Ok. Here's chapter 3. I know I've uploaded pretty soon after chapter 2 but as my access to a computer is limited I wanted to get as much done as I could. Hope you like it
The Ties That Bind.
Chapter 3.
Max stood momentarily stunned. Upon attempting to stand the young girl he'd found had collapsed and instinctively he's reached out to catch her. Her head was now leaning heavily against Max's chest, his arms supporting her body. He looked down at the top of her head and carefully shifted the girl sideways, scooping one arm under her legs in order to lift her bridal style. Now that she was fully supported in his arms he didn't really know what to do next. He looked around but the area was still unhelpfully empty. The young girl appeared completely out of it now so without any other ideas Max continued to walk home. He felt extremely uncomfortable walking along the river with an unconscious girl in his arms and kept looking around him nervously. He was immensely glad when his Dad's shop came into view so that he could get out of view of the public. He was even more glad when it occurred to him that he wouldn't even have to walk via the main road as he could just go through the gate that backed onto the park and in the back door. He reached the gate and with some difficulty lifted the handle, mentally crossing his fingers that it was unlocked. He breathed a sigh of relief when the gate swung open soundlessly. Max quickly crossed the garden and let himself in the back door. The house appeared to be empty. He presumed his Dad had gone out which was fortunate as he didn't fancy explaining his present situation.
Again, Max paused and questioned his own actions. He'd been walking home, found an injured stranger and brought them back to his home. He looked down at the girl and decided he couldn't have done anything else. He couldn't have left her there to fend for herself. There hadn't been anyone there to help her other than himself, and taking her to a hospital had seemed the wrong thing to do without her permission as, given the state of her attire, she appeared to be homeless. Max walked into the living room and gently set the girl down on the sofa, ensuring that there was a cushion under her head. He then headed into the kitchen to grab the first aid kit, a bowl of clean water and towel.
Returning to the living room he switched on the lamp next to the sofa and directed the light towards the girl's head. He knelt on the floor next to her and lightly brushed her hair away from her face. She appeared to be in a deep sleep. Her eyes were closed, her chest rising and falling in a soft rhythm. There wasn't much to her beneath the shabby clothes she was wearing. Max wondered how long she'd been on the streets. He looked once more at her face and attempted to work out her age. It was probably around the same as his own; 15-16 years old. The wound on her head looked even more stark against her grubby skin as Max reached into the bowl of water he'd brought him. He carefully dabbed around the wound, cleaning away the dried blood and muck around it. As he touched on the wound itself it began to seep fresh blood and the girl's forehead creased into a frown. Max pulled his hand away quickly as she stirred, waiting nervously. However, her eyes remained closed and she soon settled again. Max resumed cleaning of the wound. He soon found that it wasn't as serious as it looked and ended up cleaning the whole of the girl's face at the same time. Max looked at her, realising that this was the closest he had ever been to a girl, and then feeling a little sad that she was unconscious. He sighed and opened the first aid kit. After holding a few dressings against the wound, he selected one that was the right size and peeled off the backing. He gently pressed the dressing down onto the injury and sat back to admire his handy work. He didn't quite know what to do now. He'd brought home a strange girl and given first aid. He didn't even know her name. Getting to his feet he retrieved a blanket from the back of the sofa and laid it across his patient. As he did so she stirred rolling slightly onto her side and as she did he noticed a necklace fall from under her top. Curious, he ducked down and studied the jewellery. It appeared to be a locket on a silver change. It was quite plain in design, having only the image of a simple circle engraved on it. He moved as if to open it and then thought better of it. It felt like it would be an invasion of privacy. He pulled his hand back and instead moved backwards to sit on the armchair next to the sofa. He would sit and wait for her to awaken, not that he would know what to do at that point, but it felt like the next logical step. Max soon dozed off exhausted by the emotional evening.
Some hours later Maya began to stir. She could feel a weight on top of her and forced her eyes to open sleepily. Peering around she realised that the weight was a blanket and that she was indoors on a sofa. It was strange to wake up on such a comfortable surface. Her head still throbbed painfully and she reached up to touch it. She was surprised to find it covered and looked down to see the now filthy bowl of water on the floor next to the sofa and the towel sitting on its edge. With some reluctance, she heaved herself up into as sitting position, ignoring the wave of pain that coursed through her temple. As she absently rubbed her forehead she suddenly realised that she was not alone. Across from her, in the armchair, sat a young blonde boy. He was fast asleep, his head lolling lazily against the back of the chair, one hand resting on his chest. Maya froze, unsure of how to proceed. This boy had clearly helped her but why? He was a stranger. Most strangers she met gave her a wide berth or teased her. They threw disgusted looks her way or chased her away. This one had brought her to what Maya assumed was his home, treated her wounds and then covered her up while she recovered. She decided that she couldn't deal with the strangeness of this situation and quietly pushed back the blanket putting her feet to the floor, all the while never taking her eyes from the young boy. As she straightened up a surge of dizziness made her wobble and grasp the back of the sofa to steady herself. Maya held her breath as the boy shifted in his sleep. After what seemed like, an eternity he stopped moving and she let go of the sofa. Maya tiptoed out of the room into the kitchen, but as she headed towards the door spotted a bowl of fruit on the side. Her stomach rumbled hungrily remembering the sandwich she had not been allowed to eat, and changed course heading for the bowl. Grabbing a banana and unable to wait until she had left the building hurriedly peeled back the skin and wolfed down the soft fruit. The freshness of the sweet banana tasted unimaginably good. It was the first thing she'd eaten that wasn't somebody else's leftovers in years and it tasted so good. The fruit was soon gone and Maya greedily eyed the rest of the bowl. It took mere seconds for her to decide to grab another piece and was soon chomping down on an apple. It was only as she reached for another banana that she realised she was being watched. Stood in the doorway behind her was Max.
"It's ok. Take as much as you want."
Maya remained frozen to the spot, banana in hand.
"I'm Max. What's your name?"
Still Maya remained rooted and silent. Her gaze flicked to the door that led out of the house and then back to Max. Seeing this, Max attempted to pacify her fears.
"I won't hurt you. I just want to help." He took a step backwards, his hand in front him meaning to make himself less threatening. However, the movement only sparked a reaction from Maya and she darted quickly towards the door, wrenching it open and racing away into the night. Max followed her outside but could not see Maya anywhere. It was now the middle of the night and back here there was no street lamps to light the area. He sighed and headed back inside, comforted by the knowledge that the girl at least now had rested and eaten something, but worried all the same for what might happen now. He sleepily walked over to the staircase and made for his bedroom wondering all the while who the strange girl was and whether their paths would ever cross again…
Hope you enjoyed. Please leave me some feedback. It's always good to know people are enjoying what I write and whether it's worth continuing. Thanks in advance Mamph