Chapter 9: Andrew

"WARNING!!!"

[THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS RAPE AND PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ABUSE. . .VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED]

I felt a warm weight on my back as I slowly started waking up. My heart and head hurt from the encounter with my ex yesterday. That's when I suddenly remembered, Thorn. I turned my head around slowly to see Thorn's body cradling me under his huge form.

His grip around me tightened when he felt me move. I stayed still, not wanting to wake him up, my eyes roamed his sleeping form with great admiration. He looked so damn peaceful, it's a good change from the always serious and dead look in his eyes, even when he's laughing they remain the same.

Hearing absolute silence in the living room, I made a guess that my family members were all gone, well except for Christine, she'll be staying until tomorrow. I looked at the clock and it blared 10:03 A.M. Damn, how long did we sleep? I sighed and began shifting my body to sit up on the bed.

Near me I heard Thorn growl slightly and mumble, "stop moving, go back to sleep." I rolled my eyes at him and started shaking him to get him to wake up. After what seemed like hours of failed attempts, he finally opened his eyes. He scoffed when he saw me and tried to go back to sleep, but I wouldn't let him.

Once I made sure he was fully awake (which involved a lot of slapping) I practically threw him out of the room so that I could change. That guy has got to loose some pounds because that was the hardest thing I've ever done. Excluding a couple of obvious moments but it still remains a fact.

I remembered the promise that I made him yesterday and sighed deeply. I did say I would, might as well. I took a moment to organize my thoughts and memories, most of which have some sort of blood visible in them. I shuddered in disgust, there is no point in going into much detail, just keep it simple.

"Thorn. . .you can come in now." My voice sounded hoarse and heavy, I could barely even recognize it. Not a moment later he stepped in cautiously, I looked past him and into the now clean house and saw no one. I asked him where Christine was and he just uttered a single word; Out.

I sat down on the bed and he followed shortly after he closed the door, both of us were somber. He must've known what was coming, he was the one that asked after all. We stayed silent, basking in the sound of our soft breathing. I could feel him growing anxious as the seconds ticked by, deciding not to stress him even more, I began.

"Me and Andrew met 7 years ago, we knew each other prior of getting together, but it was only a little. He was the first one to tell me that they liked me so I freaked out and said yes. I must've looked so stupid saying yes to someone saying 'I like you'." I chuckled softly, filling with bitterness.

"We stayed together for a year and a couple months, the first week were the best days I have ever lived. He was so caring and gentle in the first days, but after that, he started to tell me how much I needed him. How much my family hated me, and how I don't need them, not to listen to whatever they said about us. To rely on him, and solely him, and. . .I believed him.

"It soon had come to the point that I was brainwashed to think he was my life, that if he left, I would die. My family tried to tell me to stay away, but like he told me to, I didn't listen, and shut them out. I can just imagine the pain my parents went through those days, I barely even talked to them." My voice started to crack in the last sentence and silent tears ran down my face. I took a shaky breath, then continued.

"I moved in with him after a month, and that's when things started to go wrong, horribly wrong. He started assigning me with house chores and whatever I did wrong, he would yell and slap me. Saying, 'I saved you from your family and this is the thanks I get?!' I thought nothing of it, and even started to blame myself for his beatings.

"He would always find excuses to hurt me, to belittle me, to being me lower than I already was. There has been several times where he'd touch me without my consent and start screaming if I talked back. It became more frequent each day, until he did it on a daily basis, more than once for hours. He got more ambitious as well, taking off pieces of clothing one by one, till it went as far as. . .taking my virginity by force."

I closed my eyes, remembering the searing hot pain I felt go through my body as he entered me completely with one thrust. How unfazed he was by my screams as he pounded me against the bed at a monstrous pace. I started to tremble and my heart sped, even after so many years I still can't get over it.

I felt Thorn's arms wrap around my shoulders as he pulled me closer. It should have made me feel scared, but it didn't, I oddly felt safe. Being so close, I felt his steady heartbeat and heavy breathing on me. The rhythmic patterns calming me and urging me to continue, so I did.

"Soon, he started bringing his buddies over to watch, then he let them join in. Sometimes he would let his friends ravage me while he sat back, enjoying the view of my suffering. In those sessions he would call me so many names, once he even called me a freak because of my eyes. That's when I started to loathe them, I was convinced that the reason for all of this, was because of my eyes.

"Those sunglasses that you saw me wear the first time we met, were the same ones he gave me. Even now I believe my eyes are the reason for all my misfortune, but not as much as before. This happened for a whole year, until the third month of school started.

"I was a sophomore by then, and attended my parent's school of which they teach. Since the beginning of that school year, my relationship with my parents slowly recovered. Of coarse I had to do it in secret, but I managed. The same day my parents died, was the same day I had my first Rage, and the same day he left me.

"The shooting that happened in my school, was the same that happened in my parent's school. Just that they, didn't have the power to survive. My parents were always loyal, and fearless, they would do anything to ensure the well-being of their students. So when the guys started causing chaos, my parents fought them. . .well, they tried. They didn't last long as the men shot them down in mere seconds, and I was there, along with Andrew beside me.

"He tried to get me away from there, saying he was saving my life, but I wouldn't move. I remember explicitly how his insistent screaming was muffled by my heartbeat. How everything moved in slow motion as the bodies of my parents fell to the ground with a heavy thud. How my blood pulsed angrily, how my bones ached and begged for movement, how my head cleared of all thoughts except for a single word; Death.

"After that, my memories are foggy and tinted red, but when I went through the video footage of the cameras in the school, I saw my Rage. That is a story for another day though, something I don't want to say until I've known you more and can trust you." I looked up at him and saw him slightly pouting, he looked cute and gullible like that. Thorn sighed before nodding in understanding.

"I don't understand somethin', why did he leave?" I chuckled slightly at this, I thought it was obvious.

"He has always been a coward, as soon as he saw the power I had, he hightailed it out of there. Even moved out of the state, only reason I know is because a couple of long distance friends saw him not too long after."

He boomed with laughter, nodding vigorously, I couldn't help but laugh with him. It increased when he couldn't breath and he started gasping for air which resulted in him snorting. For the first time in years, the haunting memories of Andrew had gone away. I felt at ease with a male (as sexists as that sounds) after being afraid of men for months after what happened with Andrew I was always uncomfortable with guys.

I was about to ask him something when the phone rang in the kitchen. I swear I jumped three feet when it's loud ringing filtered through the door. Thorn was the first to react when he got up and bounded towards the kitchen. He looked determined for some reason. I followed shortly after and saw him picking it up and putting it on speaker, I was thoroughly surprised when Boss Suwa's voice came through.

"Thorn? You and Esphera are partners for a mission first thing tomorrow. Be there on time at 6 in the morning." With that he hung up, and left us in total silence. A mission already? Well, shit.