Haven

2

The sun's rays shown through the window beside the bed, casting its bright light upon Noah's sleeping face.

Ever so slowly he blinked his eyes open, trying to adjust to the light. Noah didn't have a phone and he didn't see a clock in the room, so he had no idea what time it was. After rubbing his eyes, he sat up and glanced out the window to see the sun beginning to rise.

He must have slept all day yesterday and through the night. That, or he didn't get as much sleep as he'd thought and only been out for an hour or so. But the well rested feeling Noah had, told him that wasn't the case. This was the first time in a very long time he'd slept so soundly. A part of him hoped it would stay like that.

Not wanting to stay in bed any longer, Noah went to his bag he'd placed on the desk the day before, and rummaged through it. He pulled out an old black T-shirt and a pair of his most comfortable sweatpants. The only pair of jeans he had didn't fit him that great and he didn't own a belt to hold them up anyway.

Now that he was awake, the events of the day before were slowly creeping back into his mind. After his recent foster father, Sam, tried to stick his hands down Noah's pants, the police had shown up and immediately taken him away. Though unnecessary, he was sent to the hospital where he was looked over and an officer took pictures for evidence. Then he was carted off to the police station and later picked up by Julia.

All Noah wanted now was to get clean. He felt uncomfortably dirty and was in desperate need for a shower, almost as if it'd help wash away the feelings. It could never truly do that, but Noah did it anyway, if not just to relieve himself of some of the weight he felt. If he couldn't scrub it all away, at least he could rub his skin raw and red until he felt somewhat human again.

He went to the door and unlocked it before stepping out into the hallway. It was a Thursday, so Noah hoped the other kids were at school. He didn't feel like meeting them right now. Just in case, he quietly walked down the hall, remembering where Andy told him their bathroom was.

It was silent except for the sound of his light footsteps, but he didn't fully relax until he'd reached the bathroom and had locked the door behind him.

The bathroom was fairly large, which was good since he'd be sharing in with two other boys and a little girl. It was kept fairly clean to Noah's surprise. There were a few clothes hanging out of a laundry basket and a towel on the floor, but it otherwise seemed immaculate. The walls were painted a light blue, a few shelves lining one of them that displayed minimal decor of the same color. Under them was a white painted bookshelf that had towels, rags, and a few other showering neccesities.

To the far end of the room, a shower stood behind white curtains with blue sea shells scattered across the fabric. The toilet was located a few feet away from the shower with a wicker basket filled of toilet paper placed on the back of its lid. There were two sinks along on the same wall with tooth brushes and other toiletries on its surface. A cabinet hung on the wall between the two mirrors placed above each sink.

He set his clothes down on the middle of the counter, careful to avoid looking at himself in the mirror. Noah readied the shower, adjusting the temperature of the water until he could see the steam rising from the tub. Before getting in, he grabbed one of the rags from the shelf and set it on the tub's porcelain edge.

Once in, Noah took a few moments to just stand under the scalding spray of the water. The burning left across his skin felt wonderful.

This was like a ritual to him. Before he started cleaning himself, he always gave the water time to drench his broken and scarred form, letting the water glide over every imperfection. Then he would proceed to lather up a cloth and scrub until his pale skin turned anew with color.