Recovery

Chapter 2

"Lex?" I feel a hand on my cheek. I thrash around trying to get that pervert off me.

"Lex! Wake up!" I crack my eyes open, and realize that it was just my brother, Brent, trying to wake me up. I guess that it was just another nightmare. Same as always. "I heard you screaming." He states it as a fact. "You okay?"

I can see the worry etched in his face. His brown eyes search my face, and I can tell he was genuinely worrying about me. He and I had always been close, but I don't think I can tell him exactly what happened yet.

"I'm okay." I answered, while my body was screaming the opposite. "I have just been getting these terrible dreams, flashbacks, about... What happened."

His eyes searched me once more and he nodded, "kay." I could tell he wanted more of the story, but I still couldn't think of the details without tossing my cookies.

I try not to think about the grimy hands on my body. Of course, that fails and I'm running to the porcelain throne once again before I know what's happening. Brent follows me, and rubs my back while I am there, in all my glory, puking up the milk mom gave me before. Gross. I rinse my mouth out, and look at Brent's reflection in the mirror. I catch his eye and try to force a smile, to tell him I'll be okay. I don't think he buys it.

"Lex," he starts, using the name only he's allowed to call me, "I'm taking tomorrow off, and you're going to tell me what happened." He states it like it's a fact and I know that there's no changing his mind. So I sigh and just start toward my bedroom.

Then a thought hits me.

"Brent?" I call, and he appears from around the corner where his bedroom is. "Will you make me tell the police?" Tears start filling my eyes at the thought.

Anger flashes through his eyes, as he switches to protective older brother mode. "No Lex, only me. Not even mom if you don't want to."

He's the best older brother I could ever ask for. "Thanks." I say. "For everything." I see his eyes soften a little.

We bid each other goodnight and go our separate ways. I step into my bedroom and look around. I turn on the light, and decide that I should probably clean it up. I'm just too lazy to even attempt it. At least tonight.

One half of my room was filled with clothes. I have any and every style of clothes you could possibly imagine. Okay, maybe not that much, but my mom sure loves clothes shopping. Me, not so much.

My closet is packed with the clothes I never wear. The overalls, miniskirts, and lace tops were just not my style. The sweaters, jeans, t-shirts and tank-tops are what littered the floor. And what I constantly wore. And my plaid shirts on the chair. Those were my favourite.

The other half of my huge room was totally different. Although still messy, it was a good kind of messy. Pages of music littered the floor, and in the middle of it all, there was a cleared spot. That's where I would sit, criss-cross applesauce, facing the big bay windows. I would play guitar, and I would sing.

I haven't played a lot in the last two days, because they've been so hectic with police visits and mom fretting over me, but tomorrow mom is going back to her job as a teacher's aid at an elementary school. But now Brent is taking the day off. Maybe he'd be able to take his keyboard into my room if I clean it up a little. Him and I often bond over our love for music, and our voices sound good together. My guitar. His piano. My alto. His tenor.

We've entertained the idea of performing, but that's more of a joke. I'm way too shy to sing in front of anyone. Only he can hear me sing, unless my mom can hear from downstairs, but I never even pick up my guitar if we have people over.

A noise behind me startles me out of my thoughts. I spin around, and my breathing starts to shallow. I feel myself turn pale before I realize that it was just my mom.

"Lexi, you're up already? I'm just leaving for work." She sounds surprised.

I glance at the clock, and it is indeed, 6:30. "Uh, yea. I had trouble sleeping." I'm still trying to recover from the shock that brought me out of my own world.

Mom looks at me strangely. "I can stay home if you want..." She started.

"No!" I practically shouted. "I mean, Brent said that he was taking today off work. So I'll be okay." I quickly covered myself. I mean, she meant well, it was just that she treats me like the kids she has to deal with at work all day.

"He did mention something about it," she put one finger to her chin, thinking for a moment. Suddenly she took it off her chin and waved it in the air. "Oh right. I need to get to work. Behave, Alexis, and keep your brother in line." She told me, trying to be stern while walking down the stairs, but failing miserably.

I glanced at the clock. 6:34. Well, might as well get some extra sleep while I can, I thought. I lay back in my bed, apprehensive of the dreams that I knew would follow. I did my best to avoid falling asleep, just resting my eyes, but soon I found myself drifting off.