Hey guys! Sorry that these updates are so inconsistant. But here is chapter 9. Thank you so much for all the amazing reviews, faves and follows. You're awesome to keep up with me. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own CoAD or it's characters.

Three days.

Three days since that night.

Torak hadn't seen Renn in that time. Blaming himself. Not willing to-

-to think about what would have happened if Wolf hadn't chased Aki off. Not willing to think about what could have happened because he'd been too tired to stay at training.

Did she blame him too?

She could, if she wanted to-

He would-

A knock at his door. Torak looked up to see the tanned face of his cousin. The blonde boy walked over to him where he sat by the window. Torak stared towards the beach in the distance. It was getting warmer every day. Maybe he and Renn could go swimming again. They coul-

No-

She wouldn't want to have anything to do with him.

Torak's fingernails dug into his palm as he turned to Bale. "How is she?"

"Renn's…" He let out a sigh. "Nothing fazes her, you know? I remember when she got into a fight with a Deep-Forest-High girl, it got physical pretty quick and Renn got her arm broken." He scratched his jaw. "She didn't even cry, just punched the other girl in the stomach with her free hand and walked off." Bale laughed for a moment before looking out the window too.

"…But this..." The blonde sat on Torak's bed.

"Mm." Was all Torak said.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, both looking through the glass into the distance, as if trying to see what the future held. Bale broke the quiet. "She asked for you."

"To tell me never to talk to her again?" He looked down.

"Torak. She doesn't blame you." Bale stood up. Torak angrily shrugged off Bale's hand on his shoulder.

"Well she should! I blame me. Why doesn't anyone else?" Torak stood up to face his cousin. There was now only an inch of height difference between them. Bale gripped his shoulders.

"Torak." He said shortly. "This isn't about you." He pointed to the wall. "Right now Renn, your only friend, is over there alone and blaming herself for all of this."

"How can she blame herself?" Torak frowned.

"I don't know! But she does and she wants to see you, her only friend. Maybe you can figure it out." Bale replied, exasperated.

Torak made a fist and hit the wall. Bale didn't say anything. Torak sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Alright. But I swear if I ever see Aki again I'll-"

Bale cut him off. "-Torak, this is about Renn okay? The police are dealing with him. You worry about the girl across the road."

Yellow-

Purple-

Green-

Brown-

Renn counted the colours that patterned her wrists. She pulled the sleeves of her jumper down over her hands, to make herself stop looking. Her mind drifted to Torak. She hadn't seen him since he'd carried her to the doorstep of her house and sat her on the couch to grab something to put against her forehead for the bleeding. After that it was a bit of a blur. Fin-Kedinn came down with face set after Torak yelled for him, he drove her to hospital and Torak was left at her doorstep. A fading figure in the distance.

She could clearly remember his face though. Messy black hair had framed skin that was paler than it's usual tan, he'd been breathing hard, which was strange seeing how fit he was. And his expression, the look in his eyes, it looked like his heart had been ripped form his body. Tears threatened at the memory.

Why hadn't he visited? Did he think she blamed him? Renn frowned, wiping her eyes, sometimes she hated how reserved he was. She sighed and leaned against the wall, wincing as it pressed against her bruises. She hadn't seen them yet. She'd avoided mirrors since she'd got home from the hospital.

She was Renn Kedinn, the independent, tough, red-haired girl who'd been able to fend for herself most of her life. Yet in this moment she was frightened and scared, not of the outside, not of another attack. Frightened that she'd somehow lost her only friend.

Torak looked down at the bag hanging from the strap he held in his hand. It was black as night, a simple died canvas shoulder bag. He'd never taken much notice of it before. But right now his gaze took in every detail.

Every strand of frayed edge-

Every pull in the material-

It's weight; heavier than he'd expected-

It's smell; fresh air, cut grass, strawberries-

And the little raven badge pinned to the strap-

Torak wiped the pad of his thumb over its shiny surface, getting rid of a speck of dirt. The raven stared back at him. He slung the bag over his right shoulder, running his hand from the top, down the strap to rest at the hook connecting it to the bag. Just like Renn did every school morning. Something else he'd never noticed-

But could remember clearly now-

After Renn had driven away with Fin, Torak had gone back to the alleyway to pick up her things. Her bag had opened when it was dropped on the cement and Torak gently packed in the torn and messy notebooks she used everyday. He found her phone a few steps away and vaguely wondered why she hadn't used it. Her darts case was also picked up, its smooth surface scratched and dirty, he'd put it in the bag as well. And then the bag had sat on his desk for the past two days. Not doing anything but reminding him of her, till now.

Torak walked slowly across the road to Renn's house, Wolf trailing behind him. He made his way up the short driveway to the steps to her door. He was about to knock when Fin opened it. Torak tried not to look startled; covering his surprise by saying he was there to see Renn. Fin eyed him a moment with a stony blue gaze before stepping aside.

