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Chapter 8

My body shot up once I heard the screams. I climbed out of my bed and ran to her room as fast as I could, pain striking through my leg like lightning as soon as I started running. I ignored it, knowing the screams weren’t going to stop till I got to her. Flinging her door open I ran to her bed to see her eyes squeezed shut, tears flowing out of them and her body soaked in sweat, I pulled back her bed sheets and started to shake her awake while saying her name.

Her body flung up and she inhaled a big breath of air as if she had just come out from under water. Her eyes wide and full of fear like prey facing its predator. She moved as quickly as she could away from me. Her body slid off her bed and into the corner. Her gaze fixed on me as if it was me she was scared of.

I gulped and moved closer to her “leave me alone,” she yelled. I went to say her name when she said something. “Please,” she cried “n...no m...more,” she stuttered out of fear. Fear of me and only me.

She watched me like a hawk as I stood off her bed and walked away from her to the door. Once out of her room I quickly made my way to the phone and dialled her psychiatrist’s number.

“Hello,” she said sleepily.

“I’m sorry to wake you up at this hour but, it’s Megan she’s urm...”

“How’s she acting?” She asks

“Well, I think she had a nightmare but for some reason it’s like she hasn’t woken up from it, I mean, I woke her up but she’s crying and talking to me as if it’s not me,” I explained “does that make sense?” I ask .

“Sort of,” she said and then there was silence “is she doing it now?”

“I’ll check,”

“Try and make sure she doesn’t see you,”

“Ok,” I said and walked back to her room to see her still sitting in the corner and talking as if someone was in front of her. “Yes,” I state.

“Ok, I will be there as soon as I can,” she said and hung up. I sigh and walk over to Megan but sat on the bed so I was quite a distance from her.

“I want Logan,” she muttered. I frowned while looking at her.

“I’m right here Megan,” her head shot at me. She stood and ran into my arms hugging me tightly.

“I’m scared,” she said quietly.

“It was just a bad dream Megan,” I said quietly “nothing and no one is going to hurt you,”

“But he,” I cut her off.

“Megan look at me, he is not here, he is very far away and nowhere near you, I’m here and I’m here to protect you so even if he was here he’d have to go through me to get to you,” I state “understand?”

“Yeah,” she said quietly. I sigh in relief and take the phone from my pocket and dial the number again.

“Hey me again, it’s ok now, I just don’t think she realised it was a dream...urm I’m again sorry for waking you,”

“Ok,” she said in relief that she didn’t have to drive in the cold night “as long as she’s ok,”

“She’s ok,” I said looking at Megan “night,” I said and hung up putting the phone down on the bedside table. I moved my arms around her, hugging her tightly to my chest.

“Please don’t leave me,” Megan muttered.

“I won’t don’t worry,” I said and pulled her onto the bed. “Do you want to stay here or move to a different room?” I ask . She looked around the room and then stood up taking my hand. I smiled slightly and let her lead me to the room she wanted to sleep in.

My eyebrows knitted together as she pulled me into my room, which was only next door to hers. She pulled me towards my now messed up bed and climbed into my bed and sat down with the covers on her lap.

“This is my bed,” I state “do you realise that?” I ask . She nodded looking at me very innocently as if not realising that if anyone knew she was in my bed right now there would be a lot of questions asked. She scooted to the side and patted the space next to her while looking at me. I chuckled a little at how cute she looked and got in next to her.

---Next Morning---

Tired did not describe how I felt as I walked down the stairs yawning. When I woke Megan was gone from my bed. Whether she had slept all night or not I don’t know, but it was worrying that she was up before me when it wasn’t even eight o’clock yet.

I walked into the kitchen to see her sitting on a stool at the breakfast bar with a mug in her hands. She pulled the mug away from her lip and looked at me. “Morning,” I said, she muttered a reply to me and looked down at the table. “Have you had breakfast?” I ask .

“No,” she said quietly and stood “I’m not hungry,”

“You have to eat something,” I said standing at the breakfast bar opposite her, “you didn’t eat anything last night either,” I state.

“I’m not hungry,” she said, walking to the sink and pouring out the liquid in her mug.

“You may not be but you still have to eat something,” I said watching her. She looked me in the eyes and that’s when I noticed how bloodshot they were. “Did you sleep at all last night?” I ask . She shook her head.

“I couldn’t get to sleep after the nightmare so I came down here once you fell asleep,” she states. I sighed and walked over to her.

“Did you take any sleeping tablets?”

“Yeah but they didn’t work,” she said. I frowned and sniffed up a little, I could smell something peculiar. I walked to the sink and lifted the mug she was holding before and sniffed it. My eyes watered from how strong the smell was.

