HE'S BACK

I felt really tired, to open my eyes was causing me trouble, and my eyelashes were sealed.

I could hear noises, didn’t know where I was but by the smell I could tell that I wasn’t going to like it when I open my eyes. My head was pounding like a drum with maracas and it hurt…a lot. I could feel somebody next to me holding my hand, it was warm and soft so I made a last attempt to open my eyes, little by little y opened them, the light was strong and when I turned to my hand’s direction I saw her, looking at me with tortured eyes, a pain and frustration that I never saw in her before, she smiled at me but I was still feeling dizzy.

“Are you ok?”

“Huh mmh…where am I?”

“We are in the hospital Gabrielle” I never heard her talking with that sweetness before, did she just say hospital?

“What am I doing here? where is Jeremy?”

“He went home to rest”

“Mmh…what happened?”

“You don’t remember?” I shook my head which didn’t help me ouch!

“Does it hurt much?” she asked me “no, it’s ok”

“You fell into a hole…but I don’t understand how you didn’t see it, well it was covered but still you could tell by the grass” I tried to think, to remember what happened…“ I saw something”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, I'm not sure I think it was an animal, I got distracted. After that I just remember waking up here, how did I get here?”

“Christopher brought you here, he found you in the woods”

“Really?”

“Yeah…you hurt your head pretty bad”

“And my leg?” I said looking at the cast

“They just put it on for precaution, is nothing serious, you also have a few broken…”

“Don’t sweat it I’ll survive. Where is Christopher, is he still here?”

“He’s waiting outside, he hasn’t left since he came with you”

“Could you please call him…I have to thank him”

“Sure” and she left. Why is he still here, is not that I don’t want him to be here, cause I do, I’m happy that he’s here but that’s not the point. I thought he didn’t like me; he did his work bringing me here but why wait if I was alright. After a few seconds she came back with him “I’ll leave you two alone I have to make a few calls” and she left again, this is so weird but I’ll take care of her later, now I have to focus on him staring at me, why is he staring?

“Hi” I tried to make space for him to seat beside me on the bed but my broken ribs sent a lash of pain which almost made me scream.

“Don’t move, I’ll stand” he said with a frown

“Don’t be so tense, why don’t you relax a bit we are alone now, don’t you get tired of being in defence mode all the time?”

“I’m fine” he snapped like always

“What were you doing in the woods?”

“What were YOU doing in the woods?! I thought I told you to think less and pay more attention”

“You could treat me with a bit more of courtesy you know, in case you haven’t notice I’m a patient”

“I’ve treated you with enough courtesy already, I waited to see if you were alright, now I see that you are so I'm leaving” not even when I'm hospitalized he’s going to change he turned and walked to the door, I didn’t want him to leave now, what to do!! So I called after him and he stopped without turning to look at me, the only thing I could say was thank you but he kept walking as if I hadn’t say anything. I really can’t figure this guy out, but I will. At least he saved me.

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I've been having a few dreams since the accident but this time about the woods, me in that dark place with lot of pain and dizziness.

I saw that animal lying down again and again, its eyes were wide open and it looked in pain, something was hurting it and that something was after me, I could feel it.

I haven't gone to school since then, I don’t have a cast or anything anymore but I have to stay home till my swollen ankle and painful ribs get better.

I didn't actually want to stay home even with the pain I could have gone to school. Elizabeth’s been getting in and out my room checking on me all the time, by that now she already knows that I prefer pain than pills. I hate medicine, so she would come and check if I was in pain otherwise I wouldn't call anyone and suffer in silence. Our fights and fuses are on stand by, in the hospital her face was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. She wasn't crying or anything but her expression disturbed me…a little. I didn't like how I felt so I didn't make any more fuses but still we are awkward together.

