Flame

Chapter Six

"I know, Mom. I don't trust my brain either."

-

Even though she practically slept all day, Davina somehow remained unconscious the entire night. She stayed on the couch again and woke up to the soft orange sunrise beaming through the window. Turning on her side, she watched the sun's morning aurora glisten across the sky, though, the television was blocking most of the view. It was nice to recognize the beauty in things, to witness them first hand, every once in a while even during the worst circumstances of life. The thought encouraged Davina to slip from the couch, grabbing her low fueled phone from the floor, and walking outside to sit on the porch.

Davina hated summer because of its ridiculous and unnecessary heat. Even the mornings were like she was standing in a sauna yet that day, a wave of crisp air brought light goosebumps to her skin. Rubbing the chilled, exposed skin with both hands gently, she sat on the first step that led to the porch with a sigh. She felt refreshed because of the extra sleep, being outdoors added to the recharged feeling.

For a while, she stared at the sky and traced the patterns of the clouds with her eyes. It distracted her for a few moments before she remembered the reality that was waiting for her. Clutching her phone between her hands, she scrolled through several messages from Reese and numbers she didn't recognize. She assumed Reese had given out her number.

Unknown 1: Hey, Davina! It's Quinn! Miss Falls told us that you had to leave because of a family emergency. I hope everything is okay!

Unknown 2: I was so worried about you when I came back to the cabin and you weren't there. I'm glad to know you weren't murdered. Hope you're okay. This is Jamie by the way.

Unknown 3: Hey it's Wes. Missed you at movie night and at breakfast! You okay?

Unknown 4: Hi Davina, Nathan here. Just wanted to text you and let you known I'm here to talk if you need it.

Then there were the several messages from Reese who had been messaging Davina ever since the night of the rape.

Want to meet up before breakfast again?

Hey, are you feeling okay? You missed breakfast. Are you still feeling sick?

Why aren't you in your cabin? Where are you?

The police just came and took Finn. Did something happen? What's going on?

Davi, please just tell me you're okay. I'm really worried.

The rest of the messages focused around a similar context; asking Davina to just simply reply that she was okay, that she was extremely worried, and wondering why the hell she wasn't at camp. Davina avoided those, fixating on the text that said the police had taken Finn. It was sent the day before, meaning something happened in the hours she'd been drifting in and out of consciousness. Something was set and done. She just didn't know what and that fact was what brought nausea to her stomach. The police had yet to call Davina nor her parents any news about the investigation though it was probably just beginning.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" a deep, warm voice questioned from behind. There Davina's father stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the door's frame. It was the first time she had a clear view of him since she left for camp at the beginning of the summer. Any other time since she had been home, her vision was blurry and clouded with tears.

"I wanted to watch the sunrise," she answered, turning her body to face him, "what are you doing up so early? Do you have an early shift today?" Her father worked as a paramedic and he usually worked through the afternoon to the very late hours of the evening which is why she was surprised to see him in the morning.

"It's very pretty," he nodded, "I've asked to take a couple of days off. Mom and I are going to get your car from the camp in an hour or two. Wanna come?"

Davina shook her head. "No, it's okay, I'll stay here. I really don't want to be anywhere near there."

The two never had difficulty having a conversation but now it felt like they were rolling a giant rock up a never ending mountain. It was unsettling. They never talked about boys or dating let alone anything surrounding sexual assault since those topics were remotely between mothers and daughters and fathers and sons, according to society. Davina liked the talks she had with her father; their shared anxieties over social situations and yet that was mostly what they discussed, besides a mutual love for certain television shows.

He nodded his head understandingly, stepping back inside without another word.

By the time the sun completely rose to its horizon, Davina forced herself to go inside. A two-day linger of stench from not showering began fuming her nose and since she had enough energy to actually stay awake, she hopped in the shower as her parents left their home.

Her body immediately surrendered its tenseness the second the hot water hit her skin. She simply stood underneath the showerhead, allowing the water to slide down her face, with her eyes shut and relinquish to her head trying to relive that night. There wasn't a clear explanation of why she did this. It was the absolute worst moment of her life, why was she willingly thinking about it instead of shaking it off like she had been? Maybe because this was the first time she'd been by herself and every time the flashbacks came flooding. She always found a quick distraction like focusing on whatever movie was playing or just drifting back to sleep.

Now that she stood alone, fully awake and aware, she felt vulnerable and couldn't stop the ocean waves of memories from crashing into her.