Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Hazel Eyes ❯ Just a Little Unwell ( Chapter 12 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Hazel Eyes

Chapter Twelve

Just a Little Unwell

Introducing

(Tessa Gardner-Blight?)

I fiddled with the old fashioned shower faucets, twisting them until the water was warm enough to relax in, but cool enough to not make my skin blotch. It felt like I hadn't showered in year's, but I was sure it was close to a few day's, I was careful not to open up the large wound in my side as I washed away all traces of dry blood. My arm still hurt and was turning a bluish purple from bruising, Dean had blown an ass gasket when he seen what had happened and that's when he blew up at me for the first time -- I mean, truly yelled at me.

“What the hell were you thinking? Do you know the trouble I could get into if there was so much as a hair missing from that empty head of yours? Why the hell didn't you come to me when you were obviously injured like that?!”

I looked away and winced at his tone. Cole, Colt and Spencer were to the side of Dean's office, I could tell Spencer wanted to say something on my behalf, but stayed silent. I was shocked however, when Colt stepped forward.

“Chill Dean, this is probably why she never said anything, look at how you're acting” he tried to reason, and for that, I was grateful. Dean wasn't as impressed however.

His hazel eyes seemed to turn to steel, as if the gun in his holster attached to his leg was somehow an option of making all this unwanted stress go away. “No one asked you. Colt, I suggest you keep your damn mouth shut before I shoot it off” he growled.

Spencer, with his care free grin, stepped between the older male and Colt, spreading his arm's to make sure they didn't overstep friendly boundaries “Guy's, we're all bud's here, practically brothers, and you want to chuck all that trust away over something as trivial as this?”

Colt didn't seem to hear him though, or he just chose to ignore it, he slapped Spencer's hand away and took another step forward, which basically left only me beside him and Dean “Was that a threat, boss?”

Dean smirked, a scathing look crossing his features “Colt, friend, you should know by now I don't make threats unless I plan on carrying them out” he took a step closer to Colt, also coming closer to me. At this moment I felt like a Zebra caught between two fighting lion males' crazy from hunger, each ready to pounce on each other, but not before making the final blow to their prey -- the Zebra.

“Get out”

And there was the final blow. Dean's star turned to me, a cold look I had never seen before and never really wished to see from this frightening man. I nodded curtly, making a fast pace for the door, but not before I heard Dean's final words.

“You leave in two days”

And when I left, I was sure someone was coming out with a few broken bones.

`I hope Dean didn't really beat up Colt'

I would never forgive him if he did; Colt was only standing up for me, most probably from the frightened and pitiful looks I was giving him and Spencer. Cole looked as if he really didn't give a damn and was only there for the entertainment. I doubt Dean would really care if I forgave him or not anyway.

I closed my eyes, shallow sobs racking my body, both from fear and home sickness, I missed my family so much and now I was being sent to another place? I was never getting out of here. Didn't they understand I was a human being, it isn't right to keep someone against their will and just boot them off whenever they damn well felt like it. I shifted my body and looked around for anything to wash my hair with, all there was, was the bar or soap I had used to wash my body with. I frowned but used the cheat bar of soap none the less, washing the dirt and sweat from my hair.

After thoroughly washing out my dark hair and scrubbing my face and body, I stepped out of the large shower making sure to be quiet with the glass door's, they tended to make more then enough noise to suggest I was banging something against them. I grabbed the fluffy white towel and rapped it around me, loving the feel of something soft against my skin.

I didn't bother drying off my hair as I stepped outside and into the cold hallway. Tessa stood beside the bathroom door, like always, and smiled kindly at me. After my little phone escapade Dean didn't trust me to be alone anymore, my room was checked almost every morning by Cole, who made an effort to fondle through my clothing. Shuddering lightly, I smiled back at Tessa and made my way towards my room.

Tessa wore plain faded denim jeans, a white blouse and a black coat over the top. The boots she had her jeans tucked into made her look taller, although she was already taller then me to begin with. Somehow, over the past forty-eight hours, she looked older and even somewhat wiser. Her eyes looked grey and stern, as if this whole time she had just been playing a game, a game for children to dress up and play make believe.

Or maybe I was the one playing make believe.

A familiar tune caught my attention, making me stop and turn my head; Tessa didn't seem to notice the music and made her way towards the stairs, completely unfazed by the guitar music. It felt as though I hadn't heard music in year's, in fact, it felt as though I hadn't done a lot of things in years, when it truth it had only been about a month.

