AN: This chapter deals a lot with cutting so if that bothers you please
don't read this. You have been warned.
Dri didn't wake until the next morning. She was so emotionally exhausted that she slept through the rest of the afternoon and all of the night. In a way she had been thankful that she was that fatigued. For the first time in a long time Dri had been able to sleep without having a nightmare. She woke up feeling energized and almost refreshed. Almost.
She lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Dri knew the second she walked out of the room she would have to face everyone. They weren't going to let this go, but she really wished they would. It was her past, it was her problem, and she knew how to take care of it.
Dri reached under her pillow and pulled out a blue switch blade. She clicked the button and the knife opened with a soft whoosh. She gazed upon in it in both admiration as well as disgust. She couldn't kill herself with it, but she was still mortal. It could still leave a scar.
Dri lifted her shirt so that her bare stomach was exposed. She traced her fingers over the thin white scars that were just above her hipbone. Then she traced the ones under her naval. Finally she put the blade against of batch of smooth skin. It was flawless, no scars, no sign of pain.
Gently, she took the knife and dragged it across her skin. A red line formed and Dri felt relief wash over her, but it wasn't enough. The pain was still there. Not from the cut, but inside. It was the pain inside that she couldn't handle.
Dri cut herself again and again until the right side of her stomach was covered in nothing but a crimson mess. She cut until she felt all of her emotions flow out of her body. She cut until she felt completely and totally numb inside.
She dragged the knife across her flesh one last time and let out a sigh of satisfaction. Now she was ready. Now she would be able to go out and face everyone. She wasn't afraid anymore.
Dri sat up and gasped. It always felt good while she was doing it. Afterwards however, it hurt a whole hell of a lot. She looked down and her jaw dropped. She'd practically mutilated herself and she hadn't even realized it. Dri hadn't realized that she had hurt herself so much. More so, she didn't care.
She eased herself out of bed and stood in front of her mirror. Part of her shirt was multicolored from the blood. Dri took off the shirt and grabbed a towel from her closet. She gently wiped most of the blood away and applied pressure to the wounds. She hadn't realized how deep she'd cut herself either. If anything she could blame all the bloody clothes on her period.
Ten minutes later Dri emerged from her room wearing a black t-shirt that was about two sizes to big and navy sweats. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail leaving a few strands in her face.
Sean was sitting at the kitchen counter and Duncan was leaning against the stove. Both men were sipping on coffee. They turned to face her and she waved lazily at them.
"Morning sunshine," Duncan said with a smile on his face. "You want some breakfast?"
Dri shook her head and shuffled her way over to the counter. She sat in the empty stool that was next to Sean.
"How are you?" Sean asked.
"Fine," Dri stated.
"No nightmares?" The Highlander questioned.
She shook her head. "Slept as snug as a bug in a rug." She smiled.
Normally the questions would have already started irritating her, but right now she was feeling good.
Duncan raised an eyebrow. "You're chipper this morning."
Dri shrugged. "A good night's sleep will do that to you."
Silence dominated the room for a few minutes until Dri looked over at Sean.
"I didn't past the test did I?"
Sean looked over at her. "Test?"
"Yesterday," Dri explained. "The whole session thing."
Sean set down his coffee cup and turned so his body was facing her. "Dri what wasn't a test. That session was to see if you were all right."
"Well whatever you want to call it, you're going to make me talk to you again," She replied sullenly.
"Dri do you understand what happened yesterday?"
"Yeah you tricked me into telling you things so you could see if I needed psychiatric help!" She stated angrily.
"No Dri, it wasn't. I didn't force you to tell me anything. You have a lot of emotions inside you that you don't know how to deal with."
"Oh and what would you know about it?"
"Dri, he can help you," Duncan told her. "Trust me."
Her glare shot to the Highlander. "Trust you?"
"Have I ever given you a reason not to?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?"
"Yes Dri, I really want you to answer that."
She glared at him and she wanted to scream at him. To tell him he was a liar that and that she hated him. She stared long and hard into his brown eyes and realized she couldn't.
"No," She finally said. "You've never given me a reason not to trust you."
"Then trust me now."
