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Chapter 4: Familiar stranger- Part 1

A little girl hid beside a large bush, clothed in a dirty dress as the other slaves inside the building behind her, her feet bare and cold in the wee hours of the night. When a guardsman walked by holding the dog by its leash as it barked she shrank back, her body trembling with the already inflicted pain that was caused inside the many walls that she had planned to escape from.

In silence she sat there, not knowing how to reach the gate that was ahead of her. Dogs howled in distant as the guardsmen walked to and fro, securing the parameter at every corner of the towering wall that was built. Her brown eyes looked front and back, left and right, readying herself for flight.

Seeing the gap the guards had left she shot in the air, her little feet carrying herself as she headed straight towards the entrance gate. Unfortunately, she was too small and just as she neared the gate, closing the distance between her and her freedom one of the guards caught her, which made her stumble on the hard floor.

“Look at what we have here?” the guardsman mocked looking at the little girl shake in fear, “And what are you men doing instead of guarding the gate! Do you know how important the children are?!”

“We are sorry, we didn’t notice this one in the dark! We’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again!” one of the guardsmen apologized who was at the gate.

When she tried running away again but to only fall down as the guard had pushed her on the ground, “Bring me the rope. Little children are always a pain in the ass, giving us unwanted trouble.” Once he had tied her hands and feet, he ordered someone to take her away, “A good punishment will put her in her place and make sure she doesn’t try it again.”

The little girl was taken to the punishment dungeons, which was completely isolated and dark. She heard a quiet deranged laugh in the space she was in, the sound coming from somewhere from the side. One of the guardsmen who was a half vampire raised the whip in his hand, ready to lash it on her.

Heidi woke up suddenly, her body covered in sweat and her heart thudding loudly in her chest. It was only a dream, she told herself, her hand on her chest while looking at the open window in her room. She had forgotten to lock the windows before she had gone into bed last night. The sound of air moving by was rather strange tonight, she thought to herself. It was as if the air outside was howling a melancholic song in the quietness of the night.

The abrupt sound of one of the window closing with a loud sound made her jump in the bed. Sliding down her bed, she made her way towards the window and closed it shut. Her hands still placed on the window, she sighed to lean her head on the wall. Unconsciously, she brought her hand to the back of her shoulder. It had been a while since she had dreamed about it, memories she had buried somewhere deep in her mind, of things she didn’t want to explore.

She wondered when she would be relieved of the demons that had been chasing in her head, the demons that were inching closer with every passing day. The fear of being known or seen. After a few more minutes she pulled back to go back to bed.

One afternoon when Heidi was returning back home completing an errand her father had asked her to complete, she walked on the streets, humming a tune soft enough that only she could hear and no one else. The hassle of the street was as high as ever, people walking under the warm sun.

When Heidi looked up at the sky, her eyes met the burning sun and she closed her eyes immediately feeling her vision go white. Just as her eyesight began to return back to her she bumped her head into something hard making a clunk sound in the middle of the street.

“Ouch!” she exclaimed rubbing her forehead and at the same time, she heard a man apologize, “Forgive me for not looking. Are you alright miss...?”

Squinting her eyes, she looked up to see someone holding a shovel upside down. When her vision had returned completely, she realized who it was. It was none other than Noah Arendel, a man of many young girl and women’s dreams. Born to one of Shepard’s family, he was a man of an average height, his golden brown hair curled at the side of his forehead, lips full and in shape.

Though Heidi had often seen him in the town, either walking in the opposite path or talking to a group of people as he was a popular man she had never got an opportunity to talk to him. He was a gorgeous man and like many women her age, she secretly looked at him when he was in view.

“I hope you aren’t hurt,” he said, his pale green eyes peering down at her with a worried look on his face. One of his muscular arms held the shovel and the other around her waist to stop her previously from falling. Realizing that they were standing too close, she cleared her throat and he let her waist go. Her eyes began catching sight of few men and women who passed by them look at them.

“Your forehead-it has spots of blood,” he pointed out and she touched the bump to feel herself flinch, “I only got the blade chiseled today and is as sharp as ever. The edge must have touched you. Let me get some water for it,” he said to which she shook her head.

“That’s alright. I will be fine,” she waved both her hands. She bent down to pick the vegetables that had fallen on the ground from her hand and he followed her cue, helping her pick them up.

“Are you sure? I extremely apologize for it, I should have seen you coming,” a frown adorned his attractive face as he spoke to her while handing the last one to her.

“I am. This is just a scratch,” she smiled to assure him and he then smiled back relieved.

“I don’t think we have spoken to each other before. I am Noah Arendel,” he introduced himself and before Heidi could introduce herself he spoke, “I know who you are. You are Heidi Curtis, aren’t you.”

She looked at him with a surprised expression. “Don’t look so surprised,” he chuckled seeing her wide eyes stare at him in question, “This is a small town. Everyone here knows everyone else. Let me help you with these, it’s the least I could. Please,” he offered her help taking one bag of the vegetables.

Heidi looked at him with her lips pressed together in thought. As happy she was to talk to him, she wasn’t thrilled at the idea of going to her house with him next to her. One of the reasons being, the people of her town were the kinds that were quick to spread false rumors. And if those rumors reached her family they would be displeased with it. Reluctantly, Heidi nodded her head and Noah helped her with one bag of the vegetables and fruits which she had previously trouble carrying before she bumped into him.