Mend What's Broken

Shattered

Margo's POV

"Okay, I've got a towel on the counter here for you. You can turn the water on with this here," I stood behind Lizzie as she reached forward into the shower, turning the knob until the water began to flow from the shower head. "Left is warmer and right is colder.. and that's about it."

She turned toward me with a wide grin on her face, resting both of her hands on my shoulders and I awkwardly dropped my gaze to my feet. Eye contact was a weird thing for me. I wasn't sure how long to hold it or at least, what was considered normal. Normally, I would just avoid looking at people all together to keep attention off of myself, but we were the only two people here, so there was no avoiding her.

But part of me didn't want to avoid her anyway.. I've found that you can tell a lot about a person by their eyes, and she was a good example of someone that appeared safe and trustworthy.

I just hope our eyes don't deceive us.

"You okay, hunny?"

I blinked back to the present, finding concerned eyes in front of me, and I quickly nodded my head, unsure of how long I had been staring off.

"Okay," she responded with a small grin. I could tell she didn't believe me, but I was relieved that she didn't acknowledge it any further. "Well, I'll leave you be and give you some privacy, but if you need anything, don't hesitate to call for me, okay? I'll just be in the kitchen." She gently squeezed my shoulders, causing a weird fluttering sensation in my chest, but it vanished as soon as she let her hands drop to her sides. She left the bathroom, closing the door behind her, and I let out a shaky sigh.

I shifted my eyes to the shower, the hot water already beginning to steam up the room, forming condensation onto the mirror. The water looked soothing, and I could imagine how nice it would feel to submerge myself in the warmth, but in order to get to that comfort, I was required to remove my clothes, and that was the step that I dreaded.

Come on, Margo. Don't be such a wuss..

I shook my head at my thoughts, memories attempting to take over my brain as I removed my shirt and then my pants, but the threatening thoughts didn't seem to hold any power until I made the mistake to glance into the mirror.

I shuddered at the sight of my frail body. Fading bruises trailing the lining of my panties and thighs, bony ribs poking out under my skin, with my eyes that appeared sunken and baggy, providing evidence of my insomnia. I hated what I saw.

I looked like an over-used puppet, a child's ruined doll that had been left outside in the rain, a toy that had been played with until it's owner lost interest and tossed it, waiting for the next sorry soul to have their share.

I crushed my teeth into my bottom lip, holding back the tears that begged to pour from my eyes. I couldn't afford to cry, not right now. So I took in a deep breath, turning away from the mirror, and removing the rest of my clothing, before stepping into the shower, and letting the burning water numb my skin.

Lizzie's POV

As soon as I left Margo to take her shower, I quickly tidied up the kitchen and prepped the living room for our day. I pulled open my pantry, gathering anything and everything that might be appealing to your average teenager, and forming a pile on the table.

I really wanted to give Margo the chance to experience the comforts of having a home, so I took my time in preparing the living room with blankets draped just about everywhere, and with Netflix already pulled up for us to make our selection. But as I was setting things up, my ears picked up on a faint tapping sound, and I turned to find the screen door tapping against the outer wall.