Chasing Stars ✔️

6.

"They did not speak, they did not bow, they were not acquainted; they saw each other; and, like the stars in the sky separated by millions of leagues, they lived by gazing upon each  other."

― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

She

The piercing scream got out of me spontaneously. My throat felt dry and raw straight away, but that was the least of my concerns. I was running on instinct when I curled into a ball. Something was weighing on my chest, compressing against my ribs. I wrapped my arms tightly around myself, trying to identify the culprit, but there was nothing there. The weight on my chest couldn't be seen or heard, but had a name. Pure terror.

A distant voice inside my head forced me to focus. Through the veils of the sleep covering my eyes, I saw it wasn't her that caused me to awake. It was a man, and he was standing in my room. Am I in my room? Or still at the hospital? Is this a dream?

I have to focus.

I am in my room, yes I am home, I am home, I repeated to myself.  I blinked hard, trying to see better, trying to hear past the echo of my heartbeat. Through a gap between my knees, I confirmed my suspicion -  there was a stranger in my room. Is he going to beat me? I hope not... He is big. I saw him for just a second, but I noticed he was a tall, muscular man. He would probably kill me without effort.

He didn't move towards me, though. But his mouth was moving. I tried to focus on it, try to understand what he was saying.

"It's ok.... Ok.... I won't hurt you.... Safe... ok.... You're safe."

You are safe, I finally understood.

I pulled my head up, achieving a better view of him. His eyes were wide hands in front of him, balancing at a smoothing pace. The same gesture people use to calm someone down.

"You are safe. I am not here to hurt you."

So he is trying to calm me down.

Still, without full control of my actions, I found myself on my feet, on top of my bed, gaining an advantage over his tall frame.

"Who are you?" I asked, surprised at my courage.

"I'm Jake," he said. His voice was soft, and he was still holding the same calming gesture.

What? Do I know any Jake?

"Who the fuck are you?" I repeated, struggling to make sense out of the situation.

"Are you Sabrina's sister?"

He answered my question with another question, which in normal circumstances, I would find annoying.

"Do you know my sister?" I looked at him, trying to read into his face.

"I'm Brian's cousin. My name is Jake. I'm a cousin of your sister's boyfriend." He repeated.

"You already said that." I pointed out, remembering vaguely, Brian mention a cousin that was moving in.

"Why are you here? Who sent you? Are you here to spy on me?"

"No... no. I have been coming here every day since they went to Australia." He said, slowly putting his arms down. "I was told no one was going to be here. I came to feed the fluffy beast."

"Who?" I asked, even more confused.

"The cat?" he answered, running his fingers through his hair.

"Miss Blush?" my eyes snapped down at the bed where Miss Blush looked at us happily, waving her tail. I grabbed her, pulling her small and warm body close to my chest, ready to defend her from this stranger's insults.