THE GIFT

Chapter 4 What happened?

I woke up to the smell of tea and something warm on my forehead.

My head hurt.My cheek hurt.My whole body felt like I was hit by a truck.

Which I guess I kind of was

"Don't move," a voice said.

Elias.

He was sitting on the floor next to the couch.Not on it.Like he didn't want to crowd me .In his hands :a mug .Steam curling up.

"Where am I?" My voice came out rough.

"My place.Your Dad is gone .I called the cops .He won't be back soon."

The memory hit me at once .

Dad in my doorway .Him screaming.

"You killed my her ."Him throwing me against the wall and then he threw me down at the door .

Then nothing .Elias and then nothing again

I tried to sit up .The world tilted

"Easy," Elias said, and his hand was on my shoulder.Just for a second. Steading me.Then gone .

He handed me the tea. Chamomile.With honey .

"Drink, " he said ,"Your in shock."

I did . It burned going down, but it was the first thing that felt good in hours .

"Thank you." I wispered.

He nodded. Didn't smile . Didn't do the pity face everyone else did.

He just looked at me like I was real Like I was allowed to be broken and still be there .

"You don't have to go home tonight," he said , " You can stay here. On the couch. I ll sleep on the floor."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because someone should have done it a long time ago."

Something in my chest cracked.

Three years of being blamed.By the police.By my Dad. By the town .

You killed her .You were out with her. It is your fault.

The words spilled out before I could stop them.

"Do you think I did it too?"

He went still

Then he moved. Knelt in front of me ,right there on the floor. Took my hand in both of his .His hands were warm .Calloused.

"I think you were blamed for things that weren't your fault your whole life ." He said quietly.

"I think it stops today ."

I cried .

Not pretty crying.Ugly ,gasping crying.The kind I haven't done since the funeral.

And he didn't try to fix it . He just held my hand till I stopped.

When I finally looked up ,I noticed hid place.

It was clean.Too clean .Books lined up .

One plant

And on the wall, behind his TV - a cork board.

Pinned to it : newspaper clippings

HIT AND RUN VICTIM IDENTIFIED AS LOCAL WOMAN, 24

LILA MARTIN, 1998-2023

My sister's face stared back at me .

Elias saw me looking. He was up and across the the room in two steps, pulling a hoodie over the board like he was covering a wound .

"Sorry , " he said quickly."My sister she was into true crime .She left it when she moved out.I keep meaning to take it down ."

Right .

His sister.

Who must have specific taste in crime.

I nodded in anyway. My head hurts and he just fought my Dad for me and I needed to believe in something good.

Later he took me home .

"Lila would've hated the way he talked to you "

The world stopped.

"How do you know her name was Lila?"

He didn't look at me .

"Your aunt at the funeral.You were screaming it "

I didn't remember screaming.

I remembered silence

But I nodded. Because I was tired.

Because he saved me.

Because I wanted to believe the man who made me tea was not the same man who had my sister's death on his wall.

At the door he handed me the blanket.

"Text me when your inside."

I let him hold my hand a second too long.

"I will." I said .

"I'll ask about the cork board tommorow."

I closed the door .

And didn't text him.