Ariana flinched when Marcus spoke. It was the first time she noticed him in the room.
His voice was calm, cool, almost cold.
"I'll call the doctor."
He said, voice low, clipped. Like it was routine.
Like he didn't care.
Her gaze slowly lifted to him.
He wasn't even looking at her.
His eyes were on the floor,on the wall, anywhere but her.
But just before he turned to leave, she caught it.
A flicker.
The tiniest shift in his expression, like a crack in stone.
Guilt.
He glanced away the second she met his eyes, jaw tightening, hands slipping into his pockets as he walked out the door without another word.
Her chest pulled tight.
𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦.
𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦.
But something in that glance stuck.
It wasn't indifference.
Heavy.
Quiet.
Drenched in things he couldn't say.
He was gone before she could even blink again.
Seconds later, the door swung open again this time, the doctor entered, followed by two nurses moving with calm urgency.
One of them immediately moved to her side.
"Let's get those hands looked at."
Ariana flinched.
The nurse's voice was gentle, but the moment her gloved fingers touched Ariana's skin, her body tensed, legs instinctively drawing back. Every nerve screamed to move, to run, to not be touched.
She kept still.
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨.
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳.
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵.
But it didn't feel different. Not yet.
She stared straight ahead, jaw locked tight. The nurse was already preparing fresh bandages for her torn IV site.
The doctor picked up a clipboard and scanned her chart.
"Ariana"
The doctor started gently, flipping to a new page.
"Do you know where you are?"
She blinked.
Her throat felt dry, but she didn't even try to respond. Instead, she stared down at her lap, hands clenched together.
Silence.
The doctor didn't press.
"Do you remember what happened before you woke up?"
Her chest tightened. The bullying. The pain. The fear. Domain's voice. And then....darkness.
She swallowed hard but still said nothing.
The doctor glanced at her but didn't look surprised. Instead, he scribbled something down before asking,
"Are you in pain anywhere besides your ribs and your hand?"
YOU ARE READING
Silent Scars
Teen FictionAfter enduring years of neglect and cruelty from her mother and stepfather, Ariana's life changes drastically when tragedy brings her under the guardianship of five brothers she's never met and they never even knew they had a sister. For her brother...
