Allure

Chapter Ten

The sky had darkened over in what looked like the start of a summer storm. How fitting, I thought to myself, teeth gritted, as spits of rain hit me on the back. I picked up my pace as I headed back to the youth hostel. From behind me I heard a shout,

"Gen, wait up!" I ignored him. "Geneviève!" I flipped my head around, stopping in my tracks. His jogging slowed to a stop. "Just..." He trailed off, unable to find whatever words he was looking for. I shook my head slowly. If he had nothing to say to me then I had nothing to say to him. I turned back around, walking quickly. He could catch up to me, if he wanted to. But somehow I just knew that he wouldn't. "Please." I heard him say. I swallowed and kept walking.

A few minutes later I was back at the hostel. I poured myself a glass of water in the kitchen and sat down, physically shaking.

"You alright, love?" Charles peered down at me. He must have seen me storm back into the building, rage written across my face.

"I'm honestly not too sure." I said as I raised my glass to my lips, hands trembling. Charles pulled a seat over and sat down across from me.

"Is there a problem with your new job?" He asked me. He, like Austin, mustn't have at first realised that I actually was working for Nan, instead of her just finding me a job. I suppose she didn't normally offer jobs to random backpackers in need of some cash. I felt a twinge in my stomach.

"No, not exactly." My tongue felt like it was tied up in knots. "It's just..." I drank another sip of water. "Do you know Nan's grandson, Austin?" For some stupid reason my cheeks flared up a bit when I said his name. Fortunately Charles didn't seem to notice.

"Yeah, I've seen him around a bit. Good kid." He said, nodding slowly.

"What's..." I ventured a question, "what's wrong with him?" Charles looked at me sharply.

"Wrong with him?" He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by wrong?" I chewed on my lip for a moment as I thought.

"It's kind of hard to explain." I put the glass down before it slipped through my sweaty palms.

"Give it a go anyway." Charles crossed his arms, waiting for my explanation.

How could I explain it? I think, overall, I was just weirded out by him and his reactions to things. I started to mentally tally up all the strange things that had happened over the last few days and I was a little shocked at how long that list had gotten without me really realising it.

It all started at the market, when those three guys in black walked past and everybody stopped what they were doing. The only person I saw dare to look at them was Nan. And then when I saw Austin for the first time, it was like I'd fallen into a bottomless pit that lay just beyond his green blue-rimmed eyes.

Then there'd been Nan's notice about that job. For starters, who advertised jobs like that, through an old lady? And then there was Nan's house itself, while it was beautiful, it was definitely weird. And the job she got me to do was even weirder. Sorting stones and bathing them in a river? What the heck kind of job was that.

Those guys at the river had freaked me out too. They were obviously a part of the same club or something as the guys from the market, and they seemed like they were in control around here. Maybe this was all some gang war or something?

Would that make Austin a part of some rival gang? I mean, he seemed to understand whatever that guy at the river was saying. When that ugly scar-faced guy said, 'she's not one of them', perhaps that could mean that I wasn't a part of the gang. But how could he possibly know that just by stepping closer to me? And why would me being on the outside of their little rivalry stop him from doing whatever he had been planning to do. Because that determined way he had been walking, with that disgusting sneer on his face, screamed that he was just dying to cause trouble.

I wanted answers and I was sure Austin could give me those answers.

I opened my mouth and then shut it again. How on earth could I say all of that in a way that wouldn't make Charles think I was utterly, utterly, mad? I didn't even know how to say all of that in English, let alone in a sane manner.

"It's complicated." I muttered, looking down. Short, simple, and relatively sane. I just hoped Charles wouldn't ask any more questions. But of course he did.

"What kind of complicated?" He pressured me.

"I'm-not-really-sure kind of complicated." I looked up at him, hoping he would take the hint. Instead, he waited for me to continue.

"It's just...." I bit my tongue. "I don't understand the way he's acting. And he won't tell me why. Kind of. That's pretty much it. Not really." Charles raised an eyebrow again. Yep, he was definitely questioning my sanity. He shook his head slowly.

"Alright then little miss mystery. I don't understand the way you're acting, but I promise you that I won't kick up a fuss." He grinned. "So don't be too hard on the poor bloke. It seems that girls have just as much trouble understanding us guys as we do understanding you." I grimaced. Merde. This is not good, I thought to myself. Now Charles seemed to have gotten into his head that I liked Austin.

"No, no, no..." I started to protest but he just winked at me and stood up from his chair, walking away whistling.

I groaned and slumped my head into my arms. Charles couldn't have gotten it more wrong. I didn't like him. Not at all. In fact, I hated him. Yes, I hated him. Completely. Totally. Without any doubt at all...