She throws her hands out, clearly upset as her eyes water. “It is! If I had known…” She presses her knuckle to her lips as she takes a ragged breath. “I could have stopped him.”
I hold my hands up to her, knowing what it feels like to be vulnerable and scared—the trepidation and fear that paralyze one, and the constant fight-or-flight always present. “Can I touch you?”
She sucks in a breath, nodding quickly. “Please.”
I rush to her, flinging my arms around her shoulders as she bunches my dress into her fists. She sobs horridly into my shoulder, her whole body wracking as she clings to me.
“I’m sorry,” She swallows thickly. “It feels so good to be touched without malice. I hurt so bad, Rose…”
My lip wobbles as my heart aches for her. I don’t let her go until she pulls away and swipes at her eyes roughly. She slaps her cheeks a few times, shaking it off, but she still appears broken—the shambles of what once made her whole scattered and torn. She takes a deep breath to calm her voice before she speaks. “There are eight of us here. Does anyone know you’re missing?”
I roll my lips in apologetically. “I have no idea.”
Her head hangs slightly before she guides me to the connected bathroom. “Shower and I’ll get you something to wear.”
I bathe, my body going through the motions until I’m clean. My skin still feels tight, and I think that’s because of the situation. My mind races as I towel off and grab the shorts and t-shirt Luna left on the sink for me. As I peer at myself in the mirror, all of those old memories resurface.
You look just like her.
Fuck, sometimes you sound like her.
I lift my hand to the mirror, sadness fueling me as I take in the image of my mother—young and scared of the man who claimed to love her.
“I see why you left,” I whisper. “I don’t think I’m mad at your choice, but why didn’t you take me with you?”
As usual, I receive no answer back. It’s only my eyes staring back at me—so full of the light I fought hard to reclaim. I can’t let this place break me. No matter what happens, I’m Rose Beckett. Not Candy and not my mother. I’mme.
I walk back into Luna’s room, surprised to see two other women have joined us. Luna sits on her bed, her legs tucked under her as she whispers encouragement to the woman before her.
She’s about my age, with dark hair cropped into a bob. Her eyes are rimmed red and puffy from crying as she picks at the grey cotton shorts she’s wearing.
The other woman is a little older, maybe thirty? She leans against the doorframe, her ankles and arms crossed, staring unseeing at the floor. She’s tall and utterly quiet.
“This is Rose,” Luna says, motioning to me.
The woman on the bed sniffles. “Hi. I’m Cara.”
“Bridget,” The woman at the door says monotonously.
Cara hiccups before falling into another fit of hysterics. “I can’t go in there again! He almost broke my pelvic bone the last time…”
Luna shushes her, running her hand through the woman’s short hair in a calming gesture. “I know. I’m going to do something.”
Cara’s head whips up, her eyes widening before she grabs Luna’s shirt, fisting the fabric. “No! Sal’s going to punish you again!”
Luna only smiles—it’s broken and lifeless, but it makes her features warm a fraction. She’s giving this woman the strength that she doesn’t possess. “I’ll be fine, Cara. Promise.”
Cara’s head shakes as she pleads with the blonde. “No! You can’t—”
“Cara!” Bridget snaps, causing every head to swivel to her. She pushes off the doorframe, stomping over to the bed. “You said it yourself! He almost killed you last time! Let one of us take your place.”
Now that she’s closer, I can see the bruises. On her bicep, it looks like someone gripped her entirely too tightly. There’s also a freckling of some wounds around the part of her abdomen that’s exposed.
These women have been through pure hell, and they’re trying to save one another.
Luna brushes a hand over Cara’s shoulder, gentling her words. “Go to your room and cover your ears, okay?”
The short-haired woman looks torn before she lets her hand hang in resignation. Bridget guides her out of the room until it’s just Luna and me left sitting in the suffocating atmosphere.
