Ziva pulled her knees in tighter to her chest and sobbed. The seventeen year old didn't notice, but she was subconsciously rocking herself. Her thirteen year old sister, Tali, was fast asleep down the hall while Ari, being nineteen, would be on a mission in Paris until tomorrow morning. There was no one to hear her cry.
She pulled the blanket closer to her aching body and pushed herself further into the corner. Images flooded her mind. He was on top of her once more, his ragged breaths hitting her full in the face, pain was seeping through her muscles as he…she shook her head. She couldn't let him get into her head like this. It wasn't as if this was going to be the last time. She shuddered violently at the thought. She desperately wanted to have a shower. Scalding hot water would relieve some of the ache in her muscles, and remove him from her. She smelt like him. She cried harder as she thought of him once again. She could feel his hands, on her skin. His mouth on hers. His…she gagged. She wanted to throw up, to have a shower and then to curl up in bed with Tali. Maybe that would take away the pain.
She had no idea how long she'd been cowering in the corner, but she knew if she didn't sleep soon, she wouldn't get a chance. But every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was him. She knew her father would disapprove of her reaction but she couldn't help it. She was disgusted at herself. How had she let this happen? She shook her head; she knew how she'd allowed it to happen. They threatened Tali, it was her job, he told her to…there were plenty of reasons. All she had to do was pick one. She shivered despite the boiling temperature and she knew it had nothing to do with the fact she was only wrapped in a blanket. She'd tried so hard to disengage from her body. She'd tried to let her mind leave her body but every time she was nearly there he'd touch her somewhere new and she'd come back crashing down to earth. She'd felt every minute of it. She had a feeling she'd feel it for the rest of her life.
The sun was just peaking over the horizon when she felt her eyelids slip closed. It was by no stretch of the imagination a peaceful sleep, but it was sleep. She was jolted awake when she felt someone stroke her cheek. Her eyes snapped open as she cowered from the touch.
"Hey, what is wrong Zi huh?" Ari asked worriedly. He watched as his little sister burst into tears. He sat beside her and slowly, gently, persuaded her into his embrace. "What happened? Come on. You can tell me." She shook her head as she gripped his shirt tightly. "You can tell me anything, you know that." She sobbed silently and he held her tighter. "Ziva?"
"Aba…Aba told me…I had to." She sobbed and Ari's blood ran cold.
"Ziva, what did he tell you you had to do?" She shook her head before burying it deeper into his chest. "Ziva, tell me."
"He threatened Tali." She murmured and Ari held her tighter still. That's when he noticed the bruises on her wrists as she held his shirt, the rope burn on her ankles that sat just outside the cover, the dried blood on her bed sheets.
"Oh my baby sister." He murmured into her hair. "I am so sorry."