Nemesis: A Love Story

TESSA/CHRIS

The drive to the institute was a quiet one. She'd woken up quiet and inward. Not wanting to even do her usual morning banter with Claire. She had just sipped her coffee and stayed silent.
The siblings seemed to read her well and kept to themselves. Once and a while commenting on this or that.
Claire had wanted to skip school and come with them but Hugh had managed to convince her to remain back for when Tessa would really need her by her side.
So now here they are driving silently, music on in the background. Hugh looks directly ahead and she stares out the window, playing multiple scenarios of how today could go and not really sure which one it would turn out to be.
She hasn't see her brother in a whole year. How would he react? Would he still even want to see her by the time she got there? In truth it was all in Chris hands and now, as she thought on it she was regretting her decision to come.
"I can still turn the car around"
His deep voice penetrates her clustered mind and lifts the fog.
He always manages to do this.
Read her mind.
Know what she's thinking before she even voices it.
"Part of me wants you too" she admits solemnly.
"Just say the word"
She smiles at that.
And she knows he would.
"Thank you for coming."
"You really need to stop doing that." He says looking sideways at her "thanking people for being decent human beings. Even I can be decent from time to time."
They smile warmly at each other and then she sees it.
The large red brick buildings looming in the distance.
Up high on a hill.
Scattered amongst the many trees.
Her mood instantly shifts.
Her body stiffens.
Hugh notices and his one hand that has been resting on the gear shift comes to rest on top of hers.
His warmth radiating into her skin, like a shield of protection.
They drove higher and higher up into the mountainous hill and finally came to a stop in the parking lot.
Neither says a word.
He stays quiet as she has her head down.
Hands fisted tightly in her lap.
"Should I stay here?" Hugh asked.
Her green eyes shift to him finally.
"No...I mean would you mind coming in. You might have to wait in the waiting room. I'm not sure if they'll let you into the visitation room with me." She rambles this all off in rapid succession.
"I'll do whatever you need."
Without thinking she reaches up and caresses the beauty that is his face, the backs of her fingers. Sweeping up and down slowly along his cheek. He closes his eyes in reaction to the tender touch.
She can tell her touch effects him, it's almost like he is starved for human contact. Like it's been deprived of him for so long.
It probably has.
He'd told her about his abuse.
So had Claire
A touch like this must feel otherworldly to a guy like him that's only known slaps and fists. Only known the roughness of sexual touches.
She flashes back to the look on his face when the bar whore had been going down on him.
She felt her mouth water.
Now wasn't the time.
They walked slowly down the white washed halls, everything so clean, so pristine.
They followed her brothers doctor, who explained the drugs Chris was on made him extremely calm, almost catatonic.
She nodded as the doctor spoke, well aware of the steady, strong presence of Hugh, close behind her. Without thinking  she reached back, his hand took hers instantly, squeezing reassuringly.
They stopped outside a grey door.
She remembered this door.
She remembered the room on the other side of it.
The room with the table.
The chairs.
The two orderlies as they called them stood against either wall, on guard, prepared for anything. 
They had stood there stoically, like statures when her brother had come across the table and wrapped his hands around her throat. Sending them both to the floor.
It had taken them only seconds to react but it had felt like eternity.
In that time she had managed to get loose from his vicelike grip by using her self defence tactics, twisting his wrist sharply, almost to the breaking point.
"You filthy bitch. You lying little cunt." the monster inside her brother shouted, spit at her.
It wasn't met with the same scared 13 year old girl.
No not this time.
It was met with an even darker monster of her own making.
She twisted his wrist.
Saw the monsters eyes flicker in shock back at her.
In pain.
Got a glimpse, a flash of Chris from behind hooded eyes.
"Give me back my brother, you bastard!!!" She shouted like thunder into its face.
It hissed at her.
Foaming at the mouth.
They wrestled them apart then.
It took both of them to drag her brothers body away and out the door, as it screamed from someone inside him.
"I should've killed you when I had the chance, you little whore!!! I should've SLIT YOUR FUCKING THROAT!!!"
She snaps back to reality.
Back outside that same door.
"Tessa?"
She turns her head to look at Hugh. She can see the concern on his face.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
She nods carefully.
"I'd like my fr..."she stops herself "Hugh, to come in with me" she tells the doctor.
"Well we advise..."
She cuts him off.
"I wasn't asking"