Burnt

Chapter 15: Revelations

My chin falls to my chest, trying to make myself smaller. "Please..." I beg.

Moments later, something breaks through the haze. My nose twitches and the tension starts to leave me. It's good but I can't identify it. What the hell is this?

The answer hits me in the face. It's strawberries. My eyes open as everything becomes clear. I can hear Cameron hushing me comfortably. Feel his hand rubbing up and down my back gently. It's okay.

I'm okay.

"I've got you," Cam whispers.

"Cameron?" I question to make sure this is real.

He pulls back, looking at me. "It's me, baby. Are you okay?" he asks.

My shoulders shrug and I collapse my weight against him. I feel drained, numb, maybe even still confused. The air is hazy. "I-" my words get stuck when I choke on my air, "Wh-what happened?" I ask, sobs pushing through me as he holds me.

"I don't know, baby. We were hoping you'd know." he says after kissing me on the head.

Head jerking to the side suddenly, I look around frantically. I see Chris, sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. My sobs pick up as I turn away from him and bury my face in Cameron's chest. It's all punching me in the face again. Just like that.

Ugly. Disgusting. Useless.

It rings through my head. Over and over again. I recognize the memory now. I had been so hungry that I was eating the scraps off the dinner plates. He busted me, split my lip, kicked me, and shoved me.

I went home that day crying. Looked in my old bathroom mirror and picked out everything I hated about myself. It cuts deeper now than it did then.

The bedroom door opens and closes faintly behind my back. I pay little attention to it, clinging to Cam like a lifeline. My head pounds more the harder I cry. "Alison, baby, take deep breaths for me." he says.

He stands, carrying me with him and sitting us back on the bed. "Alison, you have to breath." he says, more firm as he pulls me away from him to look me in the eyes. "Your heart isn't going to slow down until you take some deep breaths and it's beating way too fast."

I know it is. I can feel it throughout my whole body with the adrenaline. I take manual control of my lungs and slow down my breathing as best I can while interrupted by weakening sobs. My hands rise to my face and wipe at the tears. The tightness in my throat aches.

"There you go, just slow down," he takes deep breaths with me until the tears are only trickling down my cheeks.

He pulls me back to him gently for a tight hug. I wedge my head to rest in the crook of his neck. The hiccups start soon after. I pass out despite them.

When I wake up again, I'm laying down in the bed. Lifting my head, I find myself lying half atop Cameron. The rest of the bed is empty and, by the slow rise and fall of his chest, I'm assuming Cameron is asleep.

He doesn't stay that way for long, immediately waking up when I pull away from him and sit up the rest of the way. His eyes blink open. "How do you feel?" he asks, sitting up after me to rub my back.

"Like I was hit by a truck of emotions." I mumble. My face feels puffy and my head light. The ache in my chest doesn't help anything feel better either.

I crawl out of the bed and head to the bathroom. When I return, I look around the room and then at Cameron. "Do you know...where he went?" I ask quietly.

"I think he's in his room." he answers delicately. "He-uh, he thinks that you had a dream about him last night and that's why..." he trails off, not sure what to call my freak out.