Chapter Six – Alliances
Clover’s POV
The road felt never ending; it stretched for as far as I could see and looked the same. I reached the point where I thought I could be dreaming. The map clearly showed a long road leading to civilisation but it seemed like I could walk for years and not come into contact with another person or see another building. She kept me focused, pushing me on when I felt like just laying down and sleeping.
Exhaustion had set in. My body ached, my legs stung, screaming in protest as I pushed them forward as quickly as my battered body would let me. I took heavy deep breaths which I knew was not helping but I couldn’t control it anymore.
‘Faster.’
Gritting my teeth, I pushed against my legs as I started walking faster. I was able to quicken my pace slightly but soon enough my arms hurt as much as the rest of my body. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing though, now every part ached as much as the rest it didn’t feel as bad, the pain was spread out.
‘Faster.’
I tried but I couldn’t. There was nothing left inside me. I was already at my maximum. If it wasn’t for my injuries I could have possibly found extra strength from somewhere but I couldn’t, and the knowledge of that made me a failure in her eyes. I knew how angry she would be, and that still affected me too much. I needed her to think that I was perfect, that I could do whatever I set my mind to, whatever she wanted me to do.
Fresh determination coursed through my veins as I pictured the disappointment in her eyes. It didn’t make me any faster, that wasn’t possible, but I did make me realise that I wouldn’t fail on this. I would make her proud, no matter what the cost.
Finally, after another two hours walking I made it to a small town. From the map I could see that I needed to go through, there were no ways around it. That meant there would be a very high risk of someone seeing me. I need to be so careful, it did help that it was almost pitch black now but no doubt there would be some people wondering the streets at this hour.
The town looked run down, the first building on the way in was boarded up, strong metal covered the doors and windows, not the usual wooden boards, this was clearly a rough area so there was probably police patrolling the area.
I pulled the collar of the jacket up to give me a little more cover and tilted my head towards the ground. My eyes stayed up so I could clearly see what, and who, was about but I didn’t want my face to be easily visible.
The air was cool and I wanted to find shelter for the night but it had to be somewhere safe and out of the way. Walking along the dirty gum-stained path, I searched for a place to eat and sleep. I would only allow myself a few hours rest even though I felt like I could sleep for a week. Before the sun rose I needed to be leaving the town.
Derelict shops and houses lined the streets, if it wasn’t for the cars outside I would say this place was deserted. The people that lived here obviously had no pride in their homes, or their community. This was the type of place that I hated the most. It didn’t take a lot to look after your home and the area around you but some people just didn’t care.
I stood still as I saw a young woman standing by the corner of the road. Dressed in a short black skirt and tight pink top it wasn’t difficult to figure out why she was there. Narrowing my eyes, I slowly approached her.
“Hi sugar,” she purred, looking me over. Her expression remained the same throughout her examination; this woman didn’t know who I was.
“What’s your name?” I questioned before she could offer me anything.
“Chantelle.”
I smiled, gritting my teeth together as she fluttered her disgusting eyelashes at me. “Well, Chantelle, I think you might be able to help me with something.”
“Oh I’m sure I can,” she whispered seductively, making me feel ill. Did she have no morals? She was willing to sleep with anyone for a little bit of money. It wasn’t hard to find a job; any job is more respectful than selling your body.
I held my hand up as she stretched her arm out to touch me. I didn’t want any contact with her. “Not that help,” I practically growled. Chantelle flinched back and nodded, seemingly getting the message not to touch me. “I need somewhere to stay for the night, do you have a place?”
“Mr, a whole night is going to cost you.”
Exhaling a sharp breath, I pulled the knife out of my pocket, just enough to catch her attention. “You will help me and it will cost me nothing.” Nodding her head numbly, she kept her eyes fixed to the knife. “Thank you, Chantelle.” I gestured for her to lead the way and she immediately started walking along the path. “Do you live alone?”
“Yes,” she mumbled.
“Is your house far from here?”
“No, it’s just there,” she told me, pointing to a block of flats just ahead of us. “I live on the ground floor.”
Apart from being a little outdated her building didn’t look too bad. The front door and flat window frames needed attention but compared to what I’d seen here so far this relatively decent. Chantelle led me inside and to her front door, the second on the left.
“You can have the bedroom and I’ll sleep on the sofa,” she offered, showing me in.
I shook my head. “Thank you but I won’t take your room, the sofa will be fine.” Her flat was bare, one sofa, a small television and coffee table were the only thing in the lounge. There were no pictures or anything personal.
“Would you like something to eat?” she asked quietly, flicking her eyes to the kitchen. “I could make an omelette.”
“That would be nice, thank you.” I followed her through the arch and into the almost as bare kitchen. Again she had nothing personal, just the necessities. I was very impressed with how she kept her house, it was clean and neat, not what I expected at all. “How long have you lived here?” I asked her, making polite conversation as she cracked eggs in a large bowl.
“Five years almost. I left home after my dad became abusive.”
“Why did he become abusive?”
She squirmed a little and whisked the eggs. “My nan died, he was there with her and it kind of messed him up. Within two months of her death he was drunk all the time and lashing out at me and my brothers.”
“What happened to your brothers?”
“They left before I did. I was fifteen at the time so I didn’t really have anywhere to go but after they left he got worse, I ran away just after my sixteenth birthday.”
“And you ended up here?”
