Not Strangers

Opal's POV:

My legs were hurting. Twigs, small leaves and branches were constantly poking and jabbing in my feet as I was running as fast as I could in the dark woods. 

Was it night already? I couldn't tell. And if I'm being honest, I didn't care. Survival was the only thing on my mind. Other things? They took a back seat the second, I was being chased like a little criminal who knows they did nothing. The important point is, I wasn't being chased by cops or any government officials. I was being chased by people whom I saw killing my parents and now, wanted to kill me.

I looked around the woods, trying to see whatever I could in the dark. My breath came as short pants as I tried to take as much oxygen in my lungs. I ran my calloused fingers through my now, dirtied and disarrayed hair. It was in tangles. My hands were burning when they were scratched by the branches. My legs started sprinting again and finally I came to an opening. It was the highway. But the only way to keep myself safe. I was tired as I came out on the road. My breathing is still short and unsteady. Something wet trickled down my cheek and suddenly I was dizzy. I tried to adjust my eyes to the oncoming headlights of the car. Before I could lift my hand, I fell hard on the cold, dark road and blackness came over me.

~~~~

Not knowing where I was when I woke up was a horrifying feeling. I glanced down to see my injuries were already treated and bandaged. My hands touched my forehead, where I felt like my brain would blast off. It was painful enough to make me see black spots again. I closed my eyes and willed the pain to subside a little and finally opened my eyes only to scream. "Aaaahhhh!" I backed away on the soft bed, my eyes fixed at the door. A tall, well-built guy was standing there. He didn't look dangerous but his sudden appearance was unexpected. Even after my outburst, he was calmly standing, leaning on the door panel and staring at me like a scientist observing their next experiment.

"Who are you? And where am I?" I was nervous and I could feel my eyes were wild as well. I shifted my eyes over him. "I'm the one who saved you." He came over the bed and I flinched. He stopped. "You fell unconscious in front of my car. I tried to wake you but—" He paused a bit, looked over me again and sighed. "—you were out cold and injured badly. So, I brought you to my place. And FYI I'm a doctor." He might've felt the need to say that last part since I was looking at him like he would pounce on me in any given second which was unreasonable even for me. I calmed down and nodded. The stranger came beside the bed, "May I?" I was confused for a moment, when he took my hand from my lap to check my pulse. I flinched again but this time, stayed strong as he continued holding my wrist. After a minute, he said, "You're okay now. I have prescribed some meds for you. You'll recover soon." He let go of my hand and a feeling of warmth left me. I sighed. "You look quite young for a doctor", I blurted. His eyes widened and soon snatched away his gaze, looking at the wall behind. " Well, I'm 25. And these are the perks of being smart." His deep voice resonated.

So, he is young. I'm 22. Just graduated and went back when things went downhill. I shifted my eyes on his profile. He was smart indeed, not just with his brain but also physically. He was well-built, had black freshly cut hair which was unruly. Maybe because he ran his fingers through it a lot. Chiseled, strong jaw, women would die for. His beautiful but dark eyes. Why didn't I notice that before? 

Because you were too busy getting scared. My brain replied. 

"Let me take you home. Your parents must be worrying." He said, turning to face me. And I remembered the whole incident, my eyes brimmed with tears. A tear rolled down, "I don't have a home anymore. My parents are dead." My voice, shaky and soft. I covered my face with my hands when a sob left my throat. My body was shaking and I shivered. Suddenly, I felt a warmth I realised I needed and my whole resolve broke down. I let out everything that happened. I bet my cries were loud for even neighbors to hear but I didn't care. I was already past my limits. I cried for, I don't know how long, as the stranger held me in his strong arms against his warmth until I finally fell asleep. 

~~~~~

A week has passed since that day. Knox—he said his name the next day when he bought me breakfast—took care of me. He lived with his parents in this house. I thought he lived alone but it was quite a relief knowing that his parents lived with him. They were there too that day, when I was rescued . I couldn't be more grateful for them. But I know my time here was limited. I needed time to settle myself. I was already searching for jobs to support me and an apartment. I didn't want to burden myself on these kind people. They already took care of my meds and everything. Especially Knox. He was kind, smart, enigmatic and his eyes held passion. I just told them about what happened to my parents, skipping out some information. After listening to my story carefully, they promised to let me stay as long as I want. When I explained everything, I could feel Knox beside me, holding me when I broke down again. I could feel his anger towards those criminals but he held me tightly instead.