Dri dropped her head. "You can't help me. Neither of you have seen the things I have. You haven't been through the things I have."
"Dri I've lived for over four hundred years. I'm not sure how long Sean's been around, but I'm sure it's a few centuries. Do you honestly believe that we've never been through something like this? That we've never seen something like this?"
She shrugged.
"Listen to me Dri," Sean said. "I want to have a few sessions with you, but they're not going to be just talk and listen sessions."
She looked up at him. "What do you mean?"
"Yeah Sean," Duncan said. "What do you mean?"
"I want to work with hypnosis."
"No way!" Dri exclaimed. "Forget it!"
"I think it will help you remember."
"Remember what? Things I so do not want to remember! No thank you!"
Sean sighed. "In order to get past this you need to remember. You need to know what happened."
"I don't want to know what happened. I just want to forget that part of my life!"
"Dri, if Sean says it will help, then it will help," Duncan told her.
"Why can't you just leave it alone? It's my past and I can deal with it."
Mac shook his head. "I don't think you can. Not by yourself."
Dri suddenly wished for her knife again. The pain was building up inside her. She couldn't stand the pain. She couldn't stand the memories.
"Dri please," Mac said when she stayed silent. "Let Sean try."
She looked up into his pleading eyes. "Why do you want me to do this?"
"Because," The Highlander said. "I don't want to see you hurting like this. I care about you too much to see you in so much pain!"
"I'm not." Dri stuttered. "Um I'm not good at accepting help when it comes to my past."
"We know," Sean said. "We'll go slowly at first. We'll work our way through things."
Dri looked at him and nodded. "I ah..I'm not feeling so well," She lied.
"What's wrong?" Duncan asked.
"My stomach hurts a little."
"I can make you some tea."
She shook her head. "No, I just want to go lay down for a while."
Mac nodded. "All right. I'll come and check on you in a little bit."
Dri stood up and went to turn around.
"Dri, what did you spill on your shirt?"
"Huh?"
Dri looked down and sure enough there was a big wet spot on her shirt. She immediately knew what it was. She had been hunched over at the counter and she hadn't been paying attention to what she was doing. She knew she was bleeding again.
"There was nothing on your shirt when you came out of the room," Sean stated.
"Yeah there was," Dri tried to lie. "It's an old stain."
"Dri I didn't see anything either." Mac said. "What's going on?"
She put her hand to her stomach. "It's nothing. I'm fine." She reassured them.
"Dri," Mac said in a warning tone.
"Look, Mac just drop it. It was there all right!"
"Then lift up your shirt," Sean said.
"Excuse me?"
"Lift up your shirt," He said again. "Just enough so we can see your stomach. If it was there when you came out then there shouldn't be anything on your stomach. If it wasn't the wet spot had to have come from your stomach because there's no other possible explanation."
"You're insane!" Dri said.
"Do what he says."
"Mac!"
"If you don't want to lift your shirt in front of Sean, fine. I'll take you in the room and we'll do it there."
"No!"
Sean already had his own ideas. She was wearing baggy clothes, completely defensive about showing her body. Duncan had told him about McDaniels and Zane, but from what he understood she hadn't been shy around Duncan and Richie in quite some time.
"Audrina!" Duncan said.
Dri turned around and bolted for her room, but Duncan was too quick. He ran and grabbed her around the waist, just before she made it to her room. Dri cried out and struggled in his arms.
Duncan squeezed his arms tighter and Dri cried out again. The pain was so excruciating that she started to fall. It was all Duncan could do to keep from falling on top of her. He let go and Dri fell to her knees with one arm clutching her stomach.
Duncan looked at his arms and realized that they were covered in blood. He looked back and forth from the girl on the ground back to his arms.
"My god Dri."
Tears were steadily streaming down her face. She couldn't bring herself to look at him. Not now that he knew her secret.
Sean walked over to them and kneeled down besides Dri.
"Let me see your stomach."
He gently moved her arm and lifted her shirt. Dri didn't protest. It was too late. They knew. They just had to see for themselves to make sure it was true.
"Oh sweet heart," Duncan said seeing the cuts and blood. "What have you done to yourself?"
