Hennessy stepped into the warm water and relaxed as she adjusted completely to the size of the porcelain tub. A small candle was lit in the corner of the modern styled bathroom leaving the sweet-scented trail of apple cinnamon behind each flame. Yet even with its alluring smell lingering in the air, Hennessy was consumed with pain.
She couldn't help the lonely tear that escaped her eye as she thought about what exactly had led her to that tub. Her entire body ached, but the part which hurt the most was her heart.
For some reason she could not seem to get over the fact that someone she had once; both admired and loved so much would do something this vile to her.
She was hurt, maybe even heart broken, since it felt as though her life was completely falling apart, and her dad would no longer be the one to pick up the pieces.
Henny stayed in the water until her skin had wrinkled, then decided to get out. She wrapped a fluffy grey towel around her body, knotting the top. The plain bathroom door opened upon her request and she peeked her head out to see the man she had rode with walking in the direction she was in. She huffed and stepped out entirely to face him.
"You good?" He asked eliciting her to nod her head with a small smile playing on her face. He handed her a shirt and boxers, letting her know to call him if she needed anything.
As soon as Hennessy got in the room she would be staying in, she stripped and put on the items she was given. The boxers stopped right under the cuffs of her butt cheeks, while the shirt reached the very top of her thigh.
Her face formed a deep frown as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Behind all the scars and bruises, all she could see was a lost and ugly little girl.
Hennessy sighed and made her way to the bed, tucking herself underneath the covers after locking the door, immediately falling into a deep slumber.
"Babygirl."
My eyes popped open as I saw my mother's husband over me. He was staring at me intently, with eyes as cold as ice and I soon began to feel uncomfortable under his menacing gaze.
I tried to cover as much of myself as I possibly could, but even with my hands concealing my silhouette, I still felt naked under his wandering orbs.
I slept with my bedroom door locked for the mere reason that I slept naked, so at that moment there were merely two things on my mind:
How he got in.
And why was he hovering over his daughter's naked unconsciousness.
My face contorted as I pushed his body off of mine causing him to hit the tile with a loud 'thud'.
"What are you doing in here?" I asked, but he didn't respond.
Instead he gripped me by the base of my neck spreading my legs apart with his knees. It was only then that I knew exactly why he'd came into my room that night.
For the 19 years I had lived on Earth, I had never had sex, and I most definitely wasn't going to start now, especially with the person who sat before me.
With that last thought clouding my mind, I mustered up all the strength in me, punching him in the face and sprinting to the bedroom door.
I was so close, yet two inches too far from the silver door knob when I felt myself being dragged back by my long black ponytail.
My back touched the cold tile floor and I groaned in pain.
For the second time that night, Bick was on top of me, and only then was I able to smell the rancid scent of alcohol on his breath.
This time, he had my hands pinned above my head as he began to unbuckle his belt. A tear slid down my face as his hand inched closer to what he had taught me as a little girl was my 'no no' area.
His body doubled over in pain as I kicked him in the groin, giving me the opportunity to dash down the stairs and to the front door.
I was three steps away when I felt something hit the back of my head making my body fall to the floor in pain.
The last thing I remember was my dad raining punches on my face, the sound of metal hitting the floor, and through my peripheral, my mother watching as her husband entered her first born; before I blacked out.
The girl woke up in a heap of her own sweat and tears brimming the rim of her eyes. Hennessy's breathing was heavy and it honestly felt as though she were experiencing a heart attack. The sun's light peeked through the sheer curtains, letting her know the day had just begun, so she peeled herself from the comfort of her covers, opting to prepare for the day.
Henny brushed her teeth and washed the canvas of her face face then made a trail down the stairs and to the kitchen. She decided to cook breakfast. In her mind, it was the least burdening gesture she could think to do since the man she hadn't known, was kind enough to welcome a stranger into his home.
She had just fixed both plates when she felt another presence enter the kitchen.
"Good morning." The words cheerfully left her lips as he sat down at the marble island. He smiled small as he looked at the array of foods in front of him.
"Damn, this looks good, thank you ma." His mouth was full when he spoke.
Hennessy shook my head lightly at the man, before gathering her own words to speak.
When she finally had, they came out with a sincere tone, forcing the man to notice just how much the woman had felt indebted to him. "No, thank you. I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't found me, and don't worry I won't burden you any longer with my presence. But again, thank you Mr..."
The words trailed off, their proclaimer; not knowing what exactly to address the male before her as.
