Angel Girl 〰➰〰 [TWD] [On Hold]

The Scars That Never Fade

I watched Jenger draw Sophia's blood and I noticed something I had never noticed around her collarbone and upper arms, peeking out from under her pink tank top.

Scars.

Sophia had scars.

I knew I would have to ask about them later, like how they were there. I should have realized she was a victim, with her shy, scared approach to life. Carol, I knew immediately, and I cannot believe I missed it with her daughter. It was not a woman's abuse, but probably a mans. I saw the way she stiffened if a man touched her shoulders and basically anywhere, I just assumed that she was like I was at her age and afraid of men. I was an idiot because at her age I was a victim of abuse!

When I was twelve I was stupid and when a fifteen year old boy told me that he loved me and asked me to be his girlfriend, I'd didn't give it a second thought. God, the things that asshole did to me, all while telling me that it was what people in normal relationships did. Every time he would hurt me, or scream at me, he would tell me that he loved me and I would believe him. I went over to his house so often I practically lived there.

For an entire year I was nothing but his plaything until Toby saw the effects of the abuse and beat him to a bloody pulp. By then I was practically a skeleton. Scars and needle marks covered my back and shoulders, and I was still adamant he loved me. That night my entire family sat down with me and explained a real relationship and that nothing in what I had was love. I lost the innocent and childish part of myself because of him.

My family filed a police report and he was practically shamed from the town when his dirty secret came into the light. He used to inject me with all sorts of things, that the police assumed to be some form of drug like roofies, and I I still suffer from the effects. I was in the hospital for weeks getting my body off of it and it had a permanent effect on my brain. The nightmares and the weak grip on reality, among other things, were the major effects. My least favorite is the fact I got tremors. This is what the doctor told me,

A tremor is an unintentional, rhythmic muscle movement involving to-and-fro movements, of one or more parts of the body. It is the most common of all involuntary movements and can affect the hands, arms, head, face, voice, trunk, and legs. Most tremors occur in the hands. In some people, tremor is a symptom of a neurological disorder or appears as a side effect of certain drugs. The most common form of tremor, however, occurs in otherwise largely healthy people. Although tremor is not life-threatening, it can be embarrassing to some people and make it harder to perform daily tasks. My tremors get more frequent nowadays and I often fear using my bow for that reason.

Sophia's mother had stood by her when her blood was drawn. I would have been there, but I was effectively trying to become one with the wall as Jenger was trying to figure out who he had missed from the original head count.

"There was another little girl, where is she?" The second the words left Jenger's mouth I felt his gaze connect with mine. Shit. I don't think I have ever run that fast in my pitiful life! I felt like this was a loop on a broken disc, that these last two years had been my imagination and I was running from Jason again. Somebody caught my arm and, not expecting it, I fell to the ground. Still freaking the hell out as the large redneck brought me back to the group.

Sophia was at my side in an instant, squeezing the life out of me. "Sophia?" I whispered in her ear so nobody else could hear it. "Do you remember when I was telling you about my life?" She nodded and I swallowed before finishing, "So that Jason guy I mentioned, the one who was mean to me, because of him I'm afraid of needles." She held me tighter and whispered back to me, her voice reassuring. "I'll be there for you, I promise. After we can compare scars!" I never thought such a morbid thing could make me laugh until now.