Beth led on the grass staring up into the branches of the old tree in her front yard, the sun shone through them causing her to put her arm over her face to shade it. It had been six weeks, six long agonising weeks since she had been returned to her father's home.
The first day of Jimmy's trial was today, her father and her sister had gone to the court but she wasn't allowed to as she had to give evidence at some point, her solicitor had been out nearly every day to help her with what to say and what not to say. She breathed in a huge breath and let it out slowly through her teeth, she wondered if he would be there? If he even thought about her? He had saved her life several times and she hadn't seen him since then, she hadn't been able to say thank you to him properly, she had tried to explain everything to her father but he had brushed it off as that was what police men do, she had said he wasn't a police man but her father wouldn't listen. She had been rushed to the hospital, checked over from head to foot, made sure she hadn't fallen pregnant or caught anything unsavoury. The only one who seemed to listen to her was her sister Maggie, she had explained to her sister that no one had touched her in that way.
Beth pushed herself up into a sitting position and crossed her legs, she had felt scared when she had been kidnapped but she had never felt as alone as she did right now, sat here in a place she had grown up in, memories surrounding her at every turn and yet she was alone now, more alone than she had ever been in her life, she had no idea why she felt like this, she had friends and family surrounding her. Beth stood up and made her way back into the house, she walked slowly towards the kitchen taking in her surroundings, every day she remembered a little more about her life before the kidnapping, pulling open a cupboard Beth absentmindedly pulled out snacks and a drink, then went upstairs into her bedroom, she slammed down on her bed, sighing she picked up a book from her bed side table and began reading, it was a stupid sloppy romance novel her sister had given her to pass the time.
Beth lent back against her pillows, tearing open the chips she had brought upstairs with her. Then dipped her head into her book.
Daryl grabbed her around the waist from behind and began to kiss her slowly down her neck "I have loved you forever" he whispered to her, his lips tickling her neck.
"My father, he will come" Daryl pushed her gently against the trunk of the tree, his strong hands knitting into her hair, his mouth coming down onto hers and crushing hard against her mouth, she almost collapsed into him, giving into his strength and persistence. His hand travelled down her side, his fingertips tracing lightly down her sides, made butterflies in her stomach, she could feel him gathering her skirts in his strong hands but she didn't have it in her to stop him.
He touched the top of her bare leg and she physically shivered, her thoughts not her own, she couldn't think, her mind dulling, the only thought in her head now was him. He pulled away his eyes meeting hers, looking deeply into her, she felt as if he could read her very soul. "I want you Beth, I want to be in you, I want to possess you. Beth….Beth"
"Beth!" she was shaken awake.
"What?" she questioned "What, what is it?" Then she realised she was at home, on her bed and her sister was staring down at her and laughing loudly.
"I'm not sure what you were dreaming about Beth but you were making one hell of a noise" Maggie crossed her arms over her chest and smiled "So Daryl you want him to what exactly?" she teased.
"Maggie go away, I mean oh goodness." She blushed throwing herself off of the bed and slipping her shoes onto her feet. "What did you want?" she asked.
"Look there is someone down stairs who wants to talk to you, apparently he will not go away until he has seen you." She smiled broadly, Beth stood staring at her sister for a minute, then flew down stairs, she ran past the kitchen and into the living room, then stopped dead, there was no one there, was Maggie just winding her up again?
A voice shouted from the kitchen "Try outside" Beth turned towards the kitchen and saw her father with his head down reading the paper, then she turned back to the front door and made her way out onto the veranda, her stomach churning, he had come he had finally come to see her.
"Bethany?" Beth turned on her heel to face the man who spoke.
"Merle? What exactly are you doing here?" she asked him, her heart dropping down to her shoes.
"Well you see, it's like this" Merle shifted from one foot to the other "I wanted to, well I wanted to apologise for everything" he was looking down at his feet.
