A Loaded Gun

Chapter 11

A/N guys I am so sorry I've been gone for over a month.  My lovely insurance company wouldn't give me the money for my $2000 serotonin skittles and my depression has been at rock bottom for the last month.  Haven't really felt like updating or going on Wattpad.  But I'm back now and I'll try to update more regularly.

Michael POV

That was really scary. She looked terrified and was twitching like something was chasing her. I knew I should tell Marcus, but I noticed the shudder that went through her when I mentioned him. She obviously didn't trust him, and I don't blame her. We're complete strangers to her, she's known us for two days. 

If we betray her trust, she'll never open up. I knocked on Marcus' door and heard a deep "come in." I entered his office and saw him up to his ears in paperwork.

"What's up?"

"Marcus, I think Brooke's punishment is unfair. Think about it. She's known us for two days, you really think she's gonna spill all her secrets immediately? We have to gain her trust, not force things out of her. 

"Plus, I can see how stubborn she is. She won't tell us until she's ready, and I don't think she's going to be ready any time soon. Are you really going to keep her locked up in her room for weeks?" I would have gone on, but Marcus held up his hand and I fell silent immediately.

"I know, Michael. I was hoping that the threat was enough to have her talk; I wasn't planning on following through with it. However, she still lied to us. She's hiding something, and we need to find out what."

"Marcus I feel like you didn't listen to a word I said. We need to give her time, not–"

"Enough." That one word held so much power I shut up immediately. "This is something related to her safety, not something I take lightly. We will find out." His voice held so much certainty I did not doubt him for a second.

"Ok Marcus. Can I at least tell her she can leave her room?"

"Yes, I suppose so. Just warn her that she won't get off so lightly next time."

A relieved smile came over my face. She hasn't even seen the whole house yet, but I plan to fix that very soon. I saw her face when I mentioned the library, so that's where we'll spend most of our time.

I hurried back up the stairs with the intention of dragging her on a grand tour, but stopped short when I saw her curled up in a tiny ball on the floor, asleep, the Redwall book laying abandoned next to her. If she was tired, why didn't she get on the bed? 

I picked her up–she was light as a feather–and gently placed her on the bed, pulling the covers over her thin frame. She whimpered softly as I touched her torso, and I frowned but dismissed it. 

 Probably just a reflex reaction to being touched; Daniel mentioned she didn't like that. I shut her door gently, planning on letting her sleep, when she started whimpering again. "No, no please, no no no. Please no. Mama, no. Mama help." 

I can't ignore that, she's having a nightmare. I walked back into her room and gently stroked her hair until her whimpering subsided and she curled into herself again. Again, what in the hell was that?

I wasn't planning on telling Marcus, but this is getting ridiculous. I turned towards her door, and jumped when I saw a figure standing in the doorway. Speak of the devil and he will appear. Marcus raised an eyebrow and glanced towards Brooke. "Want to explain what exactly that was?"

"I'm not sure. I put her on the bed and she started freaking out. Why are you up here anyway?" I attempted to change the subject.

"I was going to tell you guys to come eat lunch. Stop avoiding the topic. Has anything else like this happened?"

I stayed silent, knowing there was no way I could lie to him.

"I'll take that as a yes, and that you decided not to tell me. Give me your phone and laptop. You'll get it back when I decide you can. She seems to be calm right now, so let's leave her alone. We are talking more about this later."

"Yes Marcus." I don't regret not telling him. It's her business.

After lunch, Marcus directed me to his office. He sat down in his chair and interlocked his fingers like he was some sort of crime boss. I guess he is.

"Now, tell me what happened. Leave nothing out."

"Ok, well, I went up to her room and I said I would show her the library because she was interested in the Redwall books. She was worried you would get angry that she left so she told me she couldn't. I said I would ask permission and she zoned out. She started shaking and her eyes had tears in them. 

"She wouldn't snap out of it. When she finally did, she avoided telling me what it was. I kept pushing and she told me it was a flashback of when Mom died. I wanted to tell you, but when I mentioned that she looked terrified and started shaking again. I didn't want to upset her more, so I decided to keep it to myself. I'm sorry, that was wrong."

Marcus stayed silent throughout my explanation, his facial expression changing slightly to show a flash of hurt when I mentioned her fear of telling him.

"Do we know what her life was like?"

"She told Lucas that Mom was great with her and never did anything to her; why?"

"I'm not talking about her life with Mom, I'm talking about her life with her stepdad. There's something going on, and I need to find out."

"D-do you think she was abused? That's ridiculous!"

"Maybe, but I need to know."

"Marcus, I thought we agreed we wouldn't push her. This is invading her privacy."

"It's not when it's for her own wellbeing. She won't help us understand, we have to do it ourselves. Start looking into Benny and his history."

I had no choice but to agree. He was, after all, the boss. Even if I thought this was the wrong way to go, Marcus is right. She needs help, and we need to know why.

A/N I'll try to update tomorrow.  I promise to be better.