Don't Touch Me! Chapter 1

Hello!

Another story, something completely different. I hope you're all enjoying your holidays, I know I am.

Please tell what you think of this, or what you think it will be. (Or tell me something fun. Something about the snow (my snow is gone. all washed away by rain), or something about your pet, something I really, really should read, ask me a question, I don't care)
But comment =)

Enjoy reading!
ps. On the picture is Rana.
pps. Can one of you tell me how italics and bold and that sort of things work here? I've tried everything; copying the text from my Word document, asking very nicely, threatening to remove my account, but it doesn't work. Help?!
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Chapter 1

'...with one final blow, the knight finished the monster. It let out one final piercing scream, it tried to hit the knight one last time, but missed. It fell on the ground, defeated.
The knight was honored through whole the country and he married the king's daughter.
Together they lived happily ever after.
The End.'

I sighed and closed my book. Another beautiful story.
How I wished they were true. If a prince walked in here, I'd go with him, without thinking twice.
'Rana?' Henry, my stepfather called.
I walked down the stairs, suspicious. He was most dangerous when he was acting nice.
And sure enough, looking at the amount of bottles on the floor, he'd been drinking way too much.
'What's the matter?' I asked.
'Do you remember what I asked this afternoon?' he asked, like a patient parent explaining something to a toddler.

I cringed on the inside. Damn. He'd asked to go and fetch some hamburgers for tonight, but I'd forgotten all about it, I was captured in the story of my book.
'You asked to buy some hamburgers. I'm sorry Henry, I completely forgot about the time, I can try a 24-hours shop if you want...' I started explaining, but it was too late already.
He smacked me and the force of the blow, made me fall on the ground.
'Ow! Don't hit me!' I yelled, sobbing. My cheek was burning.
'You. Worthless. Bitch!' He roared, emphasizing each word with a kick. 'You can't carry out the simplest little task I ask of you! You're probably too stupid to breathe too! Everyday I wonder why I actually allow you to live in my house!'
He kicked me one last time, it hit my stomach. I curled up when all the air left my body. Henry sat down on the couch again, watching the television like nothing happened.

Quietly, I waited for my breath to return and then, without making a sound, I ran out of the door.
I ran as fast as I could, afraid he would come after me.
I only slowed my pace, when I reached the familiar light blue house. I knocked on the door and suddenly, the blow I'd gotten on my head combined with my running made me dizzy and I sank down on the ground.
I heard the door open.
'Rana? What's wrong?' A female voice asked. It was Gina.
'Just a little dizzy' I said, while waiting for the stars to disappear out of view. 'Is Seth home?'
Please say yes. I'll die if he's gone.

'Yeah, come, I'll help you.' She helped me get up.
'Feeling better? Whoa! What happened to you cheek?' She asked, her eyes wide.
'Ehm, I got a ball shot against my face. Those little neighbor boys were playing soccer.' I improvised quickly.
'Autsch.' She said, emphasizing. 'You should put something cold on that.'
I nodded. Together, we walked inside, the little house where Seth lived with Gina and two other students.
'Seth!' Gina yelled. 'You have a visitor!'
'Tell them I'm busy!' he shouted.
'Are you sure you want to send this visitor away? You're going to regret that!' Gina said grinning.

He walked down the stairs, making a lot of noise while doing that.
'Yes, I'm sure, I told you I was...Rana!' He suddenly saw me.
He grinned, but one look on my face removed the grin from his face.
'Oh. Ehm, shall we go to my room?' He asked.
'Yeah, but let me get something for my cheek.' I said casually, my eyes sending him an 'act normal' sign.
He nodded, still baffled.
A few minutes later, after some small talk with Gina, we went to his room.
He closed the door behind us.
´What did he do!´ He said loudly, obviously having trouble with holding his temper.
´Sssh!´ I said. ´Not everyone has to hear it.´
He thudded down on his bed, next to me.
´Explain´ He whispered.
And with a little voice, I explained what happened.
When I was finished, he was silent. He just stared ahead, his fists clenched.
´Seth?'

