Evolution

Chapter Thirty Three: Broken

Standing in the shower as the fresh rainwater fell against my bare skin, I closed my eyes, the cold dripping over my every inch as I attempted to fathom what had happened with the Creature on Georgia Street. I was continuously shaking my head, forcing my brain to emerge from this endless dream I was having.
After what felt like an hour, being much, much longer, I turned the taps of the water flow off, the squeak of pipes replying angrily. I wrapped myself in a towel I had found neatly folded in the bathroom cabinet and stepped out, wiping away the moisture accumulated on the mirror. I looked as awful as I felt. My eyes sported purple bags from lack of sleep, my skin paler than usual due to lack of sunlight and vitamins. My hair dripped onto the tiled floor, the ends dry and brittle, reaching the low of my back. I stared at my reflection, the person inside the mirror taunting me with overwhelming emotion. I was an overpainted canvas, the surface of me dripping with morbid darkened colours that displayed the picture of a cruel and nightmare fuelled mind.
My soul was empty. All emotions were lost, until unwillingly my insides burst open. Tears began to seep from my eyes, stretching down my cheeks, down my collarbones where my eyes were drawn to my neck. Where the side of my throat reached into my shoulder, a small red mark stared back at me. A mark that had been caused by a reckless night spent in the arms of a man I knew nothing off. My fingers lifted, tracing over the tiny nip. Images of the night came racing back, forcing more tears from my clenched eyes.

The person in the mirror, it was not Morgan, it was not Arrow, it was a mess of a whole team of people that had failed to believe in any form of hope. I was a broken array of people that I had tried to sew together in hopes of creating the perfect solider. My mother would have been disappointed, she would have been angry at the fact I had thrown myself away, that I had changed the beautiful personality she had passed down to me.
I looked back up at my face, my eyes that reminded me of my fathers, and a strong man that had provided for his daughter until the very day of his death. I couldn't ignore that. I could no longer bring shame to the DNA that I had been so kindly given. I was better than that.
Using the back of my hands, I swept away my sorrow, my weakness.
I gave my hair a quick dry, throwing it up into a messy bun. I dried my skin, careful of the now soggy wounds on my lip, my arms, my back and the fresh grazes on my left leg.
Throwing on a new set of clothes - that I had found nearby in a store - gave me the kick that I had needed. I was lucky enough to have my life, I would fight for it with all of my strength and I would get to the bottom of what had happened with the Creature on Georgia Street.
Perhaps after all, there was hope.

Slinging my bag onto my back, I realized just how long I had been MIA. The sun had awoken, bringing light to a new day. By now, Jaxon, Ronan and Jesse would have been awake. They would have realized that I was nowhere in sight. Would they be panicking? Would they continue on without me or search for me?

I moved down the stairs from the two story home I had taken shelter inside, careful as I exited the front door. I stood on the porch, squinting through the morning as to where I would go next. I wondered if I went back to the garage that the others would be there. I wasn't sure, and I wasn't confident on it. Jesse had after all said that they'd – we'd - be leaving early.
I took in a deep breath of fresh air, soaking up the smell of the aftermath rain settling into the soil and began down the stairs.
I was going to head towards the garage, just in case, but as I took on the last stair, something slammed into my side, hard, pushing me off balance. I caught my footing, feeling the firm grip of someone's hand pulling at my upper-arm.

"What the hell were you thinking!?" I recognized Jaxon in front of me, his eyes wide

"Jaxon?" I spoke his name, surprised

He looked angry, yet relieved as he shook my shoulders

"Jesus woman" He sighed, letting me go, placing his fingers in his mouth to give out a sharp whistle