The Survivor (Book #2)

Chapter 21

Dominic..." I muttered uncertainly. 

"Yes?" he asked cheerfully, before tugging the other lace and then removing both his socks, as well. He held his feet above the water and looked at me like I was crazy.

"It's cold," I said quietly. "Don't put your feet in there."

"You're doing it." He said innocently. I knew there was some message in his words, but I couldn't find the meaning.

He plunged his feet into the icy water and immediately groaned and pulled them out, before hesitantly lowering them in with a hiss.

"It's like an ice bath!" he whined.

"Told you so," I whispered rudely. I wanted it to sound like teasing, but the edges of my words were hard. He nudged me with his side, and I rolled my eyes. 

"Did you need something?" I asked, mouth taut as I tried not to get annoyed at someone who did nothing to make me this way.

"I wanted to see what happened and if you were okay." He said in his deep voice. His flannel-covered arm rubbed against mine and warmed me a little. His voice seemed nervous, and it should've been. 

"Nothing happened," I snapped. "So, fuck off."

"Excuse me?" he asked, and I could feel the anger burning from his skin. I didn't look at his face for fear that it would make me timid. Right now, all I felt was anger that he would come out here and bother me. 

"You heard me," I said through clenched teeth. Maybe if I was lucky, he would snap too, and hit me. Would he punch me, slap me? Throw me to the ground? He was big enough. He could do it. I had a sudden urge to yell louder and fight harder. I would make him hurt me.

"Maya, I'm not here to fight with you." He explained, trying over. No, stay angry. Feel this hurt like I do. 

"Because you'd lose," I said with evident boredom, picking at my nail again. My left leg jumped as I realized I sounded like Liam.

His feet pulled suddenly from the pool and splashed me as he stood and grabbed his shoes.

"Scared?" I called to his retreating figure.

"Of you, little one?" he said with a laugh. "No. I'm more scared you'll hurt yourself trying to fight me."

I pulled my legs out of the pool and stood, putting my fists up. I wasn't sure if they were too high or too low. I kept them lower to protect my stomach. He stopped walking away and faced me, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"Tell me what happened." He said sternly, eyes zeroing in on mine like missiles. Butterflies came to my stomach, but I ignored them.

"Fight me and I'll tell you." I taunted, moving closer and staying on the balls of my feet. That would help me absorb any blow and keep moving. He was stronger but I was faster. He took a step closer and I breathed in with worry but braced myself.

"It's that look that's killing me." He said calmly, standing a foot away from me.

"What look?"

"The look that says we're enemies, and not friends." He responded sadly. I wanted to tell him everything, but instead, I shrugged my shoulders. Pain pierced his eyes, and his lips moved a little but revealed nothing.

"What happened?" he asked again. 

NOTHING!" I yelled, dropping my hands to my side and leaning closer.

"Tell me!" Dominic yelled back and for a second I could've sworn he was my father and not my brother.

"Liam..." I blurted before I could help myself. Isaw fury flash in his brown eyes. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me over tohim, holding me close. It didn't hurt, but I could tell he was doing everythingin his power not to crush me in his anger. 

"What did Liam do?" he asked slowly, in a tone so threatening that goosebumps rose on my body in seconds.

I struggled to break free from his grip but stopped moving when I realized it wasn't possible. I gulped and answered him before I knew that I wanted to.

"He touched me." I choked out, scared. "I took him up to my room and it was weird and then he pushed me on the bed..."

"You should have told me the second you felt weird!" He said angrily, as he dropped my wrist and started walking towards the house.

"Dominic!" I screamed at him. What was he going to do?

"No, Maya!" he yelled back. "I'm going to go fix the mess you made."

My stomach plummeted as I realized he wasn't protecting me. He wasn't angry at Liam. He was mad at me. What would've made me crumble yesterday made me strong today.

My eyes flashed and I glared at his back with a fire burning in my stomach. 

"Fuck you!" I said loudly, lip curling as he paused and tightened his hands.

"What did you just say?" he snarled, muscles rolling underneath his shirt as he looked over his shoulder. 

"You fucking heard me!" I said, before running to the gate on the side of the house and ripping it open. I took off down the driveway and past the gate, across our street, and through a little pathway that went between houses. There were no tears falling, but my breathing was heavier than it should've been, and I knew I was about to break.

I heard my feet slap against the concrete and cursed myself for not putting my shoes back on. The temperature was dropping, and it was dark outside already. You're not going to make it very far.

"Shut up," I whispered tiredly to myself as I pushed my limits and ran harder. I was glad nobody was outside, walking a dog, or riding a bike. It was Thanksgiving, after all. I picked up speed as I raced harder down the street, taking every random turn I could.

Finally, I had to stop. My lungs ached and I felt a sharp stab beneath my ribs that wasn't going away. I breathed in big gulps of air and put pressure on it, hoping that a different pain might distract it temporarily. I looked around to gauge my surroundings and saw a couple of houses that I didn't think I'd seen before.

I found a little fenced-in area beside a house and I opened it, seeing a hose and some gardening tools. There were cobwebs on the box and a layer of dust that assured me nobody would be coming out here any time soon. I heard a car rev from the street nearby, so I jumped inside and closed the fence behind me, before falling to the ground.

My heart picked up speed as I turned and leaned against the wall and started to cry. They weren't little tears that dripped softly. They weren't gentle stripes that covered my cheeks. My body was wracked with big sobs and I choked and cried and curled in on myself, realizing that I was on the ground fully as my cheek felt cold wet grass.

My mind seemed to sense that I was weaker than normal, so it searched for the absolute worst thoughts in my mind so that it could hurt me that much more.

He touched you, it said. And you didn't let him. Even Dominic hates you now. What does that remind you of?

"You deserve it." A voice said, but it wasn't my voice this time. I looked up at the stars in the sky and felt my mind fly out of my body and float into the stars as I thought.

Thanksgiving. The answer popped into my head and I realized why I froze and couldn't move and couldn't speak. I realized why I had stopped today and done nothing at all.

The face that I had seen when I shut my eyes wasn't my uncle. It was his friend, the police officer. He had hurt me, too.