June 30, 2009
Blanchette was lying on the bed, staring out the window at the sunset. She was trying to concentrate on the beauty of it—the pinks, yellows, and oranges that painted the sky. But the pain was too much. No matter how desperately she wanted to ignore it, she couldn’t. She had already stolen two ibuprofen tablets from her grandmother’s medicine stash, but the pain was still there, lingering inside her body. Every move she made was a painful reminder of what he had done to her, what he planned to do to her again. It would never stop…he would never stop.
Along with the physical pain, there was also the kind of pain that could not be numbed with painkillers. Her soul was bleeding, an open wound of nothing but agony. And the worst part? There was absolutely nothing anyone could do to take her pain away. No one could help her.
Closing her eyes, she tried hard not to picture his face, to hear his voice whispering all the revolting things he would do to her, how he planned to violate her body the next time he took her. But it was all she heard inside her mind, his face the only thing she saw. Every minute of every day, his face haunted her. It was the face of the devil, the demon that had possessed her body with his evil. Because of his possession, there was no place inside her for anything—anyone—else. It was him, and he made sure it would always be him. There was no way she would ever be able to forget. No matter how hard she tried, she would never be able to survive him.
The bedroom door creaked open, and Blanchette stiffened. Her spine froze as the blood in her veins turned to ice.
“Hey, you.”
Blanchette let out a breath when she heard her sister’s voice. She turned around slowly. “Hey.”
With big blue eyes Willow glanced her way before placing her bag next to the bed. “What’s up with you?”
“Nothing.”
“You look like death warmed up.”
“Well, thank you. It does wonders for my self-esteem to hear I look like a corpse.”
“Why weren’t you at dinner?”
Blanchette shrugged. “Not hungry.”
Willow got onto the bed next to her, laying her head on the pillow. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah. Period pains are kicking my butt this month, that’s all.”
Willow reached out and tucked a strand of Blanchette’s hair behind her ear. “I’m worried about you. You haven’t been yourself lately.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” She placed her hands beneath her pillow and tried her best to look relaxed. “Where have you been all day?”
A smile slowly spread along Willow’s face. And not just any smile. It was the type of smile that only meant one thing.
Blanchette jerked up. “You saw him again, didn’t you?”
Willow’s smile reached her eyes. “I did.”
“How long has it been now?”
“A few months.” Willow bit her lower lip. “B, he’s the one.”
Blanchette nestled her cheek back into the pillow. “How do you know?”
“I just do.” She reached beneath her shirt and pulled out a chain she was wearing, staring at it dreamily.
Blanchette touched the round, silver trinket with her finger. It was beautiful. Hearts twined together forming a beautiful maze. “Did he give this to you?”
“Yes. A few weeks ago. I love him, B.” She let go of the charm and stared at Blanchette. “I really love him.”
The way Willow’s eyes danced when she said those words was proof enough that she was head over heels for this guy. It was written on her face just how deeply she had fallen in love.
Blanchette had never met him. She didn’t even know his name. For some reason, Willow was very secretive about him and made Blanchette swear she wouldn’t tell anyone about them.
“Will you ever tell me his name?”
Willow tucked the chain back inside her shirt. “Soon. But for now you can call him H.”
“If you love him and he’s the one, then let us meet him.”
Willow sighed and got up from the bed. “It’s complicated, B.”
“What’s so complicated about it? You love him, and I’m sure that he loves you too. It’s simple.”
Willow shook her head. “No, it’s not. He’s not like us, B. Grandmother, the family, they won’t accept him.”
Blanchette sat up, leaning on her elbow. “Why won’t they accept him?”
“Like I said, he’s not like us.” She slowly started to pace in front of Blanchette’s bed. “He’s different, but good different. I think that’s what made me fall in love with him in the first place.”
She took the chain off from around her neck and held the round charm in her hand, staring down at it like she was holding her heart in her hand.
“He’s wild, free. He doesn’t have every step of his future planned out. He lives for the here and now, the moment. And for someone like me, whose life has always been planned out to perfection, it’s liberating being with someone like him.” The way her voice softened as she spoke, her emotions coating every word, was exactly how Blanchette imagined someone’s voice would sound like when they were in love. There was no doubt in her mind her sister had fallen in love.
Blanchette slowly got off the bed, careful to not show her pain. Placing her arms on her sister’s shoulders, she stared into blue eyes that almost mirrored her own.
“Follow your heart, Willow. If your heart is guiding you to fall head first into something with this guy, then that’s what you should do.”
“I was hoping you would say that.” Willow kept her gaze. “I’m leaving with him, B.”
Blanchette gave a step back, narrowing her eyes. “Leaving?”
“Yes. I’m running away with him. If we stay here, we will never be free to love each other the way we want to.”
“Willow, no.”
“B, it’s the only way.”
Blanchette felt the bed behind her knees and sat down on the mattress. Just thinking of staying behind without Willow felt like someone was tightening a rope around her neck. “Willow, you can’t leave.”
“I love him, B. He loves me. It’s the only way.”
“No!” Blanchette jumped up, desperation fueling her actions. “Let Grandmother meet him. Let us meet him. When everyone sees how much you love him, they will accept him.”
“No, they won’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do.” Willow looked down at the ground, still clutching the chain in her hand. “They won’t let me be with him. And even if they do agree to it, the family’s disapproval will always hang like a shadow over us. B, we won’t be free to live our lives the way we want to.”
Blanchette felt the tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn’t imagine living here alone without her sister. With her mother dead, her grandmother always busy with family business, that would only leave her and…him.
No.
There was no way she would survive it. Not with him.
“Willow, please—”
“It will just be another year, B. Just one more year, then you’ll graduate and you’ll be able to leave.” Willow took Blanchette’s hands in hers. “Then we’ll be back together again. Please. I need him.”
Blanchette stared into her sister’s eyes and all she saw was a girl so deeply in love that she would go to the ends of the earth for that love.
For a moment, she envied her sister. She wanted that. She wanted to feel that kind of love for someone. But now, after what he did to her, there would never be any place inside her for love. No matter how much she wanted it, it would never be. So who was she to deny her sister the chance at love, a chance Blanchette would never have.
“When?” she asked softly.
“Tomorrow.”
Blanchette closed her eyes, biting back tears. One more day. That was all she had left. Just one more damn day and then she would be alone in her hell. It had been months since the abuse and the rape started, but Willow had been the angel keeping her from plunging into darkness.
One more day and she would no longer have that one angel, that one lifeline. But she’d be damned if she was the reason for keeping her sister from living a fulfilled life.
Blanchette pulled Willow closer and wrapped her arms tightly around her sister.
“I love you, Willow.”
“I love you too, B. And it will only be for a little while.”
Pushing back her tears, Blanchette pulled her fingers through her sister’s long blonde hair. “Just don’t go without saying goodbye, okay?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it. Besides, I want you to meet him before we go. Will you take me to him tomorrow afternoon?”
Blanchette smiled. “Of course I will. I’m glad I get to meet him before we say goodbye. I want to see this man who is taking my sister away from me.” She winked.
“He’s not taking me away from you. We’ll see each other again soon. This won’t be a permanent goodbye, okay?”
Blanchette kept the smile on her face, even though she was sobbing on the inside. “Okay.”
Willow didn’t know, but Blanchette did. She knew when they said goodbye the following day, it would be the last time she’d ever see her sister. There was just no way Blanchette would survive…not with him.
Never.