Living in the Shadows

11) Any Time at all

Any time at all,

Any time at all,

Any time at all, all you've gotta do is call and I'll be there.

If you need somebody to love

Just look into my eyes

I'll be there to make you feel right

Maybe she was being stupid, or maybe she was crazy, but the great, fearless Professor Wesley comforted the poor, crying creature in her arms.

"You know I may be foolish for thinking this, but is it wrong of me to feel safe around him? I mean yes he's narcissistic. And yes he threatened to kill me more than once. But..."

"Yes child?"

"But I think he may care about me."

Wesley jumped back in surprise, Lucas joining her, almost revealing his hiding spot.

See, he had waited seconds before jumping up to chase Liza. He didn't know where she was going, but he saw her grab her guitar and storm off. She went into a secluded area, just barely on campus ground. He planted himself in a tree and listened to her sing. Then he listened to Liza as she poured her past out to a stranger.

There was truth in her story. He had gotten the gist of her past in the one year he watched her.

Fact: Liza's brother was killed by her father's nemesis when she was ten.

Fact: Liza's father blamed her for said brother's death.

Fact: Two days ago, Lucas had finally rescued her from her father, only to go and hang the threat of death above her head.

But was it all enough. She was spouting fact after fact after fact. Yet she felt safe around him? She thought that he might care about her? Lucas ignored their silence and thought to himself.

Do I care about her?

Honestly, the question perplexed him. For the past year, all he wanted to do was go in and save this girl. But he knew that once the attention was back on him, he would drop the girl like a sack of potatoes. Because that's what meant most to him these days. Being in the limelight. But he wasn't a hero anymore, the media knew that. That's why the one thing in the world he wanted more than anything was to have his "face" plastered on every screen once again.

"Liza, he may not physically abuse you, but if he's threatening you with impending death, he's mentally abusing you. I don't see how you feel safe around that," Professor Wesley stated. She spoke with much care. For a teacher who was know for her mean side, she sure had a soft spot.

"I realize Professor, that I shouldn't feel remotely safe around him. But I do and I can't explain it. He took me away from my father and put me somewhere safe. He gave me my best friend, my job... my music. If he really wanted me dead, he would have killed me by now. I know that much. So all in all... I feel like I can trust him..."

Trust? How could a girl like this trust a boy like that?

How could a girl who was so broken trust a boy who wanted nothing to do with her?