Broken (Edited edition)

Swimming Pool

After breakfast, Mark got a call from someone in L.A."  Who is it?"  I ask, walking up beside him as he put his phone in his pocket.  He simply smiles, and tells me not to worry.  That everything was going to be fine, it's just that we need to stay at the hotel for an extra day or two."  What?  Why?  What's wrong with the house?"  I ask.  Mark puts his hand on top of my shoulder, and tells me to stop worrying.  He explains that they had to nuke it with some rat poison, due to the whole apartment complex becoming infested with them.  So we have to stay at the hotel for another day or two while they clean up the dead rats.  It makes me feel sick when he says that,  and I hold on the stomach.  Mark says they also needed to clean up the air before allowing anyone in the building."  Why did you hide something so stupid from me?"

"Because I knew you were going to flip out over this.  So I stopped myself from telling you.  Look, you're worrying.  This is what I didn't want!"  His voice rises a bit, and he groans ."  I'm sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice."  I nod, and he pats my shoulder again."  Hey, don't beat yourself up over nothing.  Don't be like me."  Mark starts laughing, and Arin wakes up Danny as we get up to leave.  His face is sticky from the cereal milk, and he asks why that is."  You feel asleep dumbass."  Arin says as Danny hangs in the back of the group."  Gosh I'm beat, what time did we go to bed huh?  I don't understand why I'm so tired, as if my battery in on low power."  He wraps his arm around me, pulling at the strings on my hoodie.  I don't mind, he's trying to keep himself awake.

We take the elevator up to our room, and I decide to lay down for a nap.  I barely slept for the night, so I needed a nap.  Danny decides to take one with me.  He's laying on the other bed, rolling around as he tries to sleep.  He finally falls asleep after two or three rolls.  He clutches a pillow to his chest, holding it tightly in his grip.  A small dripple of drool coming from his mouth, and the purple under his eyes fading.  It takes me a while longer to fall asleep.  It's been days since I've been able to sleep.  I've been so tired.  Ever since the last nightmare, I haven't been able to sleep.  But for some reason, today feels better.  I shut my eyes, and feel myself drift off.

The Judge stood in front of me as I stood in my hotel room.  She stood there with a knife in her hand, growling at me.  That's odd, growling?  Her teeth were sharp, and a long, crooked tail came out from underneath her black skirt.  Her teeth bulky, as if  they were two times bigger than usual.  Her eyes are a bronze yellow, glowing in the dark room surrounding us.  She tilts her head at me, like a curious animal would.  Exactly like that.  Her teeth started to chatter, like she was cold.  But I knew it wasn't that.   She was twitching.  She got down on all four, and I noticed  fur  covering her cheeks and around her eyes."  You dare talk to me like that?  You stupid whore?"  She cries out, and flings herself at me.

I wake up with a jolt, and cough a few times.  Sweat dripping down my chin, as well as other places on my skin.  I wipe my forehead, yanking my clothes off my upper body.  I drop them on the ground, and search through my suitcase.  I find a T-shirt.  That's it.  I need to get more clothes if I'm going to be here for a few more days.  I pull on the T-shirt, and walk out of the bedroom.  Nobody is in the living room, but there's a note.  'Hey, we went to the pool'.  It simply says, and I roll my eyes.  I leave the hotel room, and take my time going down to the pool.  I have to watch the signs to figure out where I'm going.  The signs are colorful, with bright blues and reds.  It's difficult to see where they're pointing, but I find the pool.  I see everyone's in the pool, even Suzy.  She told me once that she hated swimming because makes her hair dye fade faster.  I walk in, sitting down on one of the beach chairs.

