The Unknown Hand

021

Margaret

Margaret breathed in, burying her face in her pillow. For some reason her pillow didn't smell like it usually did. It smelled like... Lance. Eyes flying open, she sat up fast. She regretted it a second later, head pounding furiously. Her cheek burned, along with her leg and wrist. She looked around the room, realizing she was in Lance's bedroom and not her own. She heard some muffled voices outside the door, though their words were indistinguishable.

Bracing herself, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. She stood up cautiously, walking across the room slowly. She reached the door, and turned the knob to open it. When she did so, three faces looked at her as all of the talking stopped entirely. All of them looked worried. There was Lance, his mom, and a man she could only assume was his dad. Before she knew what was happening, Lance walked up to her, turned her around, and walked into his room, closing the door behind them.

"Mar, what happened last night? Are you okay?" he signed once she was facing him again. She couldn't help but notice the fact that his hair was out of its usual bun.

"Why would I not-" she stopped mid word, memories flooding from the night before. Intimidating voices, bruises, diamond rings. She blinked, her eyes daring to pour tears. He saw her cry, he hugged her, he carried her. She didn't remember beyond that. She looked to the ground in embarrassment. Why had she texted him? He didn't need to know what her parents were. She chewed on her lip in attempts to keep from crying. How could she not have remembered such an event?

Lance walked closer to her, placing a hand on her cheek, the uncut one. She slowly looked up at him, ashamed of herself. His hand slid off her cheek so he could speak. "It's okay. If you don't feel comfortable telling me, that's okay. Just know I'm here for you, okay?" he signed.

Margaret thought for a moment. There was no way she could tell him without crying, and she knew that. She didn't want him to feel like she didn't trust him, because she did trust him. She knew she would have to tell him about her parents at some point in time, but that didn't mean she was entirely enthusiastic about it. Taking a breath, she tried to make a decision.

"I'll tell you," she signed. "Do you have a paper and a pencil?"
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Chapter Summary: Margaret wakes up at Lance's house. She decides to tell him about her parents.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed. Remember to stay your amazing self!