"What happened?" I ask Sara's cousin who stood behind her. I was holding a crying Sara in my arms in a tight hug. I pat her hair as a comforting gesture.
"I'm not sure after she talked to your grandmother and got the invite, she called someone else. After that she was pretty much hysterical and refused to talk to anyone. She said she wanted you so I brought her to you" Nadja explains. Sara whimpers into my neck. I feel helpless. She seems more broken than yesterday on the plane.
"Do you want to come in? My grandmother is in the attic" Nadja nods and walks in, I gesture which way she had to go. No more words are exchanged between us as I turn all my attention towards Sara.
"I'm going to carry you now" I whisper into Sara's hair. She nods and helps me place her legs around my torso and places her arms around my neck. Sara was still softly crying when we made it to the guest room I was staying in.
I place her carefully on the bed, I tried to hush her tears by doing my best to wipe them away.
"Are you ready to use my talent again?" I give her a warm smile, I hoped it'd cheer her up or at least she felt some kind of comfort. It's amazing how much I came to care for another human being so much in such a short time. I didn't know I was able of such emotions. That every tear that left her beautiful eyes felt like a sting in my heart.
Sara starts breathing faster and squeezed out "I'm the worst." I stop breathing and look at her. Her messed up hair, her swollen eyes, her pale face, her trembling lips.
Her confession made me speechless for a short moment "What makes you say that?" I ask, I'm being careful to not ruin her trust she has in me. The least I can do is to listen to her and comfort her. It hurt me to see her so miserable.
"Grazia... –Grazia she," Sara is unable to form the words and instead she starts to shake. She is having a another panic attack, the first being on the plane. The difference this time is that I didn't panic myself but immediately started comforting her. I felt guilty that I cared more about seeing Sara feel better than knowing what has happened between her and her bestfriend which obviously must be something terrible.
After a few warm words and a long tight hug, she calms down.
Sara looks me straight into my eyes with her swollen red ones, she looks empty... hollow in a way. Nothing could've prepared about what she was about to say.
"she was raped"
"Grazia was raped" she repeats as if she couldn't quite grasp that fact.
