I Found Home [Completed]

Chapter Seven

"Jesus Christ, woman!" I exclaimed. "Stop waiting outside for me when I come back!"

Rebecca looked up at me, her eyes brightening suddenly. She jumped up to her feet, hugging me. "Welcome back!" She exclaimed cheerfully. Pulling away, her hands held mine lightly. "I-I made dinner this time! It might be cold, but we can microwave it!"

I roll my eyes, my heart speeding up at her touch. "It better not taste like shit."

"HEY! I tried!"

As she opened the door, I found my stomach grumbling. Jesus. Why does she always wait outside? I took off my shoes and put my bag down. I pulled off my jacket and hung it onto the rack. Sighing, I headed into the kitchen, suspicious of what monstrosity Rebecca might have created. Another day completed. Another day closer to our goal.

~~~

Putting the phone down, I could feel Rebecca's eyes staring holes into my back. I heard her footsteps heading towards me. Turning around, I crouched down and let her put her hand on my forehead. Of course, I had told her (in detail) about my techno brain. How else was she going to help me? She found out that if something was wrong with my techno brain, she would've been able to feel it through my forehead. It was true. If I had a malfunction, it would pulse through my skull and out of my forehead like a sonar. Weird, huh?

Her hand was slightly warm and yet cold at the same time. I looked down at the floor, avoiding her gaze. "You're fine," she whispered. She let go of my head and helped me up.

After giving me a small hug, like the past few days, I was able to go on my merry way. Except for one thing. I turned around and grabbed Rebecca's arm. She looked over her shoulder, puzzled.

"What?"

"There's a lot you know about me," I stated. My eyes shimmered, "But I don't know much about you."

"There's nothing to know, really," she shrugged. Somehow, her hand unnoticeably slid out of my grip. "I mean, you could easily find all of that out on the web, through that really cool techno brain of yours."

I gave her a look. Don't avoid the topic. "But I'd rather hear it from the person."

Rebecca looked down, heading towards the couch. I sat down beside her and looked at her. She crossed her legs and turned to me. "Well. There's not much to hide. Being the daughter of a famous CEO was kinda cool." She started off smoothly. I looked at her expression. Pain. "Um. It sucked at the same time. It was.. lonely. Lonely. Yeah. It also felt.. as if I wasn't allowed to see other people."

"A cage," I suggested.

She nodded blankly. "Yeah. A cage. Every time I tried to get out of it, they'd rack it up with iron bars. It was.. revolting." Her hands clenched into fists, and her brown eyes darkened. "Stupid. It was stupid too. A useless protocol with no meaning, no significance, NOTHING." Her jaw clenched.

I was a little bit startled by her aggressiveness. "What about your mom?" I asked, trying to keep from holding her hand. "You two were close, right?"

"My mother? Hah!— she's a different story," Rebecca continued. Her jaw tightened even more. I almost felt as if her teeth were going to snap off. "She's insane. They're both insane, my mother and father." She moved her knees up to her chest, hugging her legs tightly. "I can't go back. I won't." Her eyes widened, and something in my head told me she was seeing something. "They're monsters."

I felt disturbed by her statement. It seemed to be too strong of a word towards the people who brought her this world. "Re—"

"'Eat less— that dress doesn't seem to fit anymore'. That just meant to starve," Rebecca said. She didn't seem to hear me. Her eyes widened, and almost like a television, something in her eyes seemed to be streaming like a movie— memories of her parents. "'Be proper', 'Don't do that', 'You're a disgrace', 'Marry him— he's nice!'. They're controlling. Controlling. Egotistical. Full of themselves." Her hands grabbed her ears, suddenly covering them as if something was screeching in her ears. "I can't be their daughter. I'm nothing but a puppet." Tears filled her eyes with a pause. "Go away.. GO AWAY!"

It took me a moment to snap out of my daze and realize that she was having a panic attack from the trauma of memories. I grabbed her shoulders, and her eyes snapped to me.

"Rebecca," I said.

She didn't reply, her tears falling. She looked.. scared. No. That word wasn't right. She was..

..terrified.

"G-Go away..."

Though she said this, it didn't seem like it was meant for me. Someone else.. was on her mind. "Rebecca," I repeated, louder this time. "Hey. Look at me." I shook her slightly so that she would look at me again.

Her brown eyes lightened into a tan. The color was too pale to be human. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" She screamed. She suddenly kicked me in the stomach. I clutched my ribs as I was kicked away, my jaw clenching. "I DON'T WANT TO MARRY HIM DAMMIT!"

She must be hallucinating me as someone else. Her eyes... They aren't comprehending anything right. I stood up, my arm clutching my stomach where she had kicked. Crap. That's gonna leave a big ass bruise. I sat down on the other side of the couch as Rebecca cuddled towards the other end, her pale eyes terrified by who she was seeing. Her parents assigned a forced marriage to her? Isn't she only 18 or 19? I breathed in deeply.

"Rebecca."

"G-Get away.. from me..."

They're connected to her nightmares. I closed my eyes and sighed, trying to breathe evenly.

"Rebecca. Listen to me," I said loudly, soft enough so that it wasn't startling. I couldn't tell if she was paying attention, but I continued when I heard her move. "I will keep my eyes closed. You can do anything to me. If I react in a way that proves I'm a bad person, then you can run. If I don't, please sit down and breathe calmly."

I heard her whimper a little. The weight of the couch shifted. She moved. I felt someone's hand on mine. Rebecca leaned forward, and I felt her presence in front of me. She's breathing heavily from crying. I opened my eyes slowly, thought she visibly flinched. Her eyes were still pale.

"Do you know me?" I whispered quietly.

I stared at her as her hand touched my face lightly, stroking my cheek. Her eyes dimmed once again, and she clenched her jaw, tears falling once more. "I'm sorry," she murmured underneath a sob. "I'm so sorry, Sam."