The Me You Can't See (H.S)

09

TW: Sexual Assault, Violence, Death, Blood

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Haven's POV:

"Ok Avery, run far, I'll throw the football," Leo yells to me as I start running.

"Ok, don't mess it up this time." I turn my head around yelling back my response.

I'm sprinting down our massive backyard watching as Leo pulls back his arm, football in hand and launches it. I watch as it soars through the sky towards me. Running faster I try to catch up to it; I see it coming towards me and right as I put my hands out to catch it. . .I fall. Tumbling to the ground, I roll a couple of times from the speed I was running.

I skid to a stop on the grass hearing Leo yell my name quickly followed by the thud of someone running against the field.

I feel the tears running down my face as I scoot onto my butt and assess the damage. It was quite a fall, paired with the already existing bruises causing the impact to hurt so much more.

I groan when I see the grass stains on my pants knowing that I'm in so much trouble and for a while, I forget the pain. I can only imagine what's going to happen when daddy sees this. Oh, I should have been more careful.

"Avery, oh my gosh are you ok?" Leo asks me, lightly touching the burn I got as I wince.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Can you just help me up please?" I ask him, looking up, the sun burning my eyes.

"I can't Avery," he says slowly.

"Why not? Stop joking around, I need help." I answer back.

"I can't help you Avery. . . because I'm dead," Leo says in an emotionless voice. The light-hearted tone of his voice now gone.

With that, I look up and only then do I see the blood streaming down from his wound. Streaks of red come out of the wound on the side of his body.

My vision blurs as I try to comprehend what's happening. I try to open my mouth and say something, but he speaks first.

"Don't you remember Avery? You killed me. . .you killed both of us." as he finishes I close my eyes only to wish I hadn't as now both he and his mother stare back at me in blood-soaked clothes.

It's not longer sunny as I feel a tight grip on my arm pulling me away from Leo and his mother who blankly stare back at me. I strain my head to see Malcolm dragging me through the field.

"Daddy, wait please I need to apologize. I need to tell them I'm sorry! " I pull against him. He keeps dragging me, watching as Leo becomes smaller and smaller every second. Malcolm remains silent but the rage radiating off him is unmissable.

"No, wait. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Can we please meet by the river tomorrow? I'm sorry. Forgive me. Please." I yell back to Leo and his mother, hoping they hear me.

"Please, Leo wait. . .I'm so-"

I wake up screaming. Sitting up straight in bed I let out an ear-piercing scream, my eyes blinking in the dark to keep the tears back that are threatening to spill. My chest moves quickly as I try to regulate my breathing.

Bringing my knees up to my chest as I lay my elbows on them, I start to run my fingers through my hair, breaking apart the tangles, clearly from the tossing and turning as I relived one of the scariest moments of my life.