new girl in town

Cale carried the girl to the couch and laid her down gently.

Merida stayed asleep for many hours: she was exhausted and the couch was really more comfortable then the bare ground in the forest. But her sleep wasn't resting at all: she kept having nightmares, so many nightmares and sometimes in her sleep she even moaned with a grimace, or shivered curling up on herself.
She was dreaming about flames, a room with flames everywhere and with no way out and when she woke up, sweat and terrified by the dream, the flames were still there, it was just a different room.
Was she still dreaming? Was the couch were she was sitting real or not? She grabbed her eyes, curling up more on herself to stay away from the flames, a desperate expression on her face: she was going crazy. Where was she? How could she get rid of the flames?

After laying the girl down Cale laid a blanket over her and put a pillow under her head. He then went around the house getting some things together that he and Charlotte still needed. He also started cooking up some food for the girl. It looked like she hadn't eaten in a while.

He made a lot of different things because he didn't know what she liked. He made her a burger with fries. He cooked her ups some fish. He made a a number of other things as well and set them out on the table for her to eat when she was awake.

He noticed her tossing and turning on the couch. He did his best to sooth her. placing a damp cloth on her forehead. He then sat and waited for her to wake up.

When he saw her come too. He went over to her. He took her face in his hands. "Hey calm down. Look at me." He forced her to look at him.

A boy approached her, he approached her with gente gestures but he was covered by flames and when he touched her she tried to wriggle with a panicked expression.
His face was somehow familiar but she couldn't tell with all those flames, and though she remembered a boy she wasn't sure he hadn't been just a dream...
She kept trying to get away, like she was feeling some physical pain due to his touch: she could even see her skin crack and peel...

"Hey calm down." Cale demanded as he tried to calm her down as he smoothed his hands over her face. "I made you some food. You need to eat." He tried to distract her with something else.

Did it hurt for real or was she just imagining it? She wans't even able to get it.
"Stop the flames! Turn them off! TURN THEM OFF!"
she shouted closing her eyes and trying to protect herself, she was so scared she didn't even got what he was saying

Cale pulled her into his body and rocked her gently. "Hey there is no fire. Your safe. Your safe." he murmured into her hair as he held her close to try to calm her as best he could.

She sobbed, still keeping her eyes closed, her body was shacking in that illusion of pain, but when she opened her eyes again the fire was gone. She wasn't burned, the pain disappeared, and she sniffed the smell of tasty food.
Oh gosh she was hungry... he stomach growled

Cale pulled back lightly. "Lets get some food into you." He helped her up and led her over to the table that was filled with food. "I just made you a lot of stuff. I didn't know what you liked so I put a lot of stuff together for you." He helped her into her chair so she could start eating.

Merida followed Cale to the table, thankful for his help, but she didn't say a word. She sat down and stared at the food in surprise: so much food... she didn't remember the last time she had seen so much food! Actually, she didn't remember at all if she had ever seen so much food in her life: had she been a poor girl or a rich one? She frowned but decided to let go and with a shy smile she turned to Cale whispering "Thank you" then, with a more concern glance and after a few minutes, she asked "You... you are Cale... is it correct?" she wasn't sure if she had just dreamed his name...

Cale smiled kindly. "That's right. Do you remember your name?" He asked her gently. "And eat up you need sustenance." He pushed a plate and some milk in front of her.

When he asked her her name she breathed "Merida" and only then she nodded and sighed relieved: yes she still remembered her name, and she remembered the boy's name as well. That was good. When he invited her again to eat pushing toward her a plate and the milk she smiled again, took and hamburger and bit it: gosh, she was hungry! She realized how hungry she was only when she swallowed the first bite. And it was so tasty… she devoured it quickly and then took the milk and drank it with big gulps.

Cale laughed as the girl scarfed her food and drink down. He pushed a plate of fish before her. He pored her another glass of milk. He knew she must not have eaten right for a while so he wanted to get as many calories and vitamins into her as he could.

"Eat as much as you want but don't eat to fast. We don't want you getting sick if we can help it."

She didn't care that he was laughing, the hunger was really too much and when he pushed the fish toward her she started to eat it as well, but when he told her not be to too quick to avoid to be sick she nodded and started to eat slower.
"Don't you eat?" she asked then, noticing that he wasn't touching food.

Cale grinned again at her question. "I ate breakfast earlier and I tasted as I made your food, but you need as many calories and vitamins in you as possible. You haven't eaten right in days and need all you can get."

She listened to him and nodded, but when he alluded at the fact that she needed calories in her stomach she looked again at the table and in a childish way she replied "But I can't eat however all those stuffs!" now that she had eaten enough, the hunger was passing

Cale patted her hand. "I know that. I didn't know what you liked so I made lots of different things. Just eat as much as you want and we can take the rest to Jasmines as left overs for the rest of us." He explained kindly.