She shook her head. “At first I went looking for my brothers but I couldn’t find them, I found this place three months after I left home. It was cheap at first but pretty soon the landlord kept putting the rent up until my waitress wages couldn’t cover it. I had to find another way of looking after myself,” she told me quietly. Her eyes filling with tears.
I gulped and looked away. “Where’s your mum?”
“She died when I was four,” Chantelle said, in a matter of fact tone.
I was taken back slightly by that. “So your dad brought you up on his own and only turned abusive when his mother died?”
Chantelle sighed. “Yes. My grandparents helped dad raise us and when granddad died it was just nan and dad, they coped but when she died he couldn’t do it anymore. I think he was lonely, he never found anyone else, it was always mum.”
“That’s a very sad story, I’m sorry you went through all of that.”
“Thank you,” she said gratefully. “So, what about you? What’s your story?”
“I’m just passing through, on my way back to my family.”
Part of me questioned why she was so calm around me. I was a stranger that had just forced his way into her life and home, yet she doesn’t seem to mind. The other part understood what loneliness did to you, how you just wanted someone’s company, anyone’s.
“What are your plans, Chantelle?”
“Right now it’s just survival but one day I’d like to go to University and study accountancy. This won’t be my life forever.”
“Accountancy?” I questioned, fighting a smile.
“Yeah. I’m good with numbers, always have been. It’s a good career too.”
I nodded in agreement. “Yes it is.”
“Here,” she said, putting down a plate in front of me. We both sat at the kitchen island eating our food. There was something about her that I could relate too. My dad had ruined my childhood too, not in the same way as her but we were both robbed of a conventional family. Chantelle wasn’t a bad person, though she did something that was wrong and disgusting, she wasn’t evil.
“Thank you, Chantelle, that was lovely.” She took my plate, smiling as she washed them both up straight away and placed them back in the cupboard.
“I’ll get you a pillow and blanket; you must be tired now, right?”
“Yes, I am.”
She set up a bed for me on the sofa, taking care to fluff the pillow up. I had a feeling I was the first guest she’d had here. “What are you really running from?” she asked out of the blue.
I smiled. “The so called law. I really am on my way back to my family though, I didn’t lie about that.”
“Can I know your name?”
“My name is Colin.”
“Thank you, Colin. Is there anything else you need before I go to bed?”
I shook my head, smiling. “No, thank you. Goodnight, Chantelle.”
“Night,” she chirped happily, spinning on her heels and skipping off to her bedroom. I laughed and laid down. Although the sofa wasn’t big it was very comfortable, I quickly drifted into a content sleep.
I woke up to Chantelle gently shaking my shoulder. “Colin?”
“Yes?” I rubbed my eyes and sat up.
“Cup of tea for you,” she said, holding a mug out to me.
“Thank you,” I said, taking the hot drink gratefully. “What’s the time?”
“Half past nine.” My eyes widened and I looked out of the window. The sun was shining brightly. My hopes of slipping out of town unnoticed seemed so far away now. “What’s wrong?”
I shook my head. “Nothing much, I was just hoping to leave before sun rise. My voice was calm but inside I was panicking slightly. What was I going to do now?
“Before anyone caught you?” she asked, sitting down beside me. Her clothes this morning were much more appropriate, a long white skirt, pink top and cardigan over it. She was very beautiful, her make-up was more natural and toned down dramatically from last night and her short blonde hair sat on her shoulders gracefully.
I smiled at how much she knew me already. “Yes.”
“Well, you could stay here until it gets dark tonight,” she offered, looking at me hopefully. Was she really that lonely that she would let a ‘criminal’ stay in her home all day?
“That’s a very kind offer, thank you.”
“No problem.” She grinned and stood up. “Toast okay for breakfast?”
“Toast would be lovely.”
Chantelle showed me to the bathroom so I could freshen up before we ate. I couldn’t help liking her, despite what she did during the night.
The day was spent sitting on Chantelle’s sofa, getting to know each other better. Of course there were things about my life that I didn’t want to discuss but by the afternoon she knew quite a bit about me. I also knew her fairly well too. It didn’t feel like we were strangers, but more like old friends. The thought of having to do something to her felt wrong. I knew mother wouldn’t like it, I knew I should never question what I do again, but even knowing that I still couldn’t convince myself that Chantelle deserved to die. What she actually deserved a much better life than what she had here.
“So when do you think you’ll attend University?” I asked her, casually looking out of the window and actually feeling a little sad that the sun was starting to set. As much as I wanted to get home, to be with the girls again, I liked being around Chantelle.
She shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. I can barely afford to live now so I have no idea how I could pay Uni fees.”
“You’ll go to University, I’m sure of it.” She smiled weakly, grateful for my words but doubtful she would be able to go. “Come with me,” I blurted out, barely giving myself a second to think it through.
“What? Come with you?” she asked, shaking her head in disbelief.
“Yes, come with me. We’ll help each other and once we’re all safe I’ll pay for you to study.”
“You want me to help you get back to your family in exchange for my education?”
“Not quite. I would like you to join my family and I’ll pay for your education. I look after my girls.”
Her mouth dropped open, making me smile. She looked both shocked and happy at the same time. “Colin…really?”
“Please, call me Clover.”
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This chapter was actually easy to write so I don't hate the story anymore :D Yay! Haha!
I hope you guys liked it anyway? What do you think is going on with Clover and Chantelle? Any ideas what he wants her for?
Please comment and vote if you enjoyed :)