“You’re not supposed to drink alcohol while taking the sleeping tablets,” I said, turning to look at her.

She shrugged her shoulders and walked off. I shook my head and put the mug back in the sink and started to make myself something to eat.


“Do you want to go out later?” I asked Megan as I looked at her. She shook her head and continued watching television. I wasn’t due back at work for another two weeks and Megan wasn’t back in school for another three and even then she would only be going to a few lessons a week. Her psychologist had said she wasn’t stable enough to do the full thirty hours of school so she would do a maximum of twenty.

“Logan,” she said, sitting up and looking at me. It was around six o’clock now and the nurse had been and given her her medication and checked her physically. I looked at her “How come you agreed to live with me?” she asked “why didn’t you just say no and have me stay with my grandfather?”

“Because I care for you and don’t think it would be fair on you to live with someone who you dislike even if he is your grandfather,” I said. That was a relatively easy question.

“Oh and you don’t mind the fact I’m some mental freak,” she said.

“You’re not a mental freak and I wouldn’t really mind if you were because we all have demons, I know I do,” I state. She frowned and gave me a confused look “yes I have demons Megan,” I said.

“What sort?” she asks.

“I was in rehab not long ago,” I said looking at her, “to battle my depression and anger and some other issues,” I state “you’ve seen me smoke haven’t you?” I ask . She nodded “well I don’t smoke cigarettes I smoke marijuana but that is because I actually have to smoke it to calm me down,” I paused “when I was in rehab they did tests and tried everything to control my anger to see what made me calm down and in the end they found it was that, that calmed me down the most. So when I have something on my mind that irritates me I have a small smoke of that.” I explained. “But it’s only a little one like I mix it with tobacco but I have such a little amount in it you can’t always smell it,” I state.

“Hmm,” she said and looked at the television again “I remember the first time I tried marijuana, it was in November,” she states “I actually came into school high as a kite,” she said with a small smirk “Melanie saw me and actually forced me to skip school because of it. I didn’t go home though, I hadn’t been home the night before I stayed out all night and well I hardly remember most of that night,” she said.

“I don’t really condone smoking it every day though,” I said looking at her. She nodded showing she agreed and then rested her head on her knees while looking at me.

“You know I don’t know that much about you,” she states.

“What would you like to know?” I ask .

“What made you become a teacher?”

“I like children...well teenagers as I understand teenagers more but I don’t know, it’s an easy thing for me to go into, my grades were outstanding if I say so myself and well I did the course while in rehab,” I said smiling slightly.

“Oh ok, do you drink a lot?” she asks

“Only when I go out with friends and probably once in a blue moon on a weekend at home,” I answered.

“So there’s no chance of me coming home with you half cut?” she asks

“Nope,” I said, shaking my head.

“Good...urm I’m sorry about last night,” she states looking at me.

“It’s ok,” I said. She smiled and looked down “do you want to tell me what it was about?” I ask

“Benjamin,” she muttered, “it was just a nightmare though so it’s fine,” she said, trying her best to convince herself. I sigh and move next to her.

“It was you’re right but a nightmare can still affect you,” I said “and it did affect you because you didn’t get back to sleep did you and well by what I found this morning you tried to deal with it by having a sly drink,” I state.

“Hmm,”

“Which is ok but it can’t be a permanent solution,” I said.

“So what am I supposed to do, because I’ve been getting the nightmares since I woke up in hospital,” she said now looking at me

“Honestly I don’t know but every time you get one don’t be afraid to come and tell me,” I said. She sighs and takes my hand.

“It’s sort of amazing how I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for you,” she said and rested her head on my shoulder.

“Hmm,” I said, moving my arm around her. “It is sort of amazing,” I said, mimicking what she had said. “Now come on we’ll watch a movie but a funny one to get you out of this gloom fest,” I said smirking and picking up the remote.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. I rolled my eyes at her and flicked through Netflix for a movie.

“Now this is an amazing movie,” I said holding up ‘Mean Girls’ “and this one is amazing too,” I said and flicked to ‘White Chicks’

“Hmm yes they both fall into the amazing category,” I chuckled slightly “but white chicks falls into the awesomely amazing,” she said tilting her head with a matter of fact expression on her face and tone of voice.

“White chicks it is,” I said and sat back on the couch next to her and she placed her head on my shoulder and then moved my arm around her shoulders. She then started to get comfy and moved her arm around me.

“I feel safer now,” she said quietly.

“Good,” I said and kissed the top of her head.

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