Saving Beth

Part 3

*OLIVIA*

I ran home as fast as I could, tears streaming down my face. As I burst through the door, my mother walked out of the kitchen, looking confused.

"What are you rushing around for? And what's with the tears?" She scoffed, inspecting her perfectly manicured nails, quickly composing herself and attempting to look uninterested.

"It's... It's Beth. She's gone. I'm sorry mom, I was watching and I looked down for a second and when I looked back up..." I trailed off, fear rising from the pits of my stomach as an all too familiar look of anger and hatred filled my mothers eyes. I took a step back, painful memories of past beatings coming into focus in my mind.

"What do you mean she's gone? I told you to watch her. You're a useless waste of space. I should have gotten that abortion." The venom dripped from her voice as she began to walk towards me, heels clicking on the tile, and every step grew louder as she charged toward me. It seemed almost as though a herd of wildebeest were quickly stampeding in my direction.

I knew what was next. I stepped back, bringing my arms up to protect my face, and apparently just in time as her claws sank into my flesh. I cringed, eyes watering from the sting, and pulled my arm free of her grasp, flesh tearing away under those razor sharp nails. I cried out in pain, cradling my wounded arm, and ran outside. Without hesitating, I began to make my way down the street, to the only safe place I knew- Michael's house.

Michael and I had been inseparable since the day we met, right before my 7th grade chorus recital. I was warming up for my solo, and he was setting up the bleachers. My nerves had gotten to me, and before I knew it I was spitting bits of my lunch into the trash can, gagging at the smell. He was the only one around, and as I wiped my mouth, we shared a glance, and I knew my secret was safe. We stayed best friends after that, and whenever things got really bad at home, I knew he'd be right there to save me.

I didn't see either of his parents cars, and for a split second I was afraid he wasn't home. But I rang the doorbell anyway, still sobbing, praying he answered. After waiting a minute, I started pounding on the door. "Michael! Open up!! It's an emergency!" I shouted, not caring that people were staring. The wounds on my arm were still bleeding, and as my tears fell they mixed with the blood, making it sting worse.

I was just about to start pounding again when the door flung open, revealing a wide-eyed Michael, wearing nothing but a blue towel, water beading from his tan, toned chest. Mmm, I thought to myself for a split second before pain shot up my arm, reminding me of my dire situation.

"Liv? What the hell!?" Michael jumped into action, ushering me inside as he closed the door. I sat down on the couch, hiding my face in shame as his perfectly chiseled abs came back into my line of vision. Heat flooded my cheeks as he sat down across from me, positioning himself so that the towel covered him in just the right places. I caught myself thinking about what was under that towel, but shook my head slightly as soon as the thought entered my mind. Now is not the time to be daydreaming Olivia, I scolded myself. I cleared my throat, looking up and into his blue eyes, afraid to break the silence. Thankfully I didn't have to.

"Did she do that?" Michael's voice broke through the fog in my head, bringing me back to the situation at hand. I nodded, still unable to speak. "Damn it Liv, I told you months ago we need to take it to the cops. She's getting worse!" The anger in his voice sent me into a fit of tremors and yet more tears.

It took him 20 minutes to calm me down, apologizing over and over for raising his voice. My arm had gone numb, the blood drying and the wounds already scabbing over. We walked to the bathroom, that damn towel still wrapped around his waist, distracting me from my problems. He glanced behind him, a smile making its way to his eyes, that familiar twinkle replacing the cold anger from moments ago.

"What's so funny?" The words came out harsher than I intended, the stress of the day finally catching up to me. I sighed, attempted a halfhearted smirk, and tried again. "What's with the smile? See something you like?" I joked.

"Nah, but you look like a lobster, your cheeks are so red. Why so embarrassed Liv? " He chuckled, the sound like music to my ears.  I shook my head, and immediately relaxed. This WAS Michael after all.

"You're an idiot," I stated as I brushed past him, not entirely immune to the heat radiating from his skin. I quickly brought myself back to reality, not allowing my mind to wander for the hundredth time since I walked in the house. I got to work cleaning my wounds, fingers swift and nimble from years of practice. This wasn't the first time my mother had drawn blood, and I'm sure it wouldn't be the last. The wounds bubbled slightly, but I knew my mother kept her nails fairly clean, so I wasn't too worried about infection. The angry red welts would be hard to hide this time, but I knew I could make something up. I always did.

The hard part was convincing Michael to keep my secret. Every time I came over, I had a new scratch or bruise, some worse than others. I knew it was only a matter of time before he took it to the authorities.

"Olivia, she's dangerous. You need to stop protecting her and worry about getting you and your sister out of that house." His voice was strained, heavy with emotion. He was still standing behind me, and I could feel his eyes on me, but I couldn't bring myself to meet his gaze. Not yet.

"Michael... Beth is gone..." I whispered, fighting back another round of tears. I picked absentmindedly at my wounds, pulling the scabs away. I knew what he was about to say.

"Liv, it's not your fault. Don't let that old hag tell you otherwise." I could feel him reach out to touch me, but I pulled away before he could. If I let him comfort me, I wouldn't be able to hold it together. And at that point, I couldn't afford to fall apart. Beth needed me.

"Whether it's my fault or not, she's my sister. And I will find her. Now get dressed, we have work to do." I spun around and pushed past him, still not looking at his face.

I had a job to do, and I was running out of time.