•Back From The Dead By Skylar Grey•

The morning sun shined warmly on my back as I woke from my sleep. Char shifted and nuzzled me. Her soft curls were splayed everywhere. I chuckled lightly and wrapped my arms around her, squeezing her to my chest. She giggled and squealed at me.

"Time to get up, sleepyhead." I ruffled her hair. A body shifted beside me and she propped herself up on an elbow, a gorgeous smile on her face.

"What time is it?" She asked groggily. I'd come home really late from my week-long stay in the hospital and we'd basically just dove into bed. We still haven't talked, Evelyn has been extremely busy with the school. I plan on talking with her today about it.

I'd had a severe panic attack, so the doctor just wanted to have me rest and monitor my levels just incase anything spiked up. I feel a lot better now, but I still have tons of questions that desperately need answers.

"It's almost 10." She yawned and ran a hand through her hair before returning her gaze to mine and blinking tiredly. She glanced at Charlotte, who'd fallen back asleep already, and then looked back at me. "She can sleep while we wake up." I smiled at my little girl and brushed her hair aside, enjoying how peaceful she was. The puppy was asleep at my feet.

Evelyn nodded and swung her legs off the other side of the bed and stood up, making my eyes nearly pop out of my head as she stretched. I got a glorious view of her ass in her lacy underwear as she swung her hips towards the bathroom. The shower started a little bit later and I so wished I could've followed her.

Shaking my head to dispel the inappropriate thoughts, I climbed out of bed and stretched before making my way to the kitchen to brew some coffee. It was chilly in the house and I wrapped my arms around myself. I was only in a pair of spandex and a button up, plaid shirt, but it was comfy so I liked it.

I was leaning over the counter and watching the waves when her arms wrapped around me from behind. Her hair was wet and dropped down my back, but I didn't really mind as her soft scent washed over me. "Come to town with me." She whispered into my neck, making me shiver.

I turned and flashed her a concerned look. "Would that really be the best decision? What if someone sees us?"

She raised a brow at me in surprise, probably wondering where this line of thinking was coming from. "What if someone sees us.." She echoed, her voice was hard as she was pulling away from me. I frowned and reached for her. "Wait I just meant...." She put up a hand. "It's fine love, I understand."

My frown deepened at her suddenly brisk attitude. "Why are you shutting me out? What did I do?"

She sighed. "Scout all I'm trying to do is be here for you. I've been here for you since the very first moment. I've taken you in, held you when you cried, and all I really want from you is your trust." Her eyes were full of pain when she looked at me, making my heart clench.

"But I do trust you!"

She shook her head. "No, no you don't. I see it in your eyes. I see it in your movements. Just now when you said "what if someone sees us" you were thinking about a student and a principle. Not two people in love, not trust. You were worried that we'd get caught, and I can't blame you for that. It's a good thing to be worried about, I am your principle, but I am also a 24 year old woman Scout. I'm not in high school, I don't do secrets. I won't be your secret."

My mouth opened and closed as surprise, fear, and worry raced through me. So what was she saying? Was she ending it? Had I actually ran her off too? She must've seen the fear in my expression because she suddenly lurched forward and wrapped me in her arms.

She pulled back and cupped my face. "Don't look at me with fear in your eyes. I'm never going to leave you. I meant it when I promised you that." My lips trembled as I sighed in relief.

"I need to....to tell you something." I forced the words out as I tried not to cry. Her face hardened. "You don't have to tell me anything you aren't ready to tell me."

I paused and took a deep breath, closing my eyes for a second as I gathered myself. I knew I was ready to tell her, and I knew if I didn't soon our relationship would fall apart. It was time I stopped running from my past. Ezekiel was dead, I didn't really have anything to fear anymore.

"I need to tell you, I want to tell you." I whispered, looking directly into those storm-grey eyes I'd come to love. She nodded once. "Ok."

I led her over to the couch and she sat down. I moved to sit down beside her but she grabbed my waist and pulled me down in between her legs. I settled comfortably against her chest as we rested our legs on the coffee table in front of the window. I was immediately grateful for her act. There is nothing worse than trying to tell someone something hard and having to maintain eye contact through it.

Her arms settled comfortably around me as her chin rested on my shoulder. I waited a few moments, content to just enjoy this moment before I ruined it will sadness.

