• Chapter 10 •
"Settle down with me, and I'll be your safety."
-Ed Sheeran
"Brennan, you are not psychotic!" Peter clenches.
"I- I never knew what it was called..."
He steps forward towards me, squeezing them tighter in his hands. "Haldol is a medication for people who are completely insane! Who in the right mind would give you this? This stuff could kill you if you didn't need it!"
I hang my head. "My parents believe I am."
"Why the hell would they think that?"
I don't reply. Instead a tear escaped the safety of my cheeks and drips to the floor.
Peter places his hand on my shoulder comforting. "Brennan you can trust me."
Trust.
Well screw it. He's already gotten this far.
"My sophomore year, my 'friends' got me addicted to- drugs. It was only about a week before my parents found out. Not long after, someone broke into my bedroom. It was in the middle in the night and as I was screaming for help; the burglar escaped through the window-" I pause. "-and strangely, that's how he always leaves."
"Wait." Peter stops me. "Always? He's come more than once?"
I nod. "When we called the police, they found no evidence that anyone was in my room besides me. My parents thought I was seeing things as aftermath of the drugs- which by then I was done with. The ignored it until the man broke in soon after. Again there was nothing so my parents talked to a doctor and got me medication. It made me really ill and I was in the hospital for weeks. But I thought it had worked because he never broke in after that. I was off the medication and my sickness went away almost instantly."
"Why did it not go away quickly this time? And why were you on it again?"
"Everything way going great. Until we moved here." I dropped my head once more, trying my best to hide my falling tears. "He came in through my window and when I tried to trap him he cut my arm with like a knife or something- I never saw what it was."
Peter glances down at my unharmed exposed arms and then back up at me.
"They thought I had finally lost it. Got me on medication that night." My voice is shaky and unstable. "But I swear to you that he did something; because even if you couldn't see a slash... It hurt like hell."
That seems to catch all of Peter's attention because it's almost if he goes into shock. He doesn't speak, but furrows his eyebrows as if he's trying to fit all the pieces together.
"What time did you say Stephan and Nic were coming to get me?"
"Nine..." I say.
"Brennan, you're not physco. The reason your so sick is because you're taking a heavily medicated drug to try and cure something you don't have."
"How do you know?" I clench my teeth. "The window to my room here doesn't even open." I run my hands through my hair. "Maybe I am."
Peter takes my hands in his. He tries really hard to hide the pain of his shoulder but I can tell it hurts.
"I promise you, I swear on my life."
I look at the blank wall and then back at him. "What's your evidence?"
"I think I know what is happening, and it has nothing to do with your mind." He shifts his feet. "Go pack your things."
I almost choke on my own pit. "What?"
"You're coming to stay at Nic's with me. It's not safe for you here alone now that I know."
I am frustrated now. "Know what!?"
He shakes his head. "I need to talk to Stephan about this before you know anything. But you need to have faith in me. I will keep you safe."
My mind spins with possibly every feeling and emotion. "Okay." I force the devilish word from my mouth.
I should be infuriated with him because he won't tell me information about the one subject that has ruined my life. But instead I am giving into the comfort and support that I have never received. Well, besides from a ten year old boy.
I guess I am silent for too long because Peter lifts my chin. "Hey, are you alright?"
"Why does everyone fear you?" I ask bluntly. He laughs.
"I guess we both have some history. Why?"
"Because Peter Pan, you may be the nicest guy I've ever met." I smile. "You know... besides the whole going to beat me up feeling and the bad boy aroma."
He smirks. "I'm not sure what to think. This whole 'nice' thing is new to me." He looks at the clock on the wall. "Now go get your things."
"And you take a shower. That wound needs to be cleaned, and then I'll change the bandage."
Peter rolls his eyes and begins to gather a towel in his arms. "Brennan don't answer the door until I'm out."
"Got it!" I shout as I begin to walk away.
The door opens again. "Wait?" He asks. "You feel like I'm going to beat you up?"
"Peter, I am new here. I haven't exactly been told the best things about you." I laugh.
He shrugs. "You've got a point, but I would never hurt you."
I narrow my eyes. "You do remember that you slammed me into a locker the first day we met." I tap my finger on my chin. "You also kicked my head like a soccer ball."
He presses his lips together and raises his shoulders. "Acts of kindness."
I turn around and laugh. "Bull shit."
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
After I shove clothes in my duffel bag, I go back to the living room to meet Peter.
He only wears the blood covered jeans he arrived in and his dark hair still glistens with water.
"Here, let me wrap that." I say walking over to him. I take the last bandage out of my pocket and begin to press it to his skin.
He shivers at me touch.
"Sorry! Did I hurt you?" I exclaim afraid that I had touched a bruise.
Peter chuckles. "No, I'm alright. Your hands are just cold."
A light blush floods my cheek. "Oh."
"So out of my own curiosity; why haven't you asked what happened to me yet?" Peter raises an eyebrow.
Shrugging my shoulders I tape the end of the bandage. "I guess I just assumed that you would tell me if you wanted too. Plus if this happened to me I wouldn't want to be swarmed with questions."
He nods understanding. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For taking care of me, knowing Stephan and Nicolas they probably just dropped me here without explaining anything and I can't imagine who frightened you were."
Pressing my lips into a line, I look down at my hands. "For a second I thought you weren't ever going to wake up." My voice quivers.
He sits on the couch, a sad look on his face.
"Brennan?" A voice calls.
"In here!" I yell back to Stephan.
"How is he?" Nicolas shouts as they walk in the living room.
"Alive." This time it's Peter who answers.
They both walk over to him. "Thank God!"
"Man..." Nicolas shakes his head. "When we found you-"
"We weren't even sure you were going to make it." Stephan adds.
Peters eyes are filled with annoyance. "So you decided to drop me at Brennan's? What if I didn't make it? Why would you put all that on her?"
Stephan seems to think it over before he turns to me. "You're right, we are sorry Brennan. That was a shitty thing to do, but we had to go take care of the situation."
I nod. "It's okay, you had to do what you had to do."
"Stephan I need to talk to you about something really important." Peter huffs.
Then someone knocks on the door.
Peter gives me a protective look.
"It's fine, I'll go get it." I say walking to the front door.
I twist the knob and I get a large feeling of dacha-vu; except when I open the door it's not a second Peter.
"Claire?!" I gasp.
She frowns. "It's tomorrow and you better tell me what the hell happened."