Lamentations

4- Who is That?

Jane

The group of four eat dinner and watch a movie until Garrett got home. What movie they were watching, Jane had no clue, but she was really irked about what happened next in an episode of American Horror Story. She's only halfway through the third season. Still, she sits, watching a movie and slowly finishing her last taco. Just in time, too. She hears the lock shift in the front door, and she books it to her room, not caring that she took her plate with her.

Jane cracks her door though, trying to see through the small crack who was entering the apartment. He was a blonde, just like Haley. He was gorgeous. But he wasn't trustworthy just because he was hot.

No one will hurt me, ever again. Even if I have to hurt someone else in the process, she thinks to herself. It makes Jane hide more behind her door.

The guy greets everyone with a hug. "Hey! Tacos!" He stood with the blonde bimbo- Haley- and kissed her. He seems nice enough.

"Thanks, babe. The tacos smell amazing," he says to Haley. "So what did I miss? I heard we have a guest." Jane shuffles around and bumps into her door.

"That her?" Garrett laughs.

Adrian rolls his eyes. "Yep. Be careful."

"I'm sure I can handle it." Garrett walks into the room and smiles. "Hey." Jane stands up from behind the bed. She stays where she stands.

"I'm Garrett." He holds his hand out for her to shake. She slowly walks around her bed, giving Garrett a weak handshake.

"I'm J-Jane," she stutters, earning a laugh out of Garrett. She flinches. She's not sure of what she was flinching at, which made her frown. All Garrett was doing was laughing.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Jane shakes her head. "I didn't think so. How are you liking it so far?"

Jane contemplates an answer, not sure of what to say. Her first thought was, How the hell can a human being look so damn perfect? But she decides against it, and stutters another answer.

"I-it's new, I guess. It's b-been a long time since I've seen Adrian. He's changed a lot," she mumbles.

"You'll get used to it." He throws an arm around her shoulder, causing her to blush more than necessary. "Let's go finish watching that movie, yeah?"

Holding her head down so her hair could hide her face, Jane nods.

"Guess what, losers?" Garrett jokes, walking into the livingroom. "I'm Jane's favorite. We're besties now." Jane's face reddens even more, but she smiles nervously and shrugs Garrett's arm off then slumps in the chair farthest away from him. He laughs, and Jane's guessing that being the family clown is his trademark.

*~*~*~*

Jane stands up in the middle of the movie. Everyone is asleep, so she decides to go to her room to try a catch some Z's.

She hears footsteps coming to her door. As if Jane wasn't already scared enough. April walks through the door and a knife flies by her face and into the wall.

"I'm sorry," Jane apologizes. "I got scared."

April sighs and sits on the bed next to Jane. "You're safe, okay? We won't let anything bad happen to you for as long as we can. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

"You don't know that," Jane snaps quietly. "For all I know, you could all be alcoholics."

"We drink the occasional wine and vodka, Jane. We aren't like your dad." April sits up straighter, like she always does when she's about to enlighten someone. "If we wanted to hurt you, Jane, we would have never came to pick up and let you live with us. You could still be at that Godforsaken house. We may not be the ideal family, and you probably won't trust us for a while. You don't have to trust us, but know we don't want to hurt you. That's not our intention."

Jane calms down a bit, looking into April's brown eyes. She looks just as tired as Jane, but it was from doing something she loved, not slowly dying from neglect.

"I know you're tired, Jane. I understand. And you can talk to any of us if you need anything, okay?" She took Jane's hand in hers.

Jane nods. "I want to get rid of my knives, if what you say is true." April smiles a tight-lipped smile and nods.

"Alright, where are they?"

Jane pulls out a black, leather case from under her bed and opens it. A ranging collection of knives shine in the dim bedroom light. And even though April doesn't really like weapons, she can't help but gape at them.

"Jesus H. Christ, Jane." Her hand reaches for a very sharp pocket knife, but she pulls it back in fear that she may cut herself.

Jane places it in a drawer. "Just in case," she explains, and the words have a double meaning. April just mods, not at all taking heed to the second meaning. Just in case I can't really trust you guys, Jane thinks.

April is about to make her way out of the room. And Jane calls her name before she can walk completely out of her bedroom.

"Yeah?" April responds, tiredly. Her tone wasn't impatient at all, Jane noticed.

"Um- would you mind- can you sleep in here tonight?"

April nods, a sleepy smile on her face. "Of course," she obliges. She slips her thick hair into a messy, poor excuse for a bun and pulls Jane's blanket back.

When they're both buried in the fluffy pillows and oversized stuffed animals, April wraps an arm around Jane, adding unnecessary warmth to the atmosphere.

And as unnecessary as it was, for the first time in a few years, Jane felt as safe as ever.

She didn't even think of knives the entire night.