A Tale Of Two Halves

Chapter 3

The next few minutes are a total blur as I fade in and out of consciousness. Snippets and glimpses of what is happening whizz by. First, I feel myself being lifted up from the floor and carried away from the bubble of noise which has erupted in the dining room. Next, a smell of clean soap and freshly-washed laundry fills my nostrils: the scent makes me feel cozy, warm, safe and I inhale deeply, trying to lock the smell into my nose. Although I originally have no idea where the smell is coming from, the next glimpse I get is of Hardin's face close to mine. He's breathing heavily and I realise he is carrying me. Next, a surge of cold spreads across my back and my eyelids flutter open at the feeling. Above me, I see the sterile white ceiling of the kitchen, and I realise I have been placed on one of the metal slabs that we chop the food on. A bustle of noise erupts around me but the only voice that I hear is Hardin's. "Help! Please help! She's hurt!" he shouts with desperation in his voice.
"Grab Mama!" a voice replies. "She's working in the gardens! Quickly!" I hear movement close to me and then the sound of the doors swinging closed.
"Tessa, can you hear me?" the voice asks. I try to reply but my head feels so heavy and I can't make my voice work. My eyes can't focus on the ceiling or make out the faces that are peering over me.
"Get a wet cloth," the voice instructs. Seconds later, a cold material is pressed to my forehead and the pain sears sharply again, causing me to black out once more.

"Tessa? Open your eyes, sweetie," a familiar voice rings through my ears. I frown at how loud the voice sounds and groan as pain coarses through my head. Fucking hell that hurt. I pull my eyes open and am instantly blinded by the strip of lights that are embedded in the ceiling. Christ are they normally so ridiculously bright? I try to lift my head from the table, and a pair of hands grab each of my arms, helping to ease me up until I am sitting upright on the kitchen slab.
"Careful, sweetie. You've taken quite a bump there," Mama says, her voice not sounding so loud anymore. I blink a few times, trying to stop the room from spinning around me. I reach my hand up to my forehead and feel a thin line of stitches covering the area that hit the table. 'Eugh, I'm so glad I wasn't awake for that,' I think to myself. The room begins to settle and I can finally make out the face in front of me. Mama is standing directly in front of me, holding out her hands like I am going to topple forwards onto her at any moment. Two Poors are still gripping my arms, but before I can make out who they are, my eyes settle on the figure standing to the side of Mama.
"Hardin," I breathe and his eyes lift to meet mine.
"We'll leave you two to talk," Mama says with a small smile on her face. She turns to Hardin, puts a hand on his shoulder and whispers, "Thank you," close to his ear.

"How're you feeling?" he asks, walking closer to me. He seems to not really know where to put his hands, and so he settles on resting them on the counter top next to me.
"Fricking awful," I say, the pain in my head erasing the fact that I am talking to a Rich.
He laughs slightly and then frowns. "I'm so sorry Tessa. This was completely my fault." Well I didn't expect that. How can he think this was his fault? From what I can piece together, he saved me!
"Are you kidding? You saved me! Seriously, I thought I was a goner before you stepped in," I say, shuddering as I realise how badly me pushing Jared away could have gone.
"Yeah, who the hell is that guy? He's a complete twat! He's lucky he's still walking," Hardin says, and I can see anger taking over his handsome features.
It's my turn to laugh. "You can say that again," I answer, wincing as my giggle causes my head to sting.
"Do you need me to get you anything?" he says, noticing my pain.
"No thank you, I'm ok. I just don't know how to thank you," I reply, feeling suddenly embarrassed and shy.
"Well, you could let me walk you home tonight when you finish?" he says, avoiding my gaze.
He wants to walk me home? Weird. I think this must be the first time in the history of the creation of the zones that those words have come out of a Rich's mouth to a Poor.
My stomach stirs strangely and I find myself wanting to say yes. Even weirder. I think this must be the first time a Poor has ever wanted to spend time with a Rich. Am I dreaming? Maybe I'm dead? How bad was that bump to the head?!
"You can say no if you want to, I just thou-," he starts.
"Oh god no, sorry, it's not that!" I rush, the rules flooding back into my head. 'Do as a Rich tells you without question'. "I've been booked to tidy Jared's house tonight. I imagine it'll be a late one," I say, feeling sick at having to see him so soon.
"Booked? What is this place?" he replies, frowning and shaking his head. Who is this guy? I assumed he'd come from a different zone but how could he not know what I was talking about?
I am about to respond when he says, "Well you aren't going anywhere near that idiot. I told him to leave you the fuck alone and if he doesn't-" He pauses, and I notice his hands are balled up into fists on the counter top.
I don't know how to respond to that, the confusion of this conversation mixing with my already pounding head is making me feel nauseous.

