Burn

Three

Lips

I watch Aunt Lauren's car peel out of the driveway, a feeling of anxiety creeping up on me at the stormy, concerned look on her face.

Ever since last night, I've been looking over my shoulder every few minutes. Expecting him to pop up, gun in hand, rope tied around his throat.

I drift into the kitchen. Pour myself a bowl of sugary cereal. While I stare off into the window, my cereal gets soggy and the milk turns sky-blue. My stomach's too knotted to eat. I scrape the sticky mess down the garbage disposal.

"Silly, silly Chloe. You think you can run?" His voice whispers, taunting me like it always does.

I grip the edge of the sink and squeeze my eyes shut. I can feel the whisper of his hands on me, stroking my back and shoulders. I whip around and open my eyes; he's not here.

Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I shuffle to the foyer.

The doorbell rings. My brain freezes as I remember him ringing my doorbell, fresh and slick out of the shower, water droplet clinging to his eyelashes.

Standing up on my tiptoes, I peek into the peephole.

It's Derek, standing with a spiky-haired girl who's wearing a leather pencil skirt and dark, electric makeup.

Roxxie's sniffing my aunt's cactus and yelps when she pricks her snout, scuttling away.

"Chloe?" Derek's rumbling voice says my name and I can't deny the way my heart skips a beat; my brain falters back to when he said my name, a teasing lilt in his voice as He taunted me.

"We know you're in there." The spiky girl elbows Derek, and he drops back to scratch Roxxie behind the ears.

I debate on all possibilities: they could mug me, sick Roxxie on me…but I highly doubt that.

I unlock the deadbolt and ease the door open a tiny bit.

"I'm Tori, this idiot's sister," says the spiky girl.

I let my head bob in a nod of acknowledgement as she places her hand on the door and pushes it open, inviting herself in.

My cheeks burn.

I'm stumbling back, my chest tightening as my brain stutters. Last time I was pushed out of the way...he stood at a door at my old house, slamming his way in, radiating anger. I'd stumbled away, frightened as his dark, burning eyes stared down at me.

"Chloe?"

I blink away the shadowy memories and focus on Derek's bright eyes.

I'm on my back on the floor. My head is pounding. "I-I-I—" I squeak out and slap a hand over my mouth, eyes widening in shock. My stutter came back.

Tori doesn't say anything for a moment, just studies me, and then: "Are you okay?"

"F-f-f—" I nearly chomp my tongue off.

"Slow down," Derek says softly and my face flames; this is so embarrassing.

"F-Fine," I squeak out.

Tori gives Derek a look I can't decipher. I don't understand why they're here.

"W-what do you want?"

A pause. Then Derek gets to his feet, gripping my hand, helping me stand.

I can feel a hot gust of air shoot down my spine, his voice yelling, "Chloe!", and I snatch my hand back.

"Friendship. Peace," Tori drawls out, shooting me a look.

I shrink back. "Leave me alone," I say, anger rising. I don't know them; I'm not their friends. If I let them in, he'll only hurt them. My heartbeat in my ears, I whip the door open; the air whooshes into the house.

The breeze stirs his voice. "Chloe…Chloe," he mocks. "You can't get rid of me" he laughs.

I grip the door hard, feeling the worn wood bite into my skin, my knuckles turning white.

I meet Derek's unreadable eyes.

"Stay the hell away from me. And my family." I can't let him find me, can't let them get close.

Tori struts up to me, up in my face. Her breath smells like taco meat. Her narrowed eyes meet mine. "Listen here, I'm not here for some damn charity. Plus—" She eyeballs me, my hair and my rumpled pajamas. "You look like you need someone to talk to. Beside yourself, of course. I may be a bitch but I'm not a backstabbing bitch. Believe it or not, I know what it's like to be the new kid, to try to fit in."

She grows quiet for a minute before she continues. "But if you're gonna be a total little shit about it? Nah. Not gonna happen."

My breathing is hard and stiff, making it past my lips in shaky pants. I cave, just like I always did with him.

"I-I'm sorry," I stutter, my face warming. I can feel him behind me, hands tightening around my throat. When I look up, I see Tori's sharp, tight smile that looks more like she's flashing her teeth at me and Derek's unreadable look and I know they're going to make themselves a part of my life, whether I want them to or not.

They never ask me about what happened that caused me to move from Buffalo to Lyle, never asked about my burns or my parents and I was grateful. Instead, we talked about anything and everything.

I learned Derek was adopted at the age of five by Mr. Bae, or Kit as he prefers to be called, and doesn't remember much about life without the Bae family.

Simon's mom, Kit's wife, died in a plane crash.

Tori's mom, an ex girlfriend of Kit's before he met Simon's mom, bailed him with baby Tori.

"So, Chloe," Simon says, waving around his Wii and nearly smacking Derek in the face as his little character runs on screen, "how come you moved here?"

I let my eyes drift down. Squeeze them shut and take a deep breathe.

They need to hear the truth; after all they've been my friends for several months. They should know what they're getting into. I glance at Tori, who's watching me closely, her eyes drifting between me and her adoptive brother.

Derek growls and then his familiar, big body brushes mine, stroking my hair. "M-My d-dad died in a house f-fire. T-that's where I got my burns," I start slowly, searching for Derek's hand.

His fingers lace brush mine and I relax, tucking my feet under me. I'm shivering, cold even under my sweatshirt and jeans and blanket. He drapes his arm across the back of my shoulders and hugs me closer.

"B-but b-before th-that," I sigh out, feeling my chest start to loosen, "I-I met someone. He was s-sweet and kind at first." I look up into Derek's green eyes and I smile weakly. "Bu-but…he changed a f-f-few months after w-we started dating. H-he was extremely p-possessive of me, and got mad at the d-drop of a hat. I felt l-like he was bi-polar; one minute he was h-happy and lovey with me, the next h-he was calling me a cheating whore and swinging me around."

I rub my arm.

"He…was obsessive with me. Things went bad fast and I g-got out of there. He d-didn't take it too well. I heard he tried t-to k-ki-kill himself, b-but the night I went to break up with him, he flipped." I can feel the anger radiating off Derek. I stroke his knuckles. He kisses the top of my head and lingers a second too long. My stomach flutters.

"H-he attacked me. I r-remember a-as I was ru-ru—" I take a deep breath. "There was a rope under his bed. He clawed me as I-I ran d-do-down the stairs. I n-never saw him, n-not even when m-my d-dad died. He kept calling, leaving sad, broken messages, and then it was angry, blaming me for the break up."

I shiver and huddle.

"We moved here, me and Aunt Lauren, to get away from him and Rae, my ex-best friend who turned on me after my breakup, and the bad memories."

"What was this scumbag's name?" Tori demands