The Safe Book

Chapter 2

Mercy had pretty much been through hell, and she was pretty tired of being fucked over. 

Ash is dead. He's gone, he doesn't write letters.

Than what the hell is in my hands?

Mercy struggled to comprehend what she was staring at. It was like she was glaring at his body; a faint, limp piece of him, of what she loved.

The date on the letter, heavy paper and thick lines of handwritten letters, marked that this was written before he was gone. In a single slip of paper, Mercy felt like she found a hundred dollar bill, no, something more. She felt like she just painted the next wonder of the world-that she just found something absolutely priceless.

She was about to let loose the bubble of hysterical laughter that has been building in her chest when the heavy door to her little sanctuary-to-be swung open.

"Mercy, have you se-," Laura asks, and then her voice shuts off immediately when she spots Mercy, still shuddering from her shock, her eyes wild.

Mercy jumps at Laura's voice, and from too many years of hiding whatever is precious to her heart, shoves the letter into a ball in her fist. Laura's kind, but wary eyes flickered over to her new daughter and sighs, knowing she must be in some kind of grieving state.

"He left this...didn't he?" Mercy asks gesturing to her fist. Laura winced at the suggestion. "It was in the mail," she replied, carefully walking towards Mercy. "I knew it was for you. I didn't-,"

"You didn't what?" Mercy hissed, abruptly angry. Why didn't she tell me? Didn't I deserve to know?

Laura looked down in submission. Mercy mentally noted Laura didn't have much fight in her and her anger, as quickly as it came, dissipated.

I guess it's not really her fault. Mercy groaned with a heavy exhale. "Sorry," she mumbled half-heartedly.

"I'm sorry, dear. I just wanted to wait until I knew you'd be okay with it."

Mercy looked over at Laura, whose subtle bags under her eyes seemed more prominent. She remembered how it was a miracle Laura and Andrew even accepted to take her in. She remembered how excited she and Ashton were.

Right on cue, Mercy's eyes automatically looked for his face.

"Did you need help unpacking?" Laura asked, her voice echoing into Mercy's ears.  "I can help, if you want. It wouldn't be any trouble." Mercy shook her head at the offer. She was fatigued and just wanted to curl up into a ball. Laura held her gaze for a second longer, her eyes trying to read something in Mercy's. She found nothing, for like her brother, Mercy could hide her emotions. Sometimes, she pushed them down so far from the surface; she stopped feeling them too,

It's one gift that Mercy was thankful for when she started to talk again after the month of silence that followed him.

Laura touched mercy's shoulder, lightly, like she was afraid her daughter would break from any further pressure on her body, mind, or soul.

"I love you," Laura said gently, the words brushing against Mercy's ears like butterfly wings; insignificant.

Through the better months, she and her family-to-be got closer, they had visiting hours here all they did was play games like a normal family. Mercy had grown used to talking to them. But today wasn't one of the days where she wished to speak.

So though a monotone voice, she simply replied, "You, too, Laura."

The older woman beamed, flashing a smile that reminded Mercy of Kendal. She wondered, for a brief second why Kendal even put the picture of Ashton in her bag. Mercy planned on leaving it. She didn't want to hurt anymore. She was going to let it stay there, so she didn't have to be reminded of it.