"Tessa? How you doing?" Mama's voice pulls me back to the room, and I suddenly realise I am sat on a food counter when I should be outside serving, after having pushed a Rich, with stitches in my head and having a very civil but highly confusing conversation with another Rich. My head spins just thinking about the ridiculousness of the situation I currently find myself in. What a day.

I suddenly feel exhausted, and groan at the fact that I still have hours of my shift left. "You look like you need a rest hun," Mama says, putting her hand on my cheek. I lean into her familiar warmth and sigh.
"I should get back to work," I say, preparing to move from the countertop.
"I don't think so young lady," Mama says with a frown. "You're going straight home to bed. We've covered the rest of your shift for the day and arranged for someone to clean Jared's house tonight."
"What? No, I'm fine! I just need-,"
Mama holds up a hand and I know her decision was final. I sigh.
"Thank you," I say, hopping down from the counter to give her a hug.
"Maybe this young man would assist you in getting home? You look pale and I don't want you passing out in the street," Mama says, giving my arm a playful nudge.
Hardin seems to jump back to life at the mention of him walking me home. "Of course!" he says. "I'll make sure she gets home safe."
"Make sure you do," Mama says, and I marvel at the fact that she never seems to be scared of the Rich and their rules.
Hardin laughs slightly and opens the door, stepping to one side to let me past.

Stepping into the open air, I take a deep breath and try to make sense of the events of the last few hours. I close my eyes and lift my face up towards the afternoon sun, appreciating its warmth as it covers my face. When I open my eyes again, I notice that Hardin is looking at me. He smiles as our eyes lock.
"So, which way is home?" he questions.
"This way," I reply, pointing behind him. "It's not far." We begin walking in a silence that feels strangely comfortable. After a moment or two, Hardin takes a deep breath and starts to speak.
"Tessa, I just wanted to say that I-,"

"Tess!" a voice calls from behind us. I spin around to see Elsie sprinting towards us, worry evident on her face. She practically knocks me over as she envelops me into a huge hug. "I was so worried about you!" She runs her hands over my face and I laugh at her over the top assessment of me.
Suddenly, she steps back and playfully slaps me on the arm. "You idiot! What have I told you about watching your attitude around Jared! You're lucky you aren't dead!" she hugs me again and then pulls back, gripping onto my arms with her tiny hands. "But also, I'm so proud of you, you bloody badass!" she beams, seeming to struggle with what emotions she actually feels towards me right now. "I wish I'd been there to see you stand up to him! I bet his face was a picture!"

I'd all but forgotten that Hardin is even standing next to us when he says, "It was pretty amazing." I turn to look at him and see a proud kind of smile covering his face.
"I bet it was! It's all everyone is talking about!" Elsie gushes, enthusiastically throwing her arms in the air.
"Oh God, really?" I cringe, dreading the aftermath from both the Rich and the Poor that my lapse in judgement would create.
"Totally! Tell me everything! Right from the very start," Elsie takes me by the arm and begins walking in the direction of our house.
I look over my shoulder to see Hardin standing where we had been talking. He smiles, shakes his head gently, gives me a small wave, and starts walking in the opposite direction.