Free Stolen by Bec Botefuhr Page B

hear a knock and Nessie’s voice. She comes in a moment later and sighs.
    “He hates me…” My voice comes out wobbly.
    “No love he doesn’t.”
    “I have ruined everything.”
    “This is not your fault love, he is just mad. His ego is shot, and he feels like a failure.”
    “Well I am the one who had to put up with it, I got taken from my family, shot and then I got locked away. I didn’t ask for that.”
    “I know you didn’t. Come here,” She soothes, “How about a nice cup of tea? You have a shower, and I will make you one.”
    “Thanks for everything Nessie.”
    “Anytime, come on I will help you in.”
    She helps me into the shower where I strip out of the ugly prison suit. My leg is terrible and nearly covered in dried blood. I have completely forgotten about it, Nessie gasps and her hand flings over her mouth.
    “Love, your leg.”
    “It’s ok Nessie. It’s just dried blood.”
    “Let me see.”
    She spends the next hour cleaning my leg and fussing over me. When I am showered and clean, I walk back out into the lounge room. Blade stands right away and steps towards me.
    “Can I talk to you?”
    I nod and follow him into the room; he shuts and locks the door. Ok…
    “What I said back there, I didn’t mean it. None of this is your fault, just seeing you Em and all those marks all over you. It’s not hard to tell you got beaten badly, it kills me.”
    “You can’t beat yourself up about all this, it’s over with now, and we just need to move on.”
    “It’s not that easy, look at you.”
    “Yeah I know, it will fade.”
    “You have lost weight, you’re so tiny I could wrap my hands around your waist.”
    “Again, that will come back.”
    “Why are you so tough?”
    “I’m not, but I am not going to make a huge scene out of this. It’s over now, and I want to move on, you were the only thing that kept me going Blade.”
    “I don’t know why…”
    “Yes you do!”
    “Right.”
    “You didn’t even hug me.” I whisper, looking away.
    “You’re sad because I didn’t hug you?”
    He sounds amused, so I turn and see him smiling gently at me. I melt.
    “A little, but at least you smiled.”
    “I want to hug you.”
    “Then hug me.” I whisper.
    He pulls me into his arms, and I melt into him. I have needed to feel this for a solid month, and finally, I feel at ease. I lean up to kiss him, but he turns away. It feels like a slap in the face.
    “Why don’t you want to kiss me?”
    “It’s not the right time.”
    “It's never the right time is it?” I snap.
    “I think you just want comfort.”
    “Well of course I bloody do Blade. What is wrong with kissing someone for comfort?!”
    “I just don’t know how to feel right now.”
    “ God , can you just get out?”
    He stares at me painfully.
    “ Angel , please…”
    “Get out Blade.”
    He leaves and I curl up into my bed. I have no tears left; I am just a ball of hurt now. I fall into a restless sleep and don’t wake until late afternoon. When I get up, my body is aching. God , how long since I have slept like that? Probably a whole month. I fix my hair and plod out into the kitchen to find Nessie preparing dinner.
    “Can I help?” I ask.
    “Sure love, could you peel the vegetables?”
    “Sure. Hey Nessie?”
    “Yes love.”
    “Do you think he likes me? Blade I mean.”
    “Why do you ask sweetheart?”
    “Well before I went to prison, I kind of said I had feelings for him. He said he didn’t feel the same about me.”
    “Oh. I don’t know love; I know he likes you. You just had to see how sad he was when you weren’t around to know that.”
    “I don’t understand then…” I frown, as I run the peeler over the vegetable in my hand.
    “Blade has always had trouble with showing emotion. Since he was a young boy expressing too much emotion was hard for him but don’t give up hope on him, just ease into it.”
    “Okay…” I mutter, feeling like I was getting nowhere.
    Night falls, and I finish