Chapter 56: Truth Sayer

*"Chicks say, tweet tweet tweet, when they are hungry, when they are cold. Hen is storing, corn and wheat. She gives them food and she warms them up, under her two wings, huddled. The chicks sleep, until the next days."*

The sound of the music woke Sharon up from what was not a goodnight's sleep. It was a beautiful voice singing the sweet Spanish song, accompanied by the harmonious sound of guitar strings.

It was coming from just outside the hall and Sharon got up to see who it was. She opened her door and looked outside only to find Sebastian sitting on the stairs of the building with a bunch of children sitting around him. He was playing his guitar and singing the foreign lullaby to them.

It sounded very pleasant and although Sharon couldn't understand what the lyrics meant, she stayed and listened.

After Sebastian was done singing the song, all the children applauded and cheered him on. Sebastian looked up and saw Sharon smiling at him but as soon as their eyes met, her smile vanished, and she went back inside and closed the door.

She knew her actions may have confused him and made him upset that she was being cold and distant to him once again, but the dream from last night had affected her. She was worried about something bad happening to such a wonderful person like Sebastian and decided to stay away from him to keep him safe.

A sudden knock on her door flung her back to reality. She asked who it was but got no answer, so she opened it.

***It was Sebastian.***

"Buenos Diaz, Sharon," he said with that sexy accent.

"Good morning, Seb," she replied.

"Seb? I see you already have a nickname for me. People usually give nicknames to their friends and favourite people. I'd like to think that we're friends now, judging from our nice dinner last night, but just a while ago, I got an unfriendly feeling from you. Why?" Sebastian asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sharon lied.

"You saw me, and before I could even wave at you, you ran off,"

"I didn't run off. I just had.., to do some things," she lied again, very badly.

Sebastian knew something was up with her but chose not to push it.

"Alright then. I'll let you get back to doing your.., things," he said with harmless sarcasm and began walking away.

"Sebastian, wait!" She called out.

He turned around and waited for her to speak. What she said, though, was not what he was expecting to hear.

"What was that song you were singing for the children?" She asked, the melody still playing in her head.

"It's a lullaby. My mother used to sing it to me when I was little. It's called Los Pollitos Dicen; The Chicks Say..."

"What's it about?" Sharon asked.

"Why the sudden interest?" He wondered.

"Are you going to tell me or not?"

"It is about some chicks that chirp when they're hungry and cold. Their mother feeds them and warms them up under her wings and they sleep till the next day," he explained.

"I like it. It sounded really nice and you also sounded really nice. You have a really beautiful voice," Sharon said, unable to help herself.

If she wanted to distance herself from Sebastian, then paying him compliments was not the best way to

do so.

"Gracias! You know, I'm heading over to one of my favourite places here in Puntarenas in a few hours. If you are finished with your... things, I'd like you to join me and I can sing the song privately, just for you," he said flirtatiously.

"I don't know if I'll..," she began to trail off, giving a bunch of invalid excuses, and Sebastian couldn't help but cut her off.

"Sharon! Just a few hours. I assure you, it'll be worth your time, and you'll have a lot of fun."

"But I have a bunch of chores that I need to take care of," she made another excuse.

"I'll help you out with any chores you have,"

"I still don't think I'm up for going out today. The weather is quite hot, and I don't want to sweat," she added.

"The weather is beautiful and it's really cloudy. I can assure you that it won't be hot,"

"OK, but I don't have..." she tried again and he cut in.

"Sharon, please. Just come for a little while. Por favor?"

How could she say no to that devilishly handsome smile, that chiseled jaw, those delicious-looking lips, and that sexy accent?

*He was like an angel that fell out of heaven. She didn't stand a chance.*

"Ok. I'll go with you."

.

.

.

**A FEW HOURS LATER...**

"Are you ready to go?" Sebastian asked.

"Yes I am, but where are we going?" Sharon asked.

"It's a surprise, but don't worry, I'm sure you're going to love it," he assured her.

They walked down the stairs and straight out the main door. They walked down the street, enjoying a pleasant stroll in the gorgeous weather.

"I told you the weather was nice," he said to her, but she didn't respond.

He looked over his shoulder at Sharon and noticed that she didn't seem entirely comfortable.

"Sharon, what is it? And don't tell me it's nothing because I can clearly see that something's bothering you," he enquired from her.

Sharon stared at him for some moments, unsure of what exactly to tell him. She found it difficult to resist being around him but she knew she had to. She was playing a dangerous game and could lose at any moment.

"I don't think we should be friends, Seb," she finally brought herself to say.

"You're a really great guy and any girl would be lucky to be with you, but I'm not her. I think we should just go back to the way things were; when we only greeted each other in the passage and went our separate ways."

"Would you at least tell me why you don't want to be friends with me? Do you just not like me... as a person?"

Sebastian's feelings were starting to get a little hurt.

"No, that's not it. It's not about you, Seb, it's me. I'm bad for you. I can only bring bad things your way," she tried to explain.

"What does that even mean?" He wondered, "Just tell me, plain and simple, why don't you want to be friends?"

"If I told you, you probably wouldn't believe me."

"Try me. I really want to know why, Sharon."

She stared at the sky and then at her shoes. ***How was she to explain everything she had gone through and her fears of something happening to him?***

She looked straight into his eyes and could see his desperation to get an honest answer from her which dissolved the lie that had been cultivated in her brain. She took a deep breath and told him why.

"I can't be your friend because I'm being pursued by a madman, and he'll do anything to get to me, even if it means using the people I care about, by hurting them, to hurt me," she said quickly.

"He wants to hurt me because I found out his darkest secret, and also because I scarred his face and cut off his hand."

Sebastian looked at her with a raised brow. He was puzzled by what she had just told him and wasn't sure what to make of it.

*He didn't believe her, Sharon thought.*