Ohhkay i like this chap its pretty good...sorry for the wait...finals week wish me luck! okay i want mayhem and lexi to meet soon...should he notice the bruises right away or be oblivious? hmmmm food for thought...read and review? cuz I LUV U? it rhymes!


Lexi woke up. That was her first mistake.

The pounding throb in located at the front of her head almost threatened to pull her under again. When she tried to sit up, the pain in her torso made her feel dizzy, effectively distracting her from her head. She inhaled sharply, and then laid still.

A little bit later, and with great effort, she lifted her head to try to figure out which part of the house he had left her in. Porcelain and cold, cold tile.

Bathroom.

Supporting her head was proving to be a much more of a difficult task than it should have been, so she let her head drop. A little too hard, she found, because it hit the tile floor, hard. Before she could stop herself, a weak moan escaped from her throat. She prayed he hadn't heard.

Is he even here?

She strained her ears to listen for any signs of movement. There were none.

He had done his business and left. Again.

Well, it was safe to move around now.

Easier said than done she thought.

It took her about three minutes to be able to hoist herself completely off of the ground. And it took her another five to muster up the courage to look at herself in the mirror above the sink. Then she did. That was her second mistake.

Her face, neck, and lower arms were completely clear of any signs of abuse. (He was good at only hurting her where no one else could see) But when she lifted he camisole to look at her stomach and ribs, what she saw made her want to double over and vomit. Even on her dark skin, the bruises stood out. There were too many to count (not that she wanted to).

They snaked up her ribcage. They stood prominently on her hips. And when she twisted to try to look at her back, there was a sharp pain that made her gasp. A cracked rib. Lexi pushed her shirt back down. She could hardly bear to even look at herself.

Hideous. That's all I am. Disgusting.

She limped out of the bathroom and towards the kitchen. Her earlier observations had been correct, he wasn't here. Which meant he probably wouldn't be back for at least a couple days. He had done his business and left. Again. She turned and walked out of the kitchen to the living room, towards the couch.

And she sat.

But she did not cry.

You have to feel something to cry.

And even as Lexi sat on the couch, beaten, abused, manipulated, cracked, bruised, hurt, and scared-

She. Felt. Nothing.

Feelings only make things worse. And right now, she didn't think she could take that.