Chapter 4 Numinous

Forget what hurt you but never forget what it taught you. Don't be afraid of change, it is leading you to a new beginning. The pain you feel today will be the strength you feel tomorrow. Every day is a new beginning.

                                    ______

Jonathan grabbed her arm and threw her down, putting his foot on her chest putting all his strength into holding her down because she was a fighter.

He placed his hand to his jaw and felt it as it ringed with pain, he looked at his friends "Why don't we show her how to take it like a man?" They nod and snicker some remarks. He takes his foot off of her but as she is about to get up the boy to his right kicks her in the back. She leans over on her back in pain, cursing to herself. "Haha!! Good job Daniel, right in the spot!" Jonathan said encouraging them on. Jonathan picks her head up by her hair and whispers into her cold ears making her shudder "If you knew what was best and sit still and looked pretty maybe you would not have turn out like Slink. Too bad, God made such looks go to waste." He let go, her head met with the ground as he stepped over her. About to walk away but she said, which she would soon regret -

"I'm more then my looks, something you can not acquire." He stopped in his tracks, then turned around and kicked her in the head. Her face went to the other side of the soiled ground, a mix of grass and dirt leaving a tiny imprint on her face. She spit out some blood but she was tough. "You will be lucky if you can get a farm worker to marry you!" He kicked her in the ribs.

"Is is that all you got.." She made out with long pauses in between. If she was gonna have a fight and loose, she'd miss well make her stand. "God do you ever shut the hell up? You are almost as bad as Slink!Besides, where is that dog? I did not give her a lesson today.." He said with a smirk as his friends made barking noises as they looked around the school yard. She took this chance and took her leg, putting what energy she has and kicked him in the leg. It did not do much. If she had all her strength and were not seeing stars- she knew she could do some damage.

Jonathan fell down to the ground, his two friends carefully attending to him, picking him back up.

His friends picked her back up after lifting Jonathan up. She tried to wiggle her way out but it was useless. Jonathan wiped the dirt off of his pants and turned to her. "oeil pour oeil." He said, and kicked her back down, aiming for her chest. She naturally had a hard time breathing, this not making it an easier. Her vision went black for a moment or two. Her heart was at a faster pace then normal, the doctors always said it was stress but it wasn't because it was always fast. Everything was going fast, it was not any longer that a jolt of pain in her leg appeared. Next a trail of pain in her chest to her arm. It was like water, it was pouring everywhere in her body.

She had been known for snapping back and always putting up with a fight, she saw this coming but she didn't think anything would happen. It is a different time she thought, Wouldn't they not hit girls? Then she thought to herself as she felt another jolt of pain to her lower back. They hit students, teachers hit students and parents can hit kids, so it would make sense a boy could too. Even if it was wrong they still could. She turned over and spit out some more blood, feeling as if she were to hurl, the burning sensation creeping along the inside of her throat. She did not even get the chance to think that far as she got another kick to the ribs and a last one to her chest before she gasped.

Feeling the air slowly parting ways with her, she choked out for oxygen. When she finally regained her breath she looked Jonathan in the eyes. His devilish smirk looking down at her like she was anything below him. Although she knew she was a better person then him, she did not want to put herself on a pedestal from everyone else, but she knew. "I can I can do this- all day." The brunette quoted with a smile as she closed her eyes, her hand against the side of her rib as she laid on her back, taking in deep breaths.

Jonathan motioned for his friends to take over as he was making sure no one was watching or still around. His vexation was like a soup in a pot, overheating and bubbling out of the pot, making the cover ready to bounce off.

"You are.. p-pathetic." She said in almost a non audible voice, but just enough for him to hear.

And then.. it did.

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"Where is she?" Gilbert said, it had been a couple minutes now and she wasn't back. He heard someone cursing and sounds of snickering and laughing. He began to worry. He went to go look for her as Anne came with to make sure she did not get in any trouble, she now had a thing for that.

Once they came to the stream they witnessed Jonathan hit her in the face as the two other boys held her up, no longer able to do that herself. Ida screamed and ran up to him, pulling his arm away, trying to get Jonathan to stop. She hit his arm screaming. Yet he just pushed her to the ground like she was nothing but dead weight.

He hit again.

"I told you to watch out!! Maybe you should listen!" Jonathan told the girl as he struck her again.

