Free Blurring Lines by Chloe Walsh Page B

took my hand in hers and gave it a little squeeze. “But we need to focus on you moving forward from this. The past can’t touch your future, Mackenzie – unless you allow it to.”
    “What are you suggesting?” I asked, closing my eyes for a moment as I reveled in the touch of Anna’s hand. “How … how can I fix myself?”
    “Find the girl you used to be.”
    “That’s impossible,” I muttered. I didn’t feel like that girl anymore. I wasn’t her. That was the problem. How could I find the old me, when I was absolutely certain she was dead? She had died from the rape and the shame and the utter loneliness she suffered ...
    “It’s not impossible. You need to rediscover the girl you were before the abduction,” Anna explained. “Find value in yourself and take an interest in life. You are eighteen years old, Mackenzie. Maybe you should be living the life of an eighteen-year-old …”
    I twisted sideways on the couch to face her. “So you’re saying what – I should go back to school? Follow my old patterns …?”
    Anna nodded. “School would be a pretty good start. You surpassed every one of your tutors’ expectations when in hospital, Mackenzie. You are bright – exceptionally bright. I can pull a few strings, have a word with Principal Lowery and have you back with your old classmates by Monday.” Anna’s brown eyes lit up as she spoke and I knew she thought returning to school was a good idea. “It can’t hurt, Mackenzie.”
    “But what if that girl is gone forever?” I whispered. What if everyone thinks I’m a whore? “What if …” I paused and inhaled a steadying breath before saying, “What if all I am now is what those men turned me into?”
    “You are the creator, designer, and implementer of the person you are, Mackenzie Moore,” Anna told me passionately. “And you are stronger than you think. You can do this. You can take your life back ...”
    The door of the lounge opened, interrupting our conversation.
    “Shit … sorry,” Cade muttered, as he stood in the doorway wearing nothing but a pair of navy shorts, and holding a soccer ball in his hand. Cade’s bare stomach was on display and I soaked in the image of his sun-kissed skin, ribbed abdominal muscles and that sinfully sexy tattoo. “I didn’t realize you guys were in here …”
    “Cade Mathews. You’re just the man I’ve been looking for.” Anna beamed up at Cade’s flustered face and beckoned him into the lounge.
    “I am?” Cade looked from Anna to me and swallowed nervously. “Why’s that?”
    She patted the cushion between us. “Come sit.”
    “Is this necessary, Dr. Rosetta?” Sharon had miraculously appeared at the lounge door, blocking Cade’s way. “I mean, why would you need to include Cade in Mackenzie’s therapy session …?” Her words trailed off as her face reddened. “It just doesn’t seem normal to me.”
    “It’s perfectly normal to include old friends and family members in therapy sessions, Mrs. Moore,” Anna replied coolly, eyeing my stepmother with a look of distaste, and I mentally high-fived Anna for shutting Sharon up. “Besides, Cade is over eighteen. He can tell me himself if he doesn’t want to help Mackenzie.”
    “He has plans,” Sharon blurted out. “With his girlfriend – she’s leaving for Jacksonville tomorrow night …”
    “I want to help Mackenzie,” Cade announced before stepping around his mother.
    “Cade,” Sharon hissed, but Cade ignored her. It was quite comical really, watching Sharon’s horrified expression as Cade walked into the lounge and sat on the couch between us.
    “Close the door, will you?” Anna asked sweetly, and for a moment I thought Sharon was going to blow a head gasket.
    I stared in wonder at Anna who smirked and winked back at me.
    Sharon’s face turned the color of fire. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before eventually slamming the door shut.
    “Sorry about my mother,” Cade husked, bringing me back to the