Oh So Priceless

Chapter Eight

          Joel's POV
                  I sat on the ground, holding Blaire close to me. She had finally stopped crying, and she had fallen asleep. My back was nearly burning, and I couldn't do anything to help the pain. It hurt so badly, I nearly wanted to start crying. Moriah sat across the room, also asleep. She had missed everything that had happened earlier, and somehow, she had managed to keep sleeping. I was thinking that she'd probably hit her head, but I wasn't sure. They'd found us. I didn't know how, but they'd found us, and they'd come back, and they had us again. Moriah sat up, her eyes flying open, full of fear, and she gasped softly when she saw me with Blaire in my arms. She choked back a sob, and I smile weakly as she crawled over. 

     "I know one of the other guys who helped this time." I murmured, and she gave me a strange look.
      "What? Who is it?" I sighed softly, looking down at Blaire again, and felt a tear slide down my cheek. 
     "Travis. I think he was only dating her to get to close to her for this. And he....She said that he raped her." Moriah shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks.
     "We....we can't have a repeat of last time....what happened with Lucy....We can't do that. Not again." I nodded, looking down at Blaire. As the light in the room grew brighter with the rising sun, I saw things I hadn't noticed before. She had bruises and scratches littering her cheeks and arms, and there was blood on her arms and her t-shirt. I sighed softly, gently kissing the top of her head. She shot straight up, her eyes wide with fear, but relaxed slightly when she saw us. She sighed softly, her shoulders slumping.

       "I guess some of what I sang this week as Fantine and Eponine was true." She murmured, leaning back against the wall. I reached over, groaning softly as I moved my back, and gently squeezed her hand.

      "But some of what other people sang was true also. Remember? Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise." She smiled weakly, nodding.
     "Eventually." She leaned back, sighing, and softly sang some of the lines from one of her main songs, I Dreamed A Dream. I listened silently, tears streaming down my cheeks.

     "But the tigers come at night......with their voices soft as thunder, as they tear your hope apart.....As they turn your dreams to shame...." She gasped softly, leaning back, and kept singing, her voice just about cracking.
      "He spent a summer by my side....He filled my days with endless wonder. He took my childhood in his stride....But he was gone when autumn came." She lay her head on her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks.
      "I thought he loved me. He told me he did." She whispered, and Moriah gently hugged her, also crying slightly.
      " I know, Blaire. I know. We're here, love. We're not going anywhere." She leaned back against me, the tears still coming and refusing to slow. She began to sing softly again, and I saw Moriah struggling to not cry.

       "I had a dream my life would be....so different from this hell I'm living.....So different now from what it seemed.....Now life....has killed the dream....I dreamed." I gently leaned forward, cupping her face in my hands, and kissed her forehead.
       "No. It hasn't. It may have damaged or delayed your dreams a little bit, but it hasn't killed them. I'm sure of that. Remember the song that we did in Iceland?" She nodded weakly, smiling slightly.
     "Pioneers. That whole album....Burn The Ships.....I loved that one." I smiled, kissing the top of her head, and gently pulled her close.
      "Remember the song God Only Knows?" She nodded slightly, and I leaned closer to her. Moriah smiled weakly, and it took everything in me to sing part of the song.

     "God only knows what you've been through. God only knows what they say about you. God only knows how it's killing you. But there's a kind of love that God only knows. God only knows what you've been through. God only knows what they say about you. God only knows the real you. There's a kind of love that God only knows." She smiled weakly, blinking back tears.

     "Thank you." She whispered, closing her eyes. I could tell she was struggling with her emotions, as well as the circumstances and events, but that was expected. I just hoped we could get her out of there before things got any worse for her. My back was getting worse by the minute, and I didn't know what to do about that.... Or what would happen if I didn't get my medicine soon. But if we didn't get out of here....It wouldn't matter.