The man sucked his teeth waiving her off casually. "Don't even worry 'bout' that shit ma, you can stay as long as you wan't, you ain't no burden. As a 'matta' a fact, you keep cooking like this while looking like that, I might just have to consider you a blessing. And call me Terror without the Mr, I'm only 23."
He smirked and the woman almost rolled her eyes, but even amidst knowing the man from a can of paint, she still knew better than to do so.
"I know that is not the name you were born with." Hennessy placed a hand on her widened hip, eliciting 'Terror' to let out a low chuckle as he replied,"Nah, but that's what they call me round here, but what's yo name?"
She shifted her weight to a single leg and looked down, seeing him observing her closely. To say he was intimidating would be an understatement.
"Hennessy." The woman said lowly, sparking a response of his own.
"And you wanna talk about my name?" He laughed and eventually, Hennessy joined in. The pair's laughter was very short lived, because promptly after, Terror spoke once more.
"Well Hennessy, get ready we going for a ride."
The wind raked through her voluminous hair as she stared aimlessly at her reflection in the side view mirror. Luckily, the swelling detailing her face had gone down and the only blemish left had been the slight redness under the girl's eye, a few facial scratches and a cut located on her bottom lip.
Henny was in a whole other world, when the car came to a stop and the passenger door she sat next to, opened. She stepped out only to see Terror walking ahead of her own pace.
When they entered the mall, Terror detoured away from the girl before she could merely open her mouth to speak a single word; but not without handing her his black card.
Her mind had inevitably drowned out with thoughts of why he'd been in such a hurry to leave though she simply just shrugged it off, deciding to head into every girl's favorite store; Victoria's Secret.
Even with his words playing in the back of the woman's head, 'to get whatever she wanted'; she didn't abuse his kindness by maxing out on unnecessary things. Instead, the girl shopped selfishly, just as she would, had her name been on the card.
Hennessy picked up multiple bra and pantie sets and a few splashes. Everything placed in decorative bags summed up to a of bill $156.89, which gave her a good variety of things.
Long legs led the girl to three more stores until she realized she had been shopping for 3 hours and finally opted to take a break.
She sat down in the food court and huffed in frustration. Unfortunately, Henny didn't yet own a phone so she couldn't call Terror, and through the large bustling crowd, it was almost impossible to spot him.
"There you are." A voice was heard from behind her seated position and she turned around to see the man who'd saved her with a wide grin on his face.
Her body stood upright as she adjusted her clothes before speaking "Yeah I was looking for you, but couldn't find you and I don't have a phone to call you."
"Why you ain't bought one ma? I told you no limit."
The girl laughed lowly, before parting her cotton pink lips. "Yeah I know but I ain't wanna overdo yanno?"
He shook his head in disagreement before speaking. "Nah I don't." Terror took the bags she had been holding, urging the girl to follow him with a single word.
Without hesitation, she obliged and he led the way to the Apple store where he purchased an Iphone XS Max. She thanked him and the two began their journey back to his home.
It was 6 p.m when Hennessy decided to join Terror in the living room. She was hesitant at first since the pajama set, she had purchased hours earlier, was two sizes too small, so it looked as if the girl were trying way too hard, when really, she hadn't been trying at all.
Despite that, her feet descended the steps only to see Terror laying on the leather black sofa with his hand in his sweats and shirt off watching television.
A small smile made its way onto the woman's face as she took a seat next to him, getting as comfortable as she could with a god sitting beside her.
"You tryna light up?" He asked and she nodded her head in agreement.
He pulled a neatly wrapped joint from behind his ear along with a lighter from his pocket before sparking it.
Carefully, the woman eyes watched as he took the first pull, admiring him as he did so. God definitely took his time creating Terror.
He released a cloud of smoke before he passed it to her awaiting fingertips.
At first pull, it felt like she had been coughing up her entire digestive system, but the more the duo smoked the more relaxed they became, and the more both parties began to open up to one another about things they'd never before told.
They were two hours in to the smoking session when she felt his eyes on her. Hennessy turned to face the man only to see him scanning over my body with low red eyes.
She smiled slightly, while giggling.
"What?" Throwing her head back in a fit of giggles, the girl spoke gently, voice resonating with a high pitch, almost squeaking, as his low eyes stayed fixated on her.
Terror didn't verbally give an answer, but his expression said more than enough. He was analyzing her, taking in keen details, almost as if he saw something in the girl that sat before him.
Something deeper than the eyes could see, something that even she herself wasn't aware she possessed:
Pretty Little Fears.
Here's the first chapter to my new book Pretty little Fears. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Don't forget to comment and vote. Your support is what keeps me motivated, and smiling all day.
sheashalom