The Ghost of a Guardian

Chapter Six: Caring for a Ghost

Annabethstood up and walked toward the edge of the room to wash the rag she used toclean his wound. Erik leaned on a stack of used sheet music and books for a moment, his head spinning suddenly. Only for the books to tip over and give under his hand, spilling the paper all over the floor, and make him fall to his knees. Annabeth heard him fall and quickly walked over to him, placing her hand on his back.

"Are you alright, what happened?" She asked softly, worried.

He nodded, trying to get up. Though he failed and fell, taking Annabeth down with him. Pinning her under him, they looked at each other for a minute speechless. Neither of them knowing how to react at first. After what seemed like hours, Annabeth started giggling. It was hard to tell if it was at their current situation or out of embarrassment.

"Do you mind?" She chuckled, referring to him getting off her. The best he could do was roll over. She felt his forehead, it was burning, but he was shaking as if he had been lost in a blizzard.

'Can he get sick?' She asked herself, but then suddenly got her answer when he threw up in a nearby waste basket.

He mumbled something that she could not quite understand, his voice was shot. She put her finger on his lips to prevent him from speaking. She helped him stand and walked him back to his bed, making him lay down so he'd be comfortable.

"Thank you." Was all he could manage to say. She smiled at him as if saying you're welcome. She did not want him to strain himself anymore then he already had. She got up and grabbed her cloak. "Where are you going?" He asked through a cough, trying to stand.

"To get you help." She gently pushed him back down onto the bed before tying her cloak around herself. He tried to protest again and try to join her, but she cut him off. "I have the feeling this isn't some sickness you can just ignore. It will just get worse if I don't get you the proper medicine." She bent down to his level and hugged him.

She then turned and quickly left the way she had come in before she stitched his wound. Erik laid there for a second, he remembered when he was looking over Annabeth as she left for the market. When Christopher tried to take advantage of her she yelled something at him, now what was it? He let that moment play in his mind.

"Annabeth where in the world have you been? I missed you darling." It was Christopher and it was very clear he was intoxicated. His breathe smelt overwhelmingly of alcohol.

"Christopher, you're drunk." She muttered, trying to find a way around him. He hugged her, she pushed him away, the smell was too much.

"I thought I lost you." He tried to kiss her. She spit in his mouth, pushed him away and tried to run, but he grabbed her arm. "Where do you think you're going?!" He pulled her toward him though she fought against him.

"I found someone else Christopher. Let me go!" She yelled.

"That was it!" Erik thought to himself. "She said she'd found someone else, what could that possibly mean?"

'It means she likes you imbecile!' The voice in his head yelled at him.

For a voice in his head, it only liked to talk about how much he was enamored by Annabeth, which he was not, but the voice insisted he does.

"She probably just said that to get him to go away."

'She referred to this place as home, she likes being here, with you.'

He hit his already throbbing head to shut up the voice, this always worked. Soon he fell asleep waiting for Annabeth to come home.