Family Comes First

Chapter 7: Edge of a Breakdown

 Jimmy's alarm woke me up from my unconsciousness. He reached over me and turned it off. I rubbed the heel of my hand into my eyes to help myself wake up. My head was pounding and my mouth was dry. I looked at myself to see that I was only wearing that grey T-shirt again.

Jimmy got out of bed and dragged his feet over to the bathroom. He stretched his arms up over his head and I watched the muscles in his back move.

I needed to see what he did to me last night.

I sat up and rolled up the hem of the shirt to look at my stomach and legs. There were not any marks. The three slashes on my arm burned. There was a blister at the base of my thumb from Tommy's lighter.

When the bathroom door opened, my heart almost beat out of my chest. I threw the shirt back down to cover my body. I may show my skin as my job, but there is no way that I am voluntarily showing my body to Jimmy. He most likely assaulted my body, and the thought of that caused my stomach to twist in a knot.

I got off the bed and hurried to the bathroom. My throbbing head spun with the first couple of steps. I closed the door behind me and locked it. I sat on the floor with my back against the tub. I brought my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around myself.

I squeezed my eyes shut, and a couple of tears rolled down my cheeks. My body wanted to break out into sobs, but I could not do that. Jimmy was in the bedroom and I could hear him moving around, which means that he was able to hear me.

I can't be here for much longer. Lina and Donovan must be looking for me. I could not listen to what this family tells me. There are people out in the world who care and love me.

There was a knock at the door. The doorknob jiggled and I was glad that I locked it. This was the only space I had to myself in this house. I would lock myself in here forever if I could, but they would easily break down the wooden door.

"Juliet, you alright?" Jimmy asked through the door.

My throat was swollen from the crying. I took in a couple of deep breaths.

"Yeah," I said.

"Okay," he said. "When you're done get changed and come downstairs. Don't take too long."

"Alright."

I got off the floor. I leaned against the sink as I looked at my reflection. My eyes were bright red. My skin was pale, which made my freckles stand out even more. If I could never go outside, my skin was just going to grow paler.

I brushed my hair and tied it back. I wished I had some kind of make-up to hide my red eyes. I did not want Jimmy to know that I had been crying. Charles may make him punish me again.

When I got back to the room, the bed was still unmade and a pile of clothes sat on my pillow. I put on a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt.

As I was walking down the steps, I could hear Jimmy and Tommy speaking to each other. I could not make out their words, and it sounded like murmurs.

They were sitting at the kitchen table. Tommy was shoving spoonfuls of porridge into his mouth. Jimmy was sitting with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were locked on me as I walked into the kitchen.

A bowl of porridge sat in front of my seat. My stomach grumbled and I picked up the spoon. I have not had much to eat since I was kidnapped. Jimmy and Tommy watched me as I ate my food.

"You're very shy," Tommy told me.

I stayed quiet as I ate the porridge.

"Don't give her a hard time," Jimmy said.