The Damage Was Done

chapter 24

After about 3 hours on the bus I got off, I was now in a town called trishon, I start to wander around bag in hand before stopping near an alleyway, walking down I place my bag down and sit, it's currently 11:30, so I pull out a blanket and lay down, I'll get an early morning bus out of here in the morning and head a little further away.

As I lay there my mind starts to drift all over the place. I wonder if they've got the letters they obviously have Ryder would've gotten home about 2 and a half hours ago and he would've called mum straight away, did they give the letters to anyone else yet, no probably not it's late. I sit up and stare at the wall in front of me.

What's even the point, I did what he told me to and everyone's safe but now I have nothing, I have no one I guess the only one to blame is myself if I wasn't such a screw up maybe just maybe he would've been proud of me and this wouldn't be happening.

Maybe he is right and that the world would be a better place without me in it, everyone would be happier, "hey you ok?" I hear someone ask breaking me out of my thoughts, I look around to see a girl in about her mid 20s standing at the end of the alley walking closer "yeah, um, I'm fine" I say wiping the tear that fell out of my eye

She comes and sits next to me "you sure?" She asks before she notices my stuff "yeah" I say giving her a smile "you going somewhere?" She asks nodding her head at my bag "I just needed a break" I say lying "that's ok everyone needs a break sometimes" she says giving me a small smile 

I nod my head "but you probably shouldn't be sleeping on the streets" she says and I look at her before turning to face the wall in front of me again "I have nowhere else to go" I say picking at the blanket placed over my lap "ok, how about you stay at mine, just until you're ready to go home" she says, I give her a skeptical look, I don't even know her what if she tries to murder me that won't be such a bad thing I think.

She gives me a knowing look before speaking "if my daughter was out on the streets I'd want 3 things, 1 for her to come back home, 2 for someone to tell her to go home and if she wasn't ready to for someone to offer her shelter" she reaches for my hand and I look at her "you have a daughter" I ask and she nods "she's 4, at home sleeping with her dad while I'm on my nightly run" she says 

I sit there for a minute before giving her a nod, she helps me up and picks up my bag we start walking, "so why'd you run away?" She asks, I look at the ground silent for a few seconds "just needed a minute" I say and she nods "I know you said that, is there something going on at home" she asks, I take a breathe imagine telling a complete stranger you just met that you ran because you're dad told you to or he would hurt your friends. 

I look at her debating what to say "my dad recently moved back to town after being gone for a while" I say giving her a half truth "is that a bad thing" she asks before coming to a stop in front of a house with a white picket fence and a walkway to a 2 story house with an grey exterior and lots of windows "yeah, my dad doesn't like me, he loves my twin brother and my mum but always hated me and that's why he left in the first place" I say as we make our way up to the door.

"Wait what about um" I pause not knowing what to call him and I don't want to make assumptions "he's my husband" she says noticing my pause "and he'd also rather a teenager not be sleeping on the streets" she says and walks inside, and I follow walking slowly behind her.

"Hey" I hear a voice coming from somewhere in the house "hey" she replies coming to a stop outside a room and I stop just behind her, "how was your run"  the voice who I'm guessing belongs to her husband says again "so about that" she says turning to look at me she motions with her hand for me to go closer and I do that.

I stop just beside her outside what seems to be the kitchen and dining room "who's this?" He asks looking at me now "Louise" I say after a minute realising I didn't tell her my name "that's paul" she says pointing at him "I'm gonna show you the guest room, then tell Paul why you're here" she says and I nod following her again up some stairs.

We enter a room with a queen bed and a bathroom attached to it "have a shower than go to bed, we'll talk more in the morning" she says and I just nod and thank her walking to the bathroom, I step in the shower and let the water run on my body then my emotions start to take over me.

All my hatred at me for leaving and doing what I did, at my dad for making me, all the pain I'm feeling because I started to care about more than cleo Jake and my family and as soon as I do that it gets taken away, tears are flowing down my cheeks and I just sit on the shower floor, willing for it all to stop and for the pain to go away.

After get myself together I step out of the shower and put on some clothes before laying on the bed I can hear talking from downstairs before I start to drift off to sleep.

"Why would you do this" I hear someone say I look around to see who was speaking but there was no one there "it's all your fault" I hear the voice speak again but his time someone steps in front of me, Axel's stands there holding his abdomen "you should've stayed away, your father was right" he says stepping closer "what are you talking about I am staying away" I say confused I look around and realise I'm in my house how'd I get here "you are a disappointment and this world would be ten times better without you in it" he says before launching at me with a knife 

"No" I scream while sitting up in bed I look around at my surroundings and realise I'm not in my room "what's going on?" Someone asks turning on the lights I look at the door to see the women standing there with Paul and a little girl next to her, I grab my chest trying to slow down my rapid heartbeat "I- um I had a nightmare, I'm sorry for waking you" I say giving them an apologetic look "It's ok" she replies walking towards the bed "it's morning time anyway" she says and I nod "wait what's the time?" I ask, I was supposed to take the 5am bus out of here "7:30 I think why" she says before a voice speaks up "mummy who's this?" I look up to see a little girl.

"This is Louise, remember I told you about her" she says turning towards her she nods her head before running up to my bed "I'm molly" she says I smile at her "nice to meet you" I say and she nods then jumps on me "what happened to your eye?" She asks pulling away from me.

I look at her with furrowed eyebrows until I remembered that my eye was probably still bruised "yeah what happened to your eye" I hear the lady asked "wait I'm sorry what's your name you never really told me last night" I ask because I need to stop calling her lady "it's April" she says "what happened to your eye" Paul asks coming closer to inspect my face.

I look at my hands "someone punched me" I say and look over to molly "who" Paul asks with a concerned look on his face "no one" I say continuing to look at molly "it can't be no one" he says and I nod "I don't really want to talk about it" I say looking up at him and a look of realisation set on his face he looked over to April who had the same look but they didn't push it anymore.