FrAcTuReD (Part One) (Completed continued in Part Two)

Chapter 27

Nina looked a little confused. "Okay," she frowned slightly and got up off the couch and went to her. "Are you okay? You don't look so good."

Charla let out a breath. "I had to deal with a mean person on the phone."

"A bully?"

She found herself smiling even though she still felt enraged. "Yeah something like that, anyway I should be back later this afternoon."

"Where are you going?"

"To the beach, I need to get some practice in since it's been a while."

Nina merely looked to Charla, she could tell something was wrong but had a feeling that she wouldn't want to go into it. "I'll watch the house while your out." Nina said causing Charla to look at her with slight concern. "It's okay, you go practice, I'll be waiting for you to come back home okay?"

"Okay," she paused at the door to look back at Nina and add. "Next time we'll go together, alright?"

Nina gave an endearing smile. "Sure!"

Hearing that put Charla slightly at ease, even though with her emotions in knots and her head still throbbing she couldn't help but feel bad for leaving Nina alone to watch the house. Some big sister I am... she thought angrily as she jogged down to the beach. She deserves so much better then how I'm acting. God, thanks a lot Mom.

Upon reaching the beach Charla began to practice instantly, practicing the motions moving her body fluidly as she stuck the air with her hands, fits and feet. But as she continued old memories began to come up from the surface, voices of students laughing or whispering behind her back, some feigning innocents when they were just hypocrites. Even more so with the teachers, how they would pretend not to notice what was really going on until being threatened by Charla's father. But even then, what some of this kids would tell her, whisper it to one another, and laugh in her face never truly went away. And somehow Kathrin always managed to make Charla remember those horrible experiences.

She stopped, placing her hand along the base of her skull and neck as she forced herself to stop and catch her breath. Doing this wouldn't help, even though now she wished she had someone to really fight. But then it would make her no better then some other thug.

"You look like your about to collapse." Charla turned to see Claude looking at her from a distance, wearing a coat over his normal clothes as he walked towards her. "But anyone would if they would push themselves that hard as you just did."

"Hello Detective," she began only to be stopped when Claude merely shook his head.

"I'm off duty now, so just Claude is fine."

"Oh," Charla responded before asking. "Then your heading home then?"

"Well I was but first I wanted to speak to you, about the incident that happened at the Bram's bar two nights ago,"

Charla glanced away in response. "I'm sorry that I couldn't remember you at all, and that I went and punched that journalist. But from what I'm told several people said he had it coming for a long time."

"And they would be right," Claude added. "But that's not really the reason why I came today. I just wanted to warn you Charla, about Duke."

"He wants to charge me for hitting him?"

He shook his head and looked her right in the eye. "No matter the situation you must never be alone with him. Duke is a lowlife, someone who will do anything by any means to get a story, even if it's a false one."

Charla frowned. "Are you saying he'd come after me?"

"Not just you, but your friends and family." His features softened slightly. "I'm not saying this as a police officer, I'm saying this as someone who has been victimised by that piece of garbage in the past. This town can be safe, but there have been times where the people can turn on one another when pushed to far. Whatever Duke is planning, try not getting caught in the middle of it."

She was quite for a moment before asking. "Did he hurt you?"

Claude shook his head slowly. "No, not me, someone I know, someone I care for greatly. Duke knew he couldn't get to me because of my family, so he attacked those who I knew. But now even that doesn't seem to stop him. So, if you see him Charla, do your best to avoid him."

After another moment, she nodded. "Okay, I'll do my best. I'll talk to my uncle about it too but I have a feeling he'd want to speak about it to me anyhow."

"Good, though with that said I'll at least walk you home, last time your uncle looked as though he wanted to throttle me because I left you alone."

She sighed and rubbed her neck again causing Claude to take note but remain quite. "I probably should get home, for all I know that woman left several messages on the answering machine. Nina doesn't need to deal with that."

"Woman?"

Charla glanced at him. "My mother, not really something I'd like to go into right now if you don't mind."

"That's fine, I can understand the annoyance of family, my parents are pretty hard on me and Mordecai too."

Charla said nothing in response.

Once back at the house and saying goodbye to Claude she went to Nina who was currently reheating leftovers for dinner. "Oh, welcome home Big Sis," she said with a smile. "How was your practice?"

"Uneventful," she said as she sat at the dinning room table. "Did anything happen while I was out? Did your father call or anyone else?"

Nina shook her head. "No, nothing like that."

Charla was quite before getting up again. "I'm going to get changed, don't start eating without me." She then quickly headed up stairs and back to her room and changed out of her sweats and into regular clothes before pausing to look at her cellphone that she had turned off. She picked it up and turned it on, there were a total of twenty-seven missed calls and at least five new messages left on her answering machine.

All of them had been left by her mother.

Her eyes darkened as she looked at her phone, her mother was angry but that wasn't anything new to her. Should I even bother listening to even one of these messages? Charla thought as she stared at her phone. Though as she was about to decide her head began to throb, she hissed in pain and grasped the side of her head before it finally subsided. What would it matter? It wouldn't change anything, I've been nothing more then a tool for her to use, a defective thing... if that was the case... she looked to her cell and deleted the messages then and there. "Then you should have never had me."