* Snow days are great, they give me more time to write. Thank you for the
review(s). They don't make me write faster, but they do encourage me.
Leah laid face down on her bed. She didn't want to see anyone, and she certainly didn't want anyone to see her. Everything just seemed to be going on with out her. She had gone to the rape victims support group earlier, but she didn't want to talk to anyone, no one understands. They all pretend they do, but even the other women at that meeting understand. They were all older than Leah was by at least five years.
"Leah?" Ivy called through the door.
Leah just rolled over pressing her face into the wall. She hoped that Ivy would just go away; although, she knew it wasn't likely.
Ivy opened the door and walked over to Leah's bed. "I know your not sleeping," Ivy told her sister.
Leah didn't respond.
"If you don't want to talk to me that's fine, but you don't have to pretend you're sleeping," Ivy stated.
"Why would you want to talk to me?" Leah asked.
"Well, for one you're my sister, and I need to find out what you want for dinner," Ivy said.
"I'm not hungry," Leah responded.
"Leah, I'm the one who gets to have an eating disorder," Ivy said sarcastically.
"Go away," Leah said.
"I was just trying to lighten the mood," Ivy explained.
"Get out," Leah yelled, "I hate you, just leave me alone!"
Leah did something she had done in along time; she punched Ivy in the mouth. Ivy stood for a moment staring at her sister, but the person she was looking at wasn't the old Leah. Ivy turned and walked out of the room.
When Peter came home a half-hour later, he found Ivy sitting in the kitchen on a stool.
"Where is your mom?" Peter asked her.
"Store," Ivy said, not moving for her stool.
Peter turned on the overhead light; it was only then that he saw blood on Ivy's mouth.
"What happen to your lip?" he asked.
Ivy took a moment to think and she said, "I ran into the door."
Peter knew she was lying; he knew what a person-given punch looked like. He said nothing more and went upstairs to check on Leah.
Leah still had her face pressed against the wall. She wanted her whole body to be sucked into it. She began to pound her head lightly against the wall trying to numb the pain.
Peter tapped on the door.
"Go away, Ivy, I'm still mad at you," Leah yelled.
"I'm not Ivy," Peter told her as he opened the door.
"Oh sorry," she replied.
"You and Ivy had a fight?" Peter asked.
"Yeah, she doesn't know how to mind her own business," she stated.
"Why did you hit her?" he asked sitting down on the edge of Leah's bed.
"She made me mad," Leah told him.
"You know that isn't very good reason. Leah, we all know you're hurting, we just want to help," Peter said.
"You can't help, you don't understand," she replied.
"Your mom and I understand, we deal with these types of things all the time," Peter explained.
"It's not the same," she told him.
"I know." Peter started to say.
"No, you don't know, you don't know anything. Just leave me alone," Leah said.
"Leah, we can't just leave you alone," he told her. "Yes, you can. Get out of my room," Leah told him.
Peter didn't know what to say; again, he didn't have an answer. Why could he help teenagers all day, but when it came to his own daughters, he was helpless? Peter left the room; his head hung in defeat.
"What's going on?" Sophie asked Ivy, as she brought groceries into the house.
"Nothing," Ivy answered.
"I ran into Mrs. Harris at the store," Sophie told her daughter, "she wanted to bring some things over for Leah."
"What kind of things?" Ivy asked.
"Some cards some of Leah's friends made and some of Leah's friends," Sophie explained.
"Leah has other friends besides Maggie?" Ivy questioned.
"Yes," Sophie stated, "and I appreciate if you would be a nicer."
Ivy walked out of the kitchen and started go upstairs, but she remembered she wasn't allowed in her room. Instead of turning around Ivy went up to the attic. The light was on, and Peter was sitting on the floor.
"What are you doing up here?" Ivy asked.
"I should ask you the same thing," he told her.
Ivy walked over and sat next to her father. He was looking through an old photo album.
"You know what day is this?" he asked.
Ivy shook her head.
"This is the day that we brought you and Leah home," Peter said.
"It's really weird to think that we were somewhere else during our first year of life," Ivy stated.
"Did Leah tell you anything?" Peter asked. "About your birth family," he clarified.
"No, nothing that I didn't let the police know," Ivy said.