Gilbert went to grab Jonathan and throw him off of the damaged girl, but before he did Jonathan turned around seeing him from the corner of his eye and punched Gilbert right in the jaw. "GILBERT!" Ida screamed

Jonathan rubbed his knuckles while walking towards Gilbert. "Always such a good boy, always the knight in shinning armor. You are such a pimp, you're always with the girls, why you must be becoming one. Do I need to get your tiara Miss?" He said as Gilbert tried to retain what just happened. He turned to Jonathan, anger in his eyes; the need to protect like a hound invading his heart. He reached out and punched him right in the nose, then kicked him in the crotch and sent Jonathan bent over groaning. The other two boys dragged the unconscious brunette over to the stream and let their grip go, letting her fall into the cold water. Ida ran to her and dragged her out of the water, she then lifted her head in her hands as she was crying, the boys turned to look at Gilbert as he stood there, fists in a ball. "Go." Is the only thing he said to them. The boys helped Jonathan leave school grounds and Gilbert ran to the girl being held by Ida.

Ida was blubber gasting her words but was trying to tell him she would go to Eliza and Willian to get help. Gilbert told her to hurry as she ran home. He lifted her head up to his lap and moved the hair out of her face, she was unconscious.

He checked her pulse. It was there, then he let out a breath he did not know he was holding in. He was relieved. Her face was cold as water droplets made dances across her face, slowly falling down, her clothes were damp, mostly from her waist up.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I should have came with you. I was not with you. It is gonna be okay, Ida will be back any minute. I'll protect you.." He whispered to her, tears threatening to come.

She coughed, a little trickle of blood descending out the side of her mouth and all her heard was the quietest breath.

He checked her pulse a couple minutes later out of fright. He had only known her a month but could not bare to loose such a special person. She was not like any one he has ever met before, not even Ida. Do not think such a thing, he scolded himself. Yet even if he denied it, it was true. She knew so much that he never could believe was true, she did so much that he never thought even Ida would do.

There was something about her that was just so different. Sure Ida was pretty, Smart, and imaginative, but she was beautiful, intelligent and outgoing. Out of this month she had been here he had surely gotten attached. Being around her made the boy feel alive.

He had never noticed it before, but now that she was here in his arms, he noticed everything. He remembered noticing how when she was antsy she would twirl her hair non stop, or bounce her leg up and down, causing a light tapping noise against the hardwood flooring. He noticed how she would turn her gaze to something else and people would think she would be rolling her eyes. He noticed how blue was her favorite color but it was the one color she never wore.

He noticed how she sang the loudest she could when she was the only one home, he had once came over on a saturday afternoon ready to go apple picking with the girls, and Ida and Eliza went into town to get Ida a new basket because hers had gotten caught on a tree branch after Ida climbed atop to see the view of De L'heure. William was in the barn with Jeremy, she was alone in the house and he saw through the window, her dancing around in her nightgown with the broom. She had been singing a what did she call it.. oh! What do you want from me. She said it was one of her favorites from her childhood.

Being around her, she had this affect on him, she just drew people in with the energy she had and her personality. It was bewildering. Although what he did not know, is that her breaths became slower and slower as the minutes of him thinking passed. He looked down at her with a sad smile in remembrance of the wonderful things he would remember for the rest of his life. His hand traveled across her skin from her cheek to her chin; than to her neck, where he felt her pulse once again. "No.." He moved his hand to her wrist. "No..no." Gilbert set her down against the now damp and cold ground and started to push against her chest. Memories of the past month flooding through his mind. "Come on..."

_______

Although no one knew of her arrival as she just came the week before, Ida and the brunette had thought how they could get her back home as she was scared what her family was doing with her gone, she was nervous and fretted.

Yet as Ida took her into town to get some more frosting for the cake they would bake to distract her. As the girls came back from town, people did not care to say anything upfront, yet you could tell there were eyes and whispers about a girl with a sweater and ripped jeans and how improper for a young woman to be dressed in such a manner and how she must be a ruined woman. The ladies in town did not think she would know what that means, but all too well she did.

When the girls returned to De L'heure, William went to work in the stables as usual and Eliza, Ida and the brunette were working on the cake. They got out the frosting as Eliza had been baking the cake since before they left to town. As the brunette was putting it on, she then took some and put it on Ida's cheek and they laughed together as Eliza scolded them, but trying to not smile herself. Ida got some and put it on her nose, it was over the brunettes hands too. Eliza then scooted them out of the house to finish the cake without any more dallying around. As the two sat on the porch laughing licking the frosting off of their hands, Ida cleaned hers off by rinsing it in a little puddle near the porch, as the brunette continued to taste the divine flavor of humming berry.