"She's upstairs in her room." He told him.

Torak nodded, stepping over the threshold and into the house. He turned right, walking silently up the stairs while Wolf lay down near Fin in the lounge, giving them privacy. He already knew which room was hers, having had to fetch textbooks during their study sessions where he'd offer to get them for her. She would always smile when he did, the little freckle at the corner of her mouth rising with her lips.

Her door was half open-

Torak quietly peered in-

He spotted her instantly. She was sitting on her bed, legs curled up and a book resting on her knees. He scanned the title and read something about darts technique. She was wearing a worn grey/brown hoodie that looked two sizes too big. Black shorts that came to her mid-thigh. The sleeves of her jumper were pulled out fully, covering her hands to her knuckles. Her hair was loose and hung down past her shoulders. Torak's eyes followed the thick fiery locks to her temple, where there was a stark white bandage. A bandage he knew covered the little stiches on her forehead. She'd only needed two, but still.

He cleared his throat and tapped on the doorframe lightly. Renn looked up, confusion covering her dark eyes for a moment before she realised whom it was.

"Hey." She said it so normally, as if they were just meeting up before walking to school, that Torak smiled.

"Hey yourself." He replied, walking over to her. She closed the book and placed it on her pillow. Torak stopped a few steps from her. "I-uh- brought this." He slipped her bag off his shoulder, holding it out to her.

She smiled and took the strap from his hand, their skin touched for a moment. "Thank you." Renn said. Torak examined her face, the skin around her left eye and the bandage was an ugly yellow/purple. But the smile that tugged at her lips was the same as always and so were the freckles that spatted across her nose. She moved her covers and made a space for him next to her. Torak took off his shoes and climbed up, leaning against the wall while Renn hugged her legs.

No one said anything for a minute-

"What took you so long?" Renn asked quietly.

Torak looked up, his head making a soft thud as it connected to the wall. "I didn't think you'd want to see me. I thought you might've been angry that I didn't stay with you like I should have."

Renn glanced at him. "Torak, I don't blame you. I sent you away, remember?"

"Yeah…Bale-…Bale said that you blamed yourself." He said, meeting her gaze. "Please tell me that's not true."

"I don't. I mean, not really." She sighed. "I just can't stop thinking about it. Maybe I should have said yes to him in the first place." Her fingers tucked a stay piece of hair behind her ear. "Maybe I shouldn't have told you to leave."

"Renn-"

"I had my phone in my hand." She lifted up her left hand, as if imagining the phone was sitting in it. Her sleeve slipped back and Torak saw the ugly bruising around her wrist. "I should have called…but I just…couldn't." A few tears left her eyes, followed by more. Torak had never seen her cry before.

He pulled her towards him on instinct. Her forehead found its way to his collarbone and he moved around so that she sat between his legs, leaning on his chest. He felt his shirt pull as Renn gripped it with her fists. Her shoulders heaved a few times. Torak wrapped his arms around her in comfort. He gripped a little too tightly and heard Renn give a small groan. He loosened the embrace. "Bad?" He asked, talking about her bruised back.

Renn's crying shudders slowed. "Don't know." She mumbled into the skin near his neck. Torak ran his fingers through her hair lightly, savouring the moment, even if the circumstances weren't ideal. Her dark eyes peered up at him. "I haven't looked." She wiped her eyes. "I don't even know what my face looks like."

Torak frowned and pulled her head back to his chest. A week ago he would never have been so bold. A week ago, he would never have imagined Renn crying in his arms. Carefully he lifted the back of her jumper up somewhere just past her lower chest. The skin on her back was pale and smoother than the skin on her arms or face. Untouched, he thought vaguely. Save for the angry looking marks that spotted her back. Four of them, dark red dots in a square pattern, obviously form the nails or bolts in a fence, bruises darkly surrounded each one. He felt Renn shiver and let the hoodie fall back down.

Renn looked up, eyebrows raised in question. "Looks pretty sore." Torak told her. "But it's not as bad as this." He pointed to her forehead, touching the middle lightly.

"The stitches? They don't even hurt-"

"No." Torak smiled a little sadly. "The fact that you can't stop thinking it over."

Renn shrugged and he let his hand fall to her back, resting there lightly. "Need's time." She said. "That's what Fin says."

"He's very wise, you're uncle."

"Sometimes I wish he weren't." Renn gave a laugh that surprised him. She smiled. "It can get a little too philosophical around here at times."

Torak laughed as well, that was defiantly something he could imagine. He held onto Renn for a minute or so longer before she wriggled out from the embrace. She slipped her fingers between his and tugged him off the bed and towards the bathroom.

"Wha-?" He began, confused.

"Come on, let's get this over with. I want to see how bad my face is." She said, a smile crossing her face.

Torak saw that it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Please R&R :D