Her Broken Wings - FINALLY Completed

Chapter 3

Nightmares were my nemesis. I woke up most nights with my clothes soaked in sweat and my stomach threatening to heave up the little that I had eaten. The more I tried to get away from my memories, the more they plagued my every step.

The first morning I'd woken up in a panic. I'd barely made it to the bathroom before I was puking up my guts. Afterwards I'd spent what felt like hours, staring at my reflection in the mirror. I hadn't built up enough courage to look in the mirror at the hospital, afraid of what I might see. My skin was pale, accented only by the occasional black, yellow, or purple bruise. My collarbones stuck out at odd angles and my cheekbones were far too prominent. My eyes looked tired, and dark bruises were always present in the hollows beneath my eyes. The doctors had helped me shower at the hospital, so at least the dirt and grime had been washed away. As clean as my skin was, my soul felt tarnished. With all of my hope came a certain amount of dread. Would I ever get past this?

Zoey's presence helped. That first day at the mansion she had brought me plenty of books to keep me company. In the afternoon she had helped me walk to the cinema room, where we watched anything from romance to comedy until we were too tired to keep our eyes open. She reminded me of my mother in the way that she was always flurrying around me, trying to get me to eat and rest. But I couldn't rest. Even when it was the early hours of the morning and I felt as if exhaustion would finally overcome my body, I lay awake.

I wanted so badly to forget, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't escape him. I didn't know if I ever truly would. But for now all I could do was try to move on, try to live life to it's fullest.

"Rose, you ready to go?" Zoey's voice called from down the stairs. I smiled tentatively. Now that my ankle had healed, Zoey was taking me shopping. Excitement bubbled within me as I rushed down the stairs.

"Yep just let me grab a jacket." I grabbed one of Zoey's jacket from the hooks and followed her out of the house and towards her car.

"Ah this is so exciting. We're gonna go crazy girl." Zoey's eyes sparkled.

"I already told you. I just need a few pairs of clothes to get me by until I can find a job." She looked at me askance, but I ignored her.

"You know. Sometimes I don't understand you. Since when do you go to the mall to only get a few things?" she teased. I laughed and shook my head. Zoey could be a bit eccentric at times. I loved her all the more for it.

"Fine. We can go a little crazy." I pinched my fingers together to show her just how little. She gave a little squeal of joy.

"Finally she caves," Zoey said in victory.

I laughed, settling back in the soft leather seat as we headed out of the drive and onto the main road.

"You know my brother keeps asking about you." My heart leapt at the mention of Sam, but I forced myself not to respond. I'd seen him frequently over the past few days. He never spoke, just watched me from a distance, as if making sure that I was okay. Creepy, I know. I should have felt uncomfortable but strangely enough, every time I saw him, I felt safe. At my silence, Zoey gave me a patronizing look. "Don't pretend you can't hear me."

"I'm not."

"Okay. Then spill girl. What's up between you and my brother?"

"Nothing." And as far as I was concerned that was the truth. Nothing. Nothing was up between me and Sam. I felt safe near him, so what? It wasn't like anything would come of it.

"You know he's never had a girlfriend."

I snorted, "I find that hard to believe."

"No it's true. I've seen him with plenty of women, but never the same one twice."