The Count Sister - RE-WRITING

Chapter Nine

The image on the side is Tyron (The Master)

Chapter Nine

A stone hit against her window making Gwin jolt awake, she hadn’t realized she’s fallen asleep on the window seat. She leaned out her window and noticed Julian climbing up the walls like Spiderman.

At first she found it amusing, till she realized she was in shorts and a nearly see through shirt. “Crap…” She muttered as she fell of the seat, she stumbled to her feet and ran towards her draw but before she could find anything that wasn’t showing so much flesh Julian knocked on her window. She spun around and saw him wearing black skinny jeans and a white shirt that was open enough so she could make out his toned abs. “Can I come in?” He asked.

Gwin could only nod and watch as he swung his legs into her room and jumped onto her window seat. She moved towards him and placed a finger to her lips. “You need to be quiet…my…foster mother’s care worker will hear you.”

Julian’s eyes widened and he climbed off the seat. “Yeah I know, I lost my parents when I was young, it’s a long story.” She went to look in her spy hole but he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards his body.

“Tell me,” He whispered. “I can’t sleep anyway.”

 She was about to. She had this settled feeling around him, where she could breathe; and she wanted to tell someone everything about her past in the hope they would believe her.  However, the sudden realization that he was in her room knocked her back for seven, how the hell did he know where she was?

“How did you know where I lived?” She pointed at him and smiled.

He shrugged and walked towards the window seat; he closed the window and rubbed his arms to gain back the lost heat. “I followed you home.” He said it so casually.

  Gwin’s eyes widened and she stepped back; she knew it was too good to be true; she was going to die by the hands of a stalker and who knew he could have been working for Mark the entire time. He laughed and out stretched his hands. “Oh god no,” He stopped approaching her mainly because each time he advanced she retreated. “I followed you because I forgot to ask you where you lived. I am picking you up tomorrow remember?”

  Gwin’s heart beat slowed and she relaxed. His point made sense when she thought about it; she had left without telling him where to pick her up. She laughed and shook her head; she hadn’t laughed so much in a very long time.

  He approached her and placed his hands on either side of her arms rubbing them gently. “Hey it’s good to be on your guard,” He smiled. “I reckon you could take me.”

“I wouldn’t count on that,” She sat on the bed and he joined her, but before he sat he saw the bruises on her legs. He knelt in front of her and examined them, touching a very new one. She gasped back a cry as he prodded it with his thumb.

“Who did this to you?” He sounded angry, and when he looked up she whimpered. His eyes were nearly red, in fact they looked red. “Was it Mark?” She shook her head. “Then who?”

  She didn’t want to change Julian into one of her social workers, but she knew if a guy would come out to her flat in the middle of the night to see if she was alright and then ask about her bruises he must care about her, what other explanation was there.

  She looked down at his hands that were placed on her knees, his skin was so smooth, he was so sweet; sweet and kind people weren’t allowed in her life, she wasn’t allowed happiness. A tear fell down her cheek and she felt Julian beside her in seconds, pulling her towards his chest and stroking her hair.

 Why did she feel like this with him? Ever since he walked into that classroom and then helped her in the lunch hall she felt this draw towards him, a magnetic pull. “Tell me.” He asked.

“Tell you what?” She whispered. She couldn’t talk properly without letting more tears lose. It hurt to cry it was a painful emotion that made people weak, it made them vulnerable to dangers. “Tell you how my parents died in a house fire? That I was to blame for that, and no matter how hard I tried to get them out, I was only twelve and I didn’t understand.

  It’s something else when you hear of your parent’s death, but when you are faced with death yourself you panic and I did. I panicked and I fled.”

“But that’s just adrenaline,” He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and placed another hand on her leg. She didn’t even flinch, as she told him everything she felt safe. She knew that whatever she did couldn’t be as simple as his, but she knew deep down he’d understand. “It’s something humans relay on; either fight of flight and its common for people to flee.”

“Flee?” She laughed half-heartedly. She was in so much pain that it seemed funny somehow. “My own brother was told I was dead, because everyone believed I was a coward. They said he gives his life for people he hardly knows and I couldn’t give mine for my own parents.”

“So,” He rubbed his forehead and then his cheek. His confusion was worrying but she knew it was a lot to take in and so waited calmly for his response. “Let me get this straight, you are a coward because you were in survival mode, and you were frightened. Yet your brother, who has a right to know you are alive, shouldn’t because you saved yourself?”

“That’s how they put it.”

“Then they are the cowards.” He stated. It was so matter of fact that she looked up and straight into his eyes. He reached out for her face and rubbed her cheek lightly with his thumb. “They are the cowards because they are afraid of the truth. They are afraid that if he found out, they would be in danger. The worst crime is to steal people from reality and they are the criminals. Not you.”

“But it’s true…” She whispered as she rose from the bed and walked towards the window. She leant against it and peered outside. She wanted to compose herself, she felt tears welling up inside and it hurt to swallow the clump rising in her throat. She turned to look at him and felt the shimmer in her eyes. His face was blurred but she could still make out his sorrow. “Everyone I talk to or come to know gets hurt; I blinded my own foster mother…” He stood up from the bed in what looked like horror. “I didn’t mean too, I just…I was scared and startled. I didn’t know she was there, and despite what she told the social workers, the judge came to the conclusion I did it on purpose.  I didn’t. I swear I didn’t. And many things after that showed my weakness; Mark uses that for me to steal for him…”

“You stole for him?” He asked as he stood on the opposite side. His body took on a guarded posture, but she didn’t mind, she probably would have too.

“It was either that or suffer far worse; I didn’t need that at school like I already do at home.”

  He stood up from the wall and the last part. “At home?” He asked. Maybe she had said too much, maybe she should have stopped at her parents but his presence just made her say everything out loud. Stuff she had bottled up for so long came loose with him and she felt more relieved now it was out. But his reaction to the last part seemed angered and annoyed.

 “He’s the one that gave you the bruises?” He enquired. “You got them because he groped you?” He sounded disgusted and appalled. His face showed the terror she felt day in day out. She knew deep down he would understand but she didn’t think he would take it so personally.

  When she didn’t argue he pulled away from her and stormed towards her door. She panicked; and flung herself on him pulling him with all her strength away from it.

  She lost her footing and tumbled backwards; Julian sensing the loss of gravity for them both spun around and held her against the front of his chest. A moment later, they hit the floor and she was somehow on top of him.  How that happened she didn’t know. “Are you OK?” He asked.

“Me?” She laughed. She couldn’t help it, he was the one that had to listen to her babble for two hours, then hit his back hard against the floor and he was asking her if she was alright. “You are the strangest boy I’ve ever met.”

“Then you haven’t met my older brother.” He laughed.