As Ida stood back up she saw a boy walking up the property of De L'heure. She ran out to him and gave him a hug, although if Eliza were to see she would not mind too much as it was Gilbert, but would say not to hug until they said goodbye at the end of the day, as it was too early for him to be at calling.

The girl saw her run off to a boy and she walked over, quickly cleaning her hands in the puddle. Still not used to having an actual sink. She wiped her wet hands against her apron, and rolled up her sleeves as she walked over. Eliza had let her borrow one of her dresses while she washed her clothes. It was a little big but it was not that noticeable.

"Oh hello, I'm Gilbert. I did not know Ida had a friend over?" He said while looking at Ida.

She looked at the red headed girl who took her arm to lock with her own, and said "She is so much more then a friend, she is my sister, another lost kindred spirit!" Ida said as she smiled at her new best friend.

"Merliah" she said as she lent her hand over to shake his, which he took. "Gilbert.."

______

Gilbert leaned down, trying to listen to a heart beat, he realized that he was supposed to check her pulse not listen for a heartbeat. Gilbert think gosh damn it! He felt nothing, no pressure, no heart beat. He started pressing against her chest again. Her lips turning a beautiful violet, if only her lips were that color when she were breathing would it look the best. "Merliah wake up. COME ON!"

______

"It is the 18th century and math is still so boring as I remembered it to be.." Merliah said to Ida, sadness laced in her tone. Gilbert looked up from his geography homework, a confused expression on what she meant.

Ida was laying down on her stomach as Merliah was as well. They were huddled next to each other as Ida was trying to explain how to solve the problem, so she could catch up to them before she started school herself. "At least you don't have our last teacher Mr.Zento he was a impertinent man." The brunette nodded her head to the information Ida had given her. She picked up her chalk and tried to do the problem how Ida showed her. She was biting her lip without knowing as it has always been a habit. Gilbert took notice to it. She threw her chalk down and flipped over to her back. "I give up! I'll never get it. Besides the job I wanted to have you guys most likely don't even have yet anyways."

"Merliah..?" Gilbert said while fixing his sitting position to a more comfortable spot. All he heard in return was a slight Hm sound from her mouth as her eyes were closed. "If you do not mind me asking, it is just you never talk about it, where are you from?" He said. He had always been curious as she had just come to Quebec from the blue, but never asked as she never spoke of it so he did not want to push her to tell. He tilted his head to the side.

Merliah opened her eyes, he looked like a lost puppy, she adored him. She then turned to Ida, who was now looking at Gilbert but then met eyes with her. She nodded to her. "You can trust him." Ida said as she was twisting her braids around. Gilbert was now lost at the conversation that he clearly did not understand.

"Okay.." Merliah said letting out a sigh, she turned to Gilbert sitting up. "So this may sound crazy.."

______

"COME ON MERLIAH COME ON! YOU DO NOT GET TO LEAVE ME YET!"

He said as he pushed his hands, gentle as they were, hardly against her chest. He took his hand and placed it on her nose and then breathed into her mouth.

_______

"I want to go swimming" Merliah sighed as she and Gilbert were doing a puzzle while Ida was reading one of her books about flowers that William had given her.

"Swimming?" Gilbert said with curiosity. "Well I know my times very different from yours but you would think you guys would swim." She said with a laugh, until she realized no one was laughing.

"You guys have never-" She shook her head with disbelief.

"My father told me stories of him going to the beach with his family when he was younger. He told me about the waves and how wonderful it felt. Although I never had a chance to go because of how ill he became.." Gilbert said looking down, he pushed that feeling of sadness down and looked up and connected eyes with Merliah.

"I'm sorry Gilbert.." Merliah said. She extended her arm to him, which he took. "I guess I'll have to show you how much fun it is then." She said with a smile, Gilbert smiled back, looking into her eyes.

"Ida please tell me you have been swimming before?" Merliah asked her helplessly as Ida closed her book. "I actually have, once. With William and Eliza at the beach here." Ida stood up walking over to the two.

"Let's go then!" Merliah said with enthusiasm as she took Gilbert's hand into her own, and Gilbert grabbing Ida's hand as the run out of the parlor outside. Merliah stopping, realizing she forgot to ask Eliza. Merliah quickly ran back inside, then came back out a moment later. "I asked her if we could go on a walk, she said yes. Then I snuck these out when she was not looking." Merliah said as she gestured the towels in her hand side to side. Ida laughed as Gilbert rolled his eyes with a smile plastered to his face.

