Basically, I Hate You

TWELVE

I skipped lunch and went upstairs to Kohl's suite. I was nowhere near ready to face all the judgmental stares I knew were coming. None of these people knew me which meant that was the impression of me that they now had and I was simply too tired and defeated to care enough to change it. Once the adrenaline wore off my body began to feel the extent of its injuries. My jaw throbbed angrily where I'd taken a punch and my lungs ached with each inhale. As I reached to twist the doorknob on the suite doors, broken skin and swollen knuckles flexed making me hiss. A hot shower and a nap were calling my name.

I walked into the bathroom and began to undress in front of the vanity. Once my clothes were off I could see the large red and purple bruises all over my body. I had extensive discoloration on my arms, legs, ribs, even my knees.

When I prayed for some color I didn't mean this.

I sighed deeply, grabbed a towel and stepped in the shower. I slowly cranked the water hotter and hotter until I could barely stand being underneath it. At first, I just let it run over my body, calming my screaming muscles. Once some of the soreness had become tolerable I washed myself gently. Each pass over my ribs was searing agony. I'd never been hit before so all the painful experiences were new. Nowhere near as bad as my first shift but it still took my breath away when I pressed too hard on a bruise.

After I cleaned up I turned off the shower and stepped out. I wrapped the towel around my body and walked into the closet to get some clothes from my bag. But I discovered that my duffels were gone. I looked around the floor in the closet thinking maybe Kohl had moved them but I didn't see them anywhere so I began to panic. As I turned to go back into the bathroom and put back on my dirty clothes I saw all my clothes were hanging in a section at the front of Kohl's closet. Where his dress shirts and pants had previously been it was now filled with some of my nicer stuff. I opened the drawers underneath tentatively, looking for my undergarments and saw them folded neatly and placed in the drawers. I wasn't sure how or when this had happened but I was thankful because it meant that most likely Kohl had grabbed the stuff he would need to move to wherever he was staying.

Small victories, Lux.

I grabbed the black leggings and long sleeved black shirt I had been looking for as well as some underwear and fuzzy socks. I skipped the bra since the band would press into my ribs. Finally dressed I crawled into the bed. As soon as I touched the pillows I drifted off, my tired body demanding rest.

I woke sometime later to a dusky sky. My stomach growled loudly as I sat up in bed. I'd missed lunch and after forfeiting my meager breakfast to the trashcan I was starving. I sighed heavily when I realized I would have to go downstairs for dinner. I dragged myself back to the bathroom to brush my teeth and hair. I cleaned up my face as well as I could, knowing I couldn't cover the lump on my jaw, before I gave up and left the suite in search of sustenance.

As I got nearer to the elevator I began to hear noises. I focused on it, trying to discern what was happening and I realized somebody was moaning loudly. I chuckled to myself at the thought of Drue or Lochland getting it in and being so loud about it as I called the elevator. In the living room lots of people were there talking amongst themselves. Mostly, they ignored me which was perfect. I walked into the kitchen and the glorious smells wafted from the ovens to my nose.

"Hey sweetie! You're just in time for dinner. But, you can always come and get a snack at any time." The older grey haired lady greeted me. I smiled at her in return.

"As Beth said Eleanor and I are always happy to feed you young wolves." The lady I presumed was Miss Anna said.

"Thank you." I responded shyly.