Their Angel

Chapter 3

Easton stops in front of a black door at the end of the hallway. He knocks a few times and I hear a voice on the other side.

"I have a surprise for you Mad," he says.

I wonder how I can be a surprise. I thought everyone knew I was coming here. I hope I am not a bad surprise.

"Come in," the voice says.

Easton opens the door slowly and brings me inside. I see a tall man sitting at a desk.

He looks like dad. He has the same dark hair and eyes. I take a nervous step back.

"It's okay," Easton whispers, "he won't hurt you."

I look back at the man at the desk.

He is staring at me with his mouth open a little bit. I don't think he can move. Easton lets go of my hand and slowly walks over to him.

"It's her. She found us," he says quietly.

The older man looks at Easton. I don't think he can believe I am here. He stands up and puts his hands on Easton's shoulders.

"You found her? East, did you find my baby sister?"

Easton nods.

He walks over to me slowly like he's scared I will disappear. I don't plan on doing that any time soon. He kneels down in front of me and I see tears on his cheeks.

"Hi Grace. I'm Maddox, your oldest brother," he says.

He talks softly and doesn't get too close. He doesn't smell like the liquid in the glass bottles that dad used to drink. He doesn't look at me like dad did either. I don't think he is like him.

I get a little closer to him and wrap my arms around his shoulder. I feel his body start to shake as he cries. He wraps his arms around my back and picks me up. This is a gentle hug. I wrap my legs around him because it feels like I am supposed to. I think his knees start to wobble because he starts to kneel down. He does not seem like he is going to let me go. I just rest my head on his shoulder.

I don't know how long I am supposed to hold on, but I do not think I want to let go. For some reason I feel very protected. I'd never felt like this in my life.

I think have gained a bit of courage in the last few hours because I decided I was going to ask a question. The last few times I asked a question I did not get beat.

"Maddox?"

He nods.

"Can we stay like this for a little bit longer?"

I felt brave to ask.

"We can stay like this for as long as you want baby."

I sigh and relax. I am glad they found me.

-

I had to let go of Maddox after a while. Easton said something about me needing to shower. I was not exactly sure what that meant but he says it is important. He brings me upstairs and to the very end of the hallway.

"This is your room. Sylas and I decorated it for you. You can change anything you don't like," he says.

I nod and he pushes my door open. I walk in and gasp.

Its beautiful.

It's a very big room and it is mostly white with a little bit of light blue. There is a big bed against one wall with fuzzy looking pillows and blankets. There is also a desk and a comfy looking chair and a nightstand. I love it.

I think a big smile breaks out on my face because Easton is smiling at me.

"How many cameras and microphones does it have?" I ask.

He looks confused.

"In my old room I had two cameras and a microphone so dad could watch me," I explain.

He looks really sad. Or mad. Maybe a bit of both. I didn't mean to make him sad or mad. I start apologizing and ask for my punishment. He just seems to look sadder.

"Cmon sweetheart. You still need a shower."

I was confused. He didn't yell and he didn't punish me. Maybe he was waiting until later. I would just be quiet until then. That is why I don't ask what a shower is. He leads me to a door that is on one of my walls. We walk into a big shiny bathroom. My previous fears all seem to go away when I see it. I get just as excited as I did when I saw my room. I look to see if I have a tub. That is what I used to use. I went into the tub once a week. Dad always put water and bubbles all over me. Sometimes if I took the beatings good I got extra time in there.

Easton walks all the way to some tall glass doors.

"Here's the shower. Left is warm, right is cold. I got you some soap and things but if you don't like them we can find new ones," he says.

I have to ask my questions because I do not want to be confused when he leaves.

"What do I do?"

He looks a bit lost at this.

"Grace have you never had a shower?"

I shake my head no and point to the tub.

"Dad put me in there and covered me in soap and water one time a week," I say.

He looks angry. I don't know what I did but I start apologizing. I knew I shouldn't ask questions. I made him mad again.

"I'm sorry. I did not mean to make you mad! I'll take the beating like a big girl I promise I promise," I ramble as I cry.

Easton hushes me but I continue to cry. He bends down and brings me into his arms. I think I cry there for a long time because next thing I remember I was asleep.

-

I slowly open my eyes. I'm not in my bathroom anymore. There is one arm around my back so I am not alone. I slowly start to squirm.

"It's okay baby, it's okay."

I stop squirming. I look up at Maddox and then look around. We are in his office.

"I'm sorry," I say

"For what?"

"I made Easton mad. Twice."

Tears gather in my eyes. I didn't want them to send me away. They might because I made one of them upset.

"No baby. Easton is mad at the way our dad treated you," Maddox says.

"But he loved me. He treated me good. I always got longer bath time after I took the beatings," I say.

He looks sad and I start to apologize. All I've done for them so far is make them mad and sad.

"Grace, people who love you don't beat you."

I look at him confused. I wasn't quite sure what he was saying.

"Dad beat me," I said.

He nods.

I think he is saying Dad didn't love me. I start to sniff. He is the only person who ever loved me. I don't want it to be true.

"No he loved me. He was the only one who loved me," I say.

Maddox wipes my tears and takes my face in his hands.

"Grace. I love you and I will not beat you. Easton loves you and he will not beat you. Brandon loves you. Milo loves you. Sylas loves you. You will never be beaten here," he says sternly.

"How will I know you love me if you do not beat me," I ask.

He brings me back against his chest.

"Like this. And many many other ways. But Grace, you will never live like that again."

I start to wonder. If beating is not a normal way to show love, what is? I can't help but feel happy that I won't be beaten. I do not know how much more of that I could take. I start to get hopeful about my new life. Maybe it will be good.

~~~
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