My Magic Stuffed Animals

My Magic Stuffed Animals - Chapter 15

Who am I?

"Trinie!" It was Kit's voice. I suddenly realized that I was sitting on the floor. I tried getting up but my legs shook under me. I fell back down, my arms extended in front of me, the floor cold under my palms.

"Kit..." Warm tears slid down my cheeks. My breaths became short and I struggled to breathe. The tears wouldn't stop flowing out.

I felt her fur brush on arm, but my vision was too blurry. She was just a ball of white blur. "Trinie. I know you're confused and scared, but you have to be strong right now. You have to get up. We're not safe here."

I covered my eyes with my arm, feeling the heat of my tears. My emotions were as she described it. I was scared and confused, but most of all, I felt lost. I wasn't sure who to trust anymore. I wasn't sure who was my friend anymore. Thinking all this didn't help me. I just cried even more.

"Trinie..."

I sniffled and started to stand. Either way, Kit was right. I have to be strong. If I can't become strong, then I can't face my parents. I have to find them and survive, for them. I looked at Kit, who was still blurry. Even if I have to do it alone.

Kit gasped. "Trinie!"

I ignored her and left the room. I headed down the stairs, looking around for the mystery guy, but all I saw was Tom staring blankly out the patio. I walked up next to him, watching the wind blow ferociously through the leaves of the tree in the middle of the yard.

"So, Tom, mind telling me what's going on?" I asked.

Tom didn't reply.

"How did you know Kit? Why are you here? Was that guy your friend?"

He sighed and turned to face me. I did the same, challenging his gaze.

"I'm a guardian, too. Like Kit and--" Tom stopped and looked around the house.

"Kevin?" I finished, suspicious.

Tom sighed. "Yeah. Kevin."

"But... At school..."

"I know. I know. I'm sorry. I just needed to do it or I--"

"You needed to do it? By making fun of me all these years? I thought you were a guardian, Tom," I said, squinting at him. "Aren't guardians suppose to help me?"

"I know. I just--" He stopped and took a deep breath. "I couldn't get too close, Trinie."

"Why not? Isn't that the exact opposite of what you should be doing? I've been suffering, Tom! People looked at me like a freak! From the beginning, I thought you were a friend, like Kit and Kevin! But no, you were just like everyone else!" My vision began to blur again. Dark shadows from the corner of my eyes pulsed.

"No! Trinie. I really was trying to protect you. You have to understand--"

"What don't I understand, Tom?! I'm lost and scared. I don't understand anything anymore!" I shouted, my anger causing a painful pounding in my head.

Tom put both his hands on my shoulders. "Trinie, please, listen to me."

I pushed him away and stepped back. I tried to turn away, but he grabbed my arm tightly and used his other hand to cup my cheek. For a split second, I saw him glance at my necklace. Then he quickly looked into my eyes and his face changed into sorrow.

Before I knew what was going on, my cheek was on Tom's chest.

"I like you!" he shouted. His heart was beating fast. "I couldn't get too close because if I did, Trinie, I couldn't help but want to get closer to you. You don't know how long I've been watching you." He choked out a chuckle. "Not the creepy way, I promise. You don't know how much I wanted to tell you this."

He dropped his arms around me and I took the chance to look up at him.

"My purpose, Trinie, is to protect you. Like what a guardian should. By watching you, I realized that you look much more sad when you're being ignored than being teased." He smiled. "It's probably because when the Lington sisters did it, you expected it, even though you weren't close to them. So I tried it."

I looked at him in confusion.

"You already knew who I am when I entered the same school as you. Wouldn't it make you sad when a person that saved you in elementary school started avoiding you?" He shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. I watched as he started getting pink. "So... I finally confessed, huh?"

I covered my mouth, suddenly realizing what he just said to me. He avoided eye contact and we both started laughing.

"Yeah, I know. It was stupid of me." Tom held the eye contact this time. "I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "No, I'm sorry. I said harsh things to you."

"Nah, I deserved it." He glanced again at my necklace and smiled. "You don't have to reply to my confession, by the way. Just pretend I didn't say anything, okay?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but he stopped me.

"Come on, let's get something to eat!" He took my hand and we headed to the kitchen. "So, anything you'd like? I'm not bragging or anything, but I'm one heck of a cook."

"Hmm.. Can you make pancakes?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tom grinned. "Sure thing."

He opened and closed lots of drawers and managed the kitchen with amazing familiarity. Then, I realized...

"Tom, is this your house?" I asked.

He had a spoon in his mouth and didn't turn around. "Mm-hmm." When one of his hands was free, he took the spoon away from his mouth and pointed it at me. "And you've been sleeping in my bed. My back has been aching from sleeping on the couch."

I gaped at him. "What?"

Tom turned his back to me and continued what he was doing. "And Kit couldn't change your smoked clothes so I had to help."

My jaw hit the floor. "What?!"

I saw the back of his neck turned pink, but when he turned around to wash the spoon, his face wasn't giving anything away. In fact, he smirked. "There was nothing to see anyway, Stuffed Animal Girl." He winked.

I grabbed the faucet neck and directed it to him. He spluttered and slipped and fell on the floor, drenched.

I stuck my tongue out at him. "That's payback."