SUBJECT NINE | KIRIN O'CONNOR

FOUR

"THE FIRST NIGHT was the worst." Frances mumbled. "They were so cold. Sometimes I could have sworn my fingertips turned blue."

She thought back to the first night, she made sure to stay away from everyone. Including Seth and Kirin. Because no matter how nice they were to her, she didn't know if she could fully trust them yet.

"I stayed awake most of the night."

The fear that she felt the first night was like no other. She knew that she never wanted to feel anything like that ever again.

"After a while, Kirin came and sat with me. He knew I was a girl at this point. He made a promise to keep my secret and protect me if I needed it."

She ran her tongue over her bottom lip, before continuing on,

"It was only when he was there that I could fall asleep."

D A Y    O N E

Frances pulled on the sleeves of her jumper, hoping that it would warm her hands up just a little bit more.

Her eyes flickered over the whole group, Seth and Raf were sat beside one another, having a conversion. Bo and Scotty were next to each other but in complete silence.

Ivan was looking at a dollar intently, which made Frances curious as to what meaning it had. Josh was taking his medicine, which Frances admired because at a time like this, she would have completely forgot to do that.

And finally, Kirin was sat beside a fallen tree branch, his legs pulled up to his chest and his head resting upon his knees. He seemed to be in deep thought.

Frances began to fiddle with the ring that he gave her a mere few hours ago. On their walk back he told her that she should keep the waterfall as her own place, a place that she could go to feel safe.

A soft smile slowly formed on her face as she traced the 'K.O'. Her eyes couldn't help but drift over to him again, but that was when she noticed that he was gone.

The girl quickly stood up to go look for him, but before she got a chance, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and a hand wrap around her mouth. Her eyes widened in panic and her heart began racing.

"Sit down, Franny, it's just me." Kirin whispered and released the girl from his grip before sitting down once again He patted the sand next to him before looking up to the girl.

Frances sat beside the boy, her heart still racing from before. She turned to face him and noticed the smirk forming on his face.

"What?" She questioned quietly, so that the others didn't hear her voice.

"You were worried about me." He chuckled. Kirin ran his tongue over his bottom lip and shuffled closer to the girl, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her into his chest.

"I was not." She whispered back, she tried to pull away but his grip on her tightened ever so slightly.

The blonde girl decided not to fight anymore, instead she just sank into his warmth.

"Get some rest, baby." He whispered, this time it wasn't in a cocky or flirty way, but rather a concerned tone that she hadn't heard before.

Frances hummed in response and closed her eyes. She didn't intend on falling to sleep. She just wanted to feel peace and listen to the gentle sounds of the ocean and the rustle of the leaves.

But when Kirin began to trace patterns on the small of her back, under her jumper, she couldn't help but slowly drift off.

Hours had past and Kirin still hadn't moved. Occasionally, he would adjust the girl and pull her closer or make sure that her body was fully covered so that she didn't get cold.

Kirin couldn't explain it. The draw that he had to her. So, when she went off into the woods all alone, he panicked and followed after her.

A small smile formed on his face as he heard the soft snores come from the girl. He slowly laid back on the sand, been careful not to wake the girl. He placed his arm behind his head and pulled the girl closer to him.

He didn't want to sleep, he wanted to make sure that she slept through the night and was safe. So he just laid there all night and listened to the soft snores.

Frances clung onto his shirt so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. Kirin noticed and tried to calm the girl by stroking patterns on her skin once again, but it didn't work.

Instead, she began to whimper in her sleep. Tears steamed down her face as she slept. She was violently shaking and it was beginning to worry Kirin.

But before he got a chance to wake the girl, she shot up with a loud gasp. Frances looked around at her surroundings, taking them in completely.

"Hey, Franny." Kirin placed his hands on her shoulders, which made the girl jump. He quickly put his hands up to show the girl that he wasn't a threat.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, turning to face the boy and wiping away her hot tears. "I'm sorry." She repeated.

Kirin's eyes softened and he tried to offer her a reassuring smile. He didn't want her to feel bad for having a nightmare, everyone has them.

"Are you okay?" He placed his hand on her knee as he shuffled closer ever so slightly.

The blonde nodded, although they both knew that was a lie. He didn't exactly expect her to say anything, they'd only just met. He wasn't ready to share his past with her, so he couldn't imagine that she was either.

"I'm just not used to sleeping in the open." Frances muttered. It wasn't the whole truth but it wasn't a lie either. "At home I have a lock on my door, it just makes me feel safe."

"Wh-"

"Is it okay if I go back to sleep? I feel a bit drained." Frances whispered, causing Kirin to nod and open up his arms so that the girl could fall asleep on him once again.

"I'm not going anywhere, you're safe." Kirin reassured.

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