Shelter

Chapter 38

*Josh*

2 days later...

She never spoke. She never came out of her room.
I wish I could say I wanted to speak to her. I had no balls, for the first time forever.

I didn't understand myself. I was consumed by anger yet sadness. If you combine them both, I still don't understand.

Nicolas hasn't been home since that night and Emily is worried sick. Lana is trying to force Ella to eat, useless though. I continued my everyday routine, well I tried. Sat in my office, walked around, called up businesses, but I just wasn't myself.
God, sex I didn't even want or need.

I wanted to kill someone, kill him. Yet something at the back of my mind was holding me back, telling me just sit here. In better words, be by her.

I walked over to her room, knocked slightly and walked in.
"Ella" I cleared my throat.

She sat on her bed like a turtle, hidden yet hurt.

I didn't understand though, she wasn't marked besides that stitch on her hip and belted marks.

"Ella" I sat beside her. "Hey" I whispered.

She pulled her legs tighter into her chest and placed her head onto her knees. A tear dropped.

"Are you alright?" What a stupid question.

She broke down, tear after tear.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"The more...you ask me...the more I'll break" she whispered past her tears.

"So talk to me" I wiggled to face her completely. "Tell me"

She looked away.

"I'm sorry, I used you as bait. That wasn't the plan, I just...I..." for the first time I was speechless. "Tell me what you want. Do you want him dead? Do you want to be alone?"

"I want to be free" she looked at me, her eyes red in and out.

I sighed "I can't do that, Ella"

"Then don't ask me..." she looked away.

"You can't go back to the streets. You won't be able to survive like you could"

"Why is that?" she wiped away tears "Because I've been raped...I'm no longer good enough?"

"I didn't mean that...I-"

"Please go" she whispered "Go, go, please" she sobbed.

"Ella"

"Leave me alone, please" she sniffed "Just go" she began to shove me "Go, go"

"Ella"

"Go" she used both hands and began shoving me. "Go!" her voice appeared.

"Ella, stop"

"Go!" she began shoving harder.

"Ella"

She punched my chest several times and pushed me numerous times. "I hate you" she whispered as tears began again "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you-"