At nights Jeremy would come with a cup of herbal tea to help me sleep. Brook and Jenny came more than enough to check on me and give me my assignments for the week, they told me that everybody was talking about the power punch that broke Sarah's nose, and for sure nobody would dare look at me in a while. As days passed I started to feel uneasy, something wasn't right and I couldn't figure out what it was, I didn’t stop having those dreams about the woods and I wanted to see where I fell in so I called the girls and when my ankle was good enough to support my weight we went into the woods. Jenny couldn't understand why I wanted so much to see where I fell in but I couldn't say anything either, not until I see the place. We walked deep into the woods, it was a scary but beautiful place, and I didn't notice it before. My eyes where filled with tears, but I could see it now. We finally got to the spot and we could see that part of the grass in one side was darker than in the other and it was a good extension of the area, I got closer to it pulling up one side of the heavy grass, it was fake and it was like a carpet. Underneath it we could see wire covering the hole, so this time you can step on it without falling in. I got my flashlight out of my backpack and looked into it, it was so deep that I couldn't see the bottom, did I fall in here? Sure? I couldn't believe it, how was possible that the only damage is a swollen ankle a few broken ribs and a bump in my head… and he got me out of here??? Impossible... “what are you waiting for you've seen the hole let's move I don’t like this place” said Jenny. She feels uneasy in the woods, I understand why...it feels a little bit overloaded…Goosebumps,

 and I kind of learned to trust in her intuition. After all she's a witch. I bet she could resolve this mystery but I couldn't tell them yet, I needed to talk to him and that's what I was going to do.  This place is just becoming weirder and weirder. When we got home I told Jeremy that the hole was huge and of course he told me off

“What were you doing again in the woods!!?” But yes he was shocked when he saw the huge hole the first day after Christopher let me in the hospital and told them where he found me. What I don’t understand is how it didn't seem to bother him or to anyone that Christopher was unharmed. Is not that I wanted him to be but c'mon...for what I’ve heard, he was just passing by. Can anybody explain me how did he manage to get me out of there if he wasn't prepared for it? He must've been with somebody else in the woods that’s for sure because I couldn't believe he jumped in and out. 

After 2 weeks at home I finally got to go on with my normal life well...normal, you know what I mean. 

A few people were still staring at me in school but the rest just forgot about me. Sarah didn't look or talk to me either. Good. I was still ignoring Christopher when I saw him in history but I couldn't contain myself anymore. So after class I walked towards his locker, I knew I could find him there, and there he was.

I walked firm and secure towards him but that was just on the surface, deep inside I knew that this would blow on my face, like everything that has to do with him.

“Can I talk to u for a minute?”

“I'm kind of in a harry right know” he said closing his locker and turning to walk away

“It will take you just a minute” he stopped and looked at me “thank you…you know I was in the woods last night” he looked at me with a frown again, why is he always frowning at me? “Don’t worry I didn't go alone”

“I wasn't”

“*sigh* of course you weren’t...I just wanted to see where I fell in. It was a huge place to fall in wasn't it?” it looked like he was thinking about something

“I don't have time for this” and he said and started walking away

“Hey!!” He stopped and turned so I walked towards him

“You are driving attention towards us” he said with a crooked smile

“I know and I hate u for that” I said but he continued walking so I grabbed him before he went away “how did you get me out of there, were you alone? It was deep and huge, how did u do it if u were alone with nothing to bring me up

“I just did and you thanked me for that can't you just move on?”

“Why should I?”

“Cause I already did” and there he runs again...he’s is hiding something but I'm going to find out what it is. You can bet your life on it, nobody bits me at being stubborn. After that I went to class, time passed really slow and when we finished we went to the cafeteria. To my surprise he was sitting a few tables behind us; I've never seen him here before... I wonder if something happened. I left my food on the table and walked towards him ignoring Brook's and Jenny's glances and sat in front of him. He looked at me with a frown

“You are starting to annoy me” he said

“You've been annoying me since the first time I saw you”

“What do yo u want?”

“The truth, do you think you can do that? Just tell me the truth”

“What are you looking for Gabrielle? ask the chief of police he'll tell you how I got you out and now if you'll excuse me I need you to free the table” our eyes stayed locked for a few seconds and then I stood up and walked away, I need you to free my table, stupid!...is he waiting for somebody? He is never here otherwise I don't get it. But is ok he can play numb with me I won't let it go so easily. I walked to the table and of course the girls were looking at me with questioning eyes but then Jenny said,

“And the bird came to the nest”

“What?”

 “He's back” she continue with a smile

“Who?”

“That guy over there” said Brook “is Leonard Trivani, the dark hairy one, the one with the tray” I turned to look at him and god he was gorgeous

“Is he new here?”

“No, but he spends just half of the school year in here and the other half in Italy”

“Is he Italian?”

