Someone Willing to Stay

Her Arms Are Covered In Bruises

      Five Years Old
     "What's wrong with your tummy?"
     We're sitting in the park, we come here everyday. All I want is to get up and race to the bushes where all the butterflies hide, Mel goes crazy when I chase the butterflies.
      But she won't even move. She says she's too tired but I see her holding her tummy, like if she lets go, it will fall right out of her.
      "It just hurts a little." She explains.
      "Maybe you're hungry, let's go ask for ice cream!" I suggest.
      She shakes her head, "It's just sore cuz Adam and me wrestled yesterday and he won."
     I sit down next to her, "He's a meanie."
     "You wrestle Angel." She points out.
    I shrug, "But I always win. You just tell Adam to wrestle me. There's no way he could win against me."

      Six years old
      "That's a big ouchie." I note out to Mel.
      She looks down at her arm, there's a large scratch running from her wrist to her elbow. It's bright red, I think if I touch it she'll scream.
      Mel shrugs, continuing to mess with my power ranger dolls. I hate when she does that, but I let her anyways. Mom says I have to share, and Mel always gives them back.
      "It was an accident, Adam and I were playing tag, and when he tried to catch me, his nails got my arm."
     "Don't worry, Mel," I tell her, "next time, you'll catch him. He's pretty slow."
      She grins, "Not as slow as you."
     "Take it back!"

      Seven Years old
     "Mel, watch me!" I yell, jumping into the pool in a cannonball.
      When I resurface I see she's still taking off her clothes to get to her bathing suit. She's doing it slowly and carefully, frowning every time she has to stretch.
      "What's taking so long?" I whine.
     Mel finally gets her clothes off, revealing the pink one piece bathing suit with some princess on it.
      "That bruise is huge! What'd you do?" I ask Mel with wide eyes, seeing the large bruise on her thigh.
     She looks down, "Oh- I-"
    "Yeah, what happened, Melanie?"
     Sometimes Adam comes over to play with Angel. I don't like it. He's a jerk.
      She looks over at him, "I just tripped down the stairs yesterday. No big deal." She assures us both.
      I roll my eyes, "Klutz! Now get in!"

      Eight years old
"Geesh, what happened to your chin?" I ask Mel, looking at her with wide eyes.
We're sitting on the roof, ready for test number four, dropping my power ranger from the roof.
She draws her knees to her chest, "Not nice." She mumbles.
"I mean the bruise, dummy."
She reaches her hand up and touches the brown spot gingerly, "Adam and I were racing to the bathroom for the first shower, and he accidentally tripped me. No big deal."
I frown, "Did he say sorry?"
"It was an accident," she defends, "and besides, he doesn't say sorry. Ever."
"He's a monster." I tell her.
She nods, "The monster."

"Adam and I were playing catch."
"He didn't mean to."
"It was an accident."
"We were just kidding."

They're everywhere. Dark brown, black, blue and yellow. All different shapes and sizes. Each one different than the other. Some are just circles. Some are blotches.
Some are fingerprints.
Everyone's looking at me, trying to figure out what happened.
I don't know. But her arms are covered in bruises.
I quickly wrap her up in her jacket so no one has time to process what they may have seen.
"Is she okay, man?" Someone asks me.
"She's fine!"

"I'm fine."
"I'm okay, I promise."
"Nothing's wrong."
"Stop worrying."

Nothing's wrong, she just fell. I just have to get her upstairs. She'll wake up and she'll laugh about the whole thing. But her arms are covered in bruises.
"That was a nasty fall, bro."

"That's a nasty bruise."
"How'd you get that cut?"
"Is your wrist okay?"
"That looks like it hurts."

I ignore everyone's murmurs and place my arms under her, scooping her off the floor. She's unconscious, probably has a concussion. But she hates hospitals. She would never forgive if I took her to the hospital. But her arms are covered in bruises.
I carry her up the stairs, bursting into Ashlynn's room where the teen is sitting on her bed with headphones on.
      Her eyes widen as I enter the room and she sees the sleeping girl in my arms.
      She pulls off her headphones, "It's really loud downstairs. Shut the door please."
      I use my foot to close the door and she visibly relaxes as the sound muffles.
      "What's wrong?" She asks me.
      "This girl, she fell- she fell down the stairs and now she won't wake up. I just- I need a minute to think- I can't think."
       Ashlynn nods slowly, getting up, "She can lay down. But you should take her to the hospital."
      "I can't!" I snap.
      Ashlynn flinches and I sigh.
      "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I lay Mel down in the bed, "I just need to ask her some questions first. Is that okay? I just need to wait until she wakes up."
       "I'll just play on my computer." Ashlynn shrugs, slipping her headphones back in and sitting at her desk in the other side of the room.
      I look at Mel. Her chest hovers up and down lightly, there's no expression on her face.
      She's sleeping so peacefully. She looks like an angel.
      What kind of monster could do that to someone like her? Someone so innocent, and sweet? Someone so perfect.
      Was it Logan? Did he touch her again? God, I knew he was a horny little shit, but to stoop this low? To become so, so evil. To hurt her.
      Who could hurt her? Who is the monster behind this?

      "He's a monster."
      "What a monster."
      "He's scary, just like a monster."
      "I'm not scared of him, I slay monsters everyday."
      "He's the monster."
     
      He's the monster.
      No. No. It can't be him. He wouldn't hurt her.
      He's her brother.

     "Who's gonna protect me from the monster, Mason? I can't do it by myself!"

Oh God. Oh no.
It's been him. It's always been him. Every cut, every bruise, every fall, trip, stumble.
It was him. It was the monster.
It was Adam.

__________
About time, huh?