Page 46 of Einar

“Run, run, hide away… the monster holds no sway…I’lllive another day.”

Gradually,Irelax, and my breathing slows down asIrealizeI’vebeen quietly chanting my little ditty out loud.Ifeel my face get hot in embarrassment and can only hopeIwas quiet enough thatRubycan’t figure out whatIwas saying over and over.Italso dawns on me thatIdidn’t have an asthma attack on top of the panic attack.Einarreally did cure me…

Timepasses and eventuallyRuby’svoice penetrates the fog my mind is in.

“Iknow you can hear me sis, soIwant you to listen.Weare safe right now.Haslife changed?Yeah.AmIscared?Some, just not as bad asIwas whenIwoke up.”

Myhead nods in response.

“Wehave to hideRuby, he’ll find us.”

Cringinga little at the manic anguish in my voice,Iwait for her to respond.

“Sis, no one is going to find us.Robertand all his thugs are dead.Well, for that matter, everyone is dead, but we’re not going to get into that right now because none of them count at this moment.Meand you, that’s all that matters right here and now.Doyou trust me?”

“Yes, always.”

Thatwas never in question whether or notItrust my sister.

“Areyou feeling better?”

Rubbingthe supple material of my dress with reverence,Icontemplate her question asItake stock of howIactually feel.

“Oddlyenough, nothing hurts.”

“That’sbecause of the ‘NotsoJollyGreenGiant’ out there.Hehas spent day and night hovering over you, trying his best to heal all your new and old wounds.”

“He’sa monster and the monsters want to do bad things to us.They’rejust likeRobert.”

Atwinge of guilt hits me afterIblurt that out.Einarhasn’t acted likeRobert… not so far, anyway.He’streated me with more care in the last day or so thanI’veever experienced at the hands of a man.

“Stopthat, no they’re not.Noteverything out there wants to hurt us.Yes,Iagree most things do, andIthink in this world that number just multiplied, but do you know what we have now that we didn’t before?”

Shakingmy head ‘no’ in response to her question, a lock of my hair falls across my face andRubysweeps it back in a loving fashion, soothing me with the familiarity of the motion.Ihear her take a deep breath before she continues setting me straight.Andthat’s exactly what this is.She’sdropping the truth on me whetherIlike it or not.

TypicalRuby.

“Wehave them.Thebig guy who scared you just now, he’s your safe place.Whenthe world becomes too much, you grab on to the green giant and don’t let go.Ifthings get too loud, he’s the quiet you seek.Ifyou allow it, he’s the one that can make all the pain go away, physically, and mentally.Biggreen can and will replace all that hurt with laughter and new dreams, but you’ve got to let him in.Takemy word for it, nothing’s going to get through him to hurt you and even though he’s snarly and scary at first glance, he’s a big marshmallow inside and cares more for you than any other being ever will, before or after this moment.

We’vebeen given a second chance,Rowan.Wehad to lose everything in order to be reborn into something else.Idon’t understand half of what’s happened, where we’re going, or even what’s going to occur next.We’vegot a couple of options though.One, we can sit under this blanket fort and hope that the world leaves us alone.Two, we can be brave and decide to live this new life to its fullest.Three, well there really isn’t a three thatIcan think of right now.”

“I’mnot youRuby.”

Myvoice cracks asIsay her name andIwatch as her face falls a bit before she drops her last truth bomb on me.

“No, you’re not, you’re more.Youjust let the world scare you for a while, but that world is gone now.So, look at it like this.Allthose mornings you woke up wishing your life was different, well your wish has come true.Andeven though he’s a bit on the rough side, you might’ve been sent your knight in shining, but a little beat-up, armor.So, what’s it gonna to be?Lifeor misery?Youdon’t have to figure it all out right this moment, but you do have to make a decision about moving forward.Sis, you already know what’s behind you, what do you have to lose?Let’slook at the stars with hope in our hearts and minds.Allowthe big grouches to hover and let’s live what little life we have left to the fullest.”

Well, when she puts it like that…

Takinga deep breath,Ismile over at my sister.She’sright.ForyearsIdreamed that someone, anyone would save me from the misery of my existence.Ina sense,I’vebeen rescued, there were just some detours along the way.Reallyfucking shitty detours, but the end result is the same, nonetheless.Rubygrabs my hand, and pulls me up with her as she stands, the blanket still over us andIhave to bite back a snicker at the sight we must make.Shelooks at me, love shining out of her eyes and asks, “Youready?”

Noddingdecisively, she lowers the blanket and the first thing my eyes land on isEinarstanding a few feet away.Ruby’sgrip on my hand is firm as she holds me close to her while we stand there, waiting for the guys to say or do something.Einarhas a heavy scowl on his face, but his body language isn’t aggressive or threatening.

Hetakes a step toward me, almost hesitantly, andIgripRuby’shand, using it as a comforting lifeline.Hiseyes flick to where my hand is clasped withRuby’sbefore jumping back up to my face.I’venever seen a being this large move with such tentative care, as if he is terrified of making the smallest of mistakes lest he scare me away from him.

Einaropens his mouth to say something when the door across the room slides open and a handful of people walk in.Almostall of them are male.Shrinkingaway from the sudden intrusion of strangers,Ipress back against the wall andRubymoves with me so that we are standing side by side.Einarturns to face everyone but positions himself in front of me, angling his body soIcan see who and what is going on while leaving me a gap to escape if need be.

Iwatch asKallenshoves her way through all the massive bodies so she can address everyone at once.

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