Chained - Everything you know is a lie...

by Susanne Valenti

Chapter Nineteen

  Just as I started to breathe again, the stunning blonde girl leapt at Coal.

  She wrapped her arms around him and he caught her up off of the floor in a bear hug, spinning her around.

  "How many times do I have to tell you not to do that to me?" she demanded, slapping his chest with the palms of her hands.

  She was tall and annoyingly good looking with full lips and wide eyes. She was anything but delicate though. With the machete hanging from her hip and a definite athleticism to her build, she looked like she could easily hold her own in a fight.

  "Sorry." Coal rolled his eyes and set her feet down on the floor again. "It wasn't really planned, I was just meant to be grabbing some guns but everything took a bit of a turn."

  "Yeah, I noticed you collected some strays. No offence," she added, throwing a grin in our direction.

  "I got the guns too." He stepped back and started unstrapping the small arsenal that was attached to his body in every thinkable way. "And plenty of knives." They clinked down onto the table as well. When he was finished, the table held a pretty impressive pile of weapons.

  "Did you get hurt?" she asked. She stood on tiptoes to inspect him and tutted at every scratch or bruise she discovered.

  "Get off," he shoved her aside playfully. "Stop playing mother hen."

  "And what about Kaloo? She came flying in here like a bat out of hell, dragging some unconscious stranger and as soon as I cut her free of him she shot back into the forest to find you." The girl crouched down next to the big dog who had collapsed, panting on the ground and checked her for wounds too. Kaloo seemed to enjoy the attention and her tail thumped against the tiles as she rolled over to have her belly tickled.

  "It would take more than a horde of cougars to take down Kaloo," Coal smiled. He looked over to where Laurie and I were sitting awkwardly in a corner. "I should introduce you. This is Laurie the Warden and Maya the convict." He gestured to us as the girl's big eyes widened to take us in. "Oh and Taylor." He waved a hand at Taylor who had half fallen out of his litter and was sprawled across the floor.

  "From the city?" she asked, looking horrified.

  "Long story," Coal sighed.

  "I'll bet." The girl gazed at us with unconcealed curiosity.

  "Hi," I said shyly, suddenly very aware of the blood and filth that smothered me from head to toe.

  "And this-" he indicated the blonde girl, pulling her up from the floor where she was crouched by Kaloo, "-is my sister, Alicia." A knot unfurled in my stomach. I smiled a genuine smile. She actually seemed pretty nice, her immaculate appearance aside.

  "You don't look very alike," I said, taking in Coal's broad ruggedness and dark looks and Alicia's dazzling fairness.

  "Well we were found together as children. Both babies a few days old, left together in one basket so they presumed we were twins," she shrugged. "It's good enough for us."

  "You were found in a basket?" Laurie asked, clearly shocked.

  They both laughed at the looks on our faces.

  "I'm not saying the stork delivered us." Alicia shrugged. "I'm sure it's a much darker story than that. It's not that uncommon out here, some people don't like to stay living in towns like we do and travel from place to place alone or in small groups instead. It's not really a life that lends itself to bringing up small children so if a woman finds herself pregnant they often leave babies outside our infirmaries to be cared for. So one way or another, here we are."

  "Here we are," Coal repeated grabbing hold of Alicia and ruffling her hair. She ducked out from under his arm and backhanded him playfully around the head.

  They were so natural together it made my chest tighten to think of Taylor laying unconscious on the floor. I moved over and sank down next to him, rearranging his limbs to make him more comfortable. I pulled his head into my lap and pushed his hair aside. His breathing was steady and he looked peaceful.

  "It's been two days now." I looked up at Laurie who had moved over to stand by us. "He should have woken up by now."

  "Here, let's give him some water." Alicia skipped into a room that looked like it might be a kitchen and brought us out a glass filled with cold water. It set my dry mouth aching and I licked my parched lips, but resolutely dipped my fingers into it and let the water trickle onto Taylor's lips instead. I repeated the process again and again until most of the water was gone.

  Alicia moved away while I was occupied and returned with another glass of water for me. She handed it over, smiling kindly with a look in her eyes that was almost like pity. It made me want to scream and cry all at once. I downed my water instead and handed it back empty, thanking her.

  "You look exhausted, I'll show you where you can sleep," Alicia said to Laurie, obviously not sure what to do with me and looking for an excuse to escape. Laurie squeezed my shoulder on her way past and they both disappeared upstairs.

  I sat and stared at Taylor, my breathing became ragged and a few tears managed to escape. I scrubbed the heels of my hands across my cheeks to stop them. Breaking down wouldn't help either of us.

  "There are plenty of beds upstairs, I'll carry him up for you. Tomorrow we can get him some help." Coal had appeared behind me whilst my attention had been fixed on Taylor's sleeping face. I didn't know how long he had been standing there and it made me feel self conscious.

  "Thank you." I let him pull me to my feet and stood beside him. "Not just for now, I mean for saving us. For saving me. If you hadn't knocked me out of the way back by those trenches, I don't know what would have happened." I looked down at my feet, embarrassed, but glad to have said it.

  "I don't know why I did it," he said, frowning slightly. "I wouldn't normally have gotten involved, I was only supposed to be stealing some weapons." He shrugged and tried to cover his look of confusion with a smirk.

  "So why did you?" I pressed.

  "I didn't intend to, I was just there hiding and I saw you two idiots sneaking along looking like you were lost. I didn't even mean to follow you.

  You were standing there, and you turned to look back at something. You looked right towards me. You had blood smeared across your face and your hair was flying in the wind and I just thought not her. I was running towards you before I even decided to do it." His hand brushed along my arm and ran up to my cheek, the skin burning where he touched me.

  I looked up, my gaze meeting his and felt as if something was pulling me towards him.

  "You just looked so fierce and wild and yet so fragile at the same time." He was so close to me that it made my breath catch in my throat.

  He took a deep breath and leaned back ever so slightly. "You're welcome anyway, and I'm glad I helped your friends too for what it's worth."

  "We would all be dead," I whispered.

  My head was spinning with the closeness of him, I reached up and laid my hand over his on my cheek. He held my gaze for a second longer before dropping his hand from my face and stepping back. It was like a wall slid into place behind his eyes.

  "It's kinda nice to play the good guy for once, that's all." Coal stooped and picked Taylor up again.

  "Ladies first," he smiled. The moment between us was over and his self-assured, cocky mask was right back in place. I turned and headed up the stairs as directed.

  "Last on the left," he called from behind me.

  I headed to the appropriate door and opened it. There was a large double bed in the room and I pulled the covers back to let Coal place Taylor beneath them.

  "I presume you're staying in here too," he said. There was something off in his voice, though his face gave nothing away.

  "I'd better be with him in case he wakes up," I replied hesitantly.

  "Sure. There's hot water in the shower if you want it." He pointed to another door that led off from our room.

  "Thanks." I smiled, a hot shower sounded like heaven.

  "Good night," Coal said or rather snapped.

  He turned and left the room, clicking the doo
r firmly shut behind him. I heard his feet thudding back down the stairs a few moments later.

  Sighing, I tucked Taylor in carefully and headed into the bathroom for that shower.