THE UNTOUCHABLE [COMPLETED]

CHAPTER 10: TO SEE YOU AGAIN

Charlotte sat up for some time on her bed. Deep breaths hurt her lungs, so she took more shallow breaths that made her look like she was panting.

After she felt a bit more acquainted to her condition and the room she was in, she got down from the bed.

The stone floor was cold and hard, the rough uneven surface of the stone tiles poked her bare feet, and she walked to the table, grabbing her slingbag and emptying its content on the table. Her eyes focused on four things only: Her red clown nose, a bag of honey roasted peanuts, her clown-for-hire business cards with her photo in full clown get-up, and her wallet in which she found her university ID card, the one that showed her as a Ph.D student. She lowered herself on the only chair there, and began to look at those precious things for her at the moment.

She did not want to forget: She had been a grad student at the university, she had earned her Ph.D, she worked a lot with young children, and she was a clown-for-hire for kids birthday party. The honey roasted peanuts was Dad's favourite, and hers. The red clown nose was Mom's present for her, she had carried it everywhere in her slingbag as a way to remember Mom.

I do not want to be a demon, demon like Nerra. No! I had a decent life. I do not want to be a sacrifice to the demon.

She kept shaking her head as if that could help in turning her fate around.

A couple knocks at the door startled her.

She rushed to put her stuff back into the slingbag, froze for a few seconds, and,"Come in."

The heavy oak door opened, and Arran stepped into the room, followed by a middle-aged woman who brought a tray of bread and some drink in a wood cup.

Charlotte's breath stopped in her throat when she saw Arran. The towering guard of the castle stood, and Charlotte could have sworn that he was sheepish.

His gaze darted from her to the floor and lingered there.

The middle-aged woman set the tray with food in front of Charlotte, and Charlotte mustered a thank you before the woman left the room without any word.

Just Arran and her in the room now, and the room seemed to have contracted, cutting the distance between her and him.

Charlotte realized one thing and she rushed to cross her arms in front of her chest: Her sleep gown's fabric was so thin and almost see-through and she just felt naked now in front of Arran. Her legs trembled and she struggled to stand without looking like she was going to fall on her face.

Arran knew what she was trying to do and he kept his gaze slightly aside as he spoke,"Lady Charlotte, our leader Sylve said that you ... you were looking for me."

"Yes ... yes," Charlotte nodded, uncertain what she should say next. She went quiet. "Lady Charlotte?" after a quiet moment that went a bit too long, Arran spoke again.

Charlotte nodded, lifted up her chin to give her a bit more strength. "Arran, I-I just want to say ... thank you." Her arms still crossed in front of her chest, and her knees grew more and more like jelly.

Arran was surprised by what she had just uttered, he lifted his gaze from the floor to Charlotte in a slow, unsure movement like he was trying to decide if it was alright to stare back at her.

His blue eyes managed to shatter Charlotte's composure.

The blue eyes were like an ocean in which Charlotte was thrown into, and she let herself drown in deep, gentle, and warm water that caressed her body in tender massage. All words had escaped her mind, though it was Arran's black facial tattoo that made her shudder. That tattoo seemed menacing, at least for her.