I could feel my heart getting heavy. I need to leave them. It's good for them as well as for me. I can't take the burden of something happening to these people. But before that, I need to get my strength back. I was still weak and the hit on my head was still as painful. Having the need to find the culprits of parents' murder, I was determined. I couldn't recall the faces I saw that night. Memories are blurry and hazy. I guess I need some time before I make my move.

"What are you thinking?" A voice came from the side. I turned to see Knox's father, holding the crisp morning paper in his hand. I can't tell him what I was thinking. 

"Nothing important. Just trying to fill in the gaps in my memories." Knox's father—Warren Grayson—glanced at the paper before looking at me. "So, did you find something?" I searched his face before answering, "No. My memories are still hazy. I can't seem to remember everything." I gave a tight smile. He nodded, his face holding an expression for a second I couldn't catch on, then it went blank. After a small pause, he said, "Don't worry and don't put pressure on your brain. Things will come to you eventually. Let everything work itself, okay." I nodded and left the room. 

I came back to my room and released a huge breath I was holding. Suddenly a loud knock came on the door. I jumped at the sudden intrusion and opened the door. Knox was still in his hospital scrubs. He looked at my face. "You okay?", he asked, his voice carried concern. "Yeah, I'm fine." I replied with a convincing smile. While inside, I was still feeling jittery. I don't know why, but suddenly I was on edge. I willed myself to stop thinking too much and focused on Knox. "You need something?" Knox searched my face, when satisfied he said, "Yeah. Actually there's a formal party for hospital staff and their families in the honour of the founder of the hospital. So, I was thinking if you could join us?" I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. I sighed. "It's okay if you don't want to. No pressure", he added quickly. "I just thought it'll be good for you to meet some people. Maybe freshen your mind or something. But I can understand if you don't want to." He finished and waited for my reply.

Maybe he was right. Maybe I really needed to take off my mind for a period. Maybe I'll feel less jittery and jumpy. I nodded, "Okay. I'd like to join you." He gave a devastating smile listening to my reply and after informing me the day and time, he left.

Next couple days passed without any incident and finally the day of the formal party came. Knox's Mom—Tiara Grayson—was a sweet woman. She was always there whenever I needed someone to listen to my cries when Knox wasn't at home. Though I never told her that I saw the murderer killing my parents in front of my eyes, those nightmares at night woke me up several times. Tiara always came running into my room, comforting me, coaxing me and slowly letting me drift off again without asking me any questions. She acted like my mother. And warmth filled my heart. Even today she loaned me a beautiful turquoise gown. Knox opened my side of the door and held his hand. I grabbed the hand and climbed out, smiling at him softly. He looked devilishly handsome in his velvet navy blue three piece suit. His parents arrived shortly in a different car and we went inside.

Party was charity themed as well. So, many people held a paddle token in their hand. The lights were dimmed around the Hall except for the spotlight on the stage. I stood up from my seat beside Knox. Knox noticed, "Where are you going?" I put my hands on his shoulder, "To the washroom." He paused, then asked again, "Do you need me to come with you?" I was moved when he said that. I knew Knox cared for me, wanted to protect me. This filled my heart. I shook my head and smiled at him lovingly, "It's okay. I can manage. I'll be back soon." I assured him and he nodded. I finally found the washroom and while I was washing my hands, there were some muffled voices outside the door.

"The girl's here." A voice said. 

"Yes, I know. Saw her coming in with Graysons." Another voice said.

"Graysons? Shit! You think she saw us?" The first voice held a small fear lacing his voice. 

"No. I don't think so. Or he would have told us about it. What I don't understand is why is he allowing her here anyways? He should've known the danger." 

