Falling To The Sun | B. Swan + E. Cullen

vingt-sept

Roman's lost count of how many blankets she was wrapped in, but after she had woken up in Seth's room at the Clearwater house, Leah passing the floor agitatedly, she hadn't thought to ask about the warmth that she was being cocooned in.

She could hear their loud voices downstairs, stepping in and out of the house in turns -- the only thing keeping them away being Leah's renowned anger -- and she was thankful for that small miracle.

There were small tremors that continued to occasionally seize through her and each time she got a new blanket.

It was clear that Leah wasn't quite sure what to do for her, with her, and with the loud voices of the pack downstairs, it was clear she was only growing more agitated.

Roman clears her throat, poking her head further out of her cocoon. "Can I- Do you think I can take a shower?"

Her old friend spins to her, nodding eagerly because she had just given her something she could do, before helping her out of the nest of blankets, letting her cling to her a little as she feels like a baby doe learning to walk for the first time.

It's a little bit of a struggle getting her to the bathroom, the embarrassing way she has trouble working her limbs making her cheeks burn, but when she's finally locked safely inside, allowed to sink down to the toilet seat with her head in her hands, Roman feels like she can finally breathe again.

Tears stung her eyes, the hollow place in her chest spread like a disease, burning a hole through her. How could her parents be so terrible? How could they hate her so much that they would try to kill her? Try and turn her into a vampire when he was clearly crazy out of his mind?

It was bullshit! Complete and utter bullshit!

She should feel angry instead of defeated and useless, instead of pathetic and weak. She wanted to be furious, rightfully furious at how horrible her family was! There was no anger though, no matter how hard she tried to force it.

All she could think of was how right this just turned out to be as if it was just always meant to happen this way.

She shook her head, tears still trailing down her cheeks. She had to shower and change. She had to go home to get her stuff and find somewhere else to stay.

Roman just needed to stay focused on the task. She could break down later when the time came There was no use sitting around waiting for it to happen.

Stripping slowly, she avoided looking in the mirror as she went right in, not waiting for the water to heat as it pelted down at her. The cold shocked her into wakefulness, sending her shuffling back to lean against the cool tile that sent chills bone-deep.

She scrubbed herself clean, rough and vicious in all the spots that he touched. The soap was woodsy, Seth's scent. The shampoo fruity, Leah's scent.

It was nice, like being surrounded by friends that'll keep her safe, protect her.

They had protected her, Leah, saved her life, saved her from the possibility of that life, and whether or not he was dead, she knew nothing like that was ever going to happen again. No one was ever going to touch her like that again, she would find a way to make sure of it in the end.

"Alright, alright, okay," she whispers to herself, grabbing the thickest towel they had as she stepped out of the warmth into the steam. "I can do this. It isn't even a big deal."

She dried herself, patting her skin carefully on her arm where the handprint was a dark mark over the bruise that blossomed like a band on her skin. She prodded it, hissing at the sharp sting that flared up her arm.