Chapter Thirty-Eight



Justin's P.O.V.

Ariya is acting.... weird, to say the least. She took me by surprise, landing a punch square in my face. I wasn't expecting that; well, not right then. I thought she would at least wake up a bit before throwing a punch. She went from being out of it to angry in a fraction of a second. There wasn't the same power behind the hit though, which means her strength isn't very good. I'm not surprised. She's lost a lot of weight. I've got to get her to eat any way I can. Even if it means having to be a bit more relaxed on the rules. I have to be careful not to upset her too much, in case she decides to stop eating again. If she were one of my recruits, then I would let her starve herself, but I still have to answer to the New York justice system. She's under my care and I need to make sure no permanent damage comes to her while she's here.

She was livid when she woke up. If she had more strength, she would have strangled me. Well, she would have given it a real good go at least. I'm going to have my work cut out, trying to make up for my previous mistakes. I'm going to have to relax the pressure and let her come to me when she's ready. Maybe if I gently nudge her in the right direction, then she'll eventually figure out she needs some help. I've tried the hard way and that obviously didn't work. She's too tough and she won't break easily. She just resists against the tough approach, so the nice way is going to have to work. Otherwise I have no idea how to get through to her.

Once my foot hits the bottom step, Mike, Lou and Todd all look up at me. They're just finishing breakfast.

Todd is the first to speak, "She's awake then?"

"Yeah."

Lou has a concerned look on her face when she says, "You're bleeding, J."

"I'm fine, Lou, I promise. Just a little collateral damage. Nothing serious."

"She's mad then?"

Todd is the master of stating the obvious this morning.

"What do you think? I stopped her from escaping, of course she's going to be angry. Things have to change around here. I'm going to be honest with you guys. Ariya is like no one I've ever met and I'm going to have to do things differently to how I normally would. That means going against some of my rules. I know that's not going to sit well with you guys, but I have no other option. Todd, you need to keep your mouth shut and not incite a reaction from Ariya. I don't want to have to punish her and I won't have to if she doesn't fight you. We know she can't control her anger, so we're going to have to tread carefully and control it for her. I know that isn't ideal or fair, but that's the way it has to be for now. We're all going in to unchartered territory so we have to be careful and play it by ear. Does anyone have a problem with that?"

No one speaks, so I take that as a no. I wasn't really asking, because I'll do whatever I'm going to do regardless of how they feel about it. I was merely being polite and keeping them informed.

We get on with our jobs and I make sure a steady flow of food and drink are taken up to Ariya. I am careful to make sure Todd doesn't go anywhere near her room though. I'm even wary of sending Mike and Lou up there, to be honest. Not because I think Ariya has the strength to hurt them, but more because I want to avoid any confrontations or awkward situations.

When dinner is ready, I carry two plates up to Ariya's room. I make sure to add extra food to her's, because she's been clearing up everything I've been giving to her. She's only come out of her blankets to eat the food and leave the empty plates on the bedside table.

I push the bedroom door open with my foot, as both my hands are full, but Ariya isn't in the room. I have a moment of confusion, knowing that she can't have gone far. Then I hear the shower, so I place Ariya's plate on the bedside table and sit by the side of the bed to eat my own. It's about twenty minutes before the bathroom door opens and Ariya looks shocked to see me. I notice that she's in sweats and an undershirt and I can see the faint scaring on her shoulders again. She must notice where my gaze is lingering, so she throws a t shirt on to cover up.

I don't comment on it, instead I simply say, "I brought your dinner."

She mumbles a thanks before sitting down on the bed and grabbing the food. She tucks in straight away, not once trying to make conversation. So, I decide to break the silence.

"Are you feeling any better?"

She gives a non committal grunt in my direction, so I'm not really sure what that means.

"I should call the doctor to check on you, in case there are any complications..."

"No freaking doctors. I told you that already."

"You weren't exactly acting like yourself when you said that."

"I don't ever want any doctors around me. You can let me die for all I care, just no doctors."

"I can't agree to that, I'm afraid. I can't knowingly allow you to die. You're in my care and I can't allow any more harm to come to you..."

She scoffs at my words and I know what she's thinking, so I quickly say, "I didn't handle things right before. I understand that now. I didn't know how else to get through to you and you got hurt in the process. I'm trying to make up for that. I don't want to fight with you, Ariya. I don't mind training with you, but I don't want to really fight. You do put me in a bit of a predicament though, because I can't just let you hurt other people. They are in my care as well, and I can't allow you to hurt them either. Can you see how this becomes a problem?"

She doesn't answer. I know she's not a stupid person but I also know she's proud and she won't want to admit anything that puts her in the wrong. Maybe that's a self-preservation thing, I don't know. She will admit when she's wrong, but only on her terms.

"Can we come to some form of agreement? If I can keep Todd away from you, can you promise me that you won't just fly off the handle and beat someone up?"

I hear her mumble, "Joker..."

"I'm trying to meet you in the middle here, Ariya. At least give me something to work with."

