𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐭.
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For five years, Evelyn turned up missing. Locked at the bottom of an endless void of water in a metal safe. Trapped in a coma of her own. Though she returns, nothi...
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The house I had made isn't much different from the last. It looks almost exactly the same, but there are more guards, more security.
I carry Grace to my bedroom. She's partially awake, but she doesn't seem like she can manage on her own. I carefully lay her on the bed. "I'm going to get a bath ready for you, okay?"
I try to go, but she grabs onto me. "Don't leave me." She whispers.
I debate on what I should do. After a long, silent minute, I decide to take her with me. I pick her up again and carry her to the bathroom. Setting her on the counter, I begin to make her bath, sitting on the marble stairs.
So there are a few things I changed.
I let the water heat up and go back to Grace. Her gaze seems distant. She looks pale, skinny. Like she's been starved. And perhaps she has.
"Hey, Grace?" I speak softly. "I'm gonna let you bathe. Can you do that?" She blinks, and she's bunching my shirt up, keeping me still. She doesn't speak, only shakes her head. "Okay." I whisper. I pick her up and carry her over to the tub, setting her on the stairs.
I help her strip and help her slide into the water, her face shifting into a wince when she moves too much. Then she relaxes in the water.
She lets me wash her, cleaning off the grime and muck. I don't even think she's really there, with me. I think she's trapped in her head, shackled by memories.
I tilt her head back, wetting her hair so I can wash out the dirt. Her hair slowly returns to its silvery color, streaks of red beginning to mix in her hair, making it look as if it were natural. As I run a loofa over her skin, I notice all of the scars littering her skin.
I wonder how she got them all, but I won't ask her to tell me until she's ready.
I help dry her off and dress her, leading her to the bed. She lays down and I pull the covers over her body. When I go to leave, she latches onto me again. "Don't leave me." She stares up at me, fear outlining her features.
I hate that she's scared. I want to take it all away.
I failed to save her once. I won't make the same mistake. So I sit down beside her. She doesn't let go of my hand.
We sit in silence and I use one hand to brush a half-dried strand of hair behind her ear. "Thank you." She suddenly whispers.
"For what?"
"For saving me." Her blinks slow, lasting a second longer than the last. "I lost hope." I hear her whisper before her breathing slows.
Her words make me think back to Lilly's. Something happened, she had said. And by the look on her face, I knew it wasn't good. You have to watch her. She's not herself... You can't let her end it.
I can only assume what she meant by that.
Slowly, I slip my hand from hers and carefully stand up. I set up my phone, creating a camera that links to my laptop. In case she wakes up, I can know.