~~~~~~~~~Please review
Dri didn't wake until the next morning. She was so emotionally exhausted that she slept through the rest of the afternoon and all of the night. In a way she had been thankful that she was that fatigued. For the first time in a long time Dri had been able to sleep without having a nightmare. She woke up feeling energized and almost refreshed. Almost.
She lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Dri knew the second she walked out of the room she would have to face everyone. They weren't going to let this go, but she really wished they would. It was her past, it was her problem, and she knew how to take care of it.
Dri reached under her pillow and pulled out a blue switch blade. She clicked the button and the knife opened with a soft whoosh. She gazed upon in it in both admiration as well as disgust. She couldn't kill herself with it, but she was still mortal. It could still leave a scar.
Dri lifted her shirt so that her bare stomach was exposed. She traced her fingers over the thin white scars that were just above her hipbone. Then she traced the ones under her naval. Finally she put the blade against of batch of smooth skin. It was flawless, no scars, no sign of pain.
Gently, she took the knife and dragged it across her skin. A red line formed and Dri felt relief wash over her, but it wasn't enough. The pain was still there. Not from the cut, but inside. It was the pain inside that she couldn't handle.
Dri cut herself again and again until the right side of her stomach was covered in nothing but a crimson mess. She cut until she felt all of her emotions flow out of her body. She cut until she felt completely and totally numb inside.
She dragged the knife across her flesh one last time and let out a sigh of satisfaction. Now she was ready. Now she would be able to go out and face everyone. She wasn't afraid anymore.
Dri sat up and gasped. It always felt good while she was doing it. Afterwards however, it hurt a whole hell of a lot. She looked down and her jaw dropped. She'd practically mutilated herself and she hadn't even realized it. Dri hadn't realized that she had hurt herself so much. More so, she didn't care.
She eased herself out of bed and stood in front of her mirror. Part of her shirt was multicolored from the blood. Dri took off the shirt and grabbed a towel from her closet. She gently wiped most of the blood away and applied pressure to the wounds. She hadn't realized how deep she'd cut herself either. If anything she could blame all the bloody clothes on her period.
Ten minutes later Dri emerged from her room wearing a black t-shirt that was about two sizes to big and navy sweats. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail leaving a few strands in her face.
Sean was sitting at the kitchen counter and Duncan was leaning against the stove. Both men were sipping on coffee. They turned to face her and she waved lazily at them.
"Morning sunshine," Duncan said with a smile on his face. "You want some breakfast?"
Dri shook her head and shuffled her way over to the counter. She sat in the empty stool that was next to Sean.
"How are you?" Sean asked.
"Fine," Dri stated.
"No nightmares?" The Highlander questioned.
She shook her head. "Slept as snug as a bug in a rug." She smiled.
Normally the questions would have already started irritating her, but right now she was feeling good.
Duncan raised an eyebrow. "You're chipper this morning."
Dri shrugged. "A good night's sleep will do that to you."
Silence dominated the room for a few minutes until Dri looked over at Sean.
"I didn't past the test did I?"
Sean looked over at her. "Test?"
"Yesterday," Dri explained. "The whole session thing."
Sean set down his coffee cup and turned so his body was facing her. "Dri what wasn't a test. That session was to see if you were all right."
"Well whatever you want to call it, you're going to make me talk to you again," She replied sullenly.
"Dri do you understand what happened yesterday?"
"Yeah you tricked me into telling you things so you could see if I needed psychiatric help!" She stated angrily.
"No Dri, it wasn't. I didn't force you to tell me anything. You have a lot of emotions inside you that you don't know how to deal with."
"Oh and what would you know about it?"
"Dri, he can help you," Duncan told her. "Trust me."
Her glare shot to the Highlander. "Trust you?"
"Have I ever given you a reason not to?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?"
"Yes Dri, I really want you to answer that."
She glared at him and she wanted to scream at him. To tell him he was a liar that and that she hated him. She stared long and hard into his brown eyes and realized she couldn't.
"No," She finally said. "You've never given me a reason not to trust you."
"Then trust me now."
