Arrow

Thirty Three: Broken

Standing in the shower as the fresh rainwater fell against my bare skin, I closed my eyes, the cold dripping over my body as I attempted to fathom what had happened with the Creature on Georgia Street. I was trying to understand it, rationalise it.

After what felt like an hour, being much, much longer than I had originally intended, I turned the the water off, a squeak of pipes replying angrily. I wrapped myself in a towel I had found neatly folded in the bathroom cabinet and stepped out, wiping away the moisture accumulated on the mirror. I looked as awful as I felt. My eyes held dark shadows beneath, my skin paler than usual due to lack of sunlight and nutrition. My hair dripped onto the tile floor, the ends dry and brittle, reaching my lower back. I stared at my reflection, the person inside the mirror taunting me with overwhelming emotion. 

My life was chaotic, complicated, overwhelming me all at once. Slowly, tears began to seep from my eyes, stretching down my cheeks, down my collarbones where my eyes were drawn to my neck where the side of my throat reached into my shoulder, a small bruise visible. A mark that had been caused by a man I had allowed to kiss me, touch me in ways I'd never been touched before. My fingers lifted, tracing over the tiny nip. Images of the night came racing back, forcing more tears from my eyes as they squeezed closed.

The person in the mirror, it was not Morgan, but it was not Arrow either. Those two people were broken, scattered in pieces on the floor. I didn't even know who the hell I was anymore, what I was. 

I looked back up at my face, my eyes that reminded me of my father, a strong man that had provided for his daughter until the very day of his death. I couldn't ignore it. I could no longer bring shame to the DNA that I had been so kindly given. I was better than that.

Using the back of my hands, I swept away my tears.
I gave my hair a quick dry, throwing it up into a messy ponytail. I dried my skin, careful of the delicate wounds on my lip, my arms, my back and the fresh grazes on my leg.
Throwing on a new set of clothes that I had found in a nearby store, I felt a sense of reset. I was lucky. I was alive, I was strong, I was capable of taking control of my life, I had something others didn't, whether I understood what that meant or not, it was a chance to change everything. I would do what was needed to understand, myself, the Creature, the moment between Jesse and I, all of it.

Slinging my bag onto my back, I realised just how long I had been MIA. The sun had forced its way out from behind the dull overcast clouds, bringing light to a new day. By now, Jaxon, Ronan and Jesse would be awake. They would have realised I was gone. Would they be panicking? Would they continue on without me or search for me?

I moved down the stairs, careful as I exited the front door. I stood on the porch, squinting through the morning to where I would go next. I wondered if I should go back to the garage. Would the others still be there?

I inhaled deeply, exhaling fresh air, soaking up the smell of the rain settled into the soil and grass. I began moving towards the garage, just in case, but as I took on the last stair of the porch, something slammed into my side, hard, pushing me off balance. I caught my footing, feeling the firm grip of someone's hand pulling at my upper-arm.

"What the hell were you thinking?" I recognised Jaxon in front of me, his eyes wide

"Jaxon?" I spoke his name, surprised

He looked angry, yet relieved as he shook my shoulders

"Jesus woman" He sighed, letting me go, placing his fingers in his mouth to give out a sharp whistle

"I thought you'd be gone by now" I told him, folding my arms over my chest

He looked me up and down, taking in my new attire "You think Jesse would let us leave without finding your drunken ass, dead or alive?" He snapped