Savage's

CHAPTER 23

*Daisy*

It was Tuesday morning, and Gray had already left for work. I briefly saw him when I first woke up, and rushed past him to go into the bathroom, but never saw him after that. I don't know why I was expecting him to say goodbye, or why I was slightly disappointed when he didn't, but I need to stop having any kind of expectations.

I changed into light gray jogging pants, which fit a little tighter than I would have liked, and chose to wear one of Gray's T-shirts, because it was longer than any of mine and covered my butt. I brushed my teeth, and my hair, and walked downstairs into the kitchen. I found Fran serving food to the others, and she brightly smiled at me when I entered the room.

"Good morning, sweetheart." Fran said, gesturing for me to sit at the table.

"Good morning, everyone." I quietly responded, sitting beside Alistair and Alexa.

The movers were already here, working on packing more of Gray's things, while we ate breakfast. It was weird, being surrounded by so many men, and none of them trying to touch me. They stole glances here and there, but that was it. Though I was still uncomfortable being around so many men, I was starting to notice that none of them posed any threat to me.

"What do you girls have planned for today?" Alistair asked, finishing his meal.

"Well, the only thing we have to get done, is Daisy's special makeup." Alexa responded, glancing at me, "After that, it's whatever we want to do."

"I was wondering how that black eye disappeared so fast!" Caz chuckled, trying to make light of the situation.

"The magic of makeup." Alexa proudly remarked, winking at me.

"We were told you'd be doing that," Rome nodded, "Otherwise we would have already beaten Gray's ass for hurting a woman."

Caz chuckled, and the others followed his lead, which caused Alexa to giggle. Does that mean they would protect me, even against the man that's paying them? Luckily, I don't have to worry about that, because I already know Gray isn't going to hurt me. He has proven that, and I'm incredibly grateful for it.

"But that one," Caz said, pointing to his own cheek, "That one is real, isn't it?"

"Caz!" Alistair growled, glaring at Caz.

"Yes." I muttered, feeling all eyes on me.

"So we're dealing with someone that's downright evil, huh?" Caz said with furrowed brows.

"I'd say so, yes." Alexa responded, nodding.

"How do you know Gray, again?" Caz asked, and I looked at Alexa, remembering this story.

"We dated a while back, and realized we were better off as friends... plus his family was disgusting." She shivered, clearly recalling something.

"That's an understatement." Caz scoffed, "They're repugnant pieces of s**t, that deserve to rot in hell."

"You won't find me disagreeing with you," Alexa shrugged, "On to other things, shall we?"

"Looks like the movers are ahead of schedule," Alistair said, changing the subject, "We might be moving sooner than anticipated."

"Anyone else seen the new house?" Caz asked, looking around the table.

"No," Alexa snorted, "it's not our house, our opinion is irrelevant."

"I was just curious." Caz playfully glared at Alexa.

I finished my plate, and stood to carry it into the kitchen, until Fran came by and retrieved it from me. I sat back down, unsure of what to do next. Everyone started to leave the table, and finally Alexa finished her meal.

She guided me back upstairs, to do my makeup. I sat on the bathroom counter, while she worked away, creating another fake wound. I sat silently, thinking of a possible future, and wondering what will end up happening with Gray's family. They clearly want me to be mistreated, but Gray doesn't want that, so that's why we're pretending... but how long are we going to pretend?

"How is your mouth feeling?" Alexa asked, focusing on her work.

"Better, but it's still sore." I answered.

"Can I talk to you about something, Daisy?" Alexa asked, as she stopped applying makeup, and stared directly into my eyes.

"Okay..." I nodded, hesitantly.

"I can tell you've experienced some pretty awful things," She started, and I felt my stomach tense up, "I'm here if you want to talk about it. Bottling up those types of secrets are toxic to your soul, and I can tell you have such a bright soul, Daisy"

"What makes you think I'm hiding something?" I asked, afraid of what I've already revealed.

"You don't like wearing tight clothes, that's a classic sign of s****l abuse... and you never talk, unless spoken to." She had a simple response, but it packed a lot of emotion, and she was right.

"It seems like you have it all figured out," I muttered, "What more could I say?"

"Oh honey," Alexa sighed, bracing her hands on my shoulders, "What did they do to you?"

She tilted her head, her eyes sympathetic, and her grasp was warm. I knew I could trust Alexa, and I knew she wasn't a bad person. I just didn't want to talk about my past, because I was trying so hard to forget it. There was nothing I wanted to remember from Miguel's home, only my life before it.

"It was a w***e house," I whispered, avoiding eye contact, "They did the things you'd imagine, and worse."

"How long were you there?" She asked.

"A little over a week," I scoffed, imagining how weak I must sound, "There were girls that had been there much longer..."

"Honey- even one day in a place like that, would have me spiraling out of control..." Alexa shook her head, "I can't imagine an entire week."

"They drugged most girls," I offered, "But they only did it to me a couple of times, after that they stopped."

Alexa remained silent, still holding onto my shoulders, but her grasp was gentle. Her expression was blanketed with remorse, and she didn't even know the half of it. There were things that I endured, that I wasn't willing to discuss ever again. I'll take it to my grave, before I breathe a word of it to anyone.

"Because you complied." Alexa replied, her voice airy and light.

"I suppose so," I shrugged, "But I didn't like the drug, and I hated their punishment even worse... there weren't many options."

"So, you tried to defend yourself in the beginning, huh?" She asked, pushing for more information.

"Yes," I answered, "Just the first day..."

"You know, honey, I've never been in your exact situation... but I can try to understand what you went through." Alexa offered, pulling me towards her for a hug.

"I lost my memory before arriving at Miguel's, and I wish like anything, he was a lost memory too." I whispered, burying my head in her shoulder.

"That's why you replace the old bad memories, with fresh good ones." She said.

I sighed, nodding, as she pulled away. She dabbed the tears from my face, and continued applying makeup. We didn't talk the rest of the time, but we didn't need to. There was a bond between us now, a connection, that made me more comfortable around her. I didn't relenquish much information, but it must have been enough to satisfy her curiosity.

Once we finished my special makeup, I looked in the mirror, at another black eye. Only this one looked to be a couple days old, while the cut on my forehead looked fresh. Alexa was really good with makeup, this looked extremely realistic, and I looked like the most battered woman in town. Though she did good, I hated seeing myself so beaten up, even if it was fake, part of it was real.