Guns and Roses

Thirty Five ~ Quinn

Lisa is in the kitchen when I finally get home. I had to walk after Rya left early and I had waited with Kira after for her to finish her art piece.

She smiles at me tightly as I walk in and lean against the table. "How are you holding up?" I ask her.

She shakes her head. "Third time around and it still isn't any easier" I dont understand but I dont push. She steps away from whatever shes making - it looks like soup. "I raised those kids like they were my own. After Natalyla died, it wasnt like Elijah was going to step up so I took them all in. I tried to make them good people but in a house like this it's an impossibility"

She wipes her eyes and the tears that have gathered there. "After we lost Katie, I hoped that I wouldn't lose any of the boys. It lasted a few years but then Oliver..." she trails off sadly. "Bella too. I met her when she was a teenager and I saw Katie in her. I think everyone did, that's why she lasted so long here. Now shes gone too" She laughs and shakes her head. "You won't see it but this house used to be a happy place. Sure, we had our ups and downs, but when Natalyla was around, we were just a family"

I wrap my arms around the frail woman and she hugs me back. She's lost so much, her children - both adopted and not, her friend in Natalyla and now her life has come crashing down.

She pulls away suddenly and takes my hand. "You're a good person Quinn. Nothing can change that, because it's in here" she pats my chest "You see the people in this house as monsters and hate them, I see them as my children and love them"

****

I find Rya in the basement. Not the torture one, that one is occupied by Artie and whatever poor soul that's been trapped down there.

I walk down the stairs and hear grunts and the slap of bare skin on leather. I look around and see Rya with her back towards me, walking backwards and feeling around with her feet for the long mat on the ground.

"Rya?" I call out. She turns and I see the grey piece of material she has wrapped around her eyes. "What are you doing?"

She pulls the material away so she can see. "Training" she says matter of fact. "I havent been able to the past few weeks and I'm getting sloppy"

I frown as she puts the blindfold back into place and finds the edge of the mat behind her with her bare toes. "You're still injured and what's with the blindfold"

She sighs and pulls the blindfold away again. I sit on the stairs and she comes over to stand by me. Her black sports bra reveals the healing bruises on her side and I wince as I realise how much it must have hurt to get them.

She throws herself down beside me and starts to stretch her arms up. "When I was thirteen, I was doing a flip and landed wrong. I fell and broke my right wrist. Being right-handed, I wasnt able to do pretty much anything for a few weeks. About two days in, I got bored and decided that I didn't want a dominant hand anymore, I wanted both arms to be equal in strength and dexterity. So for the next three months, even after my wrist healed, I did everything with my left hand"

She stands up and then sits on the floor in front of me. She spreads her legs and reaches down to touch her toes. "Once I could do that, I filmed myself training and found what aspect of myself I used most to take down an opponent. At first, I was always kicking but I couldn't get high enough, so I taught myself how to jump and still get enough power into my kick to hit the head. My new target, is to be able to fight without the use of my eyes"

"You're certainly determined" I laugh.

She laughs with me. "You have to be if you want to survive" she says and then reties the blindfold and finds her way to the edge of the mat. She starts running and then springs into the air. She flips onto her hands and then shes airborne again, bouncing once on her feet and then cart wheeling, flipping and then spin kicking a dummy in the side of the head and sending it flying to the other side of the room.

She smiles at the sound and then beckons me towards her with one finger. I get to my feet and walk over, I try to be silent but as soon as I'm a few feet away, she flips back onto her hands and then her legs wrap around my neck and I'm falling back with her clinging to the front of my head like some sort of deranged monkey.

I hit the ground hard and she rolls off with a sharp cry. The only thing hurt is my pride but shes whimpering softly. I sit upright and see her writhing on the ground clutching at her ribs. I take the blindfold off her eyes and see that her eyes are screwed shut. She takes a few deep breaths and then grabs my hand "Give me a second" she says and stops wriggling about like a fish out of water. She uses my arm to pull herself up and then opens her eyes. "I fucking hate having broken ribs"

I roll my eyes "I doubt you throwing yourself around like that is doing them any good"

My phone rings and I leave her knowing that shes alright now. She starts to wrap her hands in tape and I'm exhausted even thinking about the workout shes doing.

Its Reggie. "Hey" I greet him.

"Hey man. Did Kira leave the school?" He asks me his voice worried.

I frown "Yeah. The same time as me. Why?"

He sighs "Its fucking bizarre. She had her little cousins birthday party tonight and she just didn't come home. Shes been going on about how she has to get ready for this party all day"

"She practically ran from the school as well to get home in time"

"Who's that?" Rya shouts over.

I quickly say goodbye to Reggie and then go over to meet Rya again. "Reggie. Kira never went home today. No ones seen her since I left her at school"

She ties her hair back again after it had come loose. "Its only been an hour? Maybe she took a wrong turn or met a friend?"

I nod. I havent mentioned what happened today and Rya hasn't either. I expected it but she didn't. It must be tearing her apart.