His Mission

A sign from above.

Trevor's chest rises and falls with adrenaline. I stare back at him as I wait for him to make his decision. Is he about to risk everything? I glance in the direction of the door. The person on the other side is blurred, so I can't make out their identity. If only they knew they could possibly be saving my life by ringing the doorbell.

"Go to your fucking room and don't say a word. If you scream, I'll kill you. Do you hear me?" Trevor hisses down at me. I don't need to be told twice. I nod my head before scrambling up the stairs. I hear Trevor drop the shard before answering the door. I don't hang around to hear who is on the other side. Whoever it is has literally saved my life. It quickly dawns on me that Trevor's beatings are becoming more frequent and worse by the day. He isn't going to stop until I'm dead. I dive into my bedroom before slamming the door shut. My trembling hands reach for my phone and I call the only person who makes me feel safe. He answers immediately.

"Where are you?" Jake asks as soon as I call him. I'm gasping for breath and a stream of tears roll down my cheeks. I open my mouth to speak, but my words are jumbled and broken. "Slow down, Emily. I can't understand you. What's going on?" Jake asks me firmly. I hear quick footsteps on the other end of the line as Jake springs into action. "It's Trevor... He's going to kill me. He's lost control," I manage to gasp through my frantic breathing.

"Pack a bag, Wentworth. You're coming home with me," Jake tells me. I glance around my bedroom with panic. What do I take? It feels like time is running out. I don't know how long I have until Trevor's attention is going to settle back on me. "I don't know what to take!" I wail down the line.

"Hey, I want you to listen to me. Are you listening?" Jake asks me. I grab hold of my phone tightly before releasing a soft whimper. "Yes."

"I know you're scared, but you're stronger than this. Find the biggest bag you own and pack your stuff. Clothes. Pictures of your Dad. School work. You can do this," Jake tells me. His voice is confident, calm and collected. I don't know how he can remain so calm in a time of chaos. His words spark me into action and I dive for the gym bag sitting under my bed. It's the biggest bag I own. I scurry to my wardrobe before pulling the clothes off their hanger. My heart races inside my chest and I'm terrified of Trevor making his way to my room.

I catch sight of myself in the mirror. Tears roll down my cheeks, blood stains my neck and coffee covers my birthday outfit. My bottom lip wobbles unsteadily when I realise he took everything from me. "I hate him, Jake. I want to kill him for what he's done to me," I whisper down the phone. Jake pauses for a moment, and I begin to wonder whether my words are too dark for him. I don't want to scare him away with the harsh reality of my grim life. To my surprise, Jake responds with words that make me feel validated and accepted. "I want to kill him too, Wentworth."

Jake gets to me in under ten minutes. I pull open my bedroom window before glancing down at him. He's breathing heavily, his dark hair is tousled, and sweat beads his forehead. His eyes dart around the downstairs windows before he gestures for me to throw my bag down. I throw it out of the window before hearing Jake catch it with a soft grunt. "What the hell did you pack? Your entire bedroom?" Jake calls out to me. I wipe the tears staining my cheeks before shooting him an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I didn't know what to bring with me."

He swings the bag over his back before gesturing for me to come toward him. "Okay, Emily. It's your turn," Jake tells me. I stare down at him in disbelief. "You want me to jump out of the window? Are you trying to kill me too?" I joke with him. His eyes flash with darkness and I know my joke didn't settle well with him. He holds out his arms and his eyes connect with mine.

"I would never let you fall. I need you to jump now," Jake tells me. I stare down at the great height before feeling my stomach swirl with nausea. I'm not great with heights. Hesitation settles deep inside me and I glance back into my room at the pictures of Dad I couldn't fit into my escape bag. "Is this really how it's going to end?" I whisper to him. I hate leaving behind the home I have memories of him in. I hate leaving behind my photos of him. It feels like I'm leaving him behind. "Emily," Jake warns me to hurry up from outside my bedroom window. I inhale a deep breath before climbing onto my window edge. The world underneath me begins to spin and I release a sound of uneasiness.