Page 128 of Lessons In Grey

The blanket was thrown haphazardly across Emily. Bruises covered her face, her neck. Her knuckles were bloody, the cuts only half-healed, probably reopened every time she attempted to open a bottle. Her hair was matted in blood, her left eye half swollen shut, cuts across her face, a hand shaped bruise around her neck. If this was what she looked like today, what had she looked like four days ago?

“Emily,” I whispered, my voice a bare whimper as tears filled my eyes.

“Mrow,” Sirius tried, purring, rubbing her face against Emily’s jaw as if she were trying to get her up. She would never leave her side now. Not after this. Never again.

I pushed through the bottles, stepping over the phone she had dropped on the ground, dead now. “Baby,” I tried, reaching over and gently pushing her hair to one side, something she had, two weeks ago, blushed at.

Her eyes flashed open and a scream tore from her lips.

33

Emily

December 3rd, 2021

The fear I felt was unlike anything I had ever felt before.

I reeled back against the couch, pain erupting over my body. No, no, no. Not again.

Tears streamed down my face as the hands tried to grab me.

Sirius jumped to one side, meowing. Why wasn’t she doing anything? Why wasn’t she helping?

“Please, please,” I begged, but my motions were weak. I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten. Yesterday, I thought, but time didn’t exist anymore. Nothing existed. “I’ll be good, I promise, I’ll be good.” Where was Ash? It was Tuesday, wasn’t it? She was supposed to come over for movies. She and Syn. They were bringing The Elf movie. We were making hot chocolate.

“Emily, baby, it’s me.”

I shoved him back and crawled to the other sideof the couch, pulling my knees up to my chest. “Two more weeks,” I breathed out, my body shaking, the pain almost unbearable. “Two more weeks, two more weeks, two more weeks.”

“No, not two more weeks, Emily, I’m right here,” the man tried, reaching for me again.

I shook my head, shoving myself back, falling to the floor. I cried out in pain as I collapsed, my body failing me, the sound of crunching bottles filling my ears. I twisted onto my stomach, trying to pull myself away, but my nails were broken, bloodied, my cuts reopening. “Fuck,” I whimpered, staring at the black rug, at the blood boiling on my knuckles, on my fingers. They were going to take me again.

My eyes widened, my heart slamming. Whoever they were, they had come back for me. They had come back for me, and I couldn’t get away.

I would never get away.

“Snowflake, it’s me,” he said, voice desperate.

My breath caught, my body stilling. Snow…snowflake? No, no, he was gone. He was still a few cities over.

“Snowflake,” he said again, walking around the coffee table. “Please, you have to listen to me.”

I closed my eyes, shaking my head, letting it fall to the floor until my forehead pressed into the scratchy carpet. I tried to breathe, but in this position, it was too difficult. He was gone, this was a trick. He was gone.

I heard the coffee table moving, and I squeezed my eyes shut tightly.

Sirius pressed under me, shoving her head against my cheek, purring comfortingly.

I released a shuddering breath, shoving onto my side. Why was I on the floor?

Sirius meowed, rubbing under my jaw, shoving my head up, my ear pressing into the carpet. I blinked hard, opening my eyes, lifting my hand to pet her head, only to stop when I saw the blood.My brows furrowed. “How did those open?” I mumbled to myself.

Sirius shoved under my hand anyway, forcing my eyes up, only for my entire body to freeze when I saw a brown shoe and a knee before me.

My eyes jerked up to find a pair of hazel eyes. My brows pulled together, the fear easing for confusion as I carefully shoved myself to a sit, his eyes steady on mine, searching, red, as if he had been crying. Why would he be crying? “Rags?” I mumbled, my voice hoarse from disuse. “I thought it was a two-week trip.” He had only been gone a week, what was he doing back already? “It’s only been a week.”

Not that I wasn’t happy, I was overjoyed that he was back, more than overjoyed.