"Merle." Beth spoke gently unsure what she was going to say but just letting the words flow from her "Merle, please look at me" she walked over to him and lifted the big man's head by the chin so his eyes met hers. "Merle, you didn't do anything, not really it was him, he took advantage of us all, he used you, Andrea, even that poor innocent young Amy, he even used….well he even used….D...your brother."
He looked confused for a moment then pulled back from her hand. "Thank you for your forgiveness" Merle took a step down off of the veranda.
"Merle?" he turned to face her "How's ummm Daryl?" she asked, he looked down at his shoes again then back up to her.
"On that day, that day you got free. Well he went to get his bike and I haven't seen him since, I went by the cabin and I think he had been there for a while but he hasn't been home, I don't know where he's gone." Merle cocked a half smile at her "He always was a difficult child, when he had problems he would run for a while but he always comes back Beth. I am sure you will see him again" He walked off towards his old red truck without another word and Beth let him go, the lump in her throat grew thick and suddenly she had the urge to run too but she had nowhere to go so she made her way back into the house, closing the door quietly behind her she made her way into her bedroom, she led down on her bed and picked up the romance novel that Maggie had given her, after a few minutes she launched it across the room, then turning into her pillow Beth cried, she wasn't even sure what she was crying about, but she poured her heart into that pillow until eventually sleep crept over her.
"Bethy come on sweetheart, time to wake up. You have court today." Beth opened her eyes and stretched.
"Ok Daddy." She smiled up at him.
"Bethy are you ok? Your eyes are all red." Beth nodded at her father.
"Yes Daddy, I'm just not sleeping to good at the moment is all." She explained as she pushed the covers back and got out of bed.
"Not all that surprising Bethy, considering your still in your clothes" her father looked her over as she glanced down at herself.
"I am sorry father, I must have fallen asleep" she said "I will just get myself cleaned up and I will be down for breakfast." She stood up and made her way over the chest of draws.
"Bethy, are you ok?" her father asked her back.
"Yes daddy, I am fine thank you, just a little nervous" she explained, her father walked over to her and kissed her on top of the head, whilst rubbing her arms.
"It will all be over soon sweetheart, I can promise you that" her father said reassuringly, she leant against her father's frame with her back to him and closed her eyes for a minute.
"I will be glad when life gets normal, Daddy. I will be off to college soon enough Daddy and everything will be forgotten." He hugged her quickly.
"Yes Bethy, yes you're quite right, onwards and upwards Bethy. Now quickly, your sister will be putting breakfast on the table any moment." He was gone before she could answer.
After washing and dressing Beth took one last look in the mirror, then left her bedroom to find her sister in the kitchen. "Morning" she took her seat at the table and placed her chin on her hands whilst watching Maggie drift around the kitchen.
"Morning Beth, I have made pancakes, bacon, eggs, what would you like?" Beth took a second and picked up her empty cup and held it up. "You will have more than coffee young lady." Her sister scolded.
"A pancake then." Beth shrugged as Maggie put her cup down before her, Beth added extra sugar knowing she would need it, then a tot of milk. Maggie picked up Beth's plate and went off towards the kitchen.
"Just the one?" she asked as Beth watched her put two pancakes on her plate and adding a slice of bacon for good measure, then hesitate and add another. She placed the plate down before her sister and sat opposite "Are you ok?" she asked, Beth picked up a pancake and began pulling bits off then nibbling them, whilst she considered her answer, was she nervous? Yes she supposed she was.
"Yes" she said pulling another piece and placing it in her mouth she chewed slowly "I think I am more nervous of seeing HIM again than telling everyone what happened, after all he thinks or thought he owned me? I never led him to believe it Maggie, I don't even remember the night I met him."
"I know dear, don't fret. It will be alright, I promise." Beth smiled at her sister, Maggie smiled back at her, they sat in silence until their father came into the room.
"Are you ready to leave?" he asked anyone who was listening. Both girls stood up and retrieved their coats from the hall cupboard then followed him out of the house and into their car, he started the engine and pulled away. Beth looked back at the house and thought to herself, that this was going to change everything, even her.