I was standing, listening to the door's other side of the conversation. I was trying to figure out if this was about me. My heart beat spiked up and my palms became sweaty. Breathing came out in short pants and I could feel my eyes widened with unknown fear. I gripped my gown tightly and tried to look at the other side of the door. It was dark, so I couldn't see anything clear. I tried to adjust my eyes and saw something, I wished I never saw again. That snake and dragon tattoo. It was on the hand of one of the person outside. I only saw it peeking out from the sleeves but it was enough. I could never mistake this. I saw this tattoo on the hands of the man who killed my parents. Suddenly, I slipped and fell in the dark, grabbing the attention of both men. They saw me, shock etching their faces. It was evident that they recognised me. And before I could get on my feet, they grabbed me roughly and put a hand on my mouth to prevent me from shouting. I tried to loosen the grip but as I grabbed the hand covering my mouth, my head smashed into the wall making me lose all the strength. 

The men dragged me out of the dark hallway. My eyes became blurry and images became hazy. I tried to keep my eyes open. A man came in front of me, his hands in his pockets and a sinister smile on his face. What I remembered clearly before I was shoved into the car was his velvet navy blue suit. 

~~~

I woke up in a dark place. A damp and wild smell filled my nose, willing me to cover my nose and I realized my hands were tied at the back when a bite caused a sting in my wrist. I was face down on the dirty floor and could feel the pain in my head throbbing hard. They caught me. I tried to think of a way to get out of this place. But with my hands tied and no energy in my body, I couldn't even move an inch. After God knows how much later, I dragged myself to a broken leg chair and somehow sat up. I noticed a sharp edge on the broken area and tried to cut my ropes by dragging over it. It scratched my wrist in the process, blood seeping out from the broken skin. Finally, the ropes fell off and I tried to stand up. Feeling woozy, I grabbed a nearby shelf and realized that the room was actually a dark storeroom. It was small with only one small ventilator high up on the wall. 

I closed my eyes and felt the burn behind it. I have to save myself and have to inform Knox. And then I remembered something. How could I have forgotten that? I lived there for so many days, but I never suspected him. I ignored my gut feelings but now, here I am. "Stupid, stupid girl." I whispered to myself. I shook my head. This wasn't time for self wallowing. I have to get out of here, and soon. After that, I'll deal with this myself. I tried to open the door but as I suspected, it was locked outside. There was only one way. I grabbed some boxes and stacked them up against the wall to reach the ventilator. I tried to open it and due to the rotten material, it came open. I pushed myself through the small space and somehow after long pushes and scratches, I jumped out. I sneaked along the wall and started running. A loud voice boomed out in the silent night. "She's running. Grab her!" I increased my speed and ran as fast as I could.

Woods surrounded me once again. My body in immense pain and I felt tired enough to sit down for a bit. But I knew I couldn't rest. So, I gathered all courage and started walking again. I came out near the highway. Few cars were passing by. I felt a sense of dèja vu coming over me. A car suddenly stopped in front of me and Knox climbed out. His gaze was intense as he stared at me. Serious expression on his face and if stares could kill, I would have been dead. He was still wearing that velvet navy blue three piece suit. But his dress and hair were disheveled and his face ectched of worry. I ran into his arms and hugged him tight. A sense of relief went down my spine and I shivered. Being in his warmth was everything I wanted and needed right now. 

"I'm so sorry. I should've known something was wrong. But I never thought that…" Knox sighed. He held my face between his palms. "I saw it. I saw him kidnapping you when you were shoved inside that car. But I was late. I'm sorry." Tears rolled down my cheeks and I couldn't stop them. He knew. He knew what his father did. And he came to save me. I couldn't stop myself and I kissed him. I poured all my emotions and willed them to transfer to him. I wanted him to know my feelings. Our meeting was short but I already fell for him deep and hard. He was shocked at first before kissing me back. His passion was evident in his kiss. I could feel his pain, his emotions. We stopped to catch our breath and stared at each other. Our eyes connected and I felt the whole world around me. He took me inside the car and to the police station. 

Knox's dad, Warren was arrested for embezzlement in his company, murdering my parents and trying to kidnap and kill me. Tiara broke down the moment she heard the news. Neither she nor Knox ever imagined him doing this heinous crime. Even after all this, Tiara and Knox never left my side. They stayed with me.

"I'll never leave you. I'll always be with you. Even if we were strangers, we are not strangers anymore."