PATRIARCHY

three

chapter 3

the fourteenth of may, 2155

She stands there quietly, a tear induced with her black mascara rolling down her cheek. Her hair is messy, the majority of wild strands tucked behind her ears. The faded red lipstick is smeared down to her chin, and she's paler than usual. I take a small step towards her, wondering..

"What happened to you?"

She doesn't answer. She stands there completely still, like she can't even function.

"Nancy! What happened!" I shout in a whisper, so that no one upstairs hears it.

"I... He..." she limps, struggling to hold herself up. I get to her, putting her arm around my shoulder. I feel her get heavier, so I help her inside to keep her from falling onto the cold stone porch. I try to carry her to the living room, but her arm slips off my shoulder, and she crumples to the floor.

"Nancy! Tell me!" I demand. I get to the floor with her, the stone tiles pressing against my legs. She releases a sob, her head swaying as I touch her hands. They're ice cold.

"He-" She tries, but her head bows down before letting herself finish. I see her tears fall onto her dress, creating black spots on the otherwise white fabric. I stroke her back, pressing her head against my chest, letting her sob into it.

I'm about to ask her what happened once more, but she pulls herself up slightly, looking at me. She inhales heavily, wiping away some of the black around her sore eyes.

"I didn't want to," she shakes her head. I try to figure out which emotion is radiating out of her greying eyes, but I don't think there is any. They are completely empty.

"You didn't want to w-" I start, but I halt once I see the distinct red marks on her wrists, and around her neck. Daniel...

I close my eyes.

We don't talk about this. Nobody talks about this.

But it happens.

I find myself at a loss for words, and I can't think of anything to do but to hug her. I embrace her tightly, resting my chin on the top of her head, feeling her shiver violently. I try to calm her by rubbing her back, but her sobs become heavier against my neck.

"I'm here, you're safe," I whisper. I clench my hands lightly around the top of her arms, and they tense up.

"I told him to stop, I told him to stop, I told him to st-" she repeats rapidly. I stare at her bruised wrists. They make the shape of his hands in blue and yellow, and I cover them with my fingers so Nancy doesn't have to see them.

He did this to her.

"Nancy, we have to tell someone," I breathe, causing her to sit up straight within a second, staring into my eyes.

"No," she shakes her head, and she jerks her hands to herself, grabbing a hold of my shoulders.

"Don't tell anyone."

"You can't tell anyone! Promise me!" She urges, as a tear leaves her eyes along with any concern for justice. Her eyes turn wide, the blue in them fading away as her grip of my shoulders weaken.

"Nancy, we have to go to the police, the hospital, something!" I whisper sharply, slightly raising my voice. I hear an echo of myself from the walls of the large hallway, and I use the moment of silence to listen for any noise from upstairs. But there isn't any.

"Are you crazy! What good would that do, Lia?" she protests, wiping away her tears. She tucks a few more strands of hair behind her ear, taking a deep breath.