Aftershock I

Vivi almost screamed as she jumped awake. She gripped her sheets tight, doing her best to steady herself against the trembling. Her heart thundered loudly in her ears, blocking out all sound and matching the rumbling static that coursed through her mind, stopping (killing) any thoughts that dared approach her consciousness. All Vivi could do was just… feel. Feel the pounding in her chest, the cold sweat prickling her copper skin, the rush air cycling along her dry throat, and the tears… the heavy tears that tumbled along her face. Vivi's only saving grace was that her stepfather, Lucious, seemed to have a radar for emotional crises.

"Hey buttercup," He called out softly, knocking gently on the door. "Are you okay in there?" Hearing her stepfather's voice was enough to bring Vivi back to reality.

"I'm fine." Vivi answered as she did her best to wipe away her tears with her shaky hands.

"Okay, well… I'm done cooking breakfast so come down whenever you're ready." Lucious called back.

"Okay, I'll be down soon." Vivi responded.

It took a minute, but Vivi finally heard her stepfather's footsteps as he walked down the hall towards the stairs. However, Vivi sat in bed for a little while longer. Whatever passion she had to move was gone while her body felt as heavy as lead. The only thing that made her move was not the sweet smell of eggs and bacon, but the creeping cold of last night's wind caressing her skin. She shook her head against the feeling, cursing as she reminded herself that she was at home and that whatever occurred last night was in the past… for now at least.

Vivi rolled out of bed to sit up on the edge. She breathed a heavy sigh before touching her bare feet against the fuzzy carpet and dragging herself towards the bathroom. After using the toilet, and all that entails, Vivi went to the sink to wash her hands. But not before staring at the grim figure in front of her. Puffy red eyes with dark bags hanging underneath, tangled ash blonde hair that was overdue for a treatment, nearly sunken cheeks, and dark lips that did more hardly made any expression these days. Vivi lifted her hand against her cheek, hardly feeling the ragged but soft skin underneath her worn fingers. Seeing her hand trembling in the mirror made her lower it and bring them both before her. And as she continued to watch them shake before her, Vivi breath began to quicken again. She quickly turned on the water, applied soap on her hand, and frantically began scrubbing. Over, and over, and over again she scrubbed but Vivi could not compel herself to stop as her chest now started the heave quicker than before. Suddenly, a vision of blood appeared across her hands, causing her to scream and fall back over. Tears flooded down her face as she curled up in a ball, clutching her head. She was in such a state that she did not even notice her stepfather rush up the stairs and nearly break down the door to come looking for her.

"Vivi!" the man yelled in a panic as he quickly knelt down to cradle her. "Oh buttercup, I'm so sorry. I know you're scared but I swear I will never let something like that happen to you again."

Lucious did his best to comfort his daughter, holding her and rocking her gently while making all the promises in the world to protect her. But what fractured Vivi's heart the most was knowing that he wasted his breath on a lie. It was not her that needed protecting. She already had protection… it just came at a cost. A cost she physically paid a week ago, but one that mentally, and emotionally, felt as though she was still paying for.