I closed my eyes before I began, the darkness for once was calming. "When I was 7, I was outside with my twin brother Tommy. We were playing "don't touch the floor" and jumping on some rocks. We were always wild as kids, never being able to stay in one place. Tommy was always more adventurous than me, so I scrambled to keep up as he hopped out of sight. I didn't hear the scream until it was too late. Tommy had fallen off of the last rock and impaled himself on a sharp branch." I paused for a moment to clear my throat and Evelyn's grip tightened around me.

"After his death everything fell apart. When I was 13, my mother died. My father beat her to death while I watched. He wasn't a violent man at heart, he was always fondly remembered, but when Tommy had died it broke something in him. He hated me, blamed me for Tommy's death. He started to become physically violent, beating my mother and I to the point that we blacked out. Mom was protecting me when she died, because my father was in a rage and was going to kill me." I swallowed back tears and pushed on, determined to get this out.

"After her death, my father was hauled off to prison. The neighbors had heard our screams and called the police. I was then placed in the foster care system, and it wasn't so bad until I turned 14 and was placed with a new family after the old one moved. This new family seemed perfect, pristine, beautiful. The mother, father, and son were all so nice. They took me on trips and bought me things I could only wish for. But then the son started to change toward me. His touches became more forceful and....inappropriate..." I paused for a moment and Evelyn shuddered behind me.

"You don't have to continue if you don't want to Scout." She whispered in my ear, rubbing my arms soothingly. I shook my head. "No, I'm fine. I need to face this." She didn't respond and just placed a kiss onto my hair.

"My mother had given me a book for my 10th birthday, and we would always read a chapter a night. I never let it out of my sight, so when it went missing I searched everywhere. I was near tears when I stopped outside of Ezekiel's room. He'd warned me not to go in there before, but I was desperate to get my book back." I let out a low breath as I prepared to tell her the rest.

"I knew he had stolen it. And when I grabbed it and turned to leave, he walked right into the room. He was so angry. I was black and blue for a month, and threats hung in the air from what he'd do to me if I was ever found in his room again. I of course didn't listen. I was still determined to get my book back, so one night when he'd left for a friends house, I snuck back in. Naturally, he found me.

I'd fully expected another beating, maybe even a few broken bones. But that is not what happened. I vividly remember the cruel smile that crossed his face as he took off his belt. He sauntered over to me and I couldn't move fast enough to escape as he wrapped it around my neck."

My voice was raspy with pain, I was drowning in the memories, the feelings from that night, the bile on my tongue. "He said that since I was stealing something from him, he had the right to steal something from me. And then he raped me." I choked on a sob and buried my face in Evelyn's neck to suppress the sound. Her hand ran through my hair and the gesture calmed me enough to continue.

"I never told anyone. I couldn't. This family was the highest respected family in the town. No one would believe me. The parents knew, of that I'm sure. My screams echoed in that house for the next nine months. When I found out I was pregnant I was terrified. Ezekiel found out and tried to have the baby killed, but I fought back and he retaliated by raping me again. When he was finished and pulling up his pants I caught sight of the knife in his back pocket and grabbed it."

Tears dripped down the back of my neck and knowing that she was crying over me only made me feel worse. She shouldn't have to shoulder this burden.

"He reached for me and I flash-backed to the times he'd hit me and just reacted. I stabbed him. Eighteen times." My voice was completely blank now. I didn't feel anything. "I didn't know what I was doing at the time, but I ran. I was afraid and I just wanted to find a good home for my baby. Charlotte was born a few weeks later and the woman I was living with kicked me out, saying she couldn't have the whiny brat in her house any longer. So I had no choice but to go back to the foster care system as I had no way to care for her now. I played it off like Char was my sister until I turned 18 and then I moved us out and came here."

The silence in the room should've felt deafening, but it actually was calm. I felt, relieved to finally tell someone. It was like huge weight has just been lifted off of my chest and I could suddenly breathe a little better. We were both trying to choke down sobs, but it was a letting go pain.

"Scout O'Brian," she sighed, kissing my neck softly. "This world has been too cruel to you. You are far too young to be as wise as you are. You are stronger than mountains, braver than a lion. You are the most extraordinary person I've ever met and I am wholly, completely, 100% in love with you."

Of all the things I'd expected her to say, none of the words that just left her mouth were any where near my head. I bit my lip to stifle the sob and turned my face to her. Her face was streaked with tears and I wiped them away with my hand before cupping her cheek in my hand. "I love you." I spoke honestly, the words were simple but filled with emotion. I had just a moment to watch the look of utter joy cross her face before I pulled her face to mine and sealed our lips together, finally feeling complete.

❤️