A Collection of Stories

Scars and Secrets

Yeet *cringes a little*
  Almost there
     -blue

The look in her eyes was so empty; I was too afraid to leave her alone like this. I bent down and picked her up, tucking her into my chest and carried her across the room into the closet. Her breathing was slow and jagged, but her eyes still hollow.

"Genevieve, baby come back to me."

With no response from her I slowly unzipped the back of the dress letting the fabric fall to her waistline, along her back the scars running from her neck all the way to where they disappeared beneath the remaining fabric.

Long and deep, white thick lines where tattooed into her skin, leaving permanent reminders of something, or someone truly hateful.

My fingers hovered over her back, her porcelain skin flinching at any touch. I wanted so bad to replace my fingers for lips, but I was afraid that once my mouth met her skin they would not leave, so instead I bit down so hard I tasted blood.

She was shaking now, reluctantly leaving her side I rummaged through her drawers looking for the shirts. Slipping the rest of the dress off I lifted her frail arms through the over sized sleeves of her shirt and pulled the rest of it down to cover her body.

Almost as if a draft came in, she began to shake. But it was mid fall and the house was already heated to seventy-three. I couldn't tell if the shaking was from fear or exhaustion. I gave her my sweatshirt anyways.

For the second time today I picked her up and coddled her to my chest, not for her sake but mine. I needed to know she would be okay, I needed her to wake out of this haze and hit me on the head for breaking her personal space rule, and I just needed her.

It had been three decades before I heard her breathing return to something normal and her body relax against mine, she had fallen asleep.

Attempting to put her into the bed without dropping her was a task on its own, but somehow I shuffled her under the sheets. I didn't leave until I had a glass of water and crackers on the nightstand, there was a bucket next to her bed just in case, I made sure all the windows and doors were locked, and I checked her pulse three times because her breathing was so light. The irrational fear she would magically stop breathing took over my brain.

After that I continued to stall my leaving. In truth I didn't want to leave, for one of the first times in my life I was genuinely scared. I was scared that whatever left the mysterious scars on her back, would come back and eat her in her sleep.

With my imagination playing scenarios in my head over over again, I barley heard the small scratchy voice over my own thoughts. "Genevieve?" I whispered. "Stay." She croaked out. "I ca-," she paused, "please Brivier, I'm scared." and once I looked into those eyes, I didn't see my smart and witty Gene, I saw a hollow emptiness.

No words were spoken as I climbed into the bed made for one, not until she curled up with her head right next to my heart. I'm positive she could hear it soaring. With her arms tuck in and her legs tangled between mine, she began sobbing so hard she was choking on her tears; her body shaking, once again, violently as I pulled her closer to me. "Please don't ask about my scars, I don't want to think about it tonight. " Kissing her forehead, I turned her tear glistened eyes toward mine, "I wont. I promise." Promising to more things than one, I tucked her away into my side and stayed awake to keep the scars and monsters away. If only for tonight.

*******************