The Guardians (The Highest Order, Book One)

CHAPTER 11

Slamming the door as I walk into my bedroom, I collapse onto my bed. Tears threatened to spill over my eyes as the adrenaline wore off.

I just wanted to go to sleep and forget it ever happened but my arm was a stinging reminder that that wasn't going to happen. A sob runs through me as I remind myself, I did everything Uncle Derek told me to. Everything. You spend your life growing up around bullies, you learn to deal with them but it never does get easier. They have a way with the human eye, morphing it in whichever way they please, convincing them they're right.

I scoff at the thought. I missed Derek. He was probably the only part of Miami I really, truly missed.

Even when it felt like I had nobody and the world was against me, I had Derek. He taught me how to defend myself but most of all, how to live with myself. How to accept all of the flaws that came with life as my own. He was the father I never really had.

'Violence is never the answer' he'd said, 'unless' he countered, 'it's the only answer'

I was ten when he'd taught me that, it was probably one of the earliest memories I'd had of him. My father detested the time I'd spend with him, his own brother. Jealousy, my mother had called it, but it didn't quite make sense to me until now.

Wiping the tears that escaped my eyes, I stood from my bed and walked to the bathroom. I don't have time to wallow in self pity right now, I convinced myself.

Splashing water onto my face, I run the bath. My heart ached as every memory I had of Derek came flooding back, saying goodbye to him was one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do.

Miami was Derek. Everything about the city was Derek. He lived... and got lost there. We smiled, laughed and fought there. A deep rooted hate took shelter in my stomach as I remember, Marco Trudeau was a murderer. Maybe not literally, not physically even, but he was a murderer nonetheless. Father did what father didbest.

He broke him. He destroyed him. He broke Derek because he couldn't cope with his own daughter loving someone more than she loved him.

I hadn't seen Derek since I was thirteen years old. Father forbade it and eventually we stopped trying to overrule him. It became pointless.

Overtime, the efforts dispersed and Derek moved to New York, 'to start a new life' he'd said.

He swore to me that no matter how far away he was, he would always be by my side - in my heart.

The tears flow endlessly as I turn off the faucet and climb into the scalding water. I was tired, so tired.

Today had worn me out, reduced me to a tiny morsel of the girl I was this morning. 'This would build me back up,' I promised myself, 'this and a long, long nights sleep'

I stayed there, soaking in the vanilla scented bubbles until the water cooled to a temperature that was no longer comfortable.

Mom would be home soon. I think. Her schedule was something I'd attempted to keep track of but I got lost about a week ago, there was no way such a hectic schedule was normal.

I wrap a soft, cream towel around my torso and secure one in a wrap around my head. My muscles felt looser and the weight I was carrying on my shoulders felt lighter. A sense of calmness washed over me.

A feeling which quickly disappeared as I opened the door leading into my bedroom. The door of my balcony sat open, the harsh breeze sending the mesh drapes into a frenzy. My heart picked up and I reached for the nearest hard object I could find.

My phone? Seriously?

I look down to my hand with a scowl, securing the towel around my torso even more tightly. Tiptoeing into my room, I stay as quiet as possible as I turn to find a figure standing next to my bed with a photo frame in their hand.

'Kaleb?' I call out, confused, 'what the hell are you doing?'

He turns around, almost shocked to find me in my own room, 'Faith.' He said, eyeing my attire with a clenched jaw, his eyes raked my body, from my head to my feet. He blinked once, twice, three times before finally speaking, 'Can't say I was expecting to find you like this.'

You have got to be kidding me.

'What the hell do you want, Kaleb'I repeat, a familiar feeling settling in the lower parts of my stomach, 'I mean if you've come to chew me out some more for hurting your little girlfriend, it can wait' I scowl at him, going over the my drawers and picking out my PJs, a trusty old oversized T-shirt and a pair of barely there shorts.

'I'm sorry' the words alone stun me into silence, causing me to turn to look at him.

I stare at him for a few moments, trying to decide if he was being serious or not, I bite my lower lip and reply, 'Don't worry about it'

Turning back to close my drawer, he clears his throat, 'yeah?' His tone is uneasy, as if he wasn't expecting me to give up so easily.

'Yeah,' I confirm, 'I mean, it's not like you owed me anything, we're not friends, hell, we're barely acquaintances. We're practically strangers.' My words weren't a lie but the look in his eyes caused a strong feeling of guilt to build up, 'I shouldn't have expected you to give me the benefit of the doubt, we barely even know each other.' I end with a small smile and the feeling it leaves almost kills me.

He's silent for what feels like forever, his eyes scan me for some sort of relief but I don't offer it, 'Right.' He said quietly, 'You're right.' He steps closer to the doors, which still swung open, to my left and pauses, frowning as he eyed my arm.

Softly, he reaches up, running a finger over the bruises forming where Darias hands had tightly gripped. He wraps his hand around it, as if mimicking her actions, being careful not to grip too tightly.

His blue eyes closed tightly, his head falling forwards as his midnight hair fell down his face. It wasn't long by any means but it was enough to be of constant need of being brushed out of his face. I wanted to reach up and brush it softly out of the way, to run my fingers through it soothingly. He looked as if he were fighting some sort of inner battle, one he had no chance of winning.

He stood close enough that, even under the fallen wisps of hair, I could see a soft dusting of freckles scattered across his sun kissed nose like some foreign constellation. He was beautiful. Even with his brows furrowed and his messy hair sticking in every direction, Kaleb was beautiful. The thought stays with me when he lifts his head, his eyes meeting my own.

I don't know how long we stood there, just staring into each other's eyes but I felt lost. I felt lost in his eyes and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed how my skin tingled under his touch and how my heart skipped with almost every breath. I enjoyed how that every atom in my body knew he was there, invading my personal space and didn't care one bit.

'Strangers. Right.' He all but whispered, letting his hand drop from my arm and without a single word, exited out of the doors he'd come in through, closing them in his way out.

His words stuck with me for the rest of the night. Strangers. Was he really a stranger if he could make me feel like that? Could a stranger really make me forget that the rest of the world exists, even if it's just for a second? He did. He did it without even trying.

My heart ached again, except this time, for a completely different reason to the last.

His absence had me feeling empty. My arm, where his hand had just been, felt cold. Stranger. At that moment I felt like I'd known him for years. Like he was the only person in the world I actually knew but that didn't make sense. I hadn't known him years. I'd known him for nearly three weeks.

What he made me feel was unexplainable.

~~❤Word Count = 1419❤~~