Angel of Mercy - Stray Kids Mafia AU

Chapter 28: Calm Before the Storm

Eisa awoke in a darkened room, her heart hammering in her chest. She looked around in a panic before realizing she was laying in one of the beds in the mansion's medical area. This calmed her momentarily before another wave of panic set in. She remembered what had brought her here all too vividly. She closed her eyes but was only greeted with flashes of what happened in the dingy room, Jungkook and Taeyoung's leering faces as they sliced at her clothes and skin. She whimpered, remembering their touches to her body and the lips being pressed against her neck.

"Are you alright?" She heard an unfamiliar female voice say from close by her causing her to jolt out of her waking nightmare. She jumped slightly, regretting the movement as her body ached all over. Eisa looked to her left to see a young woman with blonde hair staring down at her. She had a sweet face and was wearing a worried expression. "I didn't mean to scare you. I told the boys to give us some time to talk but if you would like me to go grab them I can. My name is Lily. It's nice to meet you."

"Is there some water near you? I could really use a glass of water." Eisa croaked, her throat dry as she tried to speak.

"Oh! Yes, let me grab that real quick." Lily rushed off and returned quickly with a glass of water. Eisa sipped it slowly, letting the cool liquid coat her throat.

"Hello, Lily. My name is Eisa. " Lily smiled softly at Eisa. "I think I would like to be away from the boys for a bit." She said this quietly, barely a whisper but Lily's sad smile told her that the younger girl heard her.

"I know what happened to you. You don't have to talk to me about it but I just wanted to let you know, I've been through something similar." As she said this she pointed to a long scar on her cheek that ran from the top of her eyebrow to just below her cheekbone. It looked old but Eisa could tell the wound had been deep when it happened.

"Bangtan?" Eisa whispered and saw Lily shake her head.

"17. DK and S. Coups left this present after they..." Lily took a deep breath, "After they took me."

The two girls sat in silence for a moment. Lily gently touched Eisa's shoulder before speaking again.

"If you want to talk I am here. It's been years since that happened and I have been able to overcome that trauma." She smiled again. "Well mostly. Trauma like ours never really goes away. You learn to live with it and you can change that trauma into strength. "

"How?" Eisa's voice was still quiet but Lily could hear the desperation in that small response.

"Well. The first thing you must accept is that none of this is your fault. None of it. You were taken, taken advantage of, and hurt. No part of that is your fault. You are brave and strong to have gone through that and be where you are now. I talked with Seungmin about your injuries and it's clear you put up one hell of a fight." Lily gave Eisa a brilliant smile, her hand still resting on Eisa's shoulder. Eisa took a breath, nodding her head.

"How long did it take you to be or feel normal around everyone again? I don't blame them. I just don't want them to look at me like I am some broken thing. I don't want to be treated differently." Eisa sat up slowly, Lilly helping her up. She pulled her knees to her chest, hugging them to her. "After the mission with Kang, most of them treated me like I was going to shatter into a million pieces. I hate feeling weak and the way they acted just made me feel even weaker."

"You are anything but weak. Changbin told me how tough you are. He said he is afraid to spar with you because his manly pride will be hurt if you beat him anymore." Lily laughed which made Eisa smile. "The rest of them? They are worried. If they act cautiously around you, it's because they are worried about you. You need to show them that you won't let this break you. I also spoke with them too. I hope that's okay. "