Stormy Eyes

Chapter Six: Selcouth

It has been a long day of working my brain to its capacity. I am fully, one hundred percent exhausted. Even the usually easy walk home felt like a journey.

I was walking up the staircase I began to feel some kind of relief, due to the fact that I was almost home, but when I started to near the top I heard grunting and the sound of knuckles making contact with skin. 

Yes I know what that sounds like... I have brothers.

I ran up the remaining stairs and saw Carter's door wide open. He was crouched over another guy who was half sprawled out on the floor. 

"Crap!" I yelled. "Carter get off of him!"

I ran over to where they stood and placed my hand on Carters shoulder. His raised fist hovered in the air and he looked toward me, anger clearly pooled in his eyes. He held eye contact with me for a few moments longer and finally dropped his fists to his sides. He let out a sigh. 

I moved back from him and allowed him some space. The adrenaline began to decrease, which allowed me to realise the extent of the damage that the two guys had done. Carter had a deep, bloody cut on his eyebrow, a newly forming bruise on his cheek and a small gash on his nose. That was nothing in comparison to what the other guy looked like. 

"Get up!" Carter gnarled at the guy who held his head with one hand as he struggled to stand up.  His infamous scowl displayed on his face.

He is so intimidating that it's a miracle that anyone started a fight with him in the first place.

The blood covered man stood up off the ground and shot Carter a deathly glare. "So... you're letting little girls control you now?" He paused and turned his head to me. He gave me a spine chilling look. "Good to know."

Carter didn't turn to look at me, his eyes continued to shoot daggers at the bloody man. "Hope you're not going soft, Daniels. Especially not on a girl that looks as fragile as she does."

"Leave before the marks on you face become the least of your worries." Carter warned. 

The man smirked and ran a hand over a cut on his face. He put his hand out in front of him, examining the blood that remained. "You'd best be careful, Daniels. Weakness wouldn't bode well for you."

He took his first retreating steps toward the staircase, sending his final words in my direction, "You'd be smart to stay clear of this one." And with that, he was gone.

That would be the second warning that I've received to stay far away from Carter. I assumed that maybe people stayed clear of him because of the confrontational front that he gives off, it never occurred to me that he was actually dangerous. Should I believe what I've been told? I mean on both occasions the information came from morons, so...

Carter stood in dead silence as he stared intently at the floor. I was almost scared to say anything. Almost. 

"Carter, are you okay?"

I had managed to bring him out of his thoughts for a second and he finally looked toward me, after another moments silence. His green eyes felt as though they were piercing through me. 

"I'm fine." He muttered. Carter looked as though he wasn't fully paying attention.

"Who was that man?" I asked.

"It isn't important." Now I had his full attention.

"He warned me to stay clear of you, though I'm sure you heard it. Is what he said valid?" I questioned him, using my eyes to figure him out.

"Maybe." He muttered under his breath and looked back down at the floor. 

"Carter, are you sure that you're okay?" I asked once more. "I can maybe take a look at your wounds. I'm have level three first aid qualification and I'm studying to be a paramedic after all. So... I know what I'm doing."