Stranger, Help Me

FROM THAT DAY ON

Her life seemed to shatter around her like she was glass.

Her father was in jail and refused to meet her, her step-mother was reluctant and openly hostile towards her stay in her house and her little sister was scared to talk to her in fear of the step-mother. Her injuries were healing slowly, but her past scars remained tainted on her dangerously pale skin.

Evangeline sat on her bed, only it wasn't hers. She wondered if anything belonged to her.

She stared at her phone, fingers shaking. She wanted him to call. She wanted to call. But she did too many wrongs and he... He broke his promise. Anger began to swirl inside of her. To calm herself down, she breathed in and out slowly and said the two words that she'd always used that brings her false comfort. Better than no comfort at all.

"Everything's okay."

She lay her phone down and flopped down on her bed, sighing. The girl lay like this, quiet on the outside, the fan whirring and the walls creaking, yet on the inside she was screaming and yelling and creating chaos. Just when she was about to lose it, her door cracked open. The only person who visited was her step-mother.

Evangeline flew off her bed. "Y-yes?"

A little boy, one she didn't recognise but knew to be her ... Her step-mother's son, walked in. He looked to be around five, was short with ruffled dark brown hair and wide green eyes. His fingers barely wrapped around the door knob, but he managed to close it behind him.

Evangeline didn't know what to say. She knew who he was, a little, but he had never visited. He was so... Small. Young. She pulled at her long sleeves awkwardly, wanting to hide the scars from such an innocent face. She should hate him. But she knew what hate did. She knew and lashed out at Gale. Guilt and shame coursed through her.

"Mummy said you're living with us now but that I can't see you."

"Y-you can't?" Evangeline asked. Of course not. "Your mummy is protecting you."

"Why?" He wondered, pouting adorably. "You don't look scary."

"You don't have to look scary to be scary, sweetie." She said softly, pointing at herself. "Like me."

"You aren't scary." The child laughed. "Why would you look at me like that if you were?"

"Look at you... Like what?"

"You know like you might hurt me."

"Aren't you scared that I will?" Evangeline queried quietly, sitting back down on the bed. She knew it was her who was scared, terrified.

"Nope!" He grinned, showing a cute gapped smile. "Let's try it!" He bounded over to her and leapt on her. She let out a light scream, having learnt the art of silent pain and wrapped her arms around him protectively as she toppled over the bed from his oddly strong force. She rolled until she faced the blank white ceiling and her back collided with the hard tiled floor. She groaned internally and let herself feel the pain she deserved but on the outside she winced only once and pushed him off of her. They lay on the ground, breathing heavily.

"What are you doing?" She whisper-shouted. "That was dangerous!"

"But you protected me. Scary, yeah right. I'm Cooper and I'm five. Mummy says I'm cute and iweesistible. Whatever that is."