Page 56 of Fractured Souls

“Lilian? What on earth are you doing here? How did you find me? Oh my god! Lil what happened to you?” I open the door wider, letting her come in.

She limps inside holding onto her midsection like it hurts. Her face is bruised, and her neck has handprint bruises on it. She's thinner than I remember and looks like hell. She comes in, and I lead her to the living room.

I just moved in, so I just have an old thrift store couch. I help her sit and then go get my first aid kit. It's not much, but it'll have to do. When I return, Lil is in full sobs, her body shaking violently, and she's extremely pale. I drop down to my knees in front of her.

“Lil babe, breathe for me. I need you to breathe before you pass out. Please, please, breathe. Slowly, in and out.”

After a few tense moments, she starts taking deep breaths with me.

She sniffles. “Bri, I tried my best. I made sure no one followed me. I got away. I don't know what I'm going to do. They know I'm pregnant. My baby can't live that life. Bri, please, please, keep me safe.” She rushes it out so fast, barely taking a breath while gripping my arms tightly.

Pregnant? Oh my god.

“It's okay, I'm going to help you however I can, Lil, but I need you to tell me what happened. We are in this together. For now, I want you to take these pain meds. I'll get you cleaned up, but then I want you to get some sleep. We can talk about this all tomorrow. The house will be locked up. No one can get in. You're safe here, Lil.”

As much as I want to know everything now, I don't think she could even get through telling me she needs rest. It doesn't look like she's slept in days.

After I get Lilian cleaned up and to bed, I pace downstairs. What am I supposed to do? This is so bad. Something horrible obviously happened to her. She's only seventeen. The poor girl. I'm eighteen; I don't know how I'm supposed to help. I finally get away from my own crappy childhood and now this?

I don't even know if I want to know what she's been through. I need peace, I need quiet. But this is Lil, and I will help her through anything, even if it flips what I've always wanted upside down.

The next morning, I get up from a night of tossing and turning and basically no sleep. Lilian is still sleeping, which is good. If she's pregnant, then she needs the rest. I stress cook and make way more breakfast than we need.

By the time I'm done, Lil has come down. “Good morning, Lil. How did you sleep?”

She smiles. “Really good, actually. Thank you for last night. I needed comfort, and I was exhausted. It's been a long few weeks.”

I nod. “Well, let's eat then we can go sit down on the beach and talk. It's pretty peaceful, especially in the mornings.”

“You have a beautiful home. I couldn't believe it when I found you and figured out this was your house. You're doing so well, Bri. Your mama would be insanely proud of you.”

I feel tears well in my eyes, but I don't let them fall. “Thanks, Lil. I think we've been through hell lately and could use this place to heal.” She nods, and then we dive into the food, eating in comfortable silence.

After we finish eating, we head down towards the beach. Lil sighs when her bare feet hit the sand. She wiggles her toes and gives a tiny smile. We walk towards the water and find a spot to sit, gazing out over the sea.

I stay quiet, giving her time to open up. I know it can't be easy.

“Tam has been into some bad shit. She got pregnant at fifteen and had her son Robert. I’ve been helping take care of him for the last three years while Tam was off fucking around and getting into trouble and sleeping with multiple guys. Some knew about the others, and some didn't. There has been a lot of fights between her and other guys. You know how Tam and I have different moms?”

I nod. She told me that when we were younger. Her mom died when she was two and not even a week after, her dad was back with Tammy's mom.

“Well, Tam’s mom hates me. She used to hurt me when I was little, but she stopped when my dad told her not to lay a hand on me anymore. I was around eleven. I thought he was doing it because he cared and loved me. But he just wanted me well enough for himself.”

She shudders, and I can see her hands shaking as she clutches them together in front of her.

I look at her in shock, praying she's not saying what I think she is. “Lil?”

She nods, fresh tears running down her face. “He's been raping me since I was eleven. Tammy and her mom knew. They blamed me. So in turn, they treated me like shit. Tammy thought that I was perfect, and she hated me because all our dad's attention was on me. He is a part of an MC, and Tam wants to be someone's ole lady, so she thought if dad paid her as much attention, then it would make it easier for her. So she took out her anger on me.

“Anyways, after she had Rob, I made sure to take care of him since I only left the house for school anyways. This guy at my school, Gabriel, was always really nice to me. I had a crush on him for years. Tammy knew I liked him, so when he started being nice to me, she hated it. So she flirted with him and got him to give her all his attention and they dated for two years. Gabe didn't look at me as more than a younger sister, so he fell in love with Tammy. I think he is Rob's dad, but I'm not actually sure."

She rubs a hand over her face and then stares down at her feet. I don't say anything yet, staring out at the water focusing on the waves, letting them keep me calm. Silent tears run down my face as I grieve for my friend and what she has been through.

I can't imagine being raped by your own father. Tammy had a kid at fifteen? That's insane. I come out of my thoughts as she starts talking again.

“About four months ago, dad made me go to the clubhouse with him. Tammy had been kicked out apparently and wasn't allowed back, so he brought me as payment for Tam’s screwup. I don't even know what she did. That day a few of the older members tested me out… raping me and beating me. Dad took me home after and told Tam to take care of me and not let me leave and he'd be back in a week. He had to go on a run for the club. I was so depressed I was ready to die. I didn’t see a point in continuing on when this seemed to be my future. But Tam never left my side that week. Watching me like a hawk.

Since he came back from that run and took me back to the club, I've spent the last three and half months there, rarely ever leaving. I only ever saw the older members… They used me like their own personal toy. And then about a month ago, I was dragged into the main clubhouse and strapped down to a table naked."

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