Ashes beneath her skin.

The knock came again. She didn't move. Couldn't. Not when her heartbeat suddenly felt like thunder crashing against her ribs . sienna stared at the door as if it might break open on its own. Two taps . A pause. Then nothing. Maybe it was the neighbor. Maybe it was no one. She slid her legs up, curling into herself, fingers tugging her hoodie over her knees.she hated this place -its cold Walls,the broken heater,the one light bulb that flickered when the wind blew too hard. But she hated the house she'd Left behind even more . Her mother's silence. Her father's cruelty. Her cousins eyes when they found out about the r**e. "You were asking for it,"they whispered."The way you dress,the way you act," No one held her. No one had believed her. Even the police had asked if she had a boyfriend.As if that changed what was done to her. She stopped reporting after the third visit.The room had smelled like sweat and coffee,and one of the officers looked her up and down like he'd seen her before- maybe in a dream, maybe In porn. She didn't wait to find out. Her father didn't come with her.He said it was her fault. said she brought shame to the family . That her crying was a manipulation. She had cried so much that night she passed out in her mother's lap. The next morning,her mother avoided her eyes. She blinked back into the present,the sketchbook still at her feet,her body stiff from sitting in the cold for too long.The knock hadn't come back, but the tension still sat on her chest like a weight she couldn't lift . She reached for her phone.One massage. Grandma:"if you had stayed pure , you'd be married by now." Delete. Another text one from weeks ago .still unread. Amari:"I didn't mean what I said . I was drunk. Please talk to me ," She rolled her eyes. Amari had been her first and last relationship. Her first real kiss. Her first betrayal . They were together in secret - nights in her room,hands tangled,lips swollen from fear and want . But the moment sienna broke down and told Amari what happened that night with her attacker,Amari had pulled away. Called her "too broken", said she was "too much ." That hurt more than the assault. Sienna stood up, stretching her legs, joints cracking as she moved. She opened the window and let the rain's scent wash In . It was cool, almost clean, like a reset she didn't deserve. Across the street,the city blinked in neon lights.somewhere out there, people were laughing . Falling in love . Living without scars. She reached into her drawer and pulled out a lighter. She didn't want to burn today,but she needed the comfort. The weight . The weight in her hands. The hiss of the flame.It made her feel something - anything. She flicked it on and off.On. off. on. Until the door knocked again. Three taps this time. She hesitated. Heart pounding. No one ever visited her.Not unless -"sienna ?" A voice . Soft.Familiar? she froze.The voice had been part of her dream once. She rushed to the door, unlocking it with trembling hands. she pulled it open slowly. There stood Leigh, in the rain, soaked through, hoodie plastered to their face,eyes red, backpack slung low. "sienna ,"they said again, voice cracking."can i......can I come in?" Sienna stared. Leigh. The only cousin who had defended her, once.The only one who left without a word after the funeral. "What are you doing here?" She asked, voice hoarse. "I had nowhere else to go,"they whispered."And I missed you ." sienna's chest tightened. She moved aside. "come in." Leigh stepped in slowly , leaving trails of rain drops on the floor. The silence between them was thick. Years of no contact,no explanations,no apologies. But there they stood - two broken souls in a cold room, Both unsure who to be now. sienna grabbed an old towel and handed it to them without saying a word. Leigh took it, eyes down, drying their soaked face and arms. Their hands trembled. "You didn't tell me you moved ," Leigh finally whispered . "You didn't ask ," Sienna replied. Leigh winced. They sat on the edge of the couch,not looking at each other.The distance between them felt longer than years apart. For a second, sienna thought about kicking them out. About not Caring. But she did care. She hated that she still cared. "Why now," she asked. Leigh's lips into a thin line."I saw your post ..... scars.I didn't know it was that bad." sienna swallowed hard." It was worse ," Leigh finally looked up. Their eyes shimmered, heavy with guilty. "I should've stayed . I should've fought them . I let them call you a liar. I let them call you .......... disgusting ." "You didn't just let them . You agreed Leigh ,"she said , voice Sharp . "You left . You vanished. You were supposed to be my safe place." "I know ," Leigh said softly "I hate myself for it everyday ." They sat there in the silence, surrounded by the hum of the rain the things unsaid. Sienna looked at the sketchbook again . Blank page . She could never draw pain the way she felt it . " I tried to die ,"She whispered . Leigh flinched. "Twice," she added "It didn't work. I don't even think I wanted it to. I just didn't want to exist anymore," Leigh's eyes filled with tears. " I'm sorry.Sienna . I don't deserve to be here. I just had nowhere else to go ." For a moment,all she saw was that scared kid who used to steal sweets with her , who punched a boy for calling her "dyke," who watched horror movie under the blanket just to hear her scream . "I don't forgive you yet ," Sienna said." But I left the door open, didn't I." Leigh nodded, quietly. And in that small room, something,not healing . Not yet. But maybe ........ the beginning of it.