Safeguard

Chapter Four

My eyes flew instantly to the mug next to me, the black liquid remaining limp and untouched.

"It wasn't my intention," I commented, a small smile playing on my lips at my idiocy.

"Never is," he agreed. "Ed, by the way."

"Kate," I said, reaching to welcome his outstretched palm in a polite handshake.

"Short for Katherine? Classic name for a Brit there," he mused, and only know did I notice that he too possessed a thick British accent. "What brings you to the states?"

"I'm staying with a friend for a while," I said a little too quickly, though Ed didn't take note of my uneasiness and simply nodded. "What about you?"

"I'm studying over here," he smiled. "Criminology."

"That sounds pretty heavy going."

"Oh it is," he confirmed. "Not my personal choice, but when my dad's paying for it I can hardly complain."

"Pushy parents?" I theorised.

"You know the sort?"

"All too well," I laughed quietly. "It's nice to get a break sometimes."

"Even if that involves just watching your coffee go cold?" he mocked.

I feigned a frown, "I was reading."

"What books you in to?"

"Murder mysterious funnily enough," I replied, briefly casting my gaze down to decide what genre the book below was, considering not one page of it had been fully comprehended by my mind. "I like the twists, the ones you can't predict."

Ed nodded politely, reaching across the grasp the book to skim the blurb. "I doubt my mind could take anymore dealings with the law, but I can see why you like it. Adds a bit of suspense to your life right?"

"You can say that again," I laughed. "What about you? You do much reading?"

"I don't tend to have the time for books, aside from the ones I'm assigned of course," he responded.

"I probably have a little too much time on my hands. There's only so much time you can spend out of reality before you're thrown back into the deep end."

"You've got a fair point there," he said, taking a sip from his mug as his eyes dropped slightly, curiosity flushing his features as they did so. I was left perplexed, though as his gaze ceased to falter from my wrist it became clear he had caught sight of the ink carved into my skin just above my hand. "Didn't peg you as a tattoo-type?"

"Neither did I," I replied honestly.

"Do you mind me asking what it translates to?" he asked hesitantly, but before I was given the opportunity to come up with another lie, his phone beckoned his attention from beside him. His smile fell as he internally read the message, his hands already lurching for the coat that had been strung over the back of his chair. "I'm so sorry, I've got to run, my dad needs me home."

"No worries," I smiled. "It was nice meeting you."

"As for you," he replied, already nearing the door, but stilling to send me a grin. "Don't be a stranger, I'll catch you around sometime Kate?"

"Of course," I smiled, sending Ed one final wave before he fled from the building in a hurry.

Following his departure, I decided that I too should head home, especially as it was beginning to get dark outside, and the walk back to our apartment was a good twenty minutes.

It was surprisingly warm for September, with the humid air invading my senses as I left. The streets were just as busy as when I had arrived, the market area in the centre of Syracuse being flooded with a mass amount of people, the usual hustle and bustle working its way through town during rush hour. Despite this chaos, my walk home was surprisingly peaceful and the movement around me kept my mind at bay and away from everything that had suffocated it relentlessly throughout the day.

Arriving home, however, wasn't as serene as I had have hoped. Upon entering the house, I was greeted by Luke and his unpleasant expression as he leant against the banister. He watched me carefully as I entered, his eyes tracing every move I made as I anticipated his words.

"It isn't safe for you to be wondering around Adelaide," he sighed, seeming bored by my presence.

"Maybe you should have covered that in the oh-so-detailed letter you left on the fridge," I retorted.

"It's a bit of a given Adelaide, you're currently being tracked down by some incredibly bad people to say the least right now, and you think you can go wondering the streets of New York by yourself is a good idea?"

I rolled my eyes, edging toward the stairs. "I suppose I did," I admitted. "Then again, you are the one that left me alone, so even if I was here, the incredibly bad people that want me wouldn't have had an issue with taking me."

"I wasn't far," he argued limply, the expression flushing his features presenting his awareness at his carelessness.

"A safeguard? Isn't that what they call you?" I questioned, already knowing the answer. "My father should really rethink that title, you'd have to be around me for that one to work."

"Stop with the smart attitude Adelaide," he dismissed. My feet went to advance onto the stairs, but Luke preventing me from doing so as he gently blocked the stairwell with his tense arm. "You don't know shit about all of this, so don't go judging me on it."

I raised my palms in mock defence, "If it were up to me, I'd know the ins and outs of the people tracking me, but that isn't the case. And don't go off on one about me judging you, because I was hoping we'd actually get along, but you're the one that's thrown that idea straight over your head."

"Adelaide, I'm your safeguard, not-"

"-my carer. I got it, you don't have to tell me again," I reminded, my voice full of exhaustion. It was petty and the last thing my mind needed right now was his ignorance. "But maybe it's yourself that needs a reminder, because the Luke comforting me last night clearly didn't get the message."

My words forced his hand to drop, allowing my body to continue on the stairs, but as I neared the top, his voice spoke out once more, "Just know that next time you have a nightmare that I'll happily let you deal with it on your own."