~Callie's Point of View~

Song: "Piece by Piece" by Kelly Clarckson

******

Two days later, I was cleared to go back to classes. And that was all thanks to Sam.

I couldn't help but feel different around Brandon. He seemed more protective of me than ever. He sat with me everywhere, walked me to my dorm, and monitored everything I did. He even started getting more physical, and I didn't like it.

It was becoming overwhelming.

But when I told him that, he merely said that I got hurt once and he didn't want it to happen again. That I had to be by his side no matter what. He even took to standing outside the bathroom and scolding me if I told him I needed some space.

It was getting worse, and I was beginning to feel more and more on edge.

I began to grow excited over the next week for the hours I'd spend texting Samuel at night. It was the only time Brandon wasn't peering over my shoulder at everything I was doing. The only time I actually felt... ok. Like I could be real and wasn't being restrained. Samuel listened to my rants and made jokes to make me laugh on harder days.

For three weeks we did this.

But, I knew I couldn't keep it up. I felt dishonest. Like a liar.

Brandon was my boyfriend. I shouldn't find such solace in another guy. It was wrong. But the more I thought about it, the more stressed I became.

That Saturday, I managed to sneak out of my dorm and to the dining hall before Brandon could find me and I got myself an omelette and walked through the rows of tables to the booths and began to search for an empty one.

I didn't see him getting out of his booth until I had already walked into him. I looked up to see who it was and almost breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Sam.

"Callie, are you ok?" He asked and knitted his eyebrows together in concern.

I went to reply when I saw Brandon enter the dining hall and I squeaked, "Hide me!"

He ushered me into the booth without a question and I just set my plate down and put my head down in my arms.

Samuel sat down next to me and rested his hand on my back. "He's gone, Callie." He says softly.

I lifted my head and looked around and let out a shaky breath and sagged back against the wall of the booth.

Haven sat across from me and he smirked. "Hiding from your Fellowship?"

"No. My boyfriend." I said.

Haven glanced at Sam, then looked at me, resting his chin on his hand, silver hair hanging in his eyes. "Has he hurt you?" He asked.

Sam stiffened next to me.

"No. He's just been following me everywhere. It's become exhausting. The only break I get is at night. I won't let him into my dorm room." I rubbed at my arms and Sam looks over at me.

"Can I do anything?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, honestly. Maybe just get me away from him for a while." My phone buzzed and I looked down to see it was him. He had called me twice and there were a few messages from him. I slammed my head down on the table.

"Was that him?" Sam asked and motioned at my phone.

"Yeah." I mumbled.

Suddenly, a flustered red head stormed over to our table and slammed her books on the table. She kissed Haven quickly, not giving me a second look as she said agitatedly,

"Baldor. Can you explain to me what the actual hell this professor things he's doing?! I have a right mind to ask him why he thinks he knows more than me about the War of the Ring when he wasn't even alive to fight in it! It's bullshit a mortal thinks they know more than we would."

She looked pissed, and that's when she noticed me. Her cold gray eyes scanned me over, then she looked to Sam and asked, "Who's this?"

"Oh, uh..." Sam stammered.

"I'm Callie. Callie... Jameson." I didn't know this girl, but something about her made me feel the need to disguise the fact that my last name was Tolkien.

"Callie Jameson." She repeated. "Ok. My name is Imara. Baldor is my twin brother. Who are you to him?"

"A friend." I said easily. "He's a good friend."

She arched an eyebrow, then looked back to Sam.

"Look. I had the same problem with that professor in my freshman year. He just wants you to go by the book." Sam said, running a hand through his hair. "It makes life easier."

"Really? Mhm. Ok. I'd like to show him my giant-ass scar from an elf during that battle seven thousand years ago."

"How about we keep our shirts on?" Haven asked and nodded to her and patted her hand.

She smiled at him, her demeanor suddenly becoming much softer and she laid her head on his shoulder. Haven looked happy.

I smiled at them and cut into my omelette.

We finished our breakfasts in silence, Imara whispering something to Haven every now and then which prompted him to kiss her all over her face and then go back to his laptop and homework. She would then hug his arm and watch what he was doing, legs tucked up.

After a while, Sam suddenly announced, "I have to go and check on something, ok? I'll be right back."

He looked at me, then slid out of the booth and headed off, slinging his backpack onto his shoulder.

I watched him go, and when I turned forward again, Imara was staring at me. I stiffened. "What?"

"You should go follow him." She says seriously.

"What? Why?"

"Because I know that look. When my brother does that, it's because something's bothering him. Or someone. He seems to like you, so I'd go after him. He's a good guy."

"I, uh, I...I sorta have a boyfriend already..." I said uneasily.

