Now Quinn wasn't afraid of many things. She wasn't afraid of a good fight, neither was she afraid of heights or a risky mountain climb. What she was afraid of though was her nightmares thus she kept a night light on when she slept and two she was afraid of spiders.
This wasn't preconditioned thing, in fact, she like small animals and would never hurt them apart from when she was forced to hurt her pet by her grandfather.
The fear of spiders came about because of that cold dark room. She had no idea why were they came from but they crawled on her legs and hair that she couldn't help screaming in the dark. She cried out several times and begged for them to let her go but her grandfather didn't open the door until the next day. She had bites all over and a new fear had been unlocked.
Thus she saw one crawling down the wall in the shower she lost it. Yes, she squealed like a pig at the slaughter house with no regard of her image right now.
She wanted to grab her bath towel and run out but she froze. She was frozen stiff like a corpse while watching it crawl down the wall.
Images of that night flash before her until they merged with this scene making her blood run cold.
Her ears were ringing muffling the sounds coming from the outside.
Her pale lips trembled as she mumbled, "let let me out... please," as she stumbled backwards and hit the wall.
Leif who had been knocking and frantically calling her name suddenly heard a dull thus like something had hit the wall thus he resorted to breaking down the door.
Quinn was deep in her trance that when she did finally wake up, she was on outside the bathroom in a bath robe while clutching Leif collar tightly refusing to let go. When she realised what had just happened she closed her eyes tightly and wished the ground would split open and pull down from the top floor to the centre of the earth and she could just disappear.
Seeing that the person in his arms had stopped trembling, he asked, "Are you okay now?"
Quinn could hear a trace of restraint in his voice and she suddenly remembered that he had an issue with phycial contact. She moved away from him and covered herself tightly with the bathrobe as though seeking solace. She wiped her face with her trembling hand before pointing at the closed bathroom door,
"There there there is spider in there," she said and Leif's who had never seen Quinn like this couldn't help but be very concerned. Her lips were as pale as her face despite taking a warm shower. She quivering like she had a cold as she stood with wet hair like a poodle after accidentally falling in the pool. Her toes with turquoise nail polish were wiggling on the soft carpet as she huddled herself tightly.
"I know I saw it. You said you wouldn't move until I kill it and I did," he said trying so hard not recall the image he accidentally saw when he entered the bathroom.
She was huddled in a corner but he did see her naked back. The image was hard to get rid of. He covered his eyes and gave her the bathrobe first but refused to move until it was dead. She was so terrified and rooted on the spot scaring him half to death.
Since she wouldn't move he closed his eyes and picked up the bathrobe before draping it over her body.
He then proceeded to take a slipper and beat the spider to death. He then told her it was dead but it was like was in a trance and wiping her feet frantically like something was crawling up her legs.
Leif who had shut the water crouched down before her and started to comfort her in the best way he could.
He repeated the words I killed it several times before Quinn hug him which was very unexpected. If he didn't know Quinn any better he would have thought she was doing this on purpose.
He didn't know who he was seeing in her eyes because she kept crying and mumbling, "You came for me. Thank you," over and over again.
Leif suppressed the urge to push her away. The feeling of aversion was there but it wasn't as bad as when a stranger tried to get anywhere near him. He gritted his teeth and carried her out of the bathroom and out her down as soon as he closed the bathroom door. But she wouldn't let go no matter how he tried.
"I am so sorry. I just," she said and she glanced at the wet patches on his shoulder and chest. Ridden with guilt she said, "I will wash it for you."
Leif didn't answer immediately. He pointed to bathroom and asked, "Do you want to go back in?"
Quinn took a step back and shook her head like rattle. "No no no... I will get dressed and go shower at the gym or something. I am... I am not going back in there," she said her voice tremulous. She wasn't easily shaken by anything but spiders. Her grandfather did it on purpose. He would threaten her with the same punishment when ever she disobey which left her with this fear despite her grandfather being dead for years.
Leif watched her as she packed her stuff in a gym bag like she was really going to leave. When Leif renovated this house he purposefully made sue there was a shower in each room and a bathroom with no shower downstairs to prevent people from sleeping over at his place. Even Lars wasn't allowed to sleepover.
If Quinn wanted to go to shower or bath she either had to use the bathroom in the guest room or the one in Leif's bathroom and knowing Leif she didn't bother asking.