Beneath The Blackwood Sky | ✓

Chapter Eighteen: Grand Houses And Grocery Stores

BLOOD WAS GUSHING OUT FROM SHAY'S WOUND AT an alarming rate. Rose fished out her handkerchief and handed it to Will, who had always been good at mending wounds. Shay smiled at all of them to show that the wound didn't hurt, but Rose could tell that the smile was fake and that it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Rose glanced at the deep cut on Shay's open palm, blood dripping onto the ground like it was an offering. She glanced at the sharp knife again and could say by the look in Shay's eyes that it was hurting her.

Just when Will took the cloth and lifted Shay's hand gently to apply pressure on the wound, a voice stopped him. All of them froze and looked in the direction of the voice, finding an elderly man standing there. Rose looked around her. They had been standing in a completely deserted place where no one usually came and were alarmed by the sudden presence.

The elderly man standing in front of them fixed his spectacles and peered at all of them. He had a kind face, his eyes holding the wisdom of the world. He seemed eerily familiar, even though Rose knew she didn't meet him face to face. He chuckled when he realized no one heard him, and patiently repeated his question again with a smile.

"The wound looks really deep, is it okay if I help you with that?" He asked as he approached them, and close up Rose could see his eyes through the glass of the specs. They were grey, and Rose knew that she saw those eyes somewhere. She was sure of it. His eyes held a fair amount of sadness in them, contrasting the smile on his face.

Rose knew that it would be a very bad idea to accept help from strangers with everything happening in Blackwood, but had a feeling that they could trust him. Everybody stood stiffly, the gears in their minds rotating with blinding speed.

Everyone knew everyone in Blackwood. Rose knew that she would've met George's family at some point in her life, not George because he wasn't someone who was of their generation. He seemed really familiar to her, but Rose couldn't pinpoint when she saw him. Yet, she knew she never met him. Maybe she met his children or grandchildren.

When the man was met with complete silence, he laughed. "I'm not a threat to you guys," he said, waving his hand. "I just want to help your bleeding friend there." He said as he nodded at Shay and smiled at her, who smiled back.

Helping Shay back to her feet but not leaving her hand, Will smiled. "We are sorry for our behaviour, we were just shocked by your sudden presence. I'm Will, and this is Shay. Kai, Rose, Theo, and Jade."

"I'm George. You can call me by my name," he said as he approached Shay. "May I?" he asked, nodding to Shay's hand. After getting Shay's approval, he took her hand to observe the wound. "Is that the knife you hurt yourself with?"

Upon Shay's look of horror, he corrected his sentence, chuckling. "By mistake. The wound is pretty deep. You need to clean it carefully. My lab's nearby, and I'm a scientist, I've worked with doctors too. I could apply some antiseptics to your friend's cut."

Will smiled, nodding. "Sure. Thank you for your help." Kai and Theo looked at Will incredulously, their eyes widening. Jade looked like she was thinking but was okay with it. This shocked Rose. Jade had a very hard time trusting people and opening up to them, and she expected Jade to revolt against the idea of trusting someone to never met, going to their house. This went against everything their parents told them when they were young.

Rule One: Never trust a stranger. Don't take anything they offer, don't follow them anywhere.

Jade sensed Rose's eyes on her and shrugged, nodding to Will. Rose nodded back, understanding what she meant. Will would never agree to go to someone's house without recognizing them. That meant he remembered who George was. If Rose got to know his last name, she would recognize him almost immediately.