Part 4

Stolen Innocence

(A/N: The following has parts that hint to rape but nothing is actually described. You just get the idea oh what's happened. Just thought it fair to warn you.)

"Unsure of yourself

You stand divided now

Deep trouble led you there

Last time you fell and you hit hard

Your wounds have healed by now

But you still see your scars

But it's not the way it used to be right now

You've come so far

To just let this go, my friend

Don't go out the same way

You did the last time

You'll break

When you fall, don't make

The same mistakes you did

All over, you've got to believe in yourself

This time..."

-3 Doors Down

"Where were you yesterday?" asked Samantha as Edward stepped into the TV lounge.

"What?" he asked.

"After the snowball war. You just disappeared with Corina."

"We were in the common room."

"Doing what? Staring at each other?" she snickered and started flipping through channels. "The Simpsons is on!" she cheered and sat back.

"We talked," he said softly.

"Don't tell Chris that," she said, glancing up at him. "He'll get mad again cuz she's still not talking to him." He nodded and glanced at the screen. Homer was attempting to build a grill and was doing terrible.

"How am I supposed to understand these dirrections?" he cried. "They don't make any sense! I'll try reading the French version... Le grille? What's that??! Doh'!"

Edward snickered and shook his head. "That's a little sad."

"Good ol' American humor. Ya gotta love it," said Samantha. "So what all did you two talk about?"

"Things," he said softly. "She used to live in Colorado."

"Up in Brekenridge," said Samantha. "That's what Chris told me. He said she had some really beautiful photo's of the place. She likes the mountains."

"I would like to go there sometime. It sounds nice."

Samantha leaned over and peered out the window. "I think someone wants you," she said softly. Edward looked over and spotted Corina standing there, still in her pajamas and bath robe. Her hair hung limp, and she let her head hang low, her eyes looking up at him. Something was wrong with her. He stood up and started for the door.

"Ask her if she's okay for me," said Samantha. Edward nodded and stepped outside to her.

"Corina?" he asked softly. "Are you okay." She stepped up to him burried her head in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and felt the hot tears soaking through his shirt. "What happened?"

She stepped back a little and handed him something. He recognized it only from commercials. An EPT pregnancy test. It was positive.

His eyes widened and she placed a hand over her mouth, muffling out sobs. "Oh no," he muttered, stepping up to her. She broke down and he held her close. Samantha had wheeled out from the TV lounge and was watching them curiously.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Get the doc," said Edward, stroking Corina's hair. "Quick." Samantha nodded an wheeled out. This was bad. Corina was too young to be having kids. And who had she been with anyway? He didn't know she had a boyfriend. Somehow the thought of that crushed him inside, and the thought of him getting her pregnant made it worse.

"Corina?" came the doc's voice. Edward looked up, and Corina stepped out of his arms, wiping away tears and forcing herself to face the doc. "What's wrong?" She held up the EPT and he took it, looking at it. His gaze saddened a little, and for a moment the great doc looked completely blank on what to do. He stood there, staring at it for the longest time, almost as if he wanted it to vanish. Corina's tears began to come harder, and he looked back up at her. "I want you to come with me."

She nodded and started to follow him. Her eyes turned back to Edward, and she grabbed on to his wrist, tugging him towards her. The doc noticed and shook his head.

"Corina, I need you to come alone," he said sadly.

"Please," said Corina in a soft voice. Edward heard Samantha gasp but ignored her. Samantha had never heard Corina's voice before. The doc looked at Edward who was staring back, looking a little shaken and nervous, but held on to Corina's hand none the less.

"Alright, but you'll need to wait outside while I do some tests." Corina nodded and Edward went with them into one of the small rooms with some equipment he was not familiar with. "Edward, I need you to wait outside for me. It'll only take a few minutes." He nodded and watched Corina as she went inside. There was nothing to do out there, but sit in one of the hallway chairs and wait. Corina was with someone, was all he could think about. She was seeing someone and doing things with them that he didn't even want to think about. He should have known. He felt absolutely stupid that he had even let himself start to veiw her as more than a friend.

But, there was something that made no sense. Why would she we doing IT with someone? It didn't sound like her at all. She didn't speak to anyone there except for him and the doc. Even then, other than the previous night, she was barely even lively. It didn't sound like she would even consider doing that... unless. His heart froze. What if someone was forcing her? She had mentioned something about being hurt by someone. Even when he had pressed her on it she had gotten deffensive.

He suddenly felt sick. Why did he have to know this? Well, he didn't know this for sure, but why did the thought even need to occure to him? This was so much bigger than anything he had ever dealt with. He placed his head in his hands and sat there motionless, beginning to understand now why Corina shut herself away from the world, from things like this.

The door opened, and he looked up to see the doc signall him to come in. He obeyed, and sat down in a seat across from him. This was an office, and the back room attached to it was where Corina was. He could see her sitting on a metal table, staring down at her knees.

"Has she said anything to you about this?" asked the doc.

"She showed me the test a few minutes ago. That's all I know," he said softly. The doc sighed and shook his head.

"Corina has bruising on her thighs and between her legs. There's fingernail scratches as well. What's bothering me is some of them are fresh. Did anything suspicious happen last night? Did she say anything to you or did someone come up to her?"

"She said..." he stopped and looked for the right word. "She hinted to something." The doc nodded.

"What did she hint to?"

"That someone was hurting her. I didn't know she meant this." The doc nodded again. Edward was always so innocent and that would never change. He could only begin to imagine how badly something like this would rattle him.

"Did she say who?"

"No," he said.

"Not surprised. Most rape victims won't tell you information like that."

Edward looked up at him with wide eyes. "Rape?" So it was true. He still didn't want to think about it, but it was so close to him now that it couldn't be avoided.

