Chapter 5 (Lítið Fólk)

*This chapter contains a mild scene involving sexual harassment.* Marel and Annette leave sooner than expected.

After dinner Annette decided she wanted to stay. Seeing as I wasn’t in too much of a rush to leave, I told her I thought it was an excellent idea. I laid down on the couch, intending to take a comfortable little nap before I inevitably had to go back to the cold lot behind the old school. Everything was quiet and peaceful where I was lying, and I was getting so close to falling asleep, but was interrupted when someone walked over, moved my legs, and sat down on the couch.

I opened my eyes and was looking directly into Reinar’s. I glared at him, hoping he would take the hint and leave me alone.

“You didn’t talk much at dinner,” he said. I sighed. Clearly I had the worst luck in the world. “What’s your name again?”

At first I refused to participate in the conversation - but the longer he stared at me, waiting for my response, the more uncomfortable I felt. I figured that if I responded, he might leave sooner.

“Marel.”

Reinar smiled at me and placed a hand on my knee. I didn’t understand why at the time; I was just praying that this would be the end of our acquaintanceship.

“That’s a nice name.”

I was about to excuse myself to find Annette and Gréta, who I could faintly hear laughing in the other room, when Reinar pulled me closer to him by my pant leg. I lowered my eyes at him and shoved him away from me. I got up from the couch and went back into the kitchen. He followed me.

“Could you please f**k off?” I asked him. He grabbed me by my shirt and turned me around to look at him. If he hadn’t been holding onto me so roughly, I might have just walked to the back of the house - where there were witnesses. He wasn’t even that strong, but he intimidated me. I didn’t think he would hit me, but I didn’t want to take any chances.

“You can’t tell me you don’t think I’m attractive,” he said. I shook my head, confused. That wasn’t what I was expecting to hear. In retrospect, it made complete sense along with the context of the body language he had been displaying toward me.

I scoffed and backed away from him as far as I could. “Who do you think I am?” I knew it sounded a bit pretentious, but I couldn’t have someone believe something about me that wasn’t true. Especially someone as predatory as Reinar.

He smiled at me, and I physically recoiled when he stepped closer to me. “Please - I know one when I see one.”

“Know what?”

There were footsteps down the hall; Reinar let go of me and backed away toward the wall opposite where I was standing. Gréta and Annette appeared, happiness painted on their faces. I knew my skin must have been extremely pale, and I recall that my breathing was much faster and deeper than normal.

“Is everything going alright in here?” Gréta asked. Her voice was soft and polite as ever, but I could tell she was suspicious. Reinar nodded, but I just sighed and pushed myself away from the wall.

I sat waiting for only a few minutes on the front steps of Gréta’s house for Annette to come after me. My shoulders tensed when the door opened - but soon Annette was standing in front of me with her hand out. I took it and she helped me up.

“You good?” she asked, and I nodded. We walked in comfortable silence back to her house, with only the sounds of the few cars in the street and the strong gusts of wind to stimulate us.

I saw Magnus looking at me through the window when we arrived at Annette’s house. I smiled at him and he returned it. He stood up from where he had been sitting and ran away, presumably to tell Lárus and Stefan I was back.

“Think your parents will let me stay the night?” I asked, despite already knowing the answer. Annette gave me an empathetic smile and squeezed my shoulder.

We stood outside for a few more seconds before the door opened, revealing Magnus, Lárus, and little Stefan, who was wearing his big, brand new puffy coat.

Author's Note

This one is quite short too. I didn't want the scene too last any longer than it did, and I think I'm happy with where I ended it.