“Half, his dad is. I don’t know how he has it going on but that's how he does it”

“Well with all the money they have is not actually impossible” said Jenny, with that comment she just reminded me to Zoe, and that I have to call her…

“They're cousins you know” said Brook

“Who?”

“Trivani and Martyrs they're cousins, but they have something weird going on in between them”

“How do you mean?”

“I don't know exactly how to explain it but there's kind of like tension every now and then”  I couldn't help by looking back to Christopher’s table, were now Leonard was seating too, and when I did, something strange happened.

Christopher was looking at me with a frown like always but Leonard was looking at me with shock, his eyes froze me in place for a few seconds, it was as if he was given a huge surprise, something he didn't expect and at the same time he looked like he was suffering. I remembered seeing that same look in Christopher's eyes the first time I saw him but why? Then Leonard was standing up when Christopher pulled him back down and I finally could look away, breaking that strong link that I felt inside me

“See I told you, I knew something was going to happen” Brook said

I could see from my periphery that they were arguing, I didn't look back cause I was afraid, afraid of Leonard's eyes, afraid of what could happen, I don't know why I felt like I had something to do with his behaviour which makes me believe that Christopher didn't have stomach ache the first time he saw me but something else. There's something wrong with me, there must be, they must have something against me I don’t know but this is not normal.

After a few minutes Leonard left, Christopher after him and me after Christopher.

I heard Brook's braking voice asking where I was going but I just kept walking, I didn't know what to expect, what I was gonna find out there but I kept walking. I could feel eyes on me and people talking around till I left the cafeteria.

I couldn't see them anywhere, the corridors were really long they couldn't be out yet, they weren't that fast, were they? I heard a noise like two rocks being smashed together in the far east of the corridor so I ran towards it. When I got there I found nothing and the bell to go back to class rang so I had to harry back to my side of school. While running I couldn’t stop thinking of explanations, making up reasons for their hater towards me and then I found Christopher leaving some books into his locker and getting his back pack as if nothing happened.

Everybody was getting in their classrooms but I didn't care I needed to talk to him.

“Are you leaving?” He started walking away and I followed, I’m starting to get tire of this walking after him thing.

“What did just happen in there?” He kept ignoring me “are you avoiding me again?  He turned suddenly making our faces stay a few inches away from each other

“Will you go away if I say yes?”

“No!”  he stepped back and looked passed me ”then why ask?”

 “Cause I care about you”

“I didn't give you reasons to care” I gasped, how could he say that...I couldn't believe it, he wasn’t even blinking, but for a second I could swear I saw him hesitant

“Look I don't want to hurt you and I won't let anything hurt you either but you must stay away from me”

“But why?”

 “Cause is the best thing I can do to prevent that from happening”

“Why would I get hurt?”

“Please just stay away” he started walking again and for a second I couldn’t move, I couldn’t follow, I didn’t understand, I really didn’t. Yeah is right that he’s always rude and unpleasant with me, but this? Now it was completely different. Why is he being like that so suddenly? Is it because of his cousin's arrival?

“Does that include Leonard too?” I don’t even know why I said that, his eyes widened a bit when I said his cousin’s name and then frowned, his gentle face really looked agonizing but in no second his expression changed.

“Stay away Gabrielle” he said with threatening eyes and walked away, disappearing thru the door.

Why is he being like this? Why does it hurt this much?  

“What’s wrong with you Gabrielle? We’ve been calling you all along” Jenny was angry

“Sorry girls, I just needed to talk to him”

“What happened back there?” said Brook, she looked concerned

“Yeah, what happened? Did you see Leonard eyes? It looked like he was about to explode, what was that all about?” said Jenny

“That’s what I would like to know too”

“Those two…don’t get in between them Gabrielle” said Brook very serious, this time I had to stop thinking and look at her. Her expression was disturbing

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, is just that…I don’t know. Let’s just go to class”

While in class I really couldn’t get around it, what did I do that made him so angry?

That’s it! He doesn’t want me close to Leonard but then he doesn’t want me close himself either, well whatever I do I cant stay away, not anymore, I really need to know what’s going on and I haven’t forgot about my recue issue either. He’s hiding something and it has to do with me, I know it.

TO BE CONTINUED……