Finding Out the Only Thing Left to Lose Is Time

The sun beamed into the room, making me stir and finally awake. Maybelle was curled up on the sofa across the room, wrapped up in one of my hoodies that I lent her last night when we went for a walk. She was honestly quite adorable while she slept.
Her lips were parted ever so slightly, her hair strewn across her perfect little face but her brows were furrowed and she twitched every now and then with a slight mumble, almost as if she was having a bad dream.

‘No...’ Was the only word I could understand. Her small frame curled up some more and her lips fell into a frown.
I was unsure if I should wake her or not, so I just sat down by the sofa and after about ten minutes or so, her hand fell down, the back rested against my shoulder. I took this time to just study her appearance; she was quite honestly the most beautiful girl I had ever laid my eyes on and for some strange reason I felt so attracted to her, she was like a magnet, pulling me in more every second that we spent together.
With a light stroke of my hand, I brushed a strand of hair from her face and her body jolted forward, her eyes snapping open.

There was fear lurking in them, a dark fear and the look she had, it scared me and worried me.
Although she told me everything about her, it was all positives, she never told me anything about her past, her brother or anything but I knew there was something she was keeping from people, something that she maybe needed to talk about and get it off her chest.

‘Hey,’ my voice was barely a whisper and I sat up on the edge of the couch as she began to have a panic attack ‘it’s okay, you’re okay...’ my arms slipped around her small waist and I just held her, soothing her.

* * *

I won’t lie, the rest of the day was slightly awkward, Maybelle hardly said a word to me after she calmed down and hasn’t really responded to any of my texts, yes, I was worried.

‘Aaron.’ I approached my band member with my hands stuffed into my pockets, ‘Can you get in contact with your cousin? Maybelle won’t answer any of my messages, I’m a little worried about her and she isn’t down in her office.’

Aaron raised an eyebrow at me and nodded without saying anything, as he took out his phone to call Sophie. He was on the phone a few minutes, exchanging some casual words with her before he bought up Maybelle. I really didn’t want her to avoid me, I wanted to spend as much time as I could with her, although in a way I probably shouldn’t get too close, what would happen when I go back to America? I hate goodbyes.

‘She said she’s going round to May’s now anyways, man.’ Aarons voice snapped me from my thoughts and I just nodded. ‘She’ll let me know or get her to text you or something.’

It took about 3 hours since that phone call for me to finally get a response to the last message I sent to Maybelle,

I’m sorry for not replying...can you come to my place? I need someone to talk to :(

My body moved faster than my mind, as I pulled on my jacket then replied to her text, telling her to meet me at the park, where we first met.
It was raining, but I didn’t care. I asked for an umbrella when I got down to the desk and the young girl smiled at me and handed one over.

I got there and looked around, she was already there, sat on the same bench in the rain. All I could do was frown as I approached her and slowly let the umbrella up before holding it over her.

Maybelle looked up at me, her mascara had run, I couldn’t tell if she was crying or if it was just the rain as there were several beads of water rolling from her cheeks. My heart sunk at the sight of such a beautiful girl looking such a mess.

‘Can I sit down?’ a mumble passed my lips as she wiped at her face with her sleeve and nodded.
I sat, unable to take my eyes off her, not really sure of what I should say.

‘I had dreams, Austin...’ Maybelle smiled faintly as she glanced out at nothing. ‘I wanted to be someone’

I said nothing, I just sat next to her and listened whilst she poured her heart out to me, confessing that she never wanted to take over the family business, she wanted to be a musician, how she was scared of her brother coming after her when his time was up in prison, because she was the one who turned him in, but she didn’t say what it was he did to put him there in the first place.

‘I just think, sometimes this is too stressful. I’m only young, Austin.’

Suddenly, Maybelle stood up and held her hand out for mine, so I shot her a confused and questioning look. ‘Come with me, I want to take you somewhere.’

I took Maybelle’s small hand in my own and smiled sadly down at her as my free hand tightened it’s grip on the handle of the umbrella. Unsure of where she was taking me, I just followed her curiously, until we reached a graveyard, she tensed up slightly but continued to walk until we reached a set of graves.

Michael Dean & Elenor Dean

the one below: Madeline Dean

Maybelle looked up at me, tears rimming her eyes. ‘He killed her...my brother.’

I was shocked, unable to respond, all I could do was pull her small body to mine and hold her.