The Echo of Abuse and Love

Chapter Seven

Luke

I'm not sure what I walked in on when I found Shea in the hallway upstairs, but once Jacob was gone, and I went to check on her, the sound of her quiet sobs was heart-shattering. I scooped her up in my arms and found the nearest bedroom that I could get into. She clung to me fiercely, and when I tried to set her down on the bed her arms shot out around my neck, holding my body to hers.

"Shea," I said quietly, repositioning us so that I could hold her in my lap. "Shea, I need to know if he hurt you." Rage was building behind my eyes, and concern settled in my stomach, sending a type of panic through my veins that I wasn't used to. Part of me wanted to leave her up here and go find Jacob and punch him in the face. But I was glued to this spot, praying that I could do something to soothe Shea's soul-piercing sobs. 

She shook her head but kept her eyes closed, and her face nestled in my shoulder. I breathed a small sigh of relief and then sat silently, rubbing her back, offering what little comfort I could muster. 

"You're okay," I whispered into her hair. "It's going to be fine." I wondered what he said to her that would upset her so much. Shea kept mostly to herself, she didn't get involved with many people and had never been one to seem phased by the people around her. I had heard whispers in the past when we were younger about her but had always chalked them up to nothing more than cruel kids saying cruel things. "What did he say to you?"

She shook her head again, but now her sobs were turning into tiny hiccups and gasps for air. I continued rubbing her back with one hand and used the other to keep her body close to mine. I don't know how long we sat there in silence, but I didn't care. I tried not to focus too much on the feel of her body against mine. Something about it made my heart beat faster. But this was not the time to unpack the fantasies that had been swirling around in my head for the last few months. 

The echo of the music from downstairs bounces harmlessly around the walls of the bedroom, and the stream of voices hum like an out-of-tune chorus. It feels distant and tranquil, like after you wake up from a dream and can't quite pinpoint what just happened. 

When she sat up, my heart felt like it would snap in two. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, the makeup my sister applied to her face was mostly gone, with a few dark streaks smudged across her cheeks. Her hair was frizzed, and her oversized shirt fell off of one of her shoulders in a way that made her look much younger than she was. 

"I'm sorry." She choked out. Her voice was rough as if her throat might be swollen, and the words were full of emotion. 

"Don't be," I said, placing my hand on her arm. She flinched under the simple touch and I felt my stomach drop. I scooped her up, getting to my feet, and pushed into the bathroom of the bedroom. I wasn't sure what I was doing, but in the past when Eva had her heartbroken and cried on me for hours I would take her into the bathroom and wash her face. I knew this wasn't exactly the same, but from what my sister had said, washing your face after a long cry is one of the most refreshing things you can do. 

I set Shea down on the counter and went about rummaging through the contents of the cabinets under the sink. I found a hand towel down there and decided it would work well enough. I turned the water on in the sink to warm and found a bar of soap in the shower that I figured was probably better than antibacterial hand soap.

Shea had her hands balled into fists over her eyes and my heart clenched. Carefully, I started to reach for her hands, but before I touched her, I remembered the way she had flinches a few minutes ago when I placed my hand on her arm. "I'm going to touch you," I say quietly. Hoping the warning is enough to prepare her. Gently I remove her hands from her face, grab the washcloth, and step in front of her. Without thinking I nudge her legs apart with my hips, getting a better view of her face. 

Her eyes are closed, and she almost looks as if she is asleep. I bring my hand up to her cheek, cupping her face as softly as I can, and I can feel her jaw go rigid under my palm. I bring the damp warm towel to her cheek and slowly start to clean away the streaks of dark makeup that are still lingering on her skin. Her eyes fly open, and I have to pause momentarily because of the depth of intensity I see. I try to avoid her gaze, working with care around the delicate skin on her face. I hold the towel back under the faucet, warming it again before switching hands to clean the other side of her face.

"Close your eyes," I instruct in a low tone. Warming the towel one last time I finish up, wiping the pink puffy skin around her eyes. When I'm finished I lay the towel down and move to step away. 

Shea's hand grabs my arm, stopping me in my tracks. She opens her eyes and peers at me, her face expressionless, but her eyes glitter with untapped emotions. She opens her mouth like she might say something, and then closes it again, but her hand doesn't loosen its hold on me. 

"Thank you." She says the words so quietly, I feel like they may not have even been meant for me. 

I offer what I hope is a reassuring smile, trying not to get distracted by the weird sensation shooting up my arm from where her hand is grasping me. "I think we should leave," I say, knowing she probably wouldn't ask to leave because she knows my sister wants to be here, but at the moment all I can think about is taking her away from here. 

She nods slightly, and I see a glimmer of relief flash through her eyes.

"I'm going to help you off the counter now," I say, stepping back to her, playing my hands on her hips, and helping her get to her feet. 

She sways slightly, and I take ahold of her shoulders, making sure she has her bearings before sliding one of my hands down her arm to find her cold fingers. I wrap my hand around hers and realize how small her hand feels in mine. For a moment, she looks at my hand over hers, and I think she is going to pull away, but instead, she just retrains her eyes on my face, as if waiting for me to lead her out of the room.

When we hit the main floor of the house, I feel Shea's hand grasp mine tighter. I glance over my shoulder and realize she is pale, at least paler than she was before. Without thinking I pull her against my side, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and lead her to the front door. Only when we get to the car do I finally let her go, opening the passenger side door for her to get in. 

"I'll be right back, when I leave, lock the door."

"Okay." She says quietly. 

I close the door, listening for the lock before heading back into the house to find my sister. Thankfully I don't have to look far. Eva is standing with her back against the wall - a cute short-haired girl is practically trying to crawl inside of her clothes. I clear my throat as I approach, averting my eyes, waiting for Eva to notice me. 

"Hey, Ev?" I say after a moment, realizing she still hasn't come up for air long enough to notice me. 

Eva looks over, annoyance plastered across her face. But when she meets my eyes, the annoyance melts away. I'm thankful for whatever twin bond we may have because rarely do I have to fully express my feelings to her out loud. Most of the time a single exchange of glances does the job. "What's up?"

"I'm going to take Shea home."

"Is everything okay?" Worry etches its way into my sister's features. 

"Yeah, she's just had enough for the night." I don't know why I'm keeping everything so vague, but for some reason, it just doesn't feel like my story to share. "Are you coming?"

"You're gonna leave?" The short-haired girl pouts a little and I can't help but feel extremely annoyed that she even feels like it's her place to say anything. "Stay longer!" She insists. "You can just come home with me." The seduction dripping from her voice makes me want to roll my eyes and vomit all at the same time.

"I don't know Maggie..." Eva looks at me, "Is she okay?"

"She's fine." I hope I sound convincing. 

"Evvvv, stay!" Maggie practically begs. 

Eva shoots me a look and I nod, "Okay." She says, giggling a little when Maggie bounces with excitement. 

"Text me if you need anything Ev," I say, but I'm already on my way back out to the car.