`All day,
Staring at the sealing,
Making friends with shadows on my wall,
All night,
Hearing voices telling me that I should get some sleep,
Because tomorrow might be good for something,
Hold on,
Feeling like I'm heading for a,
Break down, and I don't know why'

I followed the lyrics towards the end of the hall; I recognized the song as Matchbox Twenty's `Unwell', a group my mother just couldn't get enough of. I personally liked this song and was surprised to find it was coming from Colt and Holden's room.

`But I'm not crazy,
I'm just a little unwell,
I know right now you can't tell,
But stay a while and maybe then you'll see,
A different side of me,

I'm not crazy,
I'm just a little impaired,
I know right now you don't care,
But soon enough your gonna think of me,
And how I used to be'

I leaned against the wall next to Colt's door, I wasn't sure if it was him or not, but I didn't care, I even forgot I was only in my towel, my head was fazed with the words of the song and I couldn't help but sing along.

`Me,
Talking to myself in public,
Dodging glances on the train,
And I know,
I know they've all been talking bout me,
I can hear them whisper,
And it makes me think there must be something wrong,
With me,
Out of all the hours thinking some how,
I've lost my mind'

I brought my knee's to my chin, burying my face as I sang along with the words, feeling more and more like they described how I was feeling. As I sang, I didn't even realize I had started to cry until I felt my eyes start to sting.

`But I'm not crazy,
I'm just a little unwell,
I know right now you can't tell,
But stay a while and maybe then you'll see,
A different side of me,

I'm not crazy,
I'm just a little impaired,
I know right now you don't care,
But soon enough your gonna think of me,
And how I used to be,

I've been talking in my sleep,
But soon they'll come to get me,
And they're taking me home,
I'm not crazy,
I'm just a little unwell,
I know right now you can't tell,
But stay a while and maybe then you'll see,
A different side of me,

I'm not crazy I'm just a little impaired,
I know right now you don't care,
But soon enough your gonna think of me,
And how I used to be'

I thought about my time at home as the music kept playing. I thought about my seventh birthday party, how mum and dad had made an extra effort to hire out McDonalds and had even let the kids, which was my entire First grade class, eat all they wanted. I had gotten a mountain of gifts but none topped the little pink plastic car my parents had bought me, it was already charged and Bec and I had spent most of the afternoon riding around in it while the other kids met with their parents and wished me a Happy Birthday.

Or the time my Grandmother died, I didn't really know her, but Holly-May had been especially close to the old woman and was so distraught, she stayed in my room while the mourners downstairs ate cake and told my dad how sorry they were. I knew deep down my sister and I had a bond that went deeper then what we let on, we were like fire and ice, but we loved each other all the same. To bad it took me this long to realize this.

`Yeah how I used to be,
How I used to be yeah,
I'm just a little unwell,
How I used to be,
How I used to be,
I'm just a little unwell'

As the song ended, so did my thoughts down memory lane. I smiled and lifted my head, somehow just the little bit of hope that I would get home made me happier then any Christmas morning when I was eight years old. I wiped away my tears with the back of my hand and went to stand up. A hand on my arm helping me to my feet made me gasp sharply and almost fall back down.

“Whoa, take it easy”

My eyes widened at the figure before me. Cut lip, bruised cheek and I was pretty sure there were more injuries on Colt's body that I couldn't see to well. He smiled none the less, a forced smile I knew was only meant to ease my concern and why he wanted to ease my concern was beyond me.

“Thought I heard someone singing out here, thought I was hearing things” he seemed okay, but he wasn't being himself, he wouldn't care if anyone was out here normally. What was wrong with him?

“What happened?” I whispered; I couldn't seem to find my voice. His hand gripped my arm a little tighter, pulling me away from his room and walking me towards my own. His features were no longer all smiles, or even soft, he seemed a little agitated I had even asked and if he noticed I was in nothing but a towel, I doubt he really cared.

“Nothing” he snapped. There it was again, those sudden mood changes, I was seriously considering he and Dean had bi-polar issue's. At least that would explain the sudden changes as if on permanent PMS.

The first time I had met Colt, he had dragged me from my room and practically pushed me downstairs. Our second encounter was when he knocked me out and destroyed my phone, we had a few chats and he helped me with cleaning and bandaging my injuries from Harson's attack and yet I still couldn't figure him out. It seemed like my life was spiraling from one person to another, all revolving around Dean…

“I don't believe you” I countered as we reached the large oak door that would now lead into my own personal prison. He opened it and narrowed his eyes.

“Princess, I don't give a shit what you believe” and with that, he shoved me into my room and slammed the door closed.