"Sorta? What's that mean?" Imara asked and raised an eyebrow.

"It means I do have a boyfriend already. Sam is just a friend."

She didn't seem to believe me, and just said, "Name something you love about your boyfriend, then."

I paused. "I...he takes care of me. He's protective. He's funny. He's got a nice face."

"Mhm. Now what do you love about your friendship with Sam?"

"Please do not play matchmaker with me." I growled through gritted teeth, clenching my fists. Her sudden glare and dark expression didn't scare me a bit. "Sam is just a friend and Brandon is my boyfriend."

She picked up her glass of water and asked, "Then why were you hiding from him behind Sam?"

I clenched my jaw and packed up my stuff and said, "I gotta go."

I picked up my bag and dishes and stormed out of the dining hall.

Almost immediately, I heard shouts coming from a little way away. Near the library.

I made my way in that direction and froze in shock when I saw something that chilled me to my very bone.

Sam was pressed up against the wall with a sword at his throat.

And holding that sword was Brandon.

"Brandon! What are you doing?!" I exclaimed.

They both looked at me in shock.

"Go away, Callie. This is none of your business." Brandon said.

"I think it is." I say stubbornly.

Sam locked eyes with me. They silently pleaded one thing. Run.

"Get out of here, Callie," Brandon snarled. "I'm not going to tell you again!"

"You can't talk to me like that. Get your sword out of his face!" I snapped and dropped my bag on the grass.

Brandon didn't move his sword and aimed a glare at me. "I can talk to you any way I want! Now get out of here!"

"Are you going to kill him?" I demanded, my voice feeling weak.

"Callie. I said leave. Don't make me come after you."

"You'd attack me, too?" I demanded, shock coursing through me, but I stood my ground.

The cold metal holster in my belt suddenly felt like it weighed a ton.

"You think I won't?" He snarled and reaches behind him to grab for something in his belt. In an instant, my gun was drawn and aimed at his head.

"Drop your weapon! Now! I know how to use this! I grew up in a bad side of town, Brandon. Put the sword down and walk away!" Tears entered my vision and my voice shook.

"You won't do it. You're in love with me." He snarled and pressed the sword point at Sam's neck and blood began to drip down onto his shirt and he grit his teeth in pain.

"I used to." I said hoarsely as I clenched my jaw and aimed the gun down at Brandon's feet and fired. The bullet shot up grass and a clump of dirt and Brandon dropped the sword and stumbled backward and landed on his hands and rear. He scrambled backwards away from me and I followed his movements with the gun.

Tears streaming down my face, I said, "I need to talk with you. In private." I didn't look away from Brandon, but I knew Sam was still there. "Sam. Please. Go." I said softly.

He sighed, then turned and disappeared.

"You have feelings for him don't you?" Brandon snarled and slowly got to his feet. I clenched my jaw and stepped back.

"No. But I thought I had feelings for you." I said softly and wiped at the tears still streaming down my face. "Sam is my friend."

"You're friends with that monster?" He yelled. "After all we've tried to warn you about? You're crazy!"

I stumbled back a step. My back hit the brick wall of the library.

"He kills people, Callie! He's a murderer and a monster and you've been seeing him behind my back, haven't you? For how long?"

"Brandon. Stop yelling at me." I managed weakly, tears streaming down my face again.

"How long, Callie?" He snarled, getting in my face.

"It's not important, Brandon! Nothing happened between us, I-"

He snatched my wrists in his fists and squeezed and I whimpered at the force of his grip on me.

"I don't believe you." He growled.

"Let me go! You're hurting me!" I cried.

He released one wrist and slapped me- hard- across the face and shoved me to the ground.

"I don't want a cheater in my life. We're over. You disgust me."

Then, he was gone.

I held my hands to my stomach and cried, my wrists hurting and throbbing with hot pain.

I couldn't breathe past the lump in my throat.

"Callie?" A soft voice asked.

I stiffened and turned around slowly and let out a sob when I saw it was Sam.

He fell to his knees besides me and gathered me into his arms and I clung to his shirt. He let me cry and just held me, a hand stroking through my hair.

He moved his hands to hold my face gently and my hands shook. He stroked his thumbs over my cheeks to wipe away my tears and whispered,

"I'm so sorry, Callie."

I lifted my shaking hands up to hold onto his shirt and I said weakly, "He left me."

My left cheek stung still, and my wrists ached.

"He didn't deserve you." He replied.

I looked up at him with wide eyes and he just leaned forward and kissed my cheek and the pain there subsided as he healed me.

"Let's get you inside, ok?"

All I could do was nod and let him lift me up into his arms.