Chapter 7

Four

I want to hide the truth,

I want to shelter you.

The second story of Four's apartment was where he found Amanda a place to rest, while he called his friends and told them he had gone home sick. It was a lot easier lying to them through the phone then face to face because Christina was most likely a human lie detector. It all made sense her parents both worked in the police force working in the lie detector side of it, so she had grown up not being able to lie.

Amanda's body was limp against the smooth surface of his newly bought sofa. He actually debated if he should call someone to help but later thought better of it. She would most likely not talk to someone she didn't even know. She didn't really know him, either, although he wanted to know him inside out. Why? Four couldn't explain exactly why he wanted to pour his life out to her. She drawled him in while she kicked everyone out, while she pushed them away. He wanted to hold her, comfort her, protect her and keep her as safe as he possibly could. Four hated the fact she could do that to him without even having talked to each other.

"Fuck." Four mumbled as he stepped on something lying on the hard wood floors. Slowly, he bent don't and picked the small object up, turning it around in his large hands. Four scrunched up his eyebrows, why would there be a necklace on the floor? Then he realized that it was most likely Amanda's. It was beautiful, a simple silver chain held a simple locket as big as the tip of his middle finger.

Should Four open it? The curiosity of who or what was on the inside of the locket. He carefully runs his finger along the smooth surface, only to find it was smooth. He ran his finger along the back of it again whilst he turned it around. Along the front of the locket was three birds in flight. The birds outlined in gold, filled in with black. It was absolutely gorgeous, no other words could describe it or her.

"GO AWAY! PLEASE! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! Please…. Please." Amanda yells, who would she be telling to go away?

"Mum? Dad? MUM!? DAD!? Please….. please don't leave me. I need you… don't go. Please, please." Four stood up, and sat beside her on the small sofa and reached a hand to her cheeks. Wiping her tears and hugging her close he let her cry in to his muscular chest, for a second she stiffened but eventually hugged him back. It felt amazing, she is amazing.

He wondered what was going through her mind at the moment. Why would Amanda be hugging a complete stranger, hell why would he be hugging a complete stranger? For some reason it felt familiar, so comforting and he loved it. Urgh! He couldn't get this girl out of his head! It was annoying, frustrating but he for an unknown reason he adored it, like it was a drug.

"Four?" Said the smallest voice he had ever heard. It shocked him to the core, she was vulnerable and he couldn't stand it. He wanted to kill Peter for treating her this way.

"Yes, Amanda?" he said in the softest voice he could muster, although he knew she didn't want his pity.

"Don't you want to know why Peter lashed out at me?" Her question struck him as weird. Why would she ask him that? Shouldn't she know that she shouldn't have to tell him?

"Only if you want to but if you do start from the start, the very start." He told her, wishing she agreed to tell him. His wish came true when she took a deep breath and started from the begging.

"I was born December 11th 1993, I have an older brother named Caleb who is born on February 14th 1992. My parents were young when they has us, my mum was 18 and my dad was 19, so growing up it was hard and we never had much or got much, they were very much in to putting other people before themselves and taught us the same.

"My brother and I were as close as could be, in elementary school he was one of my only friends, I only had four. We hung out all through to middle school and then they slowly disappeared. Two of them were brother and sister moved away to Greece, the other one abounded me with my brother. It bothered me to no end, was he too good for me? But no, I later found out that he had been asked to attend a boarding school across the country, and he was just slowly letting me go." She took a deep breath as if it was painful to talk about.

"High school was the years that changed me, I was smaller than most girls and shyer. I was called many things by boys and girls, hell the whole school population thought they were better than me. I didn't know anyone and no one made an effort to be my friend. In till half way through the year, a boy named Albert, although he prefers to be called Al, came to our school. He was sweet and we became friends easily because he was made fun of for his size. He stuck by my side talked me through the times I wanted to end my life, he was the only person outside my family that cared for me." She choked on her words and tears came down her cheeks, Four wanted to tell her she didn't need to tell him about her passed but she dried her eyes and carried on.

"Senior year came around and Al became friends with the popular kids, heck he even got a girlfriend but left me to suffer on my own, that wa-was the first time I-I-I tried to commit suicide. It was the day before my birthday, that wasn't the worst part. My parents and I went shopping for my birthday, after I was cleared by the hospital as fit to leave. We went to a lot of places and they bought me a few things, nothing special. In till we got to a jewelry store, my parents bought me a locket, it is gorgeous." She sighed debating about something, he could see it in her face.

"Anyways that was off topic, they died that day." She stifled a sob and continued. "I had been living on my own when I met Peter, he brought me in and cared for me but I don't want to bore you with the details." She finished a guilty look in her gorgeous eyes.

"Soo, he hasn't ever lashed out at you before?" Four asked, uncertain of himself.

"No, no he never has."

Hey guys,

so this was a much needed update.

I want to tell you guys that I am thankful for all of your lovely reviews. In case your wondering I didn't do to good at my swim meet, I only got to best times but that's okay.

Umm, I was going to tell you something else.

oh yah! I didn't update sooner because I'm very supportive of my summer pool and we had a wter polo game yesterday, so I did that instead. sorry.

Question of the day: Any ideas on what I should call you? it has to be original.

Answer of the day: No idea that why I'm asking you.

~J