Is It Love?

Chapter 9 ~ Bad Dream

Water surrounded her

" I can't breathe!" She coughed.

She felt her head being pushed under the water again.

"I've never seen anyone so weak before! Gosh I wish I had a son! Your worthless!"

Still under the water everything started to go black.

Then she saw it come, a Great White Shark, his jaws opening towards her.

She tried to swim away but the hands pushed her down again.

She had no energy left to fight.

It swam to her side getting ready to kill its prey, opening his jaws wider then.....

Screams

Blood

Pain, so much pain

And darkness.

"AAAAAAARGH!" Ginger woke up screaming.

Sullivan was in the next room sleeping when he heard her scream.

"What the hell?!" He muttered getting up and running to her room, he thought it was going to be just a trick on him but he still went to see her. He unlocked the door and went in and turn the lights on.

To Sullivan's horror he saw Ginger sat up, shaking and crying.

" Ginger what's wrong!" He said rushing next to her.

"I....." Ginger couldn't speak, she was panting, trying to catch her breath gripping the bed sheets.

" Your sweating buckets!" Remarked Sullivan anxious." Can you tell me what happened?"

Still Ginger just sat there shaking.

"Alright, you stay here, I'm going to go and call Father Brown." He said getting up and going.

"NO DON'T LEAVE ME!" Ginger cried grabbing onto his arm desperately.

Sullivan knelt down next to her by the bed and gently hugged her. She cried into his chest whilst he stroked her hair.

" It's ok Ginger, you're safe." He spoke reassuringly. " Please tell me what happened."

She sat back up, more calm now.

"It was a dream.....from my childhood."

"But I thought you said-"

"Yes, I know that I told you I had a loving and happy childhood but that was a lie. My father wasn't a nice man, he used to beat my mother."

"Oh I'm  sorry." Sullivan spoke holding her hand, " My father was very dominant and controlling, that's why I came to Kembleford, to escape him."
Ginger " He always wanted a son, instead he had me and my twin sister Jane. He hated the two of us, wanted us to be more strong  so...."

Ginger trailed of, afraid to tell Sullivan.

" Ginger you can tell me." She nodded and carried on.

" Every weekend he would take us on a fishing boat out to sea, he'd throw us both overboard and hold our heads under the water so we couldn't breathe."
Sullivan was shocked, he couldn't imagine anyone being so cruel.

"Anyway, when we were about 13, we he took us out to sea again but....something went wrong...."

"What happened?" Sullivan asked concerned.

" I....I can't say...its to painful, but I can show you." Ginger stood of the bed.

"Tom, what I'm about to show you, you must promise not to tell anyone."

"I promise Ginger."

She turned her back to him and took of her night dress.

"Bloody Hell!" He exclaimed putting  a hand to his mouth.
Her back was covered with scars and old bruises.

"Shark attack." She mumbled." Dad kept us under the water, we tried to swim free but we couldn't, I got attacked first then he pulled me up....Jane didn't make it."

" I'm so sorry Ginger, at least your dad saved you and didn't just leave you to drown."
Ginger turned around angry, Sullivan blushed a bit and looked away as she wasn't wearing anything.

"Do you know what my father said to me afterwards? He said he saved me first because I had a more bright future ahead of me and that Jane didn't have any future so he saved me because I was  'the best option'!"

Sullivan didn't know what to say. Ginger sighed and got back into bed and turned away from him.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have told you." She muttered.
Sullivan went back to his own room bewildered, he wanted to phone Father  Brown and ask his advice but he promised Ginger he wouldn't, for the first time in his life he prayed, he prayed to know what to do with Ginger.

About 10 minutes later he could hear small sobs coming from her room.
Sullivan went back and opened her door again, she had her face buried in her pillow crying.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" He asked concerned.
Ginger looked up, her eyes red from crying.
" You don't want to sleep with a ' slut' do you?" She said quoting him.

He sighed and and sat on the bed next to her.
"I'm sorry I called you that, I was just angry and felt betrayed. I was completely wrong though, you are NOT a slut Ginger."

She nodded
"I'm sorry I lied to you, I'm still trying to figure everything out." Sullivan nodded and went to leave.

" Tom." Ginger said sitting up.

" Yes?" He said turning to face her.

"It would be nice...if you stayed." She said trying to avoid eye contact with him.

He smiled and lay down next to her.
" Thank you." She smiled at him" But could you come closer?"She smirked.
Sullivan wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead.
"This better?"

"Much better." She smiled nestling her head into his chest.

Suddenly life seemed better, life seemed full of love, ot so Sullivan thought. He had no idea of the mental battle she was going through.