Upon Meeting You

20

TW: Mentions of child abuse and violence💔

Lenora Dalsing;

I reach the front door, unlocking it with my key. When entering, I notice everything is in complete disarray. I start for Goren's room cutting through the kitchen. There are plates shattered on the floor beside the wall as though they were thrown. The kitchen table is shoved aside along with its knocked over chairs.

Dripping from the countertop, is the water that escaped from the now broken vase. Beside it are the dejected flowers, yearning to be saved. I step through the glass, hearing it crunch beneath my shoes.

"Goren?" I question, approaching his bedroom. "Goren?" I open the door.

The small boy is faced away from me, rummaging through his drawer. He hastily shoves a medium sized tin box into his backpack before opening the drawer below it.

I stand at the doorway allowing him to finish what he's doing, glancing around the room that appeared as though a tornado blew through it. He continues shoving clothes into his backpack until it can no longer fit anything else.

"Here, Nora. Take this." he walks over through the mess to hand me the bag all while keeping his head low.

"Goren, what are you doing?"

"I'm almost ready."

"What's going on?" Just as I finish my question I hear footsteps from behind me. I look over my shoulder to find Wilkes standing behind me, looking into Goren's room.

"What's happened here?" He asks. Goren lifts his head at the sound of his voice.

"Wilkes? What are you doing here?"

"Goren, what the hell happened to your face?" My eyes go wide and my voice raises. His left eye is bruised along with a bump on his forehead. There is dry smeared blood spread from his nose to his cheek and his bottom lip is swollen and cracked.

"Sh! Come here." He grabs both me and Wilkes by our wrists pulling us into his room. He closes the door behind us and continues his search.

"Hey." I get his attention. "Who did this to you?"

"Can we talk later?" His voice becomes strained.

"No, we're talking about it now."

"I don't know what happened, Nora. Mom and dad were fighting like always and I heard glass breaking and then I heard the front door slam." He stops speaking to grab another bag, and begins placing books inside. "Then she came in here—" his voice breaks. I kneel down beside him pulling his face up to look at me.

"Did mom do this to you?" I whisper. He answers with only a nod and fallen tears. He drops his head into my shoulder and begins crying softly. I lift my hand placing it on the back of his head while wrapping an arm around his waist. I attempt to lift him from the ground but he stops me.

"Ow, Nora stop!" I step back looking at him in concern as he wraps his own arms around his torso in defence.

"Goren, come here." Wilkes speaks up. Goren walks over to Wilkes who is sat on his bed. "I want you to lay down here for a moment." He pats the bed, standing up.

I get up, and approach the boys as Wilkes helps Goren to climb on the bed. He lays flat on his back, breathing harshly.

"I'm going to lift your shirt, okay?" Wilkes informs him.

"Okay." Goren nods in response. Wilhelm proceeds to take the base of Goren's shirt, and gently lift it up high enough to block the boy's view from his own torso. There are red blotches covering the side of his ribs causing me to gasp.