Chapter 4 - Conversations

Lynn hid in her room the rest of the night, not wanting to migrate to the roof until she was sure Jared would leave her alone. When she heard him settling in front of the television in his bedroom, she locked her own door and scaled the wall outside of her window. The back of her head still hurt from his treatment earlier and she swiped at the tears that fell down her cheeks in frustration. It wasn't like she had been expecting him to come to her in his grief and embrace her, but he was acting like nothing had happened. His cold, distant disinterest hurt her almost as much as the realization that Lynn's family was gone. She knew no outer members of her family, as Jared had been an only child with both parents deceased since his adolescence and Bridget's abandonment of her family. Bridget had been the only thing holding the three of them together, and without her...
Lynn hugged her knees to her body. She didn't want to cry, but silent tears dripped onto her pants and dampened her face. It didn't really matter; everything was over. She didn't have close friends, and those she pretended to have would only associate with her as long as they had classes with her and had to be around her. She knew there was the possibility of befriending a few of them and taking comfort, but she didn't understand how to ask for that or even breach the subject. Shaking her head, she sighed, breath uneven.

“Excuse me...?” the voice made Lynn inhale sharply and jump where she sat, her nerves sizzling. A dark shape was hunched just next to her. Panicking, she crab-walked backwards, eyes painfully wide as she tried to see more clearly. “Ah, wait!” the shape became taller, more like a person, and started towards her.

“S-stay back!” Lynn shouted, wincing when her palm suddenly slid down the shingles under her. Her back thumped on the roof as she kilted to the side. The person (assumedly) grabbed her other hand before she could go rolling off the roof.

“I'm sorry,” the person muttered. It was male and full of sincerity and embarrassment. “I wasn't sure of how else to get your attention without scaring you any worse.” Lynn's heart was pounding in her ribcage and she tried to pull free, feet scrabbling on the shingles.

“Let me go!” she cried, latching onto the wrist of the hand restraining her. “I'll call the cops! Get off!” the male just sighed and seemed to plant his stance more firmly. His eyes suddenly flashed out of the darkness, green-gold spheres that seemed to gather the light like a cat's. She fought even harder, not really understanding what was going on.

“Would you calm down?” the man growled after a minute or two. “I'm not going to do anything to you.” Lynn ignored him for another few seconds before realizing that he really wasn't doing anything. She stopped moving, watching him warily, still clutching his wrist. She noticed his breathing was heavy, almost labored, and he was hunched over a little as though in pain. She confirmed her suspicion when he sank to the ground next to her after she surrendered and sighed in what had to be relief.

“Who are you?” Lynn asked shakily, trembling in the man’s grip. He let go of her arm and she retreated a few feet away.

“I’m just looking for someone,” he muttered, one arm stealing across his midsection protectively. “I didn’t mean to freak you out, but not many people sit on rooftops at night.” Lynn silently agreed.

“You do,” she said instead, warily sitting down. Her knees were shaking and the wind was blowing hard enough to make her unsteady. He appeared to shrug in the darkness.

“I’m not many people.” He replied coolly. “Besides, you live with…” he trailed off. Lynn said nothing, wanting to finish his thought with ‘a b*****d’ but not liking the direction that the conversation was going in. “Well, you caught my interest, anyway.”

“Have you been watching me?” Lynn exclaimed. Some back part of her mind flicked through the day’s events, searching for anything embarrassing. She remembered Jared pulling her around by her hair and flushed scarlet with fury and shame.

“Not you!” he argued, seemingly flustered.

“So it’s my father.” Lynn reasoned. He had said she had been living with a certain person, so unless this guy was looking for her dead mother…

“No, n-not him either.” The small stutter in the guy’s voice gave him away.

“What do you want with him?” Lynn asked curiously, hoping it was something to hurt Jared and not help him. The guy said nothing, so Lynn waited.

“You should get away from him.” He finally muttered. Lynn blinked, taken aback.

“If it’s the way he treats me that you’re talking about�"“ Lynn started.

