Chapter Sixteen



Justin's P.O.V.

Wow, just wow. That's the only way I can explain the sequence of events that happened in the last 10-15 minutes. That girl has some serious issues going on; like mammoth sized issues. All I did was put my hand on her knee and she literally flipped like someone had turned on an anger switch. She got out of her cuff and almost turned over the table in like a second. I honestly thought I was going to lose her for a second there and I totally believe she would have ripped me apart. She was so wild with anger that I could almost see fire in her eyes. The green is so intense, it's like it could set you on fire.

I don't know how to deal with those issues. I can deal with her anger. I can fight her, I can lock her up. I can even make her do so much physical work that she won't have any energy left, but I don't know how to combat that touching rule she has. I'm going to need to touch her at some point, as we've already seen. I can't restrain her without touching her and I'm certainly not just going to let her give a beat down to anyone she wants. She'll end up killing someone if she doesn't get a grip on this anger problem.

I'm watching her go crazy at the wall in her room right now. I can't believe there can be so much anger stored in such a little body. Someone sure has done a number on her to make such a drastic change in her attitude. There were moments last night, when I could see Ariya actually being a nice person. I don't think she's all bad. In fact, I don't really think she's that bad at all. Just hurt, scared and angry. She's a product of her past and the system not taking care of her properly. Now, I'm not saying she hasn't had a part to play in the way she is. Everyone is accountable for their actions and she fully knows what she's doing. I am saying that I think she thinks she has to be this way to survive.

I'm pretty sure she's homeless, well, she was before she came here. I think she doesn't know how to deal with living like this anymore. I think it probably reminds her of the homes too much and she's fighting to survive like she would have back then. I have to make her see that being here isn't like the homes; no one is trying to hurt her. That's not going to be an easy task, because she is so sure that everyone is against her. Todd is not helping the situation at all. He is trying to wind her up and he's going to pay a severe price if she gets out of my grasp.

Ariya is not letting up with her blows, so I say, “Let's head to the gym.” Maybe the nice approach will work better.

She grinds out, “Go away.”

“I told you you can use my gym whenever you want...”

“I don't need your gym. Just leave me alone.”

“I'm afraid I can't do that. I'm already giving you some leeway by being out of the cuffs.”

Like I can keep those on her anyways. She knows that because I hear her scoff, but she doesn't comment. She's going to be difficult about this. It's almost like she feels I've done her a great wrong by not following her no touching rule. I can see it in her eyes, almost a look of betrayal. She obviousIy has a set of rules or a code of conduct that she expects everyone to follow. Unfortunately, no one seems to know what those rules are and she doesn't talk to anyone to let them know. I've obviously broken at least one of those rules. I honestly didn't mean for it to be like that. So, I try to make peace with her.

“Can you just take a break for a second, Ariya? Let me just talk to you.”

She doesn't stop, but I see her gaze flicker to me for a brief moment.

“Look, I am sorry about what happened earlier. I didn't realize it was such an important rule for you. I wanted to grab your attention without letting everyone else know what I was doing. I can't have you biting people's heads off or hitting people in my care. I can't allow that, no matter how angry you get. I will try my hardest to respect your no touching policy, but if you're going to continue to lose your temper, there will be times I have to restrain you. I can't risk someone getting hurt...”

“How about you give me my chores, and leave me to get on with it. You stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours.”

“That might seem like a good solution in the short term, but that's not going to help you in the long run.”

“Yeah, well I'll be out of your hair by then and you won't have to worry about it. Toss me out if you want. I don't care.”

“I'm not tossing you out. I've obviously broken some code of conduct that you expect people to live by. If you actually tell me what those rules are, then maybe we can come to some form of compromise here. I'm learning along with you, Ariya. I've got to be honest, you're not like anyone I've ever had to deal with. It's all new for me as well...”

“Finally! A bit of honesty! Just stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours.”

She goes back to hitting the wall harder than before. She's got some power behind those punches, that's for sure and I wouldn't much like to have been Rob Henderson, being on the reciprocating end of that. He didn't know what he was getting into, so I'm sure he got a huge shock.

“Right. Well, I'm going to lock you in here until you calm down. Then you can clean up the mess you made in the kitchen. Mike and I will be outside, so we'll know if you break out.”

I march out of the room to see if she even has a hint of remorse or shock at my reaction, but she doesn't even hesitate in her hits. She's something else, that one. I lock her bedroom door and head outside. I find Mike in the round pen with Splash, so I say, “I've locked her in her room. Just make sure she doesn't come out the window. I think I need to pay Rob a visit. I shouldn't be long.”

He nods and carries on with Splash while I head to the truck.

It doesn't take long to get to Rob's place and when I see the damage to his face, I let out a low whistle.

“Wow, she sure didn't mess about with you...”

I see the shock register on his face before he can mask it.

He pretends like he doesn't know what I'm talking about, “I don't know what you're talking about. Mary didn't do this. I got into a drunken brawl at the bar.”

“You think I think your wife did that? Give me some credit, Rob.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Don't believe that for one second. I know exactly who you were fighting, coz she's staying at my place. I just have a few questions and then I'll be gone. I'll know if you're lying, so I suggest you tell me the truth. Understood?”

