Her Safe Haven

Chapter 24 - Climax Part II: Nightmares Past

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Holy crap was THIS a difficult chapter to write. I think I'm finally losing my touch. Help. Tell me what you think!

Previously on Her Safe Haven: Winter and Rohan still hadn't talked, but Rohan made an effort to interact with her after he saved her from stampeding horses. But just a few hours afterwards his father showed up, and there was obvious tension between them. The clock was ticking now.

Light. Darkness. Blood.

The sounds of knives and he was crying twice.

That man.

Rage.

Pure rage.

Blood. A crash. The woman.

The woman.

Her hair, red and flowing as the blood under her.

The woman.

That woman.

Dead woman.

...

He didn't want to wake up. Not now. Not ever.

+++

Things only escalated downwards from then on. The situation with Rohan was once again bad as Rohan again became distant.

He was no longer making himself scarce, which was a good thing because now she could see him. What you couldn't see but couldn't ignore would agonise you even more. But he still hadn't talked to her, and he looked half-dead with those red eyes and eyebags underneath them, yet still running around here and there giving instructions for today's events. She cringed when she saw him busy in that condition, but she only caught glimpses of him, and she had no chance to confront him. And he didn't approach her.

She had a hunch.

She had a hunch of what was actually going on after she witnessed the interaction between Rohan and his father, along with everything else and the thing she saw when Rohan was changing. But she couldn't be sure, and they were all very dark, and today was chaotic as hell that she couldn't even pause to think about the occurrences from that week. It was Thursday morning, and everyone was busy preparing for the marathon that was going to take place today. Winter's morning had been filled with running around checking equipments and doing about one-thousand-and-one other things that she couldn't even contemplate about a certain redhead even if she wanted to. But she had a hunch, and she couldn't ignore it; and she didn't care when, but she had to confirm it before the exchange programme ended.

She had woken up quite early that day to do more work in the morning, and she decided that she was lucky to had done that. It was nine a.m., two hours before the marathon was due to start, but while the other councillors were running around doing hell, Winter found herself having finished everything she needed to do that morning and having about half-an-hour of free time before she was due to watch the marathon's dry run.

Though soon she decided that it wasn't really luck after all because not having anything to do meant her brain was free to think about certain things — or a certain someone — that she would rather not be thinking about. She thought about going around and helping the other councillors with their work, but in that moment of silent thought, Winter was surprised to find herself unconsciously walking towards the Garrisons' private quarters instead, seeking him.

She paused the moment she realised where her feet were taking her.

She had been watching him. He had also, like her, came early to school to do work — though he must had arrived even earlier than her, because by the time she was taking the day's logistics from the council room, he was already finishing up his paperworks inside. He was talking to Dews High's Vice President — a quiet senior who wore thick glasses whom she hadn't really interact much with — and they looked serious so she didn't dare to bother them. Rohan didn't even glance to acknowledge her, so she also hurried to collect her stuffs and left immediately afterwards.