Chapter 6

Rowan made it to the boarding house, crept through the house not wanting anyone to talk to her. She took off her shoes and didn’t even bother getting out of her clothes, dog tiered she climbed into bed and pulled the covers over her head. What a crazy night, first the Jake memory then the stalker and her saviour and the bizarreness of everything. She must have been spiked, it was the only answer to all that she had seen and heard since leaving the club. Too tired to analyze things tonight she closed her eyes, she wasn’t making any sense right now anyway.

The burning in her eyes woke her, she sat bolt upright rubbing them. Rushing out of bed she went to the bathroom to see what was going on with them, maybe she had gotten some of the body glitter from last night in them, what else would cause them to burn again, she wasnt in any danger right now so it wasnt a death flash or anything like it.

What she saw was truly terrifying, her eyes were blood red and not the green they should be.

“Shit a brick.” This was not right. How do eyes change colour? Were they bleeding? She leaned closer to get a better look, only she didn’t have to because she could see just fine from where she was standing, she could see every pour on her face, every slight colour change in her hair, even the red in her eyes had flecks of darker reds running from the centre to the outer ring.

Making her way back to her room before someone saw her and then noticed her eyes colour she noticed things that she had never seen before, like the stains on the carpets, stains that were so disgusting they were hard to miss. Looking round her room she noticed the flecks of dust, dancing round the dark room like star dust or fairies. Her alarm clock hadn’t gone off today and she looked at it and then looked away, it was far too bright for her now sensitive eyes to focus on, but she needed to know the time. Searching her drawer she found her battered watch and just hoped it was the right time on it.

Four thirty. “Shit” she had slept the day away, that was so not like her, usually she only slept a couple of hours before her nightmares and night sweats woke her. She had just enough time to get to the home, pick up the last of her belongings and visit Josephine. There was no way she would put Josey through what Jake put her through.

After a quick shower she made her way to the home, stopping to buy Josey a hug me bear. The dark sunglasses hid her frightening eyes from everyone including her, she knew they were still red coz they still hurt like hell. Feeling like a hypocrite in her sunglasses on a cold rainy grey day she entered the home. She had always made fun of people who wore sunny’s on days like this but she had little choice. Sighing she went to the office and collected the paperwork they had for her along with a letter that apparently no one knew existed and had never seen in her file before. She tucked all the papers into her back pack and went to find Josey.

“Hey munch kin, keeping out of trouble I hope?” Rowan said coming up behind the little girl.

“ROWAN” Josey screeched spinning round and launching herself at Rowan.

“It's good to see you to munch kin.”

“Hey, don't call me that, I'm 10 now, not a baby. You missed my birthday Ro” Joesy said letting go and wrapping her arms around herself.

“I know Jose, I'm sorry , I really wanted to be here but I just couldn’t get the time off, when I had just got the job. I bought you this though, with my first real pay check.” Rowan said handing over the bear.

“You remembered,” Jose said hugging the bear to her chest.

“Of course I did, you only told me every other day that you wanted one. Well now you have your very own.”

“Thanks”

“You’re welcome munc.. kiddo.” Rowan almost slipped, it was going to be hard not to call Josey munch kin. But she was right, she was getting older and Rowan had to accept it.

“So whats been happening here, have I missed much?”

Joesy filled Rowan in on all the comings and goings of the place. Rowan sat and just let Josey talk her ear off, she had missed her so much in the past month. She hadn’t meant to let Josey in, but the little devil had clung to her from the moment she entered the home. Rowan hadn’t stood a chance of keeping her out of her heart, She wished she was able to take her with her, that was the only thing that she regretted about leaving this place and it was what was going to make leaving Edinburgh so hard.

“So anyway, like I said, she is a total numpty, I can't stand her.”

“Who’s a numpty?” rowan asked having not heard  a word of the last few minutes as she had been to busy trying to think up ways of steeling Josey.

“Natalie, haven’t you been listening to me.... do you think I like talking for the sake of it?”

Josey could talk the eras off a donkey, she never had a problem with talking to people that weren’t listening, Rowan smiled to herself, Josey was missing her too.

“I'm sorry m, kiddo, I was miles away.”

“yeah well don't do me any favours, if you want to leave you know where the door is, i hope it hits you on the way out.” Josey clipped at her, hands on hips and turning away from Rowan.

“I’m sorry Jose, I'm all your now, what’s the problem with Natalie?”

“Never mind, you’ve obviously got your own life now, mine means nothing to you, you’re just like all the rest Rowan, just go.” Josey walked to the door and left Rowan sitting there feeling like a right bitch. But Rowan knew what it was like to feel like that so she needed to let Jose cool down, she wouldn’t listen to her just now, her defences up, walls down, nothing would get through.

Walking out of the communal living room, Rowan’s eyes stop stinging, she went to the bathroom to check them, see if the colour had also returned to normal. It had, thank god for that. she had no idea why this was happening but at the moment she didn’t care, all that mattered was that her colour was back and she could take off the god forsaken glasses.

She would have to come back here soon, she couldn’t leave Josey feeling like this for too long but knowing how she was feeling meant that she had to give her room to come to the realisation that Rowan hadn’t meant what she thought.

Heart sick she walked out of the home. Still no closer to coming up with a plan to get Josey out of there, other than when she had saved enough money she would break her out and go on the run. Great plan huh.

It was dark when she got outside and last nights events still freaked her out. She was seeing shadows and hearing noises that weren’t there.

head down, hands in pockets she marched with purpose towards her 'home'.

"Watch it." she said almost falling backwards, hands grabbed her to keep her upright.

When she got her balance she looked up and into the eyes that had been haunting her.

"You just cant stay out of trouble can you?" he asked "Im Adrian, by the way."