Bellman Tower

Chapter 4

By the end of the tedious and torturous school day, I couldn't be more happier to see Aunt and Uncle waiting for me by the security walls. I jump out of the car, slamming the door shut with a resounding bang, shrieking like a wild banshee, "No school ever again!!"

"Why, what happened?" Uncle asks, following me into the house.

I peel off my jacket and sit down, folding my arms huffily all in one fluid movement. "The amount of staring and the amount of whispering... Is it not considered rude in this... godforsaken village or town or whatever you call it?"

"They're curious about you." Aunt shrugs nonchalantly, gazing down at me, "You can't stop going to school because of a few measly students!"

"It wasn't a few measly students, Aunt, it was the whole of the school population, save Shaun. Aunt, how can you expect me to learn under those conditions?" I ask, frowning.

"What conditions, Nikki?" Aunt laughs, "It's just people staring and saying things. No harm done!"

"Saying things. Exactly." I try to keep calm, "Just like you said things in the morning. What harm can they do?"

"Look, Nikki, you know I never-"

"No, I don't know! You're sick, you know that? They were your brother and sister-in-law, for heavens' sake, Aunt!"

Aunt starts forward, but I snap, "Just leave me alone!"

I turn and run from the house, sprinting down the slope into the village. I walk among the crowds of people, enjoying the loneness. Then, "Nikki! Nikki!"

I look back to see Shaun weaving through the throbbing crowd toward me. "Hey." He's panting for breath, "Why did you run away from there like that, Nikki? What happened to you back there?"

"Like you didn't see, Shaun. I should never have come here. It was all a mistake. I need to go back." I turn into a side alley, suddenly wanting to be away from the suffocating rabble. I lean against a wall, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"No. Why do you think that? Because your Aunt and you had an argument? It's natural, Nikki, it happens! You can't just run away from it."

"I'm not running away from anything!" I retort angrily, "You can't tell me what I can and can't do!"

"I'm not trying to!" Shaun frowns, "I'm just-Can't you see, Nikki? What you're doing is hurting her!"

I look at him in utter disbelief, "Yeah, and what she said doesn't hurt me at all? She's the victim and I'm the criminal, is that what you're trying to say? Go ahead and say it, Shaun, don't hold back!"

"I'm not trying to say that at all, Nikki!" Shaun defends himself, "You're just twisting my words!"

"Again, you're saying I'm the bad one. You really know how to warm my heart, Shaun. Leave me alone!" I try to move out of the alley but Shaun grabs my wrist. "Hey! Get off! You can't touch me, you freak."

"Listen to me, Nikki. None of this is your fault, but it's not your Aunt's fault, either." Shaun says calmly, "Calm down, Nikki."

I wrench my wrist free, "I was calm... until you grabbed my wrist like that."

Shaun runs a hand through his hair, "Okay, fine, I'm sorry. I just don't understand you. You're... complicated."

"To say the least." I mutter.

To my suprise, Shaun actually laughs - a booming sound - and then repeats, "Yeah. To say the least.

Later that night

I creak open the door, looking cautiously behind me before shutting it. "I thought you were not going to come."

I turn and smile at Trevor, "Why wouldn't I come? I don't break my promises, especially not ones made to my friends."

Trevor smiles, showing his embedded dimples, "Thank you. Most people would have left me by now. You're different and I like you for that."

"More like complicated." I mumble, looking down at my nails, noticing how they're in dire need of a manicure.

"Complicated? Why do you say that? Who said that to you?"

I sigh and bite my lip, "No one says it to me. I can see it in their eyes when they talk to me."

"What do you see in my eyes when I talk to you?" Trevor asks. Well, that was unexpected.

I look at him studiously, "Nothing. But, see, you're not like other people. You don't treat me like I'm weird... or complicated. You treat me like... like I'm a real person."

"You are a real person."

"I wish I could be as confident as you on that one." I say, smiling bitterly.

Trevor regards me silently, his watery blue eyes filled with stark raw emotion. "Tell me what happened." He suggests, "It might make you feel better about it."

I sigh and then spill the beans. I tell him everything. The Accident, coming here to live with Aunt and Uncle, annoying Shaun and finally.... what Aunt had said to me in the morning.

When I finish, Trevor looks subdued, "You have been through a lot." I shrug. "Now you act tough so people do not know how you really feel. You should not do that. Even if nobody else cares for you, I think I will always care for you. You are my first friend."

My heart squeezes, something lodges in my throat, "Thank you, Trevor. You're a good friend to me. The only one I have."

"You deserve more. You think Shaun is annoying? I think he will be a good friend to you, a little like me. I do not know him, but it seems as if he really cares for you." Trevor nods once, looking more mature than he actually is.

"You know, you talk as if you're seventy years old."

"Whatever do you mean?" Trevor asks.

I laugh, shaking my head, unable to stop myself, "That's what I mean. You say 'I cannot' and 'I should not' and 'Whatever do you mean'! No one says that anymore!"

"I was brought up to sound my speech in that manner. Is there something wrong with my speech?" Trevor asks me.

I shake my head, "No, Trevor. It's just unusual, is all. Personally, I love the way you talk."

"Unusual? My speech is not unusual. Everybody speaks like this. Why do you not speak like this?"

"Because I love in the twenty-first century, Trevor!" I joke, laughing. I look back to see Trevor staring at me studiously as if trying to figure out what I meant. "Trevor, I was joking. I was teasing you."

"Teasing me? I guess that is alright, then." Trevor smiles, "I like it when you smile. You are happy when you smile."

I nod slightly at him, "That's the point. You can't smile when you're sad, it goes against the rules."

Trevor smiles, "I think we have talked enough for one night. You look very... sleep deprived."

"Do I?" I frown, "Well, if you say so. I'll come by tomorrow, Trevor."

"Thank you. Will you do a painting of the house? I want to see what it looks like now. I have not seen the outside for plenty of time."

"Er... sure, why not?"