When a curse is broken

8. Biting heads

Chapter 8. Biting heads

"Hello?"

"Alice, Marlyn is with me," he heard a relieved sign from the phone.

"Is she alright?"

Benjamin looked at the strange woman sleeping beside him without a care in the world and shook his head in disbelief, "You'll see her, send me the address, I'll drop her off," Benjamin said.

"Why don't you ask her- She's asleep isn't she? I cannot believe her, I bet she missed the bus," Alice ranted off on the phone.

"Whatever," Ben replied, "Send me the address."

"Listen Ben, why are you being so hard on her? She has been through a lot, she doesn't need you to add to it..."

Benjamin closed his eyes, a headache was making its way. "She should just resign then. Send me the address Alice," he said and hung up immediately, he was not in the mood of getting scolded.

He looked at Marlyn. By reflex his arm reached out to take off strands of hair fallen on her face, his fingers brushed her face lightly. Then froze. He shouldn't be doing any of this, he should be states away from her. He signed.

His eyes turned back to her, a wince made its way on his face when he noticed the injury on her right knee. He reached out, his hand stopped right above the bloody bruises on her skin, not touching them. Suddenly, her wound closed by itself, the skin repaired, like nothing ever scratched it, only stains of dried blood remained on the surface.

He took out a bottle of water from under his seat and wetted the handkerchief he always liked to keep in his pocket, then tenderly cleaned off the blood from her knee.

His eyes had glistened of a purplish fire under his lenses.

He should definitely not be doing any of it.

~~~~

Marlyn woke up with the ring of her alarm, still feeling very drowsy, like she had gone to sleep very late.

Ellie's little arms and legs were clutching her tightly, her angelic face was drooling on her chest.

Marlyn lovingly kissed her head and slowly untangled from her grip.

"Mommy," Ellie protested, clutching onto Marlyn to get her warmth back, her eyes still closed.

Marlyn stilled and patted her head to get her fall back into the slumber, then finally stumbled to the bathroom that, to her dismay, she found occupied.

She groaned, then went to prepare some fresh clothes for herself and Ellie and warmed some milk.

"What happened yesterday?" Alice asked her right after getting out of the bathroom.

"What?" Marlyn asked mindlessly, pouring some milk in Ellie's bottle. It was a wonder how she had yet not spilled it everywhere, with her eyes almost completely closed.

"Benjamin brought you here, asleep."

Marlyn blinked twice, then her eyes widened. She turned to look at Alice, she had that wise expression on her face.

"Did you tell him?" She asked.

Marlyn nodded her head, then shook it, her heart beating fast just at the mention of it. Tears welled in her eyes, "I had told him Alice, I had, and what did he do? He pushed us away!" Rolls of anger burned her body.

Alice hugged her, "Yesterday he brought you here, he tucked you in bed, he was very...gentle- Yes I know he looks very cold and all, but he did take care of you, he might have awakened you, or not even searched for you." She added looking at the expression on Marlyn's face, "I was very worried, you know, I called in the office but he said you had left from a while," she said.