Companion

Chapter 7: 4 A.M. Forgiveness

When I wake up, it's still dark outside. I roll over, and the clock next to me says it's four in the morning. I sigh. I still have a couple of hours before I have to actually wake up for school. I roll back over to my other side, but I'm wide awake. I sit up, and realize I'm still wearing my clothes from yesterday. I push the comforter off of me.

I had fallen asleep on top of the comforter last night.

I want to cry again. Edge must've covered me.

But I still hate him.

I get out of bed, deciding that it's not worth trying to go back to sleep. I go through my drawers in the dark and pick out clothes to change into. Making as little noise as possible, I slip out of my room and across to the other side of the hall. I reach into the narrow linen cabinet and grab a towel.

When I turn on the bathroom light, my head starts to pound. I shut the door with my eyes closed. When I open them again, the pounding has subsided. I lock the door and turn around to study myself in the mirror.

I look like a hot mess. I step closer to the mirror. My bottom eyelids are a bit swollen and pinker than usual. I sigh, hang up the towel, and start a shower.

I'll give Edge credit for being a smart fighter. There are no visible marks on my face, neck, or arms. But when I peel off my shirt, I see--and most definitely feel--patches of rug burn from my repeated thrashing and being dragged on carpet. But that's all.

The warm water burns my back, and I wince. But after a minute or so it becomes bearable. I hum some of my favorite songs from the CD's. It's amazing how much better a girl can feel after a nice shower at four in the morning.

When I'm done, I shut off the shower, dry off, and get dressed. My long, thick hair leaves the shoulders and back of my gray sweatshirt soaked. I stand at the mirror and sigh.

There's a soft, timid knock at the bathroom door.

I consider not opening it. But I do. I just don't look him in the face. He's wearing sweats and a t-shirt.

"I would ask you if you're alright, but I know you're not." I almost smile at that, but I don't. Instead, I cry. And I'm ashamed. For some reason, I think I can hide it by insistently wiping at my eyes.

Edge wraps his arms around me and at first I want to get away. In fact, I flinch. But the ways his arms are squeezing me firmly, the way he rests his chin on my head, the way the rise and fall of his chest practically lulls me to sleep, makes me stay. I gently shut my eyes. I feel him move his head so he's whispering into my hair.

"I'm so, so sorry," he says. I start sobbing. He holds me tighter and presses his cheek to the top of my head.

"I forgive you," I croak. I hear Edge sharply suck in a breath, then gently let it go.

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Eventually, we have to start getting ready for school. Edge lets me use a tiny bit of makeup to make his bruised face look a little bit better than it actually is.

Before we walk out the door, Edge stops and looks at me.

"Look, you should probably go out first. I'll wait a minute, then come out after. We board the bus separately, and don't sit together all day."

It actually sounds like a decent plan, not to mention considerate. And, goodness, it's so tempting. There's still a part of me that can't forgive Edge for what he did to me yesterday. I'm still quite scared of Edge. But I remember how caring and kind he was to me this morning, and I know I can't leave him alone. Everyone hates him. They just barely tolerate me, but they hate him more than anything.

"No," I say. Before he can talk some sense into me, I grab his wrist and pull him out the door.

Edge and I walk to the stop side-by-side. People stare. People gossip. As we load onto the bus, people keep on staring and gossiping. But I don't care. I mean, I do. But, of course, I don't let it bother me. Or, at least I try not to show it. Edge and I sit together, and the bus starts to move.

When Oliver and his Companion board, they sit in the seats in front of us again.

"You alright?" Oliver asks softly. "I heard about what happened yesterday." My eyes widen. How does he know? Edge is going to get in so much trouble. No. Oliver knows about what happened at school. Of course. Don't be stupid.

"Yeah. I'm fine," I say back. He nods, but the look he gives me seems unbelieving. Nonetheless, he turns back around in his seat.

The bus stops, and the Intelligents unload. Once we get to the sidewalk, Nate comes up beside me, and doesn't leave my side until I step into my first classroom.

+++++

Nate and I get our lunch together, and sit at our own table.

"Thank you so much for staying with me," I say finally. He smiles.

"It's no problem at all. I mean, it's seriously a ton of bullshit, the way everyone is treating you. Just because your Companion supposedly killed his old Companion."

"Did you know Edge's old Companion?"

"Oh yeah. He was the most popular guy in both schools. He was just really nice to everyone. And he was just fun to be around. Even when he was just fifteen, the kids above him thought he was great. And, from what I hear, it's incredibly difficult to earn respect from the older Venturers. But they liked him. And so did all of the Intelligents. It'd been that way since we were little too. Most popular in the dorms. Everyone was friends with him, and he was friends with everybody in return. I have no idea how he did it."

"And what about Edge?"

"Edge always kinda lived in Victor's shadow. But not in a bad way. Everyone liked Victor, so everyone liked his Companion as well. He was very quiet and extremely smart and studious. They made a brilliant pair, Edge and Victor. They grew up together. They were the best of the best. That's why they were sent on a Mission, even though they were just sixteen."

"And Victor never came back," I finish. Nate nods slowly.

"That's never happened before. It's never been just one to come back. It's usually both. Or both die. But never just one. And Edge was totally different. He was--well, you know. You've seen it. So it was only a matter of time before the rumors spread. And now they think he's the devil incarnate."

"So I wonder why they chose me," I say under my breath. Nate raises an eyebrow.

"Pardon?"

"If people believe the rumors to be true, and if they are true, then being Edge's new Companion might be a sort of death sentence."

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A/N: So, this is my first author's note ever. Yay! I just really wanted to thank this story's main supporters: SeraphinaArlyn and rbonner for keeping me going! 

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