'I'm going to call the police.' He said, his jaw clenched.
'No! You can't!' I said, startled.
He stood up abruptly.
'Dammit! Why, Rana?! Give me one good reason why I can't call the police! This has been going on for years now! Ever since your mother died, he's been hitting you and yelling at you and treating you like filth! And what do you do? You just allow it! You don't resist, you don't tell anyone but me! You're my best friend in the world, Rana, how can you let me allow this?'
I could only stare at him, my eyes wide. Seth was never this angry at me. Tears welled up in my eyes and suddenly, all his anger was gone; he sat down next to me.
'I'm sorry honey, I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm such a lousy friend.'
'Don't say that' I said 'You're the only friend I have.'
He looked at me.

'I know, but don't you understand how hard it is for me to watch you suffer? Someone should kick me for not seeking help somewhere. Even if you tell me not to.' He added.
I wiped away the last tears.
'I know. But...if he finds out...he'll do something worse than he has ever done to me.' I shivered at the thought.
'And that's the reason why I haven't told anyone...yet.' He sighed.
I looked at him and my heart glowed. How did I deserve such a friend?
Together, we looked in the mirror across the room.
'What a pair we are, huh?' He asked, smiling.
The mirror showed two completely different persons.
First there was height. I am about 5'2 feet (if I stand tall) and Seth...6'1. You can imagine the difference.

His hair is light brown, mine is blond. His hair is straight, mine is curly. His hair is extremely short, mine reaches my shoulder blades. His eyes are a beautiful light brown and mine are a vague gray/blue/greenish. His face is relaxed, mine is twisted into a permanent look of fear and sorrow. He talks a lot and is cheerful most of the time, I'm silent. (though the mirror doesn't show that)
What we have in common is our age (20. Technically, I'm still 19, but those few days don't count) and the color of our skin. White. Too white. We're both too much inside a house. Me, because I'm captured inside by Henry most of the time and Seth because he spends too much time studying (in my opinion). Seth is tall, but gangling. It bothers him more than he wants too admit, but I've known him for too long not to notice.
I squeezed his hand.

'Thanks.'
'Anytime.' He said, meaning it.
'You know, you're the only twinkle of joy I have at the moment. I don't know what I'd do without you.' I said.
'I'm not going anywhere.' He said and then threw a glance at the books on his desk. 'Not without the amount of work I've got left to do.' He winked.
'Can I help you?' I asked eagerly.
He nodded. 'Sure.'
Henry hadn't allowed me to go to university after high school, he didn't have the money. Or so he said. So I was forced to stay at home and work to keep us both alive.
Why I just didn't ran away and bought my own home, far away? He threatened that he'd find me and kill me if I did that. I knew he would. So I stayed.

Seth was the only one that kept me going, who comforted me and cared for me. He told me that everything Henry shouted to me was a lie. His cheerful mood always distracted me from home and I could study with him.
Normally, I was the most eager one to study, but today, I couldn't concentrate. I thought about my parents. My parents divorced when I was 10. We never heard anything from my father again. My mother came home with Henry when I was 15. Back then, he was normal. I really liked him and my mother was happy again. I loved my mother to pieces, so I wanted her to be happy. But two years later, cancer. She died a year later, I was 18. Henry and I were left behind and he changed within a week. I was still grieving over my mother, but suddenly I couldn't cry anymore and he'd hit me if I did. Over the last two years it got worse. Everything I did was wrong, especially when he'd been drinking.
What if my mother was still alive? Then I'd be much happier.

No beating, no drinking, university, no grief.
'What are you thinking about?' Seth's voice interrupted my thoughts.
'How my life would be if my mother hadn't died.'
He took my hand.
'You're chance will come, Raan, I'm sure of it. One day, your life will be better.'
'I wish I could go to a different world. Where I could start over again.' I said quietly.
'I would take you there myself if I could.' Seth said. 'but we have to do it with this world.'
I nodded, knowing he was right.
But right now, I had no idea how all this would get better.
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