She finishes her food in silence,sets her plate down and then says, "Just keep everyone away from me and we won't have problems."

"I can't always be the one to bring your food up here, Ariya. I have work to do as well."

"That's including you."

"I can't do that. You need to have some form of interaction with people. It's not healthy to be on your own all the time. Besides, it's an integral part of your rehabilitation. I don't want to make things more difficult for either of us, but there are some requirements set out by the state that I have to follow. I have to ensure that you won't be a danger to society when you leave and I have to ensure, to the best of my ability, that you won't reoffend when you go home..."

She interrupts, "Home? Are you ever planning to let me go home...?"

"I have to be certain you can interact with people without ripping their head's off. So, that requires you socializing. You need to be able to handle your anger without exploding or hurting someone."

"I can get along just fine. Just send me home, Justin."

She almost sounds desperate and I wonder, yet again, if she's going to be in trouble for getting taken out of New York. She could be in with a rough crowd and who knows what's waiting for her on her return. I risk asking a question, mostly so I can gauge her reaction.

"Ariya, will you be in trouble with someone if you don't get back to New York? Is someone going to question your loyalty or hurt you if you don't get back there soon?"

She doesn't answer straight away and I see a number of emotions on her face. She's not as guarded as she usually is and I guess that's down to her feeling out of sorts still. I don't get the feeling she's in trouble though. She has someone to answer to back in New York, but not in a gang or boss kind of way. That's judging by her reaction anyway. I may be completely wrong on that assumption though.

Eventually she says, "I don't answer to anyone. I just want to get out of this awful place and back to the city I call home. I hate it here. I don't want to be here."

"I'm sorry you feel that way. I don't want you to hate it here. I never thought you'd like being locked away in an unfamiliar place, but I've never wanted you to hate it. If you start helping me out and working with me, then you'll be able to go home sooner. I can't just release you if I feel you're going to reoffend. That defeats the whole purpose of this trial. Can you work with me?"

She doesn't respond. Instead she curls up on the bed and covers herself with the blanket. I guess the conversation is over. I stand, pick up the plates and head out of the room.

On my way out, I say, "You're welcome to join us downstairs whenever you feel up to it. If you want more food, just help yourself."

I leave her to rest. I know she's mostly trying to escape our conversation, but I'm trying the friendly approach and adding too much pressure right away isn't going to help the situation. As I'm washing up our dishes, there's a knock on the door. I shout, "It's open."

Chris walks in, sporting a smile. "I hear your runaway is back."

"Where did you hear that?"

"I have sources everywhere..."

I shoot him a look and he chuckles,"Mike and the doc told me. I'm disappointed you didn't tell me yourself, J."

"I was going to call, but I didn't get around to it yet. How come you're here?"

"To see what all the fuss is about. On a serious note, I need to talk to her about the incident in the barn."

"I thought you weren't taking that any further."

"Not officially, no. I want to know what happened. I don't like not knowing what goes on in my town.I want her to clear things up."

I chuckle, "Good luck with that. She's not going to talk to you."

"You don't know that. I'm a likeable guy..."

"That's what people say about me and she hates me."

He sends me a mock shocked look,"Really? How could she possibly hate you after you tied her up in the back barn? That's so unjust!"

"Very funny, Chris. Maybe I should let Ariya have a chat with you; see how sarcastic you are after that encounter."

Chris raises his eyebrows, "Is she really that bad?"

"Depends. If you get to know her, then she really isn't all that bad. It's the rough part at the beginning that most people wouldn't get through. She can be...challenging to say the least."

"I think I can handle it. I've dealt with you guys your whole lives..."

I chuckle at his naivety, "Yeah, good luck with that."

"I think I can handle it, bud. Where is the girl in question?"

"Resting."

"Right. I'm not sure I believe that... Hey Mike."

"Hey Sheriff. To what do we owe this visit?"

"Just checking in on Justin's runaway..."

Todd appears and scoffs, "You really don't want to do that, trust me."

I watch the exchange carefully as Chris raises his eyebrows, "Why do you say that, Todd?"

"Because she's a douche. That's one you definitely want to steer clear of, trust me. She's hot and all, but she's so not worth the hassle."

Chris looks shocked at Todd's words. I can't say I'm surprised at what has left his mouth. Him and Ariya have a very fractious relationship. Ok, so that's putting it mildly.

Chris isn't stupid though and he asks, "So, how many run ins have you and the runaway had?"

"How do you know we've had any? Maybe I've just observed stuff..."

Chris chuckles and pats Todd on the back, "Yeah, I didn't get to be the sheriff because I'm dumb. Has she hit you?"

Todd eyes Chris carefully and then he glances at me. I'm guessing he's trying to see if I told Chris about his and Ariya's run ins. I haven't told Chris about any of that.

Eventually Todd asks, "Why would you even ask that?"

Chris chuckles, "Well, if you talk to her the way you talk about her, then she's going to at least try to smack you. I've read her sheet, which is quite impressive I might add. She's got some fire in her, that's for sure."

