The next morning, Rae woke up at about 5:45 to get ready for school. "Elissa didn't come and wake me up in the middle of the night...I guess she just didn't want to," Rae said, as he shrugged it off. He got in the shower, and did everything to get ready. When he went down stairs to eat breakfast, Elissa wasn't anywhere around. "Mom, have you seen Elissa? he asked his mom who had just gotten through making breakfast.
"No, dear, I haven't. Maybe you should go wake her up, or get her from her room?" his mom suggested.
"Okay," Rae said, as he went up the stairs, down the hall, and to his brother's room. He knocked on the door, but she never came to answer. "Maybe she was just getting dressed or something..." Rae thought out loud. After he waited for a while, he started to get worried. "Elissa!" he called out to her. There was no answer. Rae started pounding on the door, and he yelled out her name again. There was still no answer. Rae jiggled the handle to see if it was open. It was, so he went inside, and saw Elissa lying in her bed. She was sleeping as peacefully as a baby. He smiled, and walked over to the side of her bed. He started to shake her slightly when she started rolling over. He jumped back when he saw something he would have never even guessed.
"Elissa? How could you have done something like that to yourself?" Rae said to her, as he examined the scars on her left wrist. He heard her breathe in and out heavily, and then he saw her eyes fluttering open. He jumped up, and she woke up a little.
"R-Rae?" she said, groggily.
"Oh, uh...hi, Elissa," Rae said.
"What are you doing here?" she said, confused.
"I live here," Rae said.
"No..." Elissa sighed.
"Yeah I do..." Rae said a little awkwardly.
"No...that's not what I meant...in my room?" Elissa partially said.
"Oh, it's time to get up," Rae smiled, trying to hide what he saw.
"What's the matter?" Elissa asked him, sitting up.
"N-nothing!" Rae denied.
Elissa looked up at him for a while, and she shrugged it off. She started getting up from her bed, and she stretched.
Raes eyes widened when he saw her scar on her back. "That...that's the scar from...?" Rae started.
Elissa turned around and looked at him, confused. Then she realized that she was wearing a tank top, so she figured he was talking about the scar from the fire poker. She sighed, and looked at her feet. "Yeah, that's it..." Elissa sighed.
"I'm so sorry..." Rae said, hugging her close to him. "I...I saw the scars...on your wrist..."
Elissa grew silent, and fell limp.
"I didn't mean to...I just accidentally saw them...how long have they been there?" Rae asked, worried.
"They've been there for a month now..." Elissa sighed, and looked away from him.
Rae put his hand on her cheek, and brought up her head, to where her eyes met his. "Didn't you know better than not to do that? What made you want to hurt yourself like that?"
Elissa looked at him for a while, and then gathered up the courage to say, "I-I couldn't stop myself...I f-figured it would h-have to be b-better than...living a l-life with my d-dad." By this time, Elissa was sobbing and shaking all over, remembering the pain she went through. "I-I'm sorry, Rae..."
"Elissa...are...what?" Rae started, but he wasn't sure what to say. He just held her close to him. "It's going to be all right, I promise. I'll take care of you, and you won't have to cut yourself anymore."
"Th-thanks..." Elissa sobbed.
"No problem," Rae comforted her.
"Are you two going to come down stairs and eat?" Mrs. Irving said, coming in the room. "What's wrong?" Her eyes widened, seeing Rae holding Elissa close, and Elissa bawling on his shoulder.
Elissa pulled back, and turned her head in the opposite direction of Rae's mom, and started wiping away her tears.
Rae looked over at his mom with pleading eyes, telling her to go away.
"Okay, I see. Just get down there soon, before your eggs and toast grow cold," she said, going out of the door.
"Why don't...you get dressed, and you can meet me outside of your door, okay?" Rae suggested.
Elissa nodded her agreement, and Rae went outside of her door, to wait for her to get ready.
After a few minutes, Elissa came out of her room, dressed and ready to go to school. Rae was sitting down, leaning his back up against the wall.
"Elissa..." Rae started, and then looked up at her.
"What is it?" Elissa gulped. "Why'd you stop?" She had made sure she looked just a little better than what she normally did, though she didn't exactly know why.
"Uh, it's nothing," he said, and stood up. "So, do you want some breakfast?"
"Sure," Elissa smiled.
"Okay, uh, follow me then," Rae said.
Elissa laughed, "I know where it is by now."
"Oh, uh, sorry..." he apologized.
"It's all right." Elissa and Rae walked down the stairs, and into the Dining Room, where his mom had been waiting for them.
"So, you two finally decided to come down for breakfast?" Rae's mom asked them, as they sat down.
There was silence the whole time they were eating.
Once they were through, Mrs. Irving started cleaning up everything. "Do you need me to drive you two to school?" she asked Rae.
"No, mom. I can drive Elissa to school," Rae said, starting back up to his room, followed by Elissa, but Elissa went towards her room, instead of into Rae's room. They both brushed their teeth, and did everything else they needed to do to get ready for school. They met downstairs, and then they walked to Rae's car to go to school.
"Bye, mom! We're leaving now!" Rae yelled as they walked out of the front door.
"Do you have all of your homework?" she called out after him.
"Yes, mom," Rae said, as he rolled his eyes. "Come on, Elissa."
They both got in the car, and Rae started to drive out of the driveway when Elissa suddenly ducked down in the car.
"Elissa, what are y--?" Rae started, but Elissa quieted him down.
"It's my dad," Elissa mouthed and pointed above her head.
Rae looked up to see a man walking down the street, with nothing in his hands, just looking around everywhere. He hurriedly backed out of the driveway, and drove off in the direction of their school. Once they got more than a block away, Elissa sat back up in her seat, and sighed.
