The Patron Saint of Monsters

Chapter Four Part Four

Oleander rubbed the bruise on her arm again, she derived a sick, masochistic pleasure from it. Being able to control the amount of pain that was inflicted on her caused a warmth to spread through her bones that reminded her of watching scary movies, feeling something manufactured and having power over the power it had over you was comforting to the girl especially now that she felt almost completely out of control.

“Sorry about that.” Trent said nodding to her arm.

“Then why did you do it?” She asked.

“I didn’t?” He said with an ending inflection and a furrowed brow.

“Are you asking me or telling me?” She asked with an attitude.

Trent’s deep brown eyes turned serious as they locked into her gaze, Oleander swallowed deeply trying to steady herself from being fully enveloped by his stare. “I’m telling you,” he stated intensely, “I would never do anything to hurt you. I could never hurt you, there isn’t anything worse than hurting someone you care about.”

Oleander nodded her agreement, “Nothing hurts worse than being hurt by someone you care about.”

Trent was filled with a core- burning self hatred by her words, he knew that he had hurt her before and he would do anything to ensure that he never did again, to make sure that noone ever hurt Oleander again.

“If you didn’t do it then why are you sorry?” She questioned.

“I didn’t bruise you but it’s my fault that you’re bruised.” He explained, “I didn’t stop you from sleepwalking last night and you banged your arm while I was reading.”

“You’re why I don’t sleepwalk anymore?’ She asked with a wince that she didn’t understand.

“Yeah,” He said blushing and running his hand nervously through his hair, “I um, I hold you while you sleep.”

“That’s unbelievably creepy.” She said.

“Yeah well it works.” He said pursing his lips into a pout of that was anything but apologetic.

“What were you reading?’ She asked.

“Hitchhiker’s guide.” He answered.

“Oh I just read that!” She responded excitedly.

“I know it was your copy, I always read everything you read.” He confessed.

“Why?” She asked perplexed.

“How could I not? I crave to know what makes you cry and laugh. Nothing makes you feel things as purely as books do. I couldn’t talk to you anymore, your reading choices were the only thing I had to be close to you.”  Trent answered.

Oleander did not know what to do with herself, his response had made her uncomfortable. Well actually she loved the passionate sincerity she heard in his beautiful words, she was made uncomfortable by her response to his response. She had an almost unbearable urge to leaned forward and kiss Trent. Trent had a darkness to him, it wasn’t malevolently black like she had previously thought, it was a sad brown with streaks of angry crimson. She felt as though it greatly complement her own shades of darkness. She was drawn to his darkness, his intensity balanced by the aridity of his inner negative hues. She shook her head in an attempt to physically send her inner thoughts away, she was once again over romanticizing things she told herself, she was probably just working through some Prince Charming childhood fantasy.

“Can you read minds?” She asked with a blanche.

“Probably,” He shrugged, “I never tried.”

“Why not?” she questioned, doubting him.

“Because I know you’re probably think about things that I don’t want to know you think about.” He answered. She nodded and assumed that he meant sex because he was also going to see her as the child he needed to protect, she took it as is unintentional rejection of her as a sexual being. She didn’t realize that he meant sex with boys other than him, boys like Ian.

“I guess I’m going to have to get used to random bruises again.” She muttered.

“Why?” He asked.

“Well it would be weird for you to hold me while I sleep now that you're not invisible.” She said.

“I could be invisible at night if you’d prefer it.” He offered.

“I’d rather you didn’t.” She replied.

“Then I won’t.” He conceded, “I’d rather you not injure yourself at night, so.” his sentence drifted off.

“Fine, you can sleep in my bed I don’t care but when my parents get back stay hidden from them.” She declared, “and don’t cop any feels.”

Trent was a tad insulted by Oleander’s obvious lack of faith in him, “ I didn’t fondle you when you couldn’t see me, why would I start now?” He responded.

Oleander looked away and tried to ignore the thought she had about Trent groping her now.