Tessa Gardner sighed, tossing her brownish blond hair over her shoulder. It had grown out a little, which gave Tessa the notion she needed to cut it. With a swift turn, she left the back veranda and walked out into the garden, the afternoons were getting longer and much colder.

Dean Collister, Tessa's cousin and technical step-brother because of the legitimate love child of her father and her aunt, Dean's mother, had been burying himself in paper work concerning their half sister, Artesia for months now. It had just been a promise, a silly promise to find the girl no one wanted to keep, a promise made over five years ago. No one even mentioned Artesia before that stupid woman decided to come clean and tell Dean his sister was still alive while on her death bed. Dean had been crushed, believing she was dead or simply missing.

Looking up at the sky as its light started to fade, Tessa smiled. She was Dean's right hand woman, always there to help him out when times were hard, she couldn't stress enough how sorry she was that she couldn't protect Alice and the other's, not while she was so sick, she hadn't taken her medication and was weak.

Tapping the little silver gun attached to her belt, she started to think, in two days they were moving Skye to Gage Myers estate in Virginia, and where the younger girl would be delivered to her final destination. It was always hard, especially when she had to explain to Skye she was more then an innocent maid working for the holy Dean Collister. Tessa knew nothing about what Mr. Myers wanted with a girl like Skye Glenn, she hardly looked like the type that Gage recruited into his training facilities, but surprises do happen.

Tessa laughed lightly as she made her way back to the house, fixing her coat so it covered her jeans and weapon. Maybe this girl could surprise her; after all, she did surprise Dean by keeping Alec's men at bay when Tessa, Greg and Colt were out of the game, although the guy would never admit a little girl saved his men's backsides.

Huffing lightly, I managed to find some pajama's Claudia had reluctantly handed over. White shorts and a cotton shirt, it was a pretty cute set; I missed my own clothes however and wished I was back at home. I couldn't believe how much I missed my mum, I've never missed my family as much as I do right now and the dull ache in my heart was enough to make me cry with gut wrenching sobs.

But I didn't, I didn't cry.

I didn't cry until I hit the pillow and sobbed uncontrollably into the soap scented pillow case. I didn't hear the door gently open or the mattress lean down with a new weight.

“Would you stop crying” the new voice whispered.

I didn't answer Dean, I wished he would stop coming into this room without knocking or doing something for my privacy -- what if I had been getting dressed? Expecting him to grunt, sigh or do anything to suggest he was annoyed, I wasn't expecting him to lean over and moved me gently into his arms. I didn't protest, I was tired, tired of this whole mess I had somehow gotten myself into. I hugged him slightly and he retaliated by stiffening and awkwardly putting his arm's around me.

In some odd way, I felt as if I had done this before…

As the thunder roared, the little girl clung tighter to the figure next to her, burying herself deeper under the blankets and towards the torch the elder boy was holding onto.

“Ducky, make it stop!” she squealed, her whole body shaking uncontrollably. If there was anything she hated more, it was thunder and lightning.

The elder boy grabbed onto his little sister, holding her tightly and smiling “Look Bear, it's a Duck” he said, trying to make the animal that resembled his name. However much the little boy hated the nickname `Ducky', it made his sister happy to call him that, so he would be Ducky if she wanted it to be.

Artesia sniffled and raised her head at the little boy, her eyes blinking rapidly as she giggled lightly “It's a…” she thought for a moment “a Doggie!” she concluded.

As another crash of lightning and thunder came crashing down, the little girl whimpered and buried her head into Ducky's chest. The little boy sighed and stared down at the little girl with his eerily hazel blue and brown eyes “Pleas stop crying…”

Why was it always raining when I seen these images? Sighing heavily, I failed to see the small handkerchief came to nose, but when it did I smelt that fowl stench of acid and vinegar again. My head started to spin as I pushed roughly away from Dean, falling off of the bed and looking up at him with tired and frightened eyes. My hazel blue and green seemed to clash with his blue and brown as he reached out for me, trying to grab the wrist that wasn't bandaged up.

I moaned as the effects of that horrible toxin started to kick in. As Dean leaned down again, I kicked him away and scattered for the door. Just as I reached the door, I felt another set of hands grab onto me and hoist my body up.

“Let… go” I gasped, suddenly needing air and lots of it.

I was pulled up and carried bridal style out of the room, going in and out of consciousness as I did so. All I heard next was the name…

“Colt Myer…”

Final Words

Skye: “Colt… Myer…?”

Colt: “That's my name”

Disclaimer: I don't own the song 'A Little Unwell' by Matchbox Twenty