As they started walking Ida started to imagine what stories she could make. "I could make a story of a horse made of water, and with mermaids traveling the sea in hopes to find the lost sea princess. Or! About an evil siren who is not really evil, but she embarks upon the ships that travel the sea and lure them in with her majestic voice in hopes to find her long lost love who she accidentally killed, although she does not know it." She said, making every word sound like a play from Shakespeare. Gilbert smiled at Ida's creative imagination, one he adored so very much.

Merliah lead them to the river she came across when she was taking a walk while Ida was at school. She came here to think a lot. It was not too deep of a river but it was deep enough for swimming.

Once they arrived Merliah started to take off her clothes gently. Left in her underwear and bra, the ones her grandma had told her it was new from victoria secret so she HAD to get it, and she did. It had a lace patter in the back and it was beautiful shiny jet black.

She stepped into the water, turning around waving for them to join. Although Gilbert did not see her waving, as he covered his face to not look. He felt the heat creep up over his cheeks and nose to the back of his neck, as his face turned a bright tomato red. He never thought someone would do such a thing, but he shunned himself from thinking about looking.

Ida was very delighted to join in, she took off her clothes too and came in the water laughing as it was cold but warm if she stayed in long enough.

"Come on Mr.Brown, what are you waiting for? Get in it is so nice." She laughed with Ida as she splashed her. Ida pretended to be offended, she splashed back, and two times bigger.

Gilbert thought to himself. Oh my biscuit- did I really just say biscuit? Am I still blushing. I can't turn around they are gonna make fun of me. Okay okay, it is fine it is fine. I do not look like a tomato. Just get undressed and go in. Wait- that means she is going to see me nearly naked! He felt the heat arise once against as he internally screamed. Gilbert did not know why he was acting like this, he was sure it was because she was his friend and normally friends do not see each other nearly naked. Oh my god do not even think of that word, he scorned himself.

He calmed down, he did not really know how much he should take off so he unbuttoned his shirt and took off his second one; than taking off his boots, pants, and his socks until he was left in his undergarments. He felt weird but shook it off as he turned around. He slowly came in the water, his feet joining paths with the cold icy water, causing him fo run away from the water as he ran in circles.

Merliah laughed and Ida looked at him and asked what he was doing as she couldn't help but contain the laughter as well. "It is so cold." He said purposely emphasizing the word cold as he rubbed his arms up and down his shoulders. "But it's so warm if you give it a chance." Merliah said as she went all the way under and came back up with her hair laying perfectly against her back. Gilbert's jaw dropped at how insane she was to go all the way in when it was at least fifty six degrees. "Where did you say you grew up again?" Gilbert asked. "Wisconsin.." Merliah said, feeling her soft hair at her sides. "That is probably why you are not cold." He stated. "You're from Canada, you should be used to this too." Merliah laughed. She then looked up at Gilbert and did not realize how perfect he looked as he gazed down at the water trying to get used to its temperature. His dark brown hair with curls that scrunched up in the right places. His smile, tugging up to each side of his face. His eyes, shinning with adventure which she had gotten used to because the look was the same whenever she was around Ida. He slowly came in the water, shivering but once he got in and waited a couple minutes, he felt comfortable. Ida splashed him in the face, wetting his perfect - now damp curls. "Oh you did not." He said in a trying to act mad sort of tone "Oh yes I did." Ida said without hiding her smile this time. He came over to her and picked her up and threw her farther into the water. He fell back laughing so hard and when she came back up from the water they were both ready for a full on water battle.

Merliah just floated in the water, watching them fight back and forth of who could make the biggest splash and smiled to herself. Maybe she could really start a life here after all.

______

Gilbert went back and forth between pushing against her chest and blowing air into her soft pink lips. His vision starting to blur from the tears but he would not blink. He couldn't, because in that time he might loose her.

He felt her chest arise on its own and she coughed a couple times. He stopped, and lifted her head to his lap and he finally let his tears escape. Leaning over her face his hand gently caressing her cheek, his own tear slipped away and landed on the right side of her cheek. He gently wiped it away. She breathed for a moment then slowly slipped back into unconsciousness, still breathing this time. He made sure of it. He checked her pulse every few moments, not trusting himself if he wouldn't. Not wanting to take another chance. He got caught in a hiccup of cries. He pulled her close to his chest and kept whispering to her "Just keep breathing, you can't leave yet, you just got here."

A few minutes passed by and he was stroking her hair, it was very soft yet still damp and the light flickered against every strand.

Her hair looks like the utmost beautiful light brown chocolate river I have ever laid eyes on..