Mark is swimming near Danny, shoving water towards him so many times.  Danny somewhat growls at him.  It funny, and I start laughing as I watch them."  How was your nap?"  Mark asks, swimming to the edge of the pool.  He smiles at me, and I walk over to him."  It was okay, I've just been having odd dreams lately.  So I'm a little on edge."  I explain to him my dream, and he chuckles.  He doesn't have his glasses on, so he looks super Asian right now."  You hungry at all?"  He asks.  I shake my head, telling him I'm still stuffed from breakfast."  That dream is kind of crazy, but it's just a dream.  It can't hurt you now right?"  I nod, pulling my shoes and socks off.  I dip my feet in the water, it's freezing.  It's feel good though, my feet were burning up in my shoes."  I need more clothes by the way if we're staying here for a couple more days.  My clothes are covered in sweat and muck."  Mark starts playing with my feet underneath the water, making me smirk while I try not to laugh.  He starts laughing, which causes me to start laughing.

I sit there on the edge of the water for a bit, talking with Mark about what we're going to do tonight.  He's thinking about going out for a nice dinner, and going bowling."  That's sounds fun!"  I say, and Danny looks over at me."  Hey, why aren't you swimming?"  He asks, and I stop smiling.  I have on one of Mark's jackets, and pull it tighter around me."  I...um...."

"There's too many people here."  Arin says, and Jack looks concerned at me."  Hey, sweetie.  I thought you were getting over your fear?"  He asks, and I nod."  I am...it's just...I don't know, something about going swimming scares me a lot.  I don't like people seeing me that naked."  I shiver, and pull my feet out of the water.  I yank my socks and shoes back on, and go sit back down on the chair.  I pull my hood up over my head, hiding my face.  For about five minutes, I'm left alone, then an arm falls over my shoulders.  I look up, and see Jack with towels over his body.  His hair soaked, and he's drying his face with a towel."  Listen, I'm not trying to make you upset.  But, I've got to understand somethings before I can stop.  It's just how I was raised.  So come on, where's the fear from?"  He asks, wrapping the towel around his neck.  The group stops, and they swim closer to me.  Mark looks at me with interest, resting his forearms on the edge of the pool side.  I look away for a moment, then meet his eyes again.  this time, with purpose.

"A few years back, my brother and I were part of a drug raid.  He brought me along due to that I was already given the drug they were stealing.  He also didn't want me to be alone with his booze.  When we were there, my sleeve was torn.  It was one of those baggy jackets I wore when I first met you Mark if you remember?"  He nods."  Anyway, they saw my arm full of scars.  The bad fellows we were stealing from.  So they ripped off my clothes, seeing the horror of my exist.  They started to laugh at me, started to laugh at my damaged body.  I can hear them right now if I think of it.  After we got what Todd wanted, we left.  Me in my undies, freezing my ass off.  Just to make me suffer even more, Todd pushed me into a puddle of water, and I nearly froze to death on the walk to the apartment.  So yeah, that's why I don't like showing my skin so much.  And other reasons as well."

I start to shiver, and tears weld up in my eyes.  They start to pour, but I don't make a sound."  That night, after everything I had been through.  After being so humiliated, he molested me.  And threw me outside with a thin blanket on my shoulders.  He told me I deserved to be treated like trash."  I wipe the tears away, and cough a few times trying to keep it together.  But when I blink again, more tears flood down my face.  I can't stop about thinking about that day, and start crying some more.   I pull myself together again, and let out a deep breathe."  Let's do something else beside tell my history.  How we go to the mall, or go out for food?  Something!"  I get up, and wait for everyone to dry off before we go upstairs.  Mark picks me up into his arms, and holds me tightly.  He squeezes me hard, but not hard enough to make it hard to breathe.

"I'm sorry."  He mumbles, and I sigh."  You need you to stop saying that."  I tell him, and he smiles."  I know, but I am.  I love you, and I never want anything like that to happen to you again."  When we get to the bedroom, Danny insists on brushing my hair.  So I sit down in front of him, and he brushes my hair.  Afterwards he braids it into pigtails.  Making me look like one of those school girls in the movies.  Suzy gives Danny two bows to tie my hair.  I thank him, and pull on different socks.  fluffy kind to keep my feet warm.  It's freezing now here, and I'm getting chills.  I grab a coat as well, and sit down on the bed.  Waiting for everyone to get ready so we can go out.