keeping secrets

worries

I watched as the boys Mouths gaped open, we never did tell the boys how we knew Mia, come to think of it we never told her who our boys were, Owen thought. she was quite an extraordinary. Smart as a whip and compassionate.
I watched her as she walked further into the room, my eyes furrowed as I watched, something seemed off, I couldn't figure out what. Was she walking stiffly or was that the way she always walked? She looked pale, and tired but of course she had just learned some horrible news. And I read somewhere you get more tired when pregnant. She took a seat on the couch keeper her back away from the cushion.
My eyes narrowed, she was hiding something, she wasn't acting like her usual self, she was more distant, and not as forthcoming as normal. I knew her pretty good after spending five weeks with the girl.
Excusing myself, I left the living room, my eyes taking in everything. The house was very clean, nothing was out of place, the house smelled of apples, but the living room smelled like hundred percent alcohol. My mind was going a mile a minute trying to piece together something important. Something had happened but what. Silently I went up the stairs, going to the first room I saw, the room was empty, imprints of a bedframe that was embedded in the carpet that was once there, and a empty desser sat on one of the far walls. A few pieces of trash lay on the floor, needing to be vacuumed. Someone had recently left this room, turning to the right I found a two little steps and a door, opening the door, I found a small room, a twin size bed was pushed up against one wall, with a red trunk at the end, a small bookshelf sat next to her bed, holding an old stereo and books lined the shelves. And to the left of me sat a lone brown dresser. The room was utterly clean nothing out of place, but apart from the furniture the room was bare, as if nobody lived in the room.
Closing the door, I went down the two steps and passed the first door I came upon, than came another door next door I opened it, findding a bunkbed and another twin bed and in the middle of the room we're 7 boys playing old maid and a sleeping infant in the twin bed.  Closing the door, I pinched the bridge of my nose she mentioned siblings but never mentioned how many or how old. Walking down the hall I found another door.
I was met with a clean bathroom, inside also smelled strongly of pure alcohol, closing the door and locking it I looked around, the rest of the house was perfect but something was off about the bathroom, looking around I found the trashcan tipped over, picking it up I noticed tissue littered the floor from where it fell, picking them up that's when I noticed a off white cloth with splattered red all over it picking it up I noticed the dark red spots some small and some big I don't think it was paint, I knew what it was when was unraveling the cloth from the ball that it was formed into, it unraveled, revileling a old shirt, it wasnt paint like I thought, it was blood, I could see the blood splatterd across the back of the shirt. I dropped it, I looked to the closed door. Mia had worn this shirt one day at camp.
Why I thought, why was their blood on the back of the shirt? I thought about it for a moment, the smell of alcohol, the way she was walking, the way the house felt off. Mia was hurt!
Quickly i threw the t-shirt back into the trashcan. And quickly went down the stairs two at a time.  Walking down the hall I could see her from where I stood, sitting cross legged on the sofa, her long brown hair pulled into a messy bun. I was trained I knew what to look for, but somehow I had missed all the signs at camp, she was being abused.
During that time I had gotten to know her, all I knew about her was she was smart, witty, and very shy and sheltered, but I thought maybe it was the way she was raised , looking at her now I could see it in her body language, she had her shoulders tucked in, she was hunched in just a little, and her brown eyes were dull, you could see the pain right in front of you, but she hid it so well, years of abuse must had happened for her to be able to hide it so well. She spoke softly, delicately, she played nervously with the hem of her shirt. She laughed at something Raven said, smiling wide.
Yes she hid it very well.
Walking back into the room I sat back in the arm chair, making eye contact with Fin. He stiffened, his eyes moving from mine to roam over Mia, his eyebrows furring as he saw what I could from the trained eye.
"And that's how we know Owen and Fin" Cody said, "we've been good friends since than." Breaking my inner thoughts.
"Oh!" Mia said in understanding. "That's cool, I thought that when Owen said he had friends at the school I thought he ment other teachers. But that's nice to know it's you guys."
I continued to watch her, how she would shift her body just slightly or pull the back of her shirt down slightly, not to obvious but enoght to look like she pulled it down when it had risen, but if you hadn't been watching closely as I have been you would have seen the the way she leaned forward away from the back of the couch, or the way she would shift her weight from left to right from where she sat. She was uncomfortable, and in pain. She got up, and left the room, I went to follow her when she came back in with a try of cookies and drinks.
"Mama." A little boy said running up to her.
I stiffened, she had another child? Her face was red, she had beaded sweat across her forehead, her breath came out in pants. She set the tray down on the coffee table. And turned to the little boy. "Hi buddy," she said getting down on his level. I was proud that she knew to do that. "What's up?" She asked gently, "milk please." She laughed " okay, can you give me a big boy favor," the little boy nodded eagerly, " take these to your brothers." She said handing him three more sippy cups and a bottle.
I stood from where I sat and made my way over to her. "Are you okay?" I asked, stretching out my arms to help her if she she needed, she blinked at me a few times, trying to focus, she swayed precariously than her eyes snapped shut and her body went back, I caughter around the waist, and gently as I could, hoistered up her back legs so I could carry her bridal style to the couch. "Out!" I barked at them, the boys left the living room leaving me and Fin alone to care for Mia.