils and roses and all sorts of flowers. I could see the houses on the opposite side of the road.

My eyes caught movement at the side of the window. Looking over, I saw a tall brown-haired boy wearing a battered cloak over a white shirt walking along in front of the house. He held the hand of a little girl wearing a dress who couldn't be over ten years old and resembled the boy strikingly. The two of them were gazing at my house. They seemed very fascinated by it, and I was very fascinated by them too thought they didn't appear to notice me. The little girl raised her hand to point at the house before her brother, I assumed, lowered her hand and said something to her that I couldn't hear. She lowered her head and pinked slightly.

I watched them pass my window when all of a sudden the boy turned his head and looked straight at me over his sister's head, two brown shining eyes gazing into mine. My heart jolted and I forced the curtains close together (almost tearing them down in the process), blocking them from view. Never, I fumed as I stomped to the kitchen, never would I fall for a random boy who passes by the window ever again. Peggotty handed me my dinner and I ate in silence as she went upstairs to get my bed ready, and my heart was still beating fast when I buried myself in the covers and tried to fall asleep.