His Sun And Moon

Chapter 28

Guys... I found my login info... 

Anyways, if you're still interested after 3 years, here you go!

RIVER

She's having another headache. Dr. Sinclair better know what's wrong.

I don't know what triggered it this time, but I'm going to lose my mind. 

Her slender frame trembles against my chest and I'm careful of her shoulder as I hold her to me. As if possessed, she stares blankly into space while panting hard.

What the fuck is going on? Has she always had these episodes? Or is it all the stress I've put her through these past several weeks?

I should talk to her family.

Later. 

Right now, I need to reassure her. It seems like she gets this way when she's feeling scared or uncertain, so I need to make her feel safe.

"Shh, little crayon, it's okay." Burying my face in her hair, I rub slow circles on her back.

Everyone has gone to their own corners of the house, leaving us alone. Thank God. They'd only make this worse.

My heart breaks a little bit more when she releases a tight whimper, "Stop."

"It's okay, Thee," The more I say it, the less I believe it, "You're safe."

The people I care about always end up hurt or dead, I was so selfish to keep her with me. 

Fuck.

But whether these breakdowns are because of me or not, I'm going to get to the bottom of it. 

Gradually, the tension releases from her body and she pulls back to look at me. Her dark curls frame her face in a way that appears so angelic, my heart stops in my chest. 

Blinking, she seems to realize where she is once more. "Oh hey, River."

The lightness that usually fills her voice is gone. She sounds confused and... haunted.

"Hey, baby. You feeling okay?" Is she still in pain or do the headaches stop as soon as they start?

Deep in thought, she scowls and pulls away, standing from where she was in my lap on the couch. "I um...I feel like there's something..." She begins pacing and scratching at her arms.

As she continues to pace, I study her, taking in how thin she actually is. She seems almost... malnourished. 

Maybe she's very paranoid about her figure, or maybe she can't keep on weight... 

Or maybe she's been mistreated.

Logically, all signs point to her family abusing her. Her childlike demeanor, her anxiety, her thinness...

But she seems to feel safe with them, and unless they're very good actors, they seem to love her deeply. 

There's--

"There's something I'm missing," Thia mumbles to herself, speaking my thoughts aloud. 

"What do you mean," I urge, my unease compounding. 

Her scratching, and her tone, become almost frantic, "I can't remember anything. I'm supposed to remember stuff. Like, I'm supposed to remember how to get home. I'm supposed to remember school. I haven't gone to school in...why haven't I gone to school? I'm seventeen, aren't I? I'm supposed to remember what classes I'm taking. I'm supposed to remember what my mom looks like."