Unwound by Yolanda Olson Read Free Book Online Page B

won’t hold a
    grudge against you for knocking me out as long as you promise
    you won’t do it again,” she said with a playful smile.
    I nodded.
    “I’m Morrison.” She extended her hand to me as Finnegan
    had done.
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    “Caelum,” I replied shaking her hand firmly.
    As our hands parted I felt a tug on my other hand. I glanced
    down and saw that she was trying to get me to release the rotary
    cutter. I looked up into her eyes for a moment and saw kindness. I let it go and she threw it across the factory.
    “Thank you,” I said.
    Smiling still, she reached down and helped me up from the
    cold, dusty floor. That was when I noticed she was almost a head
    shorter than me and something inside of me told me I needed to
    protect her. I don’t know why or who I would protect her from,
    but I just had to make sure she would live her full life. Imagine
    what London would do to her if she found out about your new
    friendship, the voice in my head said.
    “You watched me sleep?” I asked ignoring the voice.
    She nodded, “I was here last night. I assumed you were a
    trespasser when I made my rounds through the floors. I was very
    close to calling the police until I heard the ticks. I don’t know
    why but I figured you were harmless and I watched you sleep for
    a couple of hours. When the ticking started to get faster, I knew
    you were going to wake up so I made my way back down here
    and hid in the shadow to watch you.”
    “Trespasser?”
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    “I guess I should tell you. This factory has been in my family
    for generations. I was supposed to be the next owner when my
    father passed away, but the night before I was scheduled to take
    over a fire broke out and destroyed almost everything. All that I
    was able to salvage is what you see here and I just couldn’t find it in my heart to have this place demolished.”
    Father.
    That was a word I had never heard before. I assumed it was
    something close to what mother meant only in male form. I’d just
    have to draw my own conclusion on that and maybe one day I’d
    have the courage to ask her if I was right.
    “So, you saw my scars?” I asked quietly.
    “Yes. I won’t ask you where they came from. That’s only
    something you will tell me when you feel the time is right, but I
    just want you to know that when you are ready, I will be here to
    listen. I also want you to know that what your body looks like,
    does not define the person you are. Wear those scars proudly,
    Caelum. They mean you are strong and a survivor,’ she said with
    conviction.
    She sounded as if she herself had scars but from what I could
    see she didn’t. I wouldn’t ask to see them; that would not be kind.
    Instead I walked to where she had fallen after I attacked her and
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    picked the shirt up from the floor. I removed the hooded jacket
    and placed it on the table top aware that her eyes were on me the
    whole time. I pulled the shirt over my head and pulled it down
    over my head and over my torso.
    “It fits perfectly!” she said with a hint of excitement.
    I turned toward her with a small smile; it was a bit snug but it
    was definitely lighter than what I had been wearing and would
    serve me well in the warmth of the sun.
    “Thank you for helping me,” I said to which she smiled and
    clasped her hands in front of her.
    “You should see yourself in it. I’ll be right back.”
    I watched her dash off. She was going to get a mirror and for
    the first time since I opened my eyes I was eagerly awaiting to see myself. Even yesterday morning when I had seen myself I wasn’t
    pleased with my reflection, but this was something that I made
    with just a touch of someone else’s help and I felt a flicker of
    happiness because of it.
    “Take a look!”
    I turned and stared into the mirror. I saw her fingers wrapped
    around it but I could not see her. This wasn’t the same mirror
    from my room, but it was big enough to hide Morrison and
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    expose my