Shine your light

1

Chapter 1

My ears were ringing, probably just from stress and fear. I kept my eyes tightly shut and willed myself to think of anything that could distract me from the current situation. A dish was harshly thrown against the wall, inches away from my face, causing splitters of glass to cut my skin. The taste of blood made me wanna throw up. I didn't even know if it came from my mouth, or if it trickled down from my nose.

It was hard to hear anything except his yelling, but the sound of the front door being forcefully opened cut through. There were then other voices mixed in with his, other men. I thought I heard him being tackled to the floor, but I couldn't be sure as I refused to open my eyes. After a while, I faintly heard a woman's voice, saying to bring him outside, and after some shuffling, the house was completely silent.

"Hey, you're okay, he's gone, he won't hurt you anymore. I'm Maya, can you please open your eyes?" A very gentle voice nearly whispered.

I did as she asked, and could see a woman squatting on the floor in front of me. She had blonde hair that was in a ponytail, and kind, blue eyes.

"We're here to help you, okay? Can you let me help you? There's an aid car outside, we can look over your inj-" She continued, but I didn't let her finish.

I practically jumped onto her, wrapping my arms around her neck like my life depended on it. It wasn't a decision I made, it just happened, like my body reacted on pure instinct. It wasn't like me at all, I never let people get close, especially not strangers, having a hard time trusting anybody.

I think she was startled for a moment, but soon stood up with me still in her arms. I wrapped my legs around her torso as she used one hand to hold me up, and the other holding the back of my head. I cried freely into her neck, feeling unreasonably safe in her embrace. Her skin smelled nice, maybe my mom smelled like that, but I would never get to find out.

"Shh, it's alright sweetheart. You're safe now, I promise" She soothed, pacing while waiting for me to calm down.

When I was down to just sniffles and hiccups, she took me outside. I could hear people and sirens all around, but I kept my eyes close, focusing on her smell and warmth. I heard car doors close behind us, quickly drowning out the noise. She sat down, me sitting on her lap, still holding on tightly.

"Can I put you down and look over your injuries sweetheart? It's just us in here, no one will get to you" She asked, rubbing up and down my back.

I slowly loosened my grip, allowing her to peel me off of her and put me on the gurney. She grabbed one of my hands, continuing to hold it throughout the whole examination. I appreciated the gesture, it made me feel safe and cared for in a way I never had before.

"We're all done, you did so great!" She cheered quietly.

"You don't need to go to the hospital. Was that man your father sweetheart?" She asked, making me nod, feeling the tears welling up again.

"Okay, well he was taken into custody. Do you have anyone you can stay with?" She asked gently, squeezing my hand.

I shook my head, feeling myself start to panic. What would happen now? Where would I go? I had absolutely no one. I didn't want to be alone.

"Hey, take some deep breath with me, it's gonna be okay" She urged, trying to calm my suddenly rapid breathing.

I looked at her, trying to follow her breathing. It was hard at first, but after a few minutes, I was feeling a lot calmer. I must look like an absolute mess, yet she looked at me with nothing my compassion and love. I was not used to people looking at me like that, it made me feel warm.