Hypersonic Missiles

Ada

I didn't want to admit that I was scared of him, didn't want to let him know how petrified I really was, but as he pushed my tshirt sleeve up over my shoulder I winced and bit down so hard on my bottom lip that I drew blood.

His eyes flickered over my sorry expression but he was too focused on the mess I'd made of my arm to care about the blood I had drawn from my lip.

"You didn't do this to yourself," he stated it so calmly that I knew I wouldn't be able to argue with him. Actually I'd known that anyway because I'd seen how all the boys responded to Eli with a certain level of respect.

It didn't stop me from trying though, because as scared as I was of Eli, I was more scared to tell him what had really happened to my arm. More scared of what it might mean for these lads to know the truth.

It was a truth I'd been fiercely trying to pretend hadn't happened to me. That's why I'd left the wound and covered it and tried my best to pretend it wasn't there. That's the real reason I'd been up on that bridge.

"This is a rope burn little one you can stop lying to me now," he said, his eyes dark and serious as they held my gaze. I caught my bottom lip between my teeth, looking down at my shoes. I was trying not to shake but I was so scared now I couldn't help but stand there trembling. Desperately upset with myself for the mess I'd made of what should have been an easy escape.

I nodded my head and waited for him to work it out, waited for him to lose his shit at Sam for bringing me back with him.

"So Ada..." he said, carefully, still holding my hand in his, his eyes fixed on mine, his voice expectant, "why have you got a rope burn on your arm, looks like you've been tied up..." he said those words drawing the attention of Josh who wasn't sitting all that far away.

I nodded my head, eyes closed because I knew that if I opened them the tears would fall. And I was desperate not to cry.

"What's the matter Eli?" asked Sam. Perhaps he'd noticed the dark look on his friends expression, perhaps he'd noticed how I was shaking.

I was expecting Eli to answer him, to announce to the room that I'd lied to them. But he didn't.

He looked between me and the wound on my arm, the infection which was seeping and weeping and refusing to heal.

"It hurt?" he asked, changing his mind at the last second, "who hurt you?"

"I..." I trailed off.

I didn't know because I hadn't been held captive for very long. Only an evening. I'd managed to escape though I still wasn't sure how, and then I'd hidden.

I'd managed to sneak back to my parents house once for supplies but they'd been waiting for me there and I'd realised then that I was doomed.

That if I didn't take myself out of this world, I was going to be trapped in there's for the rest of my pathetic life.

"Dunno," I said wincing when he touched the skin near the infection.

"You're lucky this hasn't gone sceptic," he said, "when did it happen?"

"I don't know... I uh..." I tried to count on my fingers but he shooed his hand at me to stop me cutting me off.

I bit my lip and kept quiet expecting another scolding as he examined the extent of the wound.

"Don't... Don't upset yourself over it for fuck sake," he grumbled reaching for that tool box which was still on the table. "Need to know who did it though little one, that bit is important..."

"Wh.. Why?" I stuttered feeling a lump in my throat, my heart hammering in my chest. Certain now that if I gave him the wrong answer he was going to throw me out.

"Cmon now Ada you said so yourself, you're not daft... You know the answer to that," he said, his chuckle and the roll of his eyes more harsh to me then that a regular telling off.

"But I really don't know," I said then, tears in my eyes as I began to feel fear turn into desperation, "they didn't tell me who they were an they didn't even take me anywhere they just left me tied up in me house and.. And..."

"Alright enough," he said suddenly silencing me, surprising me then because despite the ever darkening look in his eyes, despite the anger boiling away, he softened a little, "that's enough now Ada," he said lowering his voice, "don't cry yeah, you're doing really well aren't you littlen you haven't cried all day, don't cry now yeah," he said, his eyes still firm, still angry, but his voice level and soft and almost soothing.

It confused me to say the least but I did as he said. I didn't want to let myself down now by crying in front of him. Not when id held in so much.

"There we are," he said holding my gaze, "take a couple slow breaths for me sweetheart," he said gently, "there we go... Nice n calm ey?" he offered me the smallest of smirks, his hand still holding mine.

"Now Ada," he said, chewing his cheek, he almost looked guilty, "need you to tell me one more thing and then I'll get you cleaned up and we'll find you somewhere to sleep alright... You'll have to wash tomorrow we don't have enough water inside..."

"Uhuh, kay," I said barely able to speak. I felt small when he looked at me like that. Around these lads I felt small anyway but he made me feel the smallest. The most unsure.

"Good lass," he said still holding my hand. Still looking at me just the same. "Alright Ada, is this the only way they hurt you?" he asked, I watched him swallow down as he looked up at me waiting for an answer.

I didn't want to answer.

"Need you to tell me that little one, it's really important," he said when i didn't reply. I couldn't reply, if i did I would cry and I didn't want to do that.
Not when I'd held back tears for so long.

So I shook my head, no.

He swallowed and nodded his head. Let out a sigh and turned to the tool box.

" Alright," he said, "alright Ada thank you, let me see this arm then, we'll get you fixed up and then you can go to sleep how does that sound ey?"

I didn't speak just let him see my arm and nodded my head. I didnt want to say anything else now, didn't want to talk anymore.

I was tired and the fear and adrenaline of earlier had thoroughly exhausted me. Even if I was still scared now, and I was, I didn't have the energy to fight or run. So I just let him clean at my arm, too tired to even really feel the pain as he tried to pick rope fibres out if the sore, tried to dab at it and clean it as best he could. It stung, it ached, a deep internal aching that would have brought me to tears any other day, but which tonight was simply another exhausting sensation I could hardly bring myself to feel.

"I don't know how well this is gonna heal little one, it's pretty fucked up..." he said as he bandaged it up just as carefully as he had bandaged my hand, "you've been through the wars lately haven't you," he smirked, a weak attempt at drawing a smile from either of us before he stood up and began instructing the others once more.

"You can sleep wherever you like lass," he said, cutting Van off before he could make another joke like earlier and embarrass me all over again.
As much as eli scared me I was grateful to him for that.

I chose to sleep next to Sam. I'd been terrified of him when we'd first met but now he'd been so gentle with me since we got back, so kind to me that I couldn't recognise anything in him to fear now.

So I was probably safe with him.
At least I hoped I would be.