Chapter 14
Kane's P.O.V
Ella walked to a wooden bench at the end of the park where she could keep an eye on Mony while staying out of eyesight of other parents. I wondered if she did it consciously. I could see her taking a deep breath. She held it for a few seconds before she released it and fixed her gaze forward.
"Have you been following me?" she asked, the words spilling out together in one rushed sentence. I almost laughed at the nervousness in her voice.
"No," I answered while shaking my head, "I knew the men would be in the alleyway and saw you heading into it." She gave me look that clearly stated she doesn't believe me.
"Why would I be stalking you?" I inquired with a growing smirk. She looked away with a blush painting her cheeks and I chuckled softly. The breeze picked up and her hair blew into her face with a sweeping motions. My eyes widened as I realized I was staring and I quickly and efficiently moved my gaze to Mony who was hanging from the monkey bars.
"Where did you learn to fight like that?" I asked after a few moments of awkward silence. Her face turned a shade darker and I suppressed a laugh.
"My aunt made me take a few classes when I was a child," she replied. She said the last sentence like it was hundreds of years ago. Like it's been lifetimes since she's been a child. I raised my eyebrows but didn't question her obvious lie.
"I didn't know you had an aunt."
"She passed away," she keeps any and all emotion from her voice. I couldn't help but feel a small shred of guilt at having brought it up. I was shocked. I haven't felt guilt in a long time.
I could have changed the subject. That would have been best for the both of us but the temptation is there. I had to take the risk. I had to know.
"Do you use the self-defense on your father when he hurts you?" Her gaze snapped to me and there was fear in her eyes. Her hands shot to her heart and she gripped her jacket. Even without the next few words her actions were enough to convince me that I was right.
"Who told you?" she demanded. Her response surprised me. Her voice faltered and her eyes were wide with fear but also a tiny piece of anger.
"You did, just now." I said with a shrug but inside I was furious. For some reason the thought of someone else touching her, hurting her made me angry. Her face turned a deep shade of red and she looked away to hide the shame on her face.
"How did you know?" she whispered. I shrugged before realizing she couldn't see me. Before I could respond she spun around with grim determination clear on her face.
"You can't tell anyone," she snapped. Her voice was sharp and insisting. I took a moment to think and watched as she fretted. After a minute of calculating I nodded, but she didn't relax.
"I won't" I agreed thinking she might need verbal agreement.
"Promise," she ordered with a worried expression. Her eyes were anxious and she wrapped her arms around herself almost as she was cold. . . or scared.
"I promise."
Her body visibly relaxed and she sagged against the bench with a tired sigh. There was a small smile of relief on her face and I grinned as well.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"You just did," she replied with a slight laugh. I smiled and continued,"How long?" I didn't need to elaborate. She knew what I was asking. Her eyes shot open and she looked away with a blush.
"That's a dangerous question, Kane." she stated. Her tone was sad and she seemed to disappeared into a world of her own. Like she was reliving some form of hell. Suddenly she jumped up from her seat. She began to walk back to Mony, but I had to find out. I stood up and grabbed her wrist keeping clear of where I knew some of her bruises were.
"Tell me," I ordered firmly.
"Why?" she asked and I frowned in confusion. "Why do you care?" I didn't reply right away. I stared at her and watched the angry edge to her eyes as she regarded me with a cool glare hiding the silent panic I could see her bottling up.
"You intrigue me," I finally said and watched as her eyebrows shot up and she glared at me in silence. She took a step back and ripped her arm away from me before turning around and walking away.
I watched in silent despair. I knew I shouldn't have done that, now I've messed it all up. Damn my impulsive side, I scolded myself silently as I watched her approach Mony on the playground. She stopped and I perked up a little. She was either going to tell me to stop bothering her or-
"See you at school, Kane," she shouted over her shoulder. I smiled at the confirmation that she wasn't going back to ignoring me, yet. She offered her hand to Mony who took it with a smile and together they walked away. Mony turned back to me and waved with a small smile. It took me a moment, but I waved back and turned to walk in the opposite direction.
I approached the small café where I had left the guys with a grim smile. They looked up as I approached and smirked at my determined expression when I spoke.
"We have some guys we need to pay a visit too."
YOU ARE READING
Internal cry
Teen Fiction"How long has he been hurting you?" There it is. The question I dreaded, but I promised him I would be honest, so I took a deep breath and answered. "Seven years." I didn't look at him. I waited for him to pull his hand away, to hit me, to say I was...