“It’s worse than that.” He interrupted shortly. “He�"“ the boy cut himself off with a loud, pained coughing fit. Lynn couldn’t see how he looked, but the cough sounded nasty. Panting, the man’s hand went to his midsection once more. Without realizing what she was doing, Lynn reached out and put the back of her hand against the guy’s forehead. He drew back almost immediately and was surprised into another coughing fit. His skin was dry and hot.

“You’re sick,” Lynn murmured, arm still outstretched.

“So I’ve realized.” He growled. Lynn fought back a small smile in the dark. This intimidating figure on her roof was angry because Lynn had managed to surprise him.

“How old are you?” Lynn asked, now more curious and amused than frightened. When he didn’t respond, she added, “I’m nineteen.”

“Twenty three.” He grunted, still put-out.

“And your name…?” she prodded, starting a little when his eyes suddenly flashed in the darkness. It was like looking at a cat prowling in the dark, a cat dark enough that all you saw were patches of lighter fur and its eyes. He didn’t respond again. “Well… What do you want with my father, then?”

“He’s a murderer.” The boy growled. Lynn’s jaw dropped, and she laughed shortly.

“Say that again?” she scoffed. She wasn’t precisely surprised at the accusation, but it was weird hearing it from a stranger, and she highly doubted he was in his right mind at the present.

“I said, he’s a sick murdering b*****d.” The boy repeated harshly, coming out of his sulk. “He’s extremely dangerous and you should really get away from him.”

“Why should I believe you?” the smile on Lynn’s face was half frozen. The conviction and hint of fear in the boy’s voice made her worried.

“Because he raped my mother and then killed her and my father.” He said slowly, deliberately. He gripped the front of his shirt.

“And hurt you.” Lynn added, lips numb. “How are you so sure it was Jared?”

“Because I followed him by… by scent…” he sounded partially embarrassed to be admitting this, but there was plain exhaustion in his voice as well. “It’s next to impossible to get people’s smells mixed up. Besides,” he added with a tired laugh. “It’s all over my parents, my home, and you. There’s no way I’d mistake it.” Lynn had no answer. She was instantly repulsed and wanted to crawl out of her skin just thinking that Jared’s scent was all over her. How dare that man get his essence on her? At the same time, she wanted to believe that the man before her was insane. How could he follow somebody by how they smelled? From God knew where and for God knew how long. Lynn opened her mouth to say something, probably ask what he meant, but before she could, he stood, almost falling over.

 “I need to get out of here,” he muttered. Lynn jumped up and grabbed his arm when he reeled back slightly. Even his wrist was hot, burning feverishly through his rough cloth jacket.

“What are you doing?” she demanded sharply. Her heart was pounding and half of her wished he would rip his arm free and flee. The other half of her wanted him to stop and stay. The man did pull free, but paused.

“What?” he sighed, and Lynn thought there was more fatigue in his voice than anger.

“Where are you going to go?” she asked, thinking she was getting the picture. This was no more than a boy, too tired and hurt to be more angry than afraid.

“Why would I tell you that?” he snapped wearily.

“You want to kill him, don’t you?” Lynn murmured. He said nothing, and Lynn knew, whether he was crazy or telling the truth, this was his plan. “I’m not going to report you to the police or anything…” she took a deep breath. “I… I want to help you.” The boy flinched back.

“You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.” He snorted derisively, turning away.

“I have just as much right as-“ she cried, indignant. In a flurry of movement, he had seized her arms just below the shoulder before she had registered that he was moving. Lynn yelped. His grip was hot and strong, painfully so. She saw his face for the first time; held fearfully by his blue-green gaze, she saw dark bags under his eyes and gauntness around his face. I think I was wrong, Lynn thought faintly. He is definitely more angry than afraid. He is pure fury.

“Stay out of it.” He snarled, biting off the words. Releasing her in a way that shoved her backwards, he ran off the roof and vanished. Lynn regained her balance and dashed to the edge of the roof, almost slipping off, and peered down. There was no trace of anything, human or otherwise. Lynn sat down with a thud without moving for a long time. What in the hell was that…?

Author's Note

This part.. needs to be edited.. actually, all of this does =X sorry xD