Again ~ A Luke Brooks Love Story

Chapter 41

ROSIE'S POV:

After that beating, I hurt. I hurt all over, in worse pain then ever before. That was the worst one I've ever had. I'd honestly thought I was going to die.

After I passed out, Sean had gotten scared and tipped a full bucket of freezing cold water over me to try to revive me. At first, when I woke up in a puddle on the floor, I thought he was finally showing a bit of compassion but when he started mumbling on about it 'looking suspicious' and 'Bitch getting me in trouble', I realized, that once more he was just trying to save his own skin and not have to face a murder charge. I don't think even his 'boys' could not ask questions about his dead sister in the living room.

Luckily for me, I hadn't been seriously injured by Sean's assault but there were still visible marks all over my body. On my face alone, I had a split bottom lip which was swollen to what looked like twice it's usual size and was still sore to touch. It also gave me a lisp when I spoke but I had been keeping very quiet recently. In addition to my lip, I had an ugly black eye and my nose was still clogged with dry blood. Dark blue and black bruises covered my arms and torso and my legs had horrible red marks all over them. They looked like burns but they were just from the impact of Sean's heavy blows.

Sean had said that I couldn't go out looking like a member of the walking dead and I had been stuck in the house for a little over two weeks. I knew he had been getting money of Luke and Paisley like he so wanted because he waved it in my face at every opportunity. From Sean's boasting, I think Luke had handed over about $400 by now. I knew that they had literally no money, what with paying for Ava and I couldn't help wondering what Luke had done to get his hands on it. Perhaps he had persuaded his mum or one of his brothers to part with some of their hard earned cash? I very much doubted it. Whatever he qas doing, I desperately didn't want him turning to illegitemate dealings. These things escalate and before you know it, you're trying to rob a bank while you're high on ecsasty or something.

Right now, the house was dusty and dark even though it was only a little past lunchtime. Sean never opened the curtains unless if it was to stare out of the grimy windoqs at someone.

The whole house though, especially the living room was a lot cleaner then it had ever been before seeing as how I had nothing to do. Sean snapped at me if I got under his feet whist I tided up but he hadn't stopped me. My room, the tiny box room upstairs was always reasonably tidy because I couldn't stand living in clutter and it's not like I had anything to mess it up anyway but the rest of the house, the downstairs area especially, was now so tidy to the extent it looked bare. Fearing another beating, I hadn't dared venture into Sean's room so he was still living in a pigsty.

I was alone in the house, a rare occasion. Sean had been the one dealing with orders for drugs so there was no need for anyone else to be here but he had gotten a call about half an hour ago and had stormed off down the road to deal with something.

For thirty long minutes, I had been staring at the front door, trying to build up the courage to actually go through it. I was so nervous it felt like several herds of elephants were charging around my stomach. Slowly with my heart pounding, I stretched out a hand to touch the door handle. As if expecting an electric shock, I drew it back straight away.

Nothing happened.

I breathed a sigh of relief and felt a new wave of courage wash over me. I reached out again, this time with no hesitation. I pushed the handle down firmly and pulled the door open.

The sudden burst of sunlight temporarily blinded me. I had forgotten how bright it could be. Squinting, I raised a hand to shield me eyes. This blocked out the light but my arm was sore as I hd it up.

Still with my makeshift sun block, I looked both up and down the street for any sign of Sean or a member of his gang. It was completely deserted aside from a little old lady who was walking down the road who watched me curiously then stared at my facial injures in horror as she passed. Without giving her a second glance, I turned and ran in the opposite direction before Sean had a chance to come back. I didn't wven close the door.

At first, I had absolutely no idea where to go. When I had been running a while, to the average, middle-class part of town, I realized I was subconsciously following a route. The only times I ventured out of the house was when Sean needed me to go somewhere. I had been to the Brooks' house a lot over these past few months and that was were I was going.

When I passed my school, I saw a white transit van, remarkably similar to the one Sean drives. With a sudden burst of energy, I sprinted the last minute of the journey to my safe have. Panting from the run and with my bruises hurting, I pressed my index finger against the doorbell. I heard shouting inside then a distorted image of a person through the blurred glass panel. I held my breath as they opened the door and hoped for it to be one of the boys.