Breaking the Silence

Sixteen

I shut the door, did my business, and washed my hands. By the time I was done, I was already tired again. I hated that I was so weak, even the little things like using the bathroom drained me. I opened the bathroom door and started walking back towards the bed, this time admiring the windows. Because I was paying close attention, I noticed two of them weren't just windows, but doors. I quickly found the latch and they swung open, hitting me with a rush of cool autumn air that swirled into the room like it had its own personality.

Lifting my lips into a smile, I stepped out onto the balcony and walked to the railing. Leaving against it, I admired the view and realized this was the balcony above the porch and front door. From here, I could see the driveway path as it curled around that little tree in the center. And the front gate that actually didn't have a gate. It was just a short brick, decorative wall that separated for the drive. Big trees prevented me from seeing farther to the end of the stone, but we were surrounded by forest in all directions. On the far side of the circle drive, I spotted the path I ran from yesterday that leads to the doctors.

A soft click sounded behind me and I turned to see Kota had entered the room and stood watching me with bright eyes. His dark hair was slightly tousled and he was dressed in sweats and a t-shirt. It seems he had just woken up as well. In his hands was my box, the one I'd been so worried about, and everything else dissolved from my mind.

I gave a relieved smile and ran over to him, taking the box out of his hands. I kneeled down on the floor and took off the lid to find all my pictures, the letter, and the necklace were untouched. Jack hadn't discovered it after all!

I placed a hand over my heart and rolled back on the floor, staring at the ceiling. I was finally able to relax my anxiety.

"That's a cool necklace." Kota suddenly spoke up, reminding me of his presence. I sat back up to see he was holding the wolf pendant on his fingers, admiring it. "Did your mom give it to you?" I nodded, how did he guess? "Do you want me to put it on you?"

I lit up and immediately lifted my hair. He laughed and sat down on the floor behind me. His laughing died almost instantly and he froze.

I turned to see what made him hesitate and saw him glaring at my neck.

"Eirenae, what happened to your neck?" He asked slowly. But to his credit, his voice was soft.

Confused, I touched the spot he was staring and winced. Immediately, I let my hair fall, covering the spot. Kota had seen the marks Jack left on my neck a few days ago, when he'd choked me.

My mind said get out of there, he's going to get upset. I didn't want to explain in any way, so I shot up and, forgetting about the necklace, made a break for the door that led to the hallway.

Kota was a faster, though. He wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me to him.

"Eirenae, stop." He said gently. "Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you." I stilled and turned around, gazing into his beautiful green eyes, my own filling with tears.

Instantly, his gaze softened and his grip slackened. Good to know I had that effect on him. "Hey," he whispered. "It's okay. Whatever happened to you is over, you're safe here. I didn't mean to bring up any memories."

I gave a timid nod, letting him believe that's what made me upset and trying to blink back my tears. He pulled me in and hugged me, surprising me by burying his face into my neck. After a few moments, I pulled back, my eyes clear again.

He smiled down at me, "Are you hungry?"

My stomach tightened, because when he said that, it reminded me that I haven't eaten in who knows how long at this point. I could hold off the hunger until I let myself feel it. I bobbed my head and Kota scooped me up. Shocked, I stared at him with wide eyes, but nevertheless let him carry me. He laughed at my expression and started out the hallway and down the many stairs. They should get an elevator for this place, it would be so helpful!

Reaching the kitchen, he set me on a barstool. "Here, before I forget." I twisted to look up at him and he had my necklace in his hands! Without moving my hair, he clasped the chain and let it drape overtop. When he moved around the counter, I lifted my hair so the metal touched my neck and dropped my hair back over to cover the marks.

Resting my chin in my hands, I watched him get ingredients out for whatever he was planning. Although it struck me funny that he was going to make the food himself; in a house like this I would think there was maids and butlers waiting on them. But maybe not, these people didn't seem rich until I saw where they lived.

Kota tried to talk to me as he cooked, but it ended up being a more one-sided conversation. "So I know your name is Eirenae, but how old are you?"

I held up ten fingers, and then seven.

"Seventeen?" He guessed. I smiled and nodded, and he smiled back. "I'm eighteen, but just barely. But you're a senior, right?" I nodded again. "So you have to be turning eighteen soon." I nodded again. "When's your birthday?"

My eyes darted to the ceiling as I thought of how to tell him. I turned back to him and held up ten fingers.

"Ten? As in tenth month?" I nodded. "So October. . ." I held up ten fingers again. "Ten. October tenth? That's like, next week!" I smiled and nodded. "Do you want to have a party?"

My eyes stretched wide. I didn't know if I wanted a party. Parties had a lot of people, with me as the center of attention: a place I hated. So I shrugged and looked down.

Kota chuckled. "Okay, I won't plan one for you, I'll just have to convince Jaycee to not plan anything." I smiled nervously. As far as I knew Jaycee, once she knew my birthday was soon, she would stop at nothing to make it a big deal. And without my voice, it was going to be so much harder to tell her no.