Corrupted

4

Malachi was on to the second to last page of the third act of Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, when he heard a soft whimper come from further in the room.

He cast a look up to the bed to see Raven's brows drawn together as she curled up into a ball. Though, her eyes were still shut.

Something inside him stirred at the look on her face... expression twisted in fear...

Malachi watched her for a moment, making sure she was alright before he got back to his book. But right as he looked back to the page, she flinched, quicker than a flash, and cried, "No! Who are you? What do you want from me?"

Another nightmare, he thought. Poor, girl.

He couldn't blame her... after what happened to her parents, he'd be concerned if she didn't have any dreams of them what-so-ever...

Her brain was processing the issues... and even though it ruined some people's minds, it was normal...

That's when he dog-eared his page, and put his book down onto the side table next to him.

He then stood up, brushing non-existent wrinkles off his pants in a quick gesture.

After walking softly over to the bed, he settled down on the side next to Raven, and lightly tapped her shoulder.

"Raven..." he sang, attempting to wake her up.

But the tap seemed to have caused her to recoil, and she cried out, shielding her face from whatever monster seemed to lurk in her dreams.

Letting out a soft sigh, Malachi tried to use a more soothing way to get her to wake.

He admitted to himself that the tap was a little too shocking when you're trying to wake someone... especially from a nightmare...

So he tried brushing strands of hair out of her face in a gentle move, tucking them behind her ear.

To his surprise, Raven's expression relaxed for a moment.

He half-expected her to ease just a bit, but she looked calm, collected, and... comforted.

But she still didn't wake from the nightmare.

Malachi stopped calming her due to his bewilderment, and she tensed again, her legs twitching as if she were running, whimpering, "Leave me alone!"

So he decided to try something else.

He slipped his arms under Raven and lifted her, catching a fluffy throw in between his fingers, and carried her over to the armchair.

After settling down, he held her sideways in his lap, draping the blanket over her shoulders so she wasn't cold.

Raven's head seemed to rest against his shoulder automatically, her body easing into his lap as he held her. And he wasn't even stroking her hair or doing anything remotely soothing...

It was as if his warmth alone was calming her fear, and she sank into him like he were a mattress.

Experimenting, Malachi started caressing her hair, gently smoothing down the frizzing waves, and even when she was still asleep, she nuzzled her face into the soft part of his neck, fully relaxed in his arms. And she was dreaming nicely now, no hint of fear in her expression.

Huh... so... he could actually help her without waking her? That was odd... but hey, it worked.

So after Malachi pulled all hair out of her face, he stared down at Raven's relaxed expression, feeling something odd consume him. And he picked up his book again and continued to read the romantic journey of Romeo and Juliet, lightly stroking Raven's hair with his free hand slowly and softly.