He nods sheepishly, so I continue, “How on earth did you get into that fight?”

“Some guy saw me training and asked me if I wanted to fight off the books. He offered me $3,000 win or lose. I couldn't pass up on that.”

“Who was the guy?”

He shrugs and then winces in pain, before answering, “I don't know. His name was Brett, but that's all I know.”

“Is he from around here?”

“I've never seen him before. He dropped me off at the doc's to get checked out, but he never stayed.”

“So, you said yes to a fight you knew nothing about, planned by a guy you didn't even know? All for $3,000? Dude, you deserved to get your rear end handed to you. How could you be so stupid?! Anything could have happened to you.”

“I thought it would be easy money. I'm a good fighter, Justin. I didn't think I'd be knocked out like that, especially by a girl of all people...”

“That is no ordinary girl, trust me.”

“I figured that out the hard way.”

“Yeah, well, be thankful you're still alive. I know what that girl is capable of, especially when she's angry. So, you know nothing about how the fight was planned? You have no other information at all?”

“No sir. Just that Brett guy who approached me when I was training. I don't even know if Brett was his real name. He didn't say anything about the planning. He just told me I'd get the money as long as I turned up. When I saw the girl, I thought it was going to be easy money. She was good, man, really really good.”

“I know. I've taken her on a few times. How was she, after the fight?”

“I don't remember much. I was out for the count, man. I think I remember her being nice after, but that might just have been me being dazed. I do know that she waited til I came round though. She stood over me, like she was making sure I was ok before she left.”

“Right. Thanks. Do me a favor? If that guy or anyone else approaches you about another fight, tell them you need to get your manager and call me. I want to see them for myself. Understood?”

“Yes sir. Understood.”

I leave just as quickly as I arrived and head straight back to the ranch. Ariya is still in her room when I return. It looks like she's only just stopped hitting things, so I give her a few minutes to catch her breath before saying, “It's clean up time. Then we're heading to the barn.”

She stands, but doesn't make any move to communicate or even make eye contact. Man, she's still angry. I watch her clean up in silence. If she's not going to make any moves to talk, then neither am I. Although, this silence thing seems to be bothering me more than her. I can't help it; I want to know what's got this young lady in such a state. It makes me wonder if she suffered some kind of trauma as a child or maybe she was attacked in some way. That would explain why she doesn't like people touching her. But she doesn't act like someone who was attacked, well, her response isn't like anyone I've ever encountered. Although, it would probably explain the anger. On the other hand, it seems like she's harboring something more.

Ariya's silent treatment and cold shoulder continues throughout the day. She doesn't eat lunch or dinner and she seems to be lost in her own mind the whole time. I don't know if she's stewing over what happened or if she is actually just lost in her thoughts. The air is so thick and you could cut the atmosphere with a knife, it's that bad. I decide not to put Mike, Lou and Todd through it any longer. It's my problem to deal with, not their's, so I say, “Mike, we're gonna get out of the way. Just make sure you lock Todd's cabin before you go to bed, yeah?”

“Yes sir. Night guys.”

I mutter a night to everyone, but Ariya doesn't say anything. She waits for me to stand before I tug her cuff to get her to stand as well. The silence is almost unbearable as we settle for bed. She's on the floor again and I'm on the bed with my hand dangling off the side. I know she'll probably take the cuff off as soon as she thinks I'm asleep, but I'll just deal with that when it happens.

I know Ariya isn't asleep, but I'm tired of waiting for her to drift off. She keeps muttering names under her breath, like she's chanting, so I just leave her to it. At some point, I fall asleep listening to the sound of her voice.

I jump awake when I hear the familiar sound of punches. Ariya's in the bathroom again, but this time I leave her to it. She doesn't want my help and she won't accept my offer of the gym, so there's no point in even trying.

Although, pretending I'm asleep might have it's advantages. She might let something slip if she thinks I can't hear her. I glance at my watch. It's just after midnight. I was only asleep for two hours. She probably didn't even go to sleep. There's a break in the punches and I hear Ariya whisper, “I'm not like him. I'm not. I don't hurt people who don't deserve it. I'm not weak...”

The punches start again, but that little slip gives me a little more information about her. Someone really did a number on her and everyone else is left in the wake of it. Ariya surely can't be happy living like this. I'm determined to keep her here as long as possible. Not only so I can help her, but also because I don't want her to go back to the streets of New York. She'll either end up reoffending, she'll seriously hurt someone, or she'll get into a fight she really isn't prepared for. I have no doubt that she would fight to the death if she thought she was losing a fight.

She doesn't reveal any further information and she comes back into the bedroom about an hour later. She lays down for a little while, but she's up again to fight a few hours later. After this session, she just sits by the window. She doesn't move or speak, she just stares outside. I'm sure she misses the freedom of the city, but she has to realize there are consequences for her actions.



I get up at 4:30 to get ready for the day, but Ariya doesn't even acknowledge me when I shoot her a greeting. Before, I would have thought she was just being childish, but now I actually think she's trying to protect herself. She's throwing up these walls and creating distance so no one can get close enough to hurt her again. I'll just have to work harder to get through those barriers, won't I?