***WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS ALCOHOL USE, ABUSE, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND SELF-HARM AND THIS MIGHT BE TRIGGERS TO SOME READERS. I STRONGLY ADVISE YOU TO READ WITH CAUTION. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED***
Jaxon's POV
When I wake up, the only thing I am aware of is Damian's cologne. I open my eyes and see his face. He looks at ease as he carries me. I press my face back into his chest and inhale his masculine scent. Somehow I am at ease with this.
A deep rumbling sound and vibration come from Damian's chest as he laughs. "You okay there, la mia Principessa?"
"What? Y-yeah, I'm fine." I mumble, still a bit woozy from his cologne and having just woken up.
"Do you like my cologne?" he says, I imagine him smiling. All I do is nod into his chest. "Okay." He chuckles. He moves into an awkward angle as he reaches for his keys and opens the front door.
"You can put me down, now, Damian," I say as I try to move away from him.
He pulls me closer to his chest and looks at me intently. "And if I don't want to, la mia Principessa?"
"Stop calling me 'princess.' It's a stupid nickname and it reminds me of fairy tales and happily ever afters and those don't exist. Now, put. Me. Down." I say, getting angry. He gently sets me on my feet. "I'm going to take a shower and then I'm going to bed," I say.
"Okay, I'll leave a change of clothes on your bed." He says and then swiftly leaves the room.
Once in the bathroom, I shut and lock the door. I turn the water on and wait for it to heat. I take my time to get undressed. My muscles are sore. When I have put my clothes in the hamper, I stare at my naked form in the mirror. My upper arms have large handprints on them from when Phillip gripped them tightly. My stomach has a large bruise from when he kicked me. My shoulders and back are littered with small scraps and bruises from being thrown to the wall and into the fireplace.
Older bruises are there, too. Yellow and brownish colored. The fresher ones take a dark purple and deep blue-black. I look down at my legs, which themselves are sore and scream with an aching pain. My knees are scraped from crawling away on the rough wooden floor. And my calves and the side of my thighs have red marks of carpet burn and are raw from my pants rubbing on them. My face is the worst though. Half of it swollen and bruised and the other with a horrified and scared expression. Tears start to fall from my eyes as I remember happier times where my life didn't resemble Hell.
I climb into the steamy shower and I bite back a moan as the hot water roams and soothes my aching muscles. The only shampoo is that in a bottle shaped like Sully from Monsters INC. Or a more male looking and smelling kind. I choose to go with Damian's. I pour the soap into my hands and lather it into my hair. I count to twenty and then I rinse it out. Then I grab a washcloth and pour some soap onto that and lather it on my body carefully not to push hard so I didn't hurt the bruised areas. Then I rinse off.
Once I am done I climb out and grab a towel from the cabinet and wrap myself up in it. I open the door and look down both ends of the hallway. When I see that it is empty, I quickly run to where MJ told me my room would be.
The room is small but somehow it looks quite spacious. There is a bed, a nightstand, a lamp, and a dresser. Simple and cute. The walls are beige and the bed has a red comforter on it with matching pillows. The nightstand and dresser are a brownish red color that accent the wall color. I am in love with the room instantly. On the bed are clothes folded neatly. A brand new package of underwear and bras with the tags still attached rest on top. I feel the heat rise in my cheeks at the thought of Damian picking that stuff up for me at the store.
I let the towel drop around my ankles after I have made sure the door is locked. I open the package of underwear and take the tags off the bras and then I get dressed. The t-shirt and flannel pajama pants are probably Damian's by the way they fit and smell. They smell really good. I tighten the strings on the pants and roll up the bottoms. I have pulled the covers back and am ready to climb in bed when there is a knock on the door. I open it expecting to find Damian, but am surprised and delighted to see Delilah, Duke, and MJ.
"Hey." I smile.
"They just wouldn't go to bed until they said 'good night' to their new friend and house guest." MJ smiles back.
"Oh, okay," I say lamely.
"We didn't wake you, did we?" Delilah's tiny and tired voice sounds.
"Oh, no of course not," I say.
She holds up her arms, opening and closing her hands making tiny fists. I pick her up and give her a hug. She wraps her tiny arms around my neck and squeezes lightly. Then she kisses my bruised cheek. I suck in a breath.
"There. Kisses to make it better." She says triumphantly as I set her on her feet and pick up her twin.
He hugs me tight and kisses my cheek like Delilah. But doesn't say a word. I set him down, too.
Goodnight. He signs.
"Goodnight, Duke."
"Nighty, Jaxon!" Delilah waves as she runs down the hallway toward her room. Duke chases after her.
"Do you like the room?" MJ gets my attention.
"Oh, I do. The colors are great." I smile.
"Good. And the bed if memory foam so it should feel like sleeping on a cloud." She says. "And do the panties and bras fit? I told Dami what size to get. I was just guessing, though."
A sudden wave of relief washes through me. "Yes, yes, they fit perfectly. Good guess." I saw awkwardly.
"Good. Well, I think Damian has already retired for the night and I'm getting tired, so I'm going to bed. I hope you sleep well. And before you go to school tomorrow, I want to check out your face, okay, dear?" she asks kindly.
I nod and I find myself yawning. "Goodnight MJ and thank you for everything."
"Goodnight dear," she says and she kisses my forehead. I close my door when she is walking down the hall.
I climb into bed and I pull the covers up to my chin. MJ was right, this bed does feel like a cloud.
I close my eyes and wait for sleep to find me when I finally register a particular word that MJ said.
School.
YOU ARE READING
Missing Wings (#Wattys2016)
Teen FictionJaxon has had a rough couple of years, though she copes with it well on her own. She lost both her parents and is stuck with and abusive stepfather. But when a certain boy implants himself into her daily routine and life, she has to decide to let hi...
