The Beasts Curse

Five

Five

Someone was hugging me. My head rested against their chest. Their strong muscular arms were wrapped around my torso. Their hand resting on my head, slowly stroking my hair. A woodsy scent emanated from the man. Breathing deeply I caught a strong citrusy whiff mixed in with his natural woodsy smell. My arms unconsciously reached around to hug him back as I slowly calmed down from the dream. A sharp pain from something tugging on my inner left elbow caused me to wince. Immediately I was let go.

Looking down at my arm I noticed a needle stuck into it. Following the tube with my eyes I located a small clear bag filled with clear liquid. Finally I came to the realization that I was laying in a hospital bed in the same hospital my father worked in. I looked to the guy sitting beside my legs on the bed.

I drew in a quick breath. It was him. The irresistibly hot, crazy person from the rec room. My heart began to race, almost beating out of my chest, as the memories of, was it last night?, came flooding into my brain. I tried to back away from him, but he grabbed my hand, a pleading look in his emerald eyes.

"Please, " He said, a torn expression marring his face, his eyes still pleading. "Renee, I am so, so very sorry. You weren't supposed to have gone into such a critical state. And, I am so terribly sorry to have scared you as I did last night."

So it was last night. I looked at him warily as he once again used my real name. But-but how does he know it? Who is he? What is he?

"My name," I began, drawing my hand out of his hand and carefully crossing my arms. "Is no longer Renee. It's Anne. And I would greatly appreciate it if you called me as such."

"Renee," I shot him a glare. "I-I mean, uh, Anne, please, if you'd give me a moment to explain aft-"

"And who are you? Why were you in the basement watching me? Are you some kind of perv.? And why did you bite me, for Christ's sake?!"

"Renee," he started.

"I told you, it's Anne." I said sharply, interrupting him.

"Anne, this not the time, nor is it the place to have this conversation. When you are no longer hysterical, and when you are better, then I'll explain everything. You have my word."

"Oh no, no, no. You are going to give me answers, and will give them to me now." I demanded.

"Now Annie, don't be so disrespectful." My father said winking at me as he entered the room. "But, thank the gods you're awake. How are you feeling, hun? You aren't hurting anywhere are you?" My father asked, shooting question after question at me. His deep blue eyes twinkling as the guy on the bed jumped to his feet.

"Dad, really. I feel fine." I said holding my hands up trying to calm him.

"Cancel, now I do understand my daughter is irresistibly beautiful, but I thought I asked for you to call for me when she woke." He said turning from me and the glare I shot him, and looked at, Cancel?

"She just woke up, sir. I was just explaining where she was so as to avoid confusion and possible panic. I was just on my way to find you." He said, bowing his head respectfully. How odd.

"Well, alright then."

"Da-"

"Now where are my manners! Annie, this lad here is Knight Cancel. Your dear mother, my Alice, well she and Cancels father grew up together. Old childhood friends. She used to speak of the Cancel family quite fondly." He said directing the last bit to Knight.

"Thank you, sir."

"And Cancel, this here is my daughter Anne."

"It's a pleasure to formally meet your acquaintance, Anne." He said grabbing my hand and bowing over it, quickly placing a kiss on the top.

Sparks ran up my arm and down my spine, and heat started to flood my cheeks. "Uh, yeah. Same here." He smirked as he came up from my hand.

"You feeling alright, darling?" My father asked coming to the other side of the bed.

"Y-yes. I'm fine. It's just warm in here."

"Well, sweetie, you passed out last night due to overexertion, and it seems you cut your arm while training. You really scared me. If it weren't for Cancel you might have been worse off."

"But I didn-"

"Now Annie, you've been pushing yourself too hard. Cancel came down to Blackpool to get to know the family of his fathers closest friend. I sent him down last night to find you and introduce himself to you, but he found you passed out in the stairwell. You're lucky you didn't fall down the stairs..." He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Cancel offered to take you back to Selendale with him to recover and get to know the people who were close to your mother, and quite frankly I think you don't have a choice. I'd like you to get out of Blackpool. You need some space from... everything. School, this town, me. And I-"

"Dad, for gods sake stop! I didn't 'over-exert'," as I said the word I used my fingers to make quotation marks. "I'm completely fine!"

"Anne, you don't have a choice."

"But Dad, that isn't fair!" I cried, looking between my father and Knight.

"You'll be discharged later today, and I'm having Cancel bring you back to the house so you can pack. I'll be home before you two leave. And please Anne, it's not because I want to send you away. There are some things going on that I'd like you to not be around. It's for the best sweetheart. Just, trust me. I only have your best interest at heart and this is for the best." He started to leave the room. "And Cancel, I do appreciate this." Then he was gone.

"Anne, I didn't mean for the offer to upset you so much." Knight said placing his hand on the bed.

"Don't. Just don't. You just do whatever my Dad told you to. Because it's obvious to me I don't get a choice." I was frustrated, and angry. I didn't even know this man. My father was comfortable with leaving me with him, but I sure as hell wasn't. I couldn't seem to get my mind off of the fact that my father was practically kicking me out of our home and town. I had a feeling that it wasn't just because I had passed out. There had to be something else going on. But what?