Page 90 of Pretty Little Fears

“Ohmy god,Imust be dying.Fuck.Ican't be.Ican’t die.No, no, no!”Myrocking intensifies andIrip my arm away from the image my imagination has made up.Wrappingmy arms around myself,Isqueeze my eyes shut.

“Makeit stop.Makeit stop.Please.Please, make it go away.”Strainedsobs rack my body andItry to find comfort in my own hold.

“Littleobsession,I'mright here.Please, stop crying.Pleaselook at me.”Hisvoice comes in a whisper.

Islightly open my eyes and look to see if he’s still there.Heis.

Fuck.Thisis bad.Removingmy hands,Ilift my palm and hit myself on the head, trying to clear my brain of whatever the fuck is running through it to make me seeEmmett.

“GOAWAY!”

Ikeep hitting my head while chanting “Goaway, go away, go away!”Tearsstream down my face making my vision blur.It'shard to see him now.Maybeit’s the tears, or the pain in my head,Idon't know.Mywrists are grabbed in mid-air and forced down.Ashriek gets stuck in my throat as lips press to mine.Mymind short circuits for a moment, not catching up to what’s happening until he’s pulling away.

“I'mreal,Blair.I'mright here.”Hereleases my wrist and drags a soft knuckle down my cheek. “Please, please listen to me.I’mhere, little obsession.I’mhere.”Istart shaking my head, my hair moving with the movements and sticking to my wet cheeks.

“No.Pleasedon’t lie to me.Pleasedon’t lie to me.No.P-please.Please.Please.”

I'mstill repeating my pleas asI’mpulled into his body.Myhead is pressed to his chest, the sound of his heart pumping like a steady drum. “Comeback to me, little obsession.”Hewhispers.Holdingmy head to his chest.Forcingme to listen.

“P-please, please.Pleased-don’t lie.”Myheart starts to beat fasterlistening to the steady rhythm of his.Thefeeling of his body under the palms of my hands brings reality back to me.Ohmy fucking god.He’shere.

Emmettis here.

Emmettis reallyhere.

Whyis he here?

Pullingmy head back from his chest and looking at his concerned eyes,Iwhisper, “Emmett?Whyare you here?Howare you here?”Ican’t wrap my mind around the fact that he’s holding me.Ohmy god, he’s here with me.Thatmeans he's trapped too.

Fuck.

Panicstarts to creep in.He’strapped here with me.Heshouldn't be here.

“No, no.No.Emmett, you shouldn’t be here.”

“Listenbaby,Ineed you to stay strong.Okay?You’reso brave.Keepbeing brave for just a little while longer.We'regonna get out of here.I’llfigure a way out.I'llprotect you, my little obsession.Iwill always protect you.”Herasps out, his thumb swiping under my eyes.Hisdeep greens are murkier and full of the promise of revenge.

Clearinghis throat he cups my head and brings it to him, planting a soft kiss to the crown of my head.Hiseyes skitter down, looking at my exposed flesh.IforgotIwas naked.I'mcovering myself with the blanket before he can see the damage that’s been inflicted on my body.Thankfullyhe can't see the damage that's been inflicted onto my soul.

“Blair.''Hisvoice has dropped to a levelI'venever heard before.Thevoice is cold and deadly. “Turnaround for me, baby.”It'sstrange to hear sweet words in such a detached tone.Wincing,Itry to turn but my body can only move so far.Thepain of the motion trickles over my skin, andIlet out a pained whimper.

“Shhh, it's okay baby.Don’tmove anymore.Justsit still for me now, okay?”Ilook into his eyes while slightly nodding.Iwatch as his eyes flicker from my back to my face, then between my legs.Ican see the barely contained anger bubbling under his skin.NextthingIknow, he’s lifting off his shirt.Rippinga part of the bottom off with his teeth he sets it aside then looks back at me.

“Ineed you to lift your arms for me.”Doingas he asked,Ilift my arms.Thepain shoots down my spine with the movement once again.Hequickly but cautiously pulls his shirt over my head, careful not to touch the open wounds along my back.

Liftingthe piece of fabric he had ripped, he looks into my eyes while saying “I'mgoing to use this to clean you up.Isit okay ifItouch you?”Thepain in his voice takes me by surprise, almost as if he knows howI'mfeeling.Butthat can’t be right.Idon’t want him to look.Ifhe looks, he’ll know.Thereis so much affection shining in his gaze andIcave.

Givinghim a slight nod, he releases a puff of air. “Okaybaby,I'llbe gentle,Ipromise.Itmight hurt butI'lldo my best not to harm you, okay?”Heleans forward and with gentle hands, he starts to spread my legs open.Panicstarts bubbling in my throat and my breathing picks up.Emmettseems to notice it instantly and starts speaking, “Iwon't hurt you,Blair.I'dput myself six feet under before ever hurting you.Pleasebelieve me.”

“Ido.Ido believe you,Emmett.”Thewords seem to shake the same way my body is.

Slowly, he reaches down and begins to rub the dried blood off from between my thighs.Somethinginside of my heart snaps at the sight of it.Rotatingthe cloth and wetting a piece with his spit, careful to not rub my skin too hard, he continues this action, cleaning me with himself.Riddingme of the evidence of my time here.Ofthe pain that will remain on my soul long after the blood has been washed.

Whenhe’s done, he leans back, analyzing me.Hiseyes bounce between mine searching for some kind of answer.Towhat,Idon't know.Ithink he finds whatever he was looking for because he lets out a deep breath and leans against the wall near me.Closeenough to offer comfort, not close enough to be touching me.Again, it's almost like he knows the suffering inside of me.

“Blair, baby.Doyou want to talk about it?”Hisvoice cracks as the words float between us.Heknows.I'mso stupid.Ofcourse, he could fucking tell.Hesaw the blood coating my skin, the slashes across my back.Fuck.

Why?

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