Peter closed the album and said, "I think, we'd better go downstairs."
Leah laid face down on her bed. She didn't want to see anyone, and she certainly didn't want anyone to see her. Everything just seemed to be going on with out her. She had gone to the rape victims support group earlier, but she didn't want to talk to anyone, no one understands. They all pretend they do, but even the other women at that meeting understand. They were all older than Leah was by at least five years.
"Leah?" Ivy called through the door.
Leah just rolled over pressing her face into the wall. She hoped that Ivy would just go away; although, she knew it wasn't likely.
Ivy opened the door and walked over to Leah's bed. "I know your not sleeping," Ivy told her sister.
Leah didn't respond.
"If you don't want to talk to me that's fine, but you don't have to pretend you're sleeping," Ivy stated.
"Why would you want to talk to me?" Leah asked.
"Well, for one you're my sister, and I need to find out what you want for dinner," Ivy said.
"I'm not hungry," Leah responded.
"Leah, I'm the one who gets to have an eating disorder," Ivy said sarcastically.
"Go away," Leah said.
"I was just trying to lighten the mood," Ivy explained.
"Get out," Leah yelled, "I hate you, just leave me alone!"
Leah did something she had done in along time; she punched Ivy in the mouth. Ivy stood for a moment staring at her sister, but the person she was looking at wasn't the old Leah. Ivy turned and walked out of the room.
When Peter came home a half-hour later, he found Ivy sitting in the kitchen on a stool.
"Where is your mom?" Peter asked her.
"Store," Ivy said, not moving for her stool.
Peter turned on the overhead light; it was only then that he saw blood on Ivy's mouth.
"What happen to your lip?" he asked.
Ivy took a moment to think and she said, "I ran into the door."
Peter knew she was lying; he knew what a person-given punch looked like. He said nothing more and went upstairs to check on Leah.
Leah still had her face pressed against the wall. She wanted her whole body to be sucked into it. She began to pound her head lightly against the wall trying to numb the pain.
Peter tapped on the door.
"Go away, Ivy, I'm still mad at you," Leah yelled.
"I'm not Ivy," Peter told her as he opened the door.
"Oh sorry," she replied.
"You and Ivy had a fight?" Peter asked.
"Yeah, she doesn't know how to mind her own business," she stated.
"Why did you hit her?" he asked sitting down on the edge of Leah's bed.
"She made me mad," Leah told him.
"You know that isn't very good reason. Leah, we all know you're hurting, we just want to help," Peter said.
"You can't help, you don't understand," she replied.
"Your mom and I understand, we deal with these types of things all the time," Peter explained.
"It's not the same," she told him.
"I know." Peter started to say.
"No, you don't know, you don't know anything. Just leave me alone," Leah said.
"Leah, we can't just leave you alone," he told her. "Yes, you can. Get out of my room," Leah told him.
Peter didn't know what to say; again, he didn't have an answer. Why could he help teenagers all day, but when it came to his own daughters, he was helpless? Peter left the room; his head hung in defeat.
"What's going on?" Sophie asked Ivy, as she brought groceries into the house.
"Nothing," Ivy answered.
"I ran into Mrs. Harris at the store," Sophie told her daughter, "she wanted to bring some things over for Leah."
"What kind of things?" Ivy asked.
"Some cards some of Leah's friends made and some of Leah's friends," Sophie explained.
"Leah has other friends besides Maggie?" Ivy questioned.
"Yes," Sophie stated, "and I appreciate if you would be a nicer."
Ivy walked out of the kitchen and started go upstairs, but she remembered she wasn't allowed in her room. Instead of turning around Ivy went up to the attic. The light was on, and Peter was sitting on the floor.
"What are you doing up here?" Ivy asked.
"I should ask you the same thing," he told her.
Ivy walked over and sat next to her father. He was looking through an old photo album.
"You know what day is this?" he asked.
Ivy shook her head.
"This is the day that we brought you and Leah home," Peter said.
"It's really weird to think that we were somewhere else during our first year of life," Ivy stated.
"Did Leah tell you anything?" Peter asked. "About your birth family," he clarified.
"No, nothing that I didn't let the police know," Ivy said.
Peter closed the album and said, "I think, we'd better go downstairs."