The Runaway

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 

I headed back to my room and flopped onto the bed. I stared up at the lightbulb in the centre of the ceiling. It was encased in a dusky pink lamshade, filling the room with a warm light. I felt myself begin to doze of; it had been a long day after all.

  My sleep addled brain wondered whether Adam was going to make another appearance tonight. As soon as these thoughts had entered my mind, someone cleared their throat. 

   I bolted upwards, fearing it was some intruder. But it was Adam, sat perched on my desk chair again.

I flopped back down on the bed, breathing a sigh of relief. I was wide awake again now.

  “Christ. Don’t do that. You scared the life out of me," I furiously whispered, conscious of alerting anyone in the house to Adam's presence.

   “Sorry,” he whispered back. His voice containing a hint of humour. 

   “How did you get in here anyway; the window's locked?”

    “I’m an Angel stupid. I can appear and disappear as much as I want. A window or wall isn’t a barrier to someone like me.”

  I sat up again and crossed my legs beneath me.

  “You Angels really are something aren’t you?”

  Adam shrugged and looked around the room, his eyes narrowing at the Paramore posters on the wall. They'd been given to me by Amy, when she'd heard how much I liked the band. 

   “I’ve been around for so long, but I still can’t get my head around how much everything has changed. Take music for example, it used to be so simple and beautiful but now its all about ear splitting beats and racy lyrics. I miss the 1800’s.”

   I snorted, earning me a sour look from Adam. “You sound like such an old man right now. It really doesn’t match the appearance you know.”

  Adam raised an eyebrow. “What? Would you prefer I looked like an old man?”

   I smirked, remembering my earlier jibe. “No. Can't say I would. Its just I keep forgetting that though you look 16 on the outside, your really so much older. Its kind of weird.”

Adam regarded me in contemplation. His intense stare was unsettling and I wondered what he was trying to find out by staring at me like that. 

   “You’re the same in some ways. With everything you've been through...Matt's death, having no Dad around and of course the drama of living with your Mum. I would say your more mature than most people your age.”

  He was right. Having had to put up with an alcoholic mother, the hurt of a Dad I had thought didn't care about me and the death of my first boyfriend; I had to grow up fast. Never having had parents to rely on, I'd depended on myself for so long.

  So now, having a family who actually cared for me. Two loving parents to come home to and a little sister to dote on...It was still so strange and surreal.

  But I suddenly had a completely new problem to deal with; a guardian angel and some freaky power the Devil himself wanted to use for his own means. Wrath; how fitting considering the kind of life I had led up to now. .

  I was beginning to get a headache. I needed to curl up in bed and get some sleep.

 I lifted up the bed covers and crawled underneath. "Im going to sleep, so you should get going now."

 "Alright, but I'll stay close by. God knows what my happen if I don't."

  Adam unfolded his thin frame from the chair and in an unexpected gesture, kissed me gently on the forehead before ruffling my hair. "Sleep well Eve. I'll see you tomorrow."