"Yes," said the doc sadly. "We need to find out who this is as soon as possible. Chances are, as soon as the person finds out Corina's pregnant, she'll be in greater danger. He might try to hurt her." Edward looked back at Corina, a deep feeling of pain taking over. "I should have seen this coming. The cutting and the silence. She was trying to tell me this all along. I thought it was just related with the skitsophrenia." Edward looked back at him. "Edward, I need you to do me a big favor. Don't tell anyone about this. It's a personal thing for Corina, and it's for her safety. Her's and the baby's."

"Samantha may have seen something too," he said, remembering she had been the one to get the doc.

"I'll talk with her then. This secret needs to stay between the four of us."

"I won't tell," said Edward.

Edward stepped into the other room where Corina sat in a gown that tied in the back. Her eyes were lowered, and she didn't look at him. His heart broke and he sat down next to her, putting an arm over her shoulders. She looked up at him, and he held her tightly. Something wet flooded his eyes and everytime he blinked it away it came back. He closed his eyes as they fell down his face. He had never felt tears before.

"Don't go," she whispered, the same way she had so long ago. He shook his head.

"I won't," he said, his voice cracking with emmotion. He embraced her a little tighter.

"Tighter," she said softly. He held her close until she had the strength to get on her feet again.

He walked with her back to her room, not going any farther than the doorway. She sulked in, not looking at him or saying a word. The door was closed slowly behind her, and Edward leaned back against it, closing his eyes, listening to her inside.

Corina stared at herself in the mirror with absolute hatred. (They had relpaced it a few months ago). In her eyes, she had never looked uglier. Her hands slid to the edge of her shirt and she pulled it up a few inches, exposing her belly. It was flat and there was no signs of pregnancy, but she knew it wouldn't last. Soon people would know, and then they wouldn't leave her alone. She placed a hand on her stomach and sighed. There was always another available option, but she wanted time to think about it.

Anger suddenly took hold of her. This wasn't fair. It wasn't fair for her, it wasn't fair for the baby, and it especially wasn't fair for Edward. He wasn't anywhere used to things like this and she had just sucked him into it without even thinking. That was the problem with her. There was never room for anyone else in her mind. Just her. That's what she thought of herself.

Gritting her teeth, she picked up her hairbrush and threw it across the room, screaming at the top of her lungs. "No!" she shrieked loudly. Her knees gave out, and she fell on all fours, panting and sobbing. "Bitch! Whore! Slut!" She threw things around angrily until someone came up from behind her and stopped her. Her eyes closed as she spotted Edward's reflection in the mirror. "Leave me alone," she said softly. He did not move, nor did he respond. He just stood there, staring at her. "Go!" she practically screamed at him.

Edward stared blankly for a minute, then slowly walked out, closing the door behind him.

"I can't believe what happened," said Samantha as she and Edward sat down alone in the TV lounge. "Just yesterday she was active in a snowball fight and talking to you. She was so happy. Who the heck would do that to her?"

"A sick guy," said Edward. They looked over and saw Corina stagger down the hall. Her sleeves were pulled up and there were fresh cuts all over her arms that were bleeding. Edward got to his feet. "I'll kill him!" he snarled. "I'm gonna kill whoever did it!"

"Whoa!" said Samantha. "Don't make the situation any worse than it already is. Besides, we don't even know who did it."

"He had no right! NO right!" He paced around angrily. "When I find out who it is I'll kill him!"

"Who you gonna kill?" asked a voice. They both looked over and saw Joshua standing there with wide eyes. Edward stormed out, knowing there was no way he could help the situation.

"No one," said Samantha. "He's just a little upset." Joshua looked back and shook his head.

"If he still had them scissorhands I'd be freakin' out." Samantha made a face, and looked back up, watching as Edward rounded the corner.

Edward sat outside Corina's door, guarding it. Inside he could hear her crying again. She had been crying a lot lately and he hated it. He closed his eyes and burried his face in his hands, feeling his eyes fill up with tears again. Ever since he had learned, he'd been crying more than he used to also.

"What are you doing up here?" whispered a voice. He looked up and saw the doc standing there. His heart froze. It was after curfew and he was on the girls' floor. He knew he'd get in trouble now, and it was the last thing he wanted. Corina was in there, possibly cutting again, and there was nothing he could do about it. And whoever was hurting her could still be doing and there was still nothing he could do. Feeling helpless was agonizing for him, and he didn't speak to the doc. The doc looked at his tear stained eyes and signalled him to follow.

They went to his office and sat down. "Edward," he said, shaking his head. "You know we have rules about going to the girls' floor after curfew." Edward looked down, closing his eyes. The doc sighed. "But, as long as no one saw you, I think I can let you off with just a warning this time. I just want to know what you were doing up there."

His response, and the way he said it moved him a little. Edward looked at him, two tears falling down his face and said, in a very hoarse voice, "Protecting her," he muttered. "Making sure he didn't touch her again." The doc lowered his eyes and looked back up again slowly.

"Yeah," he muttered, standing up and turning his back to Edward. "Yeah, I know what you mean." He shook his head. "It's the first time I've actually thought of hurting one of the people who live here. Trouble is, I don't know who to hurt." He turned and sat on the edge of his desk. "How can I sleep tonight, knowing that... monster is still on the loose and ready to hurt her?"

"I couldn't sleep either," muttered Edward. The doc sighed and stood up again.

"Well, you need to get back to bed none the less. And if I find you up there again, I will have to punish you." He placed a hand on Edward's shoulder. "I'm installing a hidden camera in her room tomorrow. We will catch this guy." Edward nodded, running his sleeve over his eyes, and went back to bed.