gone.
She lay staring at
the ceiling for a long time, her breath hitching in and out of her chest, the
darkness creeping over her skin, making her feel dirty and ashamed.
The bad man
raped me.
The thought
triggered silent hot tears adding to her humiliation. Her stomach rolled and
she vaulted into the bathroom, vomiting the small amount of Gatorade in her
stomach.
I need to feel
clean.
She reached into
the shower and flipped it on, dialing it to scalding hot and stepped in.
Grabbing the soap, she scrubbed her skin until she was red and raw. No amount
of scrubbing could take away the feel of his hands squeezing the life out of
her or the dull pain resonating between her legs. The soap, once a full bar,
now just a sliver, slipped from her palm swirling down the drain. Jessica
leaned her head against the damp tile, letting the steam swirl around her for a
while before she shut the faucet off.
Stepping out of
the shower, she wrapped one of the plush towels around her and crossed to the
sink, wiping a clean swath through the mirror with her hand. She shot back a
step, blinking at the clear mirror, the steam slowly filling the space again,
but it wasn’t her that was in the reflection. It was Eric.
She grabbed a face
cloth and wiped the mirror again. Her little boy stared back at her, his wide
eyes locked on the black and blue marks surrounding her throat in the shape of
hands. His gaze shot to her eyes.
“Mom.” His eyes
filled with tears.
She reached her
hand toward him, expecting the glass to stop her progress, but when her palm
cupped his warm cheek, she gasped. He turned his face into her hand, pressing
his lips to her palm. A tingling sensation started at her wrist, traveling up
her arm and through her body, concentrating on her throat before fading.
He took her hand
and placed a small metal object in it. “I can show you what this opens, but not
right now. Hide it in a safe place,” Eric said and was gone.
Jessica stared at
the key in her hand and back up at her own reflection, the dark bruises faded
away, leaving only the memory of the nightmare. If she didn’t have the old
skeleton key in her hand, she’d seriously doubt her sanity. Twirling it in her
fingers, she glanced around the room for a place to hide it. There was a lip at
the top of the shower stall and she climbed up on the edge of the tub stretched
her hand up and placed it out of sight.
Chapter 12
Daniel heard Eric
in the bathroom. He came around the corner as Eric said, “Hide it in a safe
place.” And he turned to leave the bathroom.
“Who you talking
to, Sport?”
Eric looked up at
his Dad and shrugged. “No one,” he answered nonchalantly.
He knew how upset
his father got when he told the truth. Daddy didn’t believe Mom was alive,
neither did his sister. They said it was in his head and the sooner he accepted
that she was gone, the better he would be. Therefore, Eric kept quiet. He knew
he needed to help his mom get out before something really bad happened. She was
special but he needed to show her the way to get out. If he could get her to
open the door, she could stop the bad man and get out.
Their therapist
LeAnn lost her husband a few years ago and said she knew how hard it was to let
go.
But she didn’t
know.
She didn’t
understand, so Eric just stopped talking about his mom altogether. He needed to
save her, not forget her.
Chapter 13
The next morning,
Jessica stepped out of the bathroom dressed in the pretty cotton sundress and
stopped in her tracks.
He set the tray of
food down turning his head in her direction. His blue eyes caught hers before
they made a quick scan and he straightened. Hunger sparked in his eyes and he
started toward her.
Bedroom eyes. The phrase jumped into her head again and she stepped back, feeling the wall
behind her. Flashes of his hands gliding on her body tainted by Frank’s brutal
rape snapped off in her head and she panicked. His slight laugh shattered the
silence and
She lay staring at
the ceiling for a long time, her breath hitching in and out of her chest, the
darkness creeping over her skin, making her feel dirty and ashamed.
The bad man
raped me.
The thought
triggered silent hot tears adding to her humiliation. Her stomach rolled and
she vaulted into the bathroom, vomiting the small amount of Gatorade in her
stomach.
I need to feel
clean.
She reached into
the shower and flipped it on, dialing it to scalding hot and stepped in.
Grabbing the soap, she scrubbed her skin until she was red and raw. No amount
of scrubbing could take away the feel of his hands squeezing the life out of
her or the dull pain resonating between her legs. The soap, once a full bar,
now just a sliver, slipped from her palm swirling down the drain. Jessica
leaned her head against the damp tile, letting the steam swirl around her for a
while before she shut the faucet off.
Stepping out of
the shower, she wrapped one of the plush towels around her and crossed to the
sink, wiping a clean swath through the mirror with her hand. She shot back a
step, blinking at the clear mirror, the steam slowly filling the space again,
but it wasn’t her that was in the reflection. It was Eric.
She grabbed a face
cloth and wiped the mirror again. Her little boy stared back at her, his wide
eyes locked on the black and blue marks surrounding her throat in the shape of
hands. His gaze shot to her eyes.
“Mom.” His eyes
filled with tears.
She reached her
hand toward him, expecting the glass to stop her progress, but when her palm
cupped his warm cheek, she gasped. He turned his face into her hand, pressing
his lips to her palm. A tingling sensation started at her wrist, traveling up
her arm and through her body, concentrating on her throat before fading.
He took her hand
and placed a small metal object in it. “I can show you what this opens, but not
right now. Hide it in a safe place,” Eric said and was gone.
Jessica stared at
the key in her hand and back up at her own reflection, the dark bruises faded
away, leaving only the memory of the nightmare. If she didn’t have the old
skeleton key in her hand, she’d seriously doubt her sanity. Twirling it in her
fingers, she glanced around the room for a place to hide it. There was a lip at
the top of the shower stall and she climbed up on the edge of the tub stretched
her hand up and placed it out of sight.
Chapter 12
Daniel heard Eric
in the bathroom. He came around the corner as Eric said, “Hide it in a safe
place.” And he turned to leave the bathroom.
“Who you talking
to, Sport?”
Eric looked up at
his Dad and shrugged. “No one,” he answered nonchalantly.
He knew how upset
his father got when he told the truth. Daddy didn’t believe Mom was alive,
neither did his sister. They said it was in his head and the sooner he accepted
that she was gone, the better he would be. Therefore, Eric kept quiet. He knew
he needed to help his mom get out before something really bad happened. She was
special but he needed to show her the way to get out. If he could get her to
open the door, she could stop the bad man and get out.
Their therapist
LeAnn lost her husband a few years ago and said she knew how hard it was to let
go.
But she didn’t
know.
She didn’t
understand, so Eric just stopped talking about his mom altogether. He needed to
save her, not forget her.
Chapter 13
The next morning,
Jessica stepped out of the bathroom dressed in the pretty cotton sundress and
stopped in her tracks.
He set the tray of
food down turning his head in her direction. His blue eyes caught hers before
they made a quick scan and he straightened. Hunger sparked in his eyes and he
started toward her.
Bedroom eyes. The phrase jumped into her head again and she stepped back, feeling the wall
behind her. Flashes of his hands gliding on her body tainted by Frank’s brutal
rape snapped off in her head and she panicked. His slight laugh shattered the
silence and
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