Dri dropped her head. "You can't help me. Neither of you have seen the things I have. You haven't been through the things I have."
"Dri I've lived for over four hundred years. I'm not sure how long Sean's been around, but I'm sure it's a few centuries. Do you honestly believe that we've never been through something like this? That we've never seen something like this?"
She shrugged.
"Listen to me Dri," Sean said. "I want to have a few sessions with you, but they're not going to be just talk and listen sessions."
She looked up at him. "What do you mean?"
"Yeah Sean," Duncan said. "What do you mean?"
"I want to work with hypnosis."
"No way!" Dri exclaimed. "Forget it!"
"I think it will help you remember."
"Remember what? Things I so do not want to remember! No thank you!"
Sean sighed. "In order to get past this you need to remember. You need to know what happened."
"I don't want to know what happened. I just want to forget that part of my life!"
"Dri, if Sean says it will help, then it will help," Duncan told her.
"Why can't you just leave it alone? It's my past and I can deal with it."
Mac shook his head. "I don't think you can. Not by yourself."
Dri suddenly wished for her knife again. The pain was building up inside her. She couldn't stand the pain. She couldn't stand the memories.
"Dri please," Mac said when she stayed silent. "Let Sean try."
She looked up into his pleading eyes. "Why do you want me to do this?"
"Because," The Highlander said. "I don't want to see you hurting like this. I care about you too much to see you in so much pain!"
"I'm not." Dri stuttered. "Um I'm not good at accepting help when it comes to my past."
"We know," Sean said. "We'll go slowly at first. We'll work our way through things."
Dri looked at him and nodded. "I ah..I'm not feeling so well," She lied.
"What's wrong?" Duncan asked.
"My stomach hurts a little."
"I can make you some tea."
She shook her head. "No, I just want to go lay down for a while."
Mac nodded. "All right. I'll come and check on you in a little bit."
Dri stood up and went to turn around.
"Dri, what did you spill on your shirt?"
"Huh?"
Dri looked down and sure enough there was a big wet spot on her shirt. She immediately knew what it was. She had been hunched over at the counter and she hadn't been paying attention to what she was doing. She knew she was bleeding again.
"There was nothing on your shirt when you came out of the room," Sean stated.
"Yeah there was," Dri tried to lie. "It's an old stain."
"Dri I didn't see anything either." Mac said. "What's going on?"
She put her hand to her stomach. "It's nothing. I'm fine." She reassured them.
"Dri," Mac said in a warning tone.
"Look, Mac just drop it. It was there all right!"
"Then lift up your shirt," Sean said.
"Excuse me?"
"Lift up your shirt," He said again. "Just enough so we can see your stomach. If it was there when you came out then there shouldn't be anything on your stomach. If it wasn't the wet spot had to have come from your stomach because there's no other possible explanation."
"You're insane!" Dri said.
"Do what he says."
"Mac!"
"If you don't want to lift your shirt in front of Sean, fine. I'll take you in the room and we'll do it there."
"No!"
Sean already had his own ideas. She was wearing baggy clothes, completely defensive about showing her body. Duncan had told him about McDaniels and Zane, but from what he understood she hadn't been shy around Duncan and Richie in quite some time.
"Audrina!" Duncan said.
Dri turned around and bolted for her room, but Duncan was too quick. He ran and grabbed her around the waist, just before she made it to her room. Dri cried out and struggled in his arms.
Duncan squeezed his arms tighter and Dri cried out again. The pain was so excruciating that she started to fall. It was all Duncan could do to keep from falling on top of her. He let go and Dri fell to her knees with one arm clutching her stomach.
Duncan looked at his arms and realized that they were covered in blood. He looked back and forth from the girl on the ground back to his arms.
"My god Dri."
Tears were steadily streaming down her face. She couldn't bring herself to look at him. Not now that he knew her secret.
Sean walked over to them and kneeled down besides Dri.
"Let me see your stomach."
He gently moved her arm and lifted her shirt. Dri didn't protest. It was too late. They knew. They just had to see for themselves to make sure it was true.
"Oh sweet heart," Duncan said seeing the cuts and blood. "What have you done to yourself?"
~~~~~~~~~Please review