The HELP

Chapter 11

Klaus made Marley a sandwich and stood up against the doorframe as she ate at the diner table. She looked like she hadn't slept in days. Her skin was paler if that was possible. She looked as though she was slowly desiccating in the room. But she was out now and Klaus didn't want her to return to that room.

"I want you to start working." He said.

Her head shot up, "Around the house?"

"No. At the Filmco business."

Her gaze went back to her food. "Okay." She said in a low horse voice.

"You will leave with me in the morning after breakfast. Everyday."

He felt as though he was doing to her what he had done to his mother. Look how that turned out. She went from the sweet housewife. To the business woman in pantsuits with small amount of emotion. She hardly visits her sick husband.

"What will you have me do?" She finally asked taking Klaus from his thoughts.

"Cleaning, setting up props for the stage. You'll be paid minimum wage." She did a small head nod and stood to put her plate away. Klaus took the plate from her hand and brought it into the kitchen.

Marley couldn't take it anymore. He had continued to HELP her and now he was given her a job. She had to thank him and she needed to do it now.

"Thank you, I mean I'm sorry for how I've been the past week but...thank you." He nodded.

"You don't need to be sorry. But your welcome. Even though I did pay to HELP. I'm HELPing Marley."

"Then thank you."

****

Klaus stayed home again for the day. Just to keep her out of the room. He didn't like the idea of leaving her home alone.

"I can give you a tour of the home. I don't think you've seen every part yet."

She stood from her place on the sofa and he lead her to the West wing. She walked up behind him. He opened the door to a big room. It had a screen on the wall on one side of the room. On the other side were a vast collection of books and movies. Klaus stepped onto the rug just in front the screen on the wall.

"When I was little I would come in front stand on this rug and perform for my mum. Sometimes my mum and dad but mostly just my mum. That's when they knew I'd live to be like my father."

"It's very um spacious in here." She looked around the room, "I didn't get the impression that it'd be this big... from looking at the door."

He chuckled, "Sorry for the confusion."

"No it's fine. It's a lovely room."

He lead her to another room. "This is the room with a patio. You can see to the backyard."

She stepped out on the patio, the fresh air touched her skin and she soaked it in. Klaus watched as she held onto the railing with her eyes shut.

"Can I go out there?" She asked voice horse.

"Do you want to go now?"

"Please."

He pointed to the stairs and she ran down holding up her white linen skirt. Her black long hair followed behind her. She reached the grass and dropped herself to the ground. Klaus had never seen a girl walking around in the grass barefoot or wear white and drop herself in the grass. She was lying there for a good minute before she started to cry.

Klaus hurried down the steps barefoot as well.

"Marley?"

"Her grave...the funeral did people go to it?"

He felt a lump form in his throat that he couldn't swallow down. So he shook his head no and she sniffled.

"I didn't think so." She rubbed at her eyes and sniffled again. "I couldn't go to that. I couldn't I think I would be worse if I did."

Klaus understood. But the promise he made to her mother, he still wanted to fulfill. Marley lied back in the grass her hair sprawled out around her.

"Don't you have somewhere you should be?" She asked peaking out her dark shaded teary eyes?

"Well yes. I didn't want to leave you home alone. I thought you'd want company."

She nodded, "I think I crave it." Her eyes welled up with tears. Klaus sat down in the grass beside her. "I had her with me and...she's all I ha-d. I'm alone and I have no one."

This is the most Klaus has ever heard her speak. She was knocking down guarded walls every time she spoke to him. He could feel that she had trusted him.

"You could...you could have me."

She let out a strained breath and ran her hand over her head. "I made a friend at the HELP shelter. She was there when I was being auctioned. She was the brunette all by herself." Klaus nodded remembering. "She lost her mother and I asked her how she was doing it, standing tall on her own. She always said, I'm strong for her because that's what my mom wanted me to be. That's how my mom was."

She shook her head, "That's what I want to be. I want to be strong and I want to be how my momma was. I want that...."

"You can do that."

"I know." She said.