Pretty much everyone scoffs at that statement and it's Mike that comments, "You have no idea."

"I'll wait to pass judgement until I've met the girl. J? You going to show me where she is? The question was just being polite, by the way."

I nod, knowing he won't leave until he meets Ariya. As we head towards the stairs, I mutter, "Take your badge off, Chris. You might have a chance if she doesn't know you're a sheriff."

He pockets his badge just as we're at Ariya's bedroom door. I knock and speak as I'm entering the room.

"Ariya, you've got a visitor. This is Chris, he's one of the folks from town. He heard about you tying the thieves up and he..."

Ariya is out of bed in an instant and she takes a fighting stance. She seethes, "Get that pig scum out of here!"

I play dumb, "What? Chris just wants to talk to you about the guys you tied up in my barn..."

"Get out of here before I make you leave you filthy pig turd. I don't talk to cops and I sure don't want to be around them. I might catch something."

She sounds angry and it doesn't even look like she's trying to disguise her feelings on the matter. That is very unlike Ariya. She likes to be in control of herself and the situation at all times. It gives her the upper hand.

Chris holds a little amusement in his eyes, but he also has a guarded look. He's wary of what Ariya can do, and he should be. She's had a full day of proper meals so I can't say she won't be able to do some damage.

Chris clears his throat, "I just want to talk, Miss Flynn."

I can literally hear Ariya grinding her teeth.

"Call me that again and I'll rip your face off. Even Justin won't be able to stop me."

I hiss, "Chris, you're not helping the situation."

"I've got this, Justin. I know Ariya's type. She feels threatened and she'll only hurt me if I push too far. Isn't that right, Ariya?"

She actually lets out a slight chuckle. It's at this moment that I notice a change in her body language and the look on her face. She's starting to feel a bit more like herself, because the next thing to leave her mouth is one of her sarcastic remarks.

"Is this guy for real, Justin? Is he really as dumb as he acts? Jeez, it proves that all of the people here really are as backwards as I thought. Dude, you should have read my record before you walked in here. That's presuming you actually know how to read, of course."

Chris shoots me a look, which I read as amusement with a little bit of shock or confusion. I don't know how Ariya changes mood so quickly, so I can't really shed any light on the matter.

"I'm only here to talk, Ariya..."

"Don't insult my intelligence, pig. Just because you guys are dumb and inbred, doesn't mean I am. I know you're a cop; I smelled you before you even walked into the room. Get out before I throw you out."

She's serious and I try to convey that message to Chris, but the next course of events happen too quickly for me to do anything.

Chris starts to walk towards Ariya, but I don't have time to warn him that's a bad move, before Ariya flies at him. She lands a few punches before I can grab her, because she's quicker on her feet than I expected. At the sound of Chris' shout, I hear footsteps run up the stairs and Mike appears in the doorway just as I manage to grab Ariya in a bear hug. She's thrashing around, trying to get loose, but I can feel her strength waining. This girl is quite amazing. How she can still fight after everything that's happened over the last few days, I have no idea. I can't believe her determination to fight back all of the time.

When Ariya's strength weakens, her mouth takes over. She's hurling abuse at Chris and myself. I can tune out the words, so I use this time to assess the damage. Chris' nose is bleeding. She got a good hit in first time, so I'm not really surprised.

"Mike, take Chris downstairs and get Lou to clean him up. I'll sort out Ariya."

Ariya continues to shout abuse at us all, so I use this time to try and redeem myself. As Chris and Mike are leaving, I say, "I told you this wasn't a good idea, Chris. I warned you she wouldn't want to see or speak to you. You should have listened to me."

That's a low blow, especially seeing as the guy has just taken a hit, but I'm hoping he knows I'm trying to play the 'good cop, bad cop' routine here. If Ariya thinks I was on her side on this matter, then maybe she'll think I'm not all bad. I actually was on her side for this. I knew seeing Chris would upset her or set her off, but he wanted to see for himself. I guess I can't blame the guy for trying to figure out what she's like.

Once the two guys leave the room, Ariya calms down a little. I wait a little longer, to be sure she's not going to fly after them, before relaxing my hold on her.

The first thing I say is, "I'm sorry, Ariya. I tried to keep him away, but he wasn't going to leave without seeing you."

She pushes against me and successfully moves away from me completely. She's angry; like really angry.

"I hate cops. You keep that pig away from me or the next time I'll actually kill him..."

"You can't kill him..."

"Can't I? Maybe it'll get me out of this stinking place. I'd rather be in jail."

"You don't mean that. You're just angry right now."

"I fully mean that, Justin. I'd be better off in jail."



She walks away completely and heads for the bathroom. I wait for a few seconds, expecting to hear her start hitting the wall, but it doesn't happen. I decide to trample down my curiosity and leave her to do whatever she's doing. I have to go and clear things up with Chris first. Then I'll check on Ariya. This is not how I planned the evening turning out.