Mystery Girl

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

*Alana's POV*

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" River asked me.

I didn't know what else to do, and if River really wanted to help me as much as he said he did, I had to tell him everything. So I whispered to him, "Ok."

"It all started 5 months ago. Like I said, when I broke up with my boyfriend. But his cheating wasn't the only reason I dumped him. Maybe under other circumstances I would have given him a second chance, but I was in the situation I was in and I couldn't change that. My parents. They...they were abusing me." I stopped there with tears threatening to spill. It wasn't until now that I noticed that I was squeezing River's hand harder and harder with every word. I managed to murmur out a "sorry" before I burst into to tears, letting go of his hand and covering my face. Before I knew it, I was enveloped in River's arms. She stroked my hair and whispered in my ear, "Shhh. Shhh. It will all be ok. I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you. Even after this is all over."

I couldn't believe River's kindness, especially since I had been so bitter. I decided there and then that I could trust River. If not anyone, River would be there for me. So I stopped my tears the best that I could and slipped out of River's arms. I looked him in the eyes and continued, "So yeah, 5 months ago, I started getting abused by my parents. I don't know why, but they did it. My mum would slap me and my dad would yell and sometimes hit me. It was all down hill from there. At the beginning I wasn't too bad. I would cry often but that was it. I thought it would stop but it didn't. So I...I started cutting. As my scars grew, the level of abuse grew." I put my arm into the light so River could see me scars. He took my arm and examined it as I went on, "Then my ex-boyfriend started abusing me too. I couldn't take it all. But I wasn't exactly to suicide yet, so I ran away, well almost. One day after school I was walking by an alley. I meant to catch a bus to anywhere from the bus stop at the corner, but I didn't get that far. A gang of guys jumped out at me. They beat me and left me there. I was sent to hospital. I thought maybe my parents wouldn't be so harsh anymore, but they kept doing it. Once I was out of hospital they yelled at me, said this was all my fault. I didn't know what to do. How to feel. Who to turn to. My grades just kept dropping. I got kicked off the cheers quad and just when I thought, maybe it will be alright, I was getting abused more than ever and then...I just couldn't do it anymore..." I trailed off and River finished my sentence "You thought you should end your life." I looked down at my hands again and gave a microscopic nod. River took let go of my forearm and took my hand "It will be okay Alana. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it will eventually."

I looked River and the eye and gave him a genuine "Thank you."

Just then I heard River's tummy grumble and noticed the time. 8:30. Already? I gave him a questioning look and asked "Have you eaten yet."

"No. It's ok. I'm not hungry. I'll," just then his tummy rumbled again and he looked embarrassed. "I'm gonna go get some food. Are you going to be ok here?" He looked so concerned, I didn't want him to leave me alone, but

he had to eat too.

"River, I'll be fine. Go get something to eat." He gave me an undecided look so I gave him another reassurance and he left.

God, River was amazing. He was kind. Caring. And just the fact that he chose this, as his profession. Listening to depressed kids talk all day? I don't think I would be able to do that. And actually helping them? Definitely out of my grasp.

*

20 minutes later, River was walking back into the door. When he came back to my side he didn't ask me more about my past. Instead he asked me about, me. Bands I liked, hobbies, sports I played. We laughed, joked and chatted for about an hour. Then at about 10 o'clock, I started yawning. River, bid me a goodnight and left.

That night I had the strangest dream. I dreamt of River. He was holding my hand and we were walking in a field. All of a sudden I fell down a hole and started screaming "RIVER!!! RIVER HELP ME!!!" As he reached down just as it was too late he screamed "ALAAAANA!!!" And then I woke up. Palms sweating and screaming I sat up. A doctor rushed into my room "Alana. Are you ok?"

"Yes doctor. Sorry. I just had a bad dream."

"Ok. Do you want me to call Mr Blemmings?"

"No. You don't need to call River. But where is he?"

"Well, it's 2am," just then did I notice it was so early,"so he went home at about 12. He'll be back on call at 6."

"Ok. Thank you doctor. I'm fine."

The doctor nodded and left. I lay back down in bed. What was that dream about? I've never had a dream like that before. Uggh. Why did I have to be in this situation anyway? Why was I dreaming about River? A voice in the back of my mind whispered "because you like him." Haha. Yeah right. As great as River was, I had only known him for about a week. And I most certainly didn't like him. Or did I? Why was everything so complicated? Was anything ever going to get easier? As all these questions ran through my head I slowly drifted to sleep.