Below the Sky

Chapter 25: Lila

Warm, beautiful water ran down my body. It trailed down my curves, leaving its mark of wetness, and continuing its travels down to the floor. I looked up, letting the hot water rush over my face. It felt so good to finally be able to take a shower, especially after what had happened. I couldn't even imagine the last time I had been clean.
After breakfast, I'd come upstairs to Riana, ordering me to immediately go shower. So I obeyed, and now here I was, standing in the hot rain. Time had no essence here. I had been under the water for five minutes, thirty? I had no idea. My only focus was on relaxation, and how good, oh so good, it was to be safe.
Suddenly, as I closed my eyes basking in the warmth, a thought stroke me. Not exactly a thought, but a person. An image of Oliver, my brother came to my mind. I sat down in the spray, laying my head down on my knees. Then I rocked back and forth, trying to calm myself.
Oliver. Oliver. Oliver. Oliver. Oliver. He consumed me, enraged me. I wanted to scream, to hurtle bloody murder at him. He had watched as my parents had disowned me, and hadn't said a word. He said he loved me, but did he? Or was it an act.
The rage consumed me. I didn't just feeling anger though. There was also, loss. A sadness that made me feel as if I would never find light again.
I sat on the bottom of the shower, rocking. I didn't realize it but I was shaking, then the panic started. I saw that night all over again, Mama tossing a packed bag at my feet, Papa standing telling me I had to leave with Riana. Suddenly I couldn't take it. I screamed for Riana to come and save me from this madness.
She came crashing into the bathroom, looking around. Eventually she threw open the curtain, and saw me, laying on the shower floor, crying. Arms were around me, lifting me up so I was standing. Then a warm towel was around my shoulders, and I could breathe again as I was taken in someone's arms.
"Shh, shh its okay Lila," Riana hugged me, comforting me. I simply sobbed, my panic leaving me at a loss of words.
"You're strong Lila, you'll get through this," Riana whispered to me. I wasn't sure I believed her, but I didn't deny it. Instead I let Riana baby me.
She turned off the shower water, and wrapped me up in a bath robe Rebecca had lended her. Then she led me out of the bathroom, to the room we were currently staying in.
"Would you like me to dress you?" She asked, still holding me like I was a young child.
I simply shook my head no, too exhausted to speak. My tiredness wasn't exactly from sleep deprivation, more my mind was tired, just from everything it had endured in the last two days.
So instead of dressing me into comfortable clothing, Riana led me to the bed, and tucked me in, still wrapped up in the robe. She kissed me twice, once on the lips. The kiss was soft, sweet, and Riana told me how much she loved me in that kiss. The second was on the top of my head, before she tucked the blanket underneath my chin.
"Go back to sleep Lila," she said, leaving the room. Then I was under, being pulled into a realm of dreams.

A soft hand was brushing past pieces of hair from my face. I sighed, letting the skin run over mine. It was peaceful, wonderful, and I could have stayed like that forever.
I didn't lay there, letting someone caress my face forever though. Instead I slowly opened my eyes, and saw Riana immediately. She smiled, a look of pure happiness in her expression.
"How'd you sleep?" She asked. I moaned, and curled up next to her. Riana reached for pieces of my knotted hair and started to comb through it.
"Good," I mumbled. My voice was very audible, so quiet that to hear it you had to listen very carefully.
"That's good," Riana finished untangling my hair, and continued stroking my skin. Her touch was comforting, so warm and soft.
"What time is it?" I asked.
"Around two."
I gasped, then quickly pulled myself up so I was sitting in the bed. "It's two o'clock already?" I questioned.
"Ya."
"I didn't mean to sleep for that long..."
"Look, Lila," Riana grabbed my hand, forcing me to look at her, "You've been through so much trauma in the past few days, then you had a mental breakdown in the shower. Your body is being affected by your mind too, and it needs time to rest."
"Okay, okay," I said. I wasn't happy that I had slept so late, but it was nice to feel refreshed. My bones weren't so achey, and my mind felt clearer, less foggy.
"Ready to go downstairs?" Riana asked. I simply nodded my head yes. Riana gripped my hand tightly, and helped me out of bed.
When I stood up, and I immediately felt dizzy. All the blood rushed down, and if it weren't for Riana holding me up I would have collapsed back into the bed.
I didn't fall though, and instead Riana helped me out of the bedroom, and downstairs. When we arrived at the base floor of the house, there wasn't anyone in near sight. Then we walked into the common space though.
Luke was sitting in a chair, reading. Rebecca was knitting on the sofa, and William was staring at papers, glasses adorning his face. I didn't see Abby though.
"Oh Lila, you're awake again," Rebecca exclaimed. She stood, and came to embrace me quickly.
William followed suit. He rose and took my hand, shaking it vigorously. "We're so glad you're okay," he said.
Luke didn't do anything though. He stayed where he was, his nose buried in his book. Maybe he was just so engrossed in his reading he didn't notice me walking in, or maybe he wasn't in the mood to talk. Still, I would have liked to have some acknowledgment.
Rebecca must have noticed me looking around, searching for someone. "Abby's outside, if that's who you're looking for," she said. I nodded my head.
Then I pulled Riana out of the room, heading for the front door.
I noticed Abby after looking around for a while. She was on hands and knees, and she appeared to be digging for something. When I moved closer to her, I realized she was simply tending to the mulch beds.
"Are you weeding?" I asked her. Abby suddenly jolted, and looked in the direction of the voice. She relaxed when she noticed me, and smiled.
"Hi Lila, and Riana. Ya I am weeding. I enjoy gardening, actually, and it looked like no one had tended to these mulch beds in a long time," Abby stood up, and wiped sweat from her brow.
She was wearing an old t-shirt, and just a plain pair of shorts. Her long, auburn hair was tied back in a beautiful braid, and I admired it as I moved closer to Abby.
"Are you okay, I heard there was an, incident?" Abby asked. She appeared concerned.
"Ya, it's fine," I said. Suddenly I felt a tug on my arm. Riana wanted something.
"I'm going to go inside, will you be okay out here?" She asked. I started to feel nervous all of a sudden. Riana was leaving me, and though I had Abby, I barely knew her. Riana must have seen the panic on my face because she seemed to decide that she wasn't going inside.
"Actually, it's fine. Abby's out here," I urged her.
"Are you sure?" She asked.
"Ya," of course. Riana smiled at me, squeezed my hand real quick, then walked away. She glanced back only once, but didn't stop.
Abby sat back down in the dirt, and continued her weeding. "Do you want to help?" She asked.
I figured that it couldn't hurt, so I crouched down, and started pulling the annoying plants out of the mulch.
It was tedious work, with there being so many weeds and not that many people. Still, I never gave in to the want to stop. I pulled weeds until the back of my neck felt burned from the sun beating down on it, and my back ached from bending over.
"You don't have to help anymore," Abby said. I had lost track of time a while back, but I figured I'd been pulling weeds for at least an hour and a half.
"No, I don't want to stop," I said. Then I continued my pulling.
Maybe another hour later, all the weeds have been plucked from their spot in the mulch. Satisfied with our work, me and Abby stood up.
"Thank you," she told me, eyes glinting with gratitude.
"You're welcome," I said. Abby took our bucket of weeds to go dump somewhere, and I hurried back inside.
I was tired, so very tired. My heart was hurting from my parents kicking me out, but still it felt good to do this one little thing. It was nice to be helpful, and put in work to have a positive result, like having fresh mulch beds.
So I walked back inside with pride, much happier than I had been just that morning.