Eternity

Chapter Eight~ A Broken Smile

A/N- This chapter has some heavy stuff in it pertains to physical, and some emotional, abuse. It begins and ends in the Italicized part, so if you want to skip over that, you can. Thank you for reading! ❤️

She lay in a heap in my arms. I can barely feel the weight of her. I have no idea what I should do, just the feeling of her being so close to me is intoxicating... And painful. Her skin crumpled on top of mine causes the fabric of my flannel to chafe my already mangled skin.

The trip I took was not pleasant. But I don't care as long as she is safe now, asleep in my arms.

~~~

I tear her away from her mother. Something that I question now. My black eyes well up with tears; I know I have to take her away, but where? I gather her into my arms and send myself up onto my feet. Adrenaline courses through me as I try my best to collect my thoughts in this split second. In the other half of that second, I come to a decision and bolt away from everyone. I don't care if they're yelling my name. I don't care if they chasing after me. I don't care if agony ripples through every step I  take— I was not prepared for what would happen.

Sprinting out of the house, beautiful, wonderful, understanding Jean firmly in my grasp, I run with every fiber of my being.

I need to get her away.

I need to get her to safety.

So I continue my flee.

I continue until I'm ready to collapse on the slick pavement.

And then, I push farther.

Flashes of rope chains, of fingernails holding me back releases me into a frenzy.

I'm finally able to run, to be free.

But then, I make it to hell. I should have been focusing more. I should have known that in that moment, my conflicting thoughts about my family wrapped me up in a suffocating hold and confused me beyond recognition. It's not until a long time after that I realize I ran to the one place I always wished I would be able to run to in a time of need: Home. Or what it should have been.

"Wayland, who the hell are you carrying? Get inside now." The woman I wished to be a true mother to me reaches out and grabs onto my arms. She lurches me into the house and throws me into the wall at the hallway.

"Tell my why you're running into our house with that whore? I can't believe it;  You're planning on leaving me to run away with her! Wayland ANSWER ME!" She lashes out with her chipped and bloody nails. I thoughtlessly throw my back towards her. If not to stop her from hurting Jeanna, then to remind her— to remind her of who she has the right to punish.

Not Jeanna, but me.

And that's what she does.

"Oh Wayland, such a knight in shining armor! Well, if you want me to punish you for your constant stupidity, then fine. I will." And as soon as I turn to face her, her eyes clear, and I believe that I see my real mother there. The mother who comes out every once in a while to caress me, to calm me, to remind me she's sorry. To blame it on my father and the way he treats her.

"Wesley! Get the belt!" And then she's gone.

~~~

When the leather crusted with my blood unleashes upon my body, my only thoughts are about my lovely, strong Jean.