Take Me Away | ✓

» 16

K A D E N

I closed the door as quietly as possible, warily taking in the dark surroundings of my home. I'd made sure mom and dad were asleep before I attempted to enter the front. The back door, my usual get in and get away had suspiciously been locked today. I found it odd since it wasn't sealed when I'd left and that made me even more careful as I manoeuvred around the house.

Tiptoeing over the dodgy step on the stairs, I made it up to my bedroom door.

"Where have you been?" Her voice was quiet but could easily be heard in the empty space around us.

Without turning around I said, "Nowhere." And started to make my way into my room but she stopped me, spinning me around.

My head hung low and I hoped that the hood concealed my face. But even that came off. She lifted my chin to the light and a gasp escaped her lips. "Who did this to you?"

"Nobody. It's nothing." I tried to shake her off but she was adamant.

Taking my arm she guided me down the stairs to the kitchen where she sat me down on a stool. Soundlessly she got out the first aid kit and with a wet wipe began to rid of the dirt that caked my face.

There was blood too. But that too soon disappeared along with the dirt and ended up in the bottom of the bin. When the worst of it was cleaned up she tilted my head towards the light and began inspecting my face again.

"Did you get into a fight?" She questioned, her fingers lightly flitting across my sore eye.

"It's nothing," I repeated, attempting to escape her grip. But I failed once again and slumped down on the stool.

My hands formed into fists on my lap and I kept my head down low because looking up at her, into her worried eyes, made me feel so exposed. So vulnerable. Weak. And I wasn't meant to be like that.

I squeezed my eyes shut. Maybe when I opened them again then this would just be a bad dream. Although I couldn't see her I could still feel her and that's what brought me crashing back to reality.

I was stuck in this nightmare.

When I awoke, my head felt like it was going to explode.

I sat up straight in bed and instantly regretted it as my vision started to blur. My chest ached as I remembered the memory. It was the one that I replayed over and over again. The moment when things started to go wrong.

I coughed a couple of times. The movement caused something to stir beside me. I turned to my left to see a girl.

A girl. In my bed. And I was. . . I lifted up the sheets. I was naked.

I ran a tired hand across my face and looked at the sleeping figure next to me. Her hair was spread out on the pillow like a fan and memories of last night started to slowly come back to me. A knock on the door, a few drinks and then stumbling up the stairs to my room.

Locating the sweatpants I'd discarded last night, I pulled them over my hips and made my way to the bathroom. Except it wasn't the bathroom but a storage closet of some kind I'd opened. Sighing, I turned in the correct direction. My head still felt fuzzy and disorientated making me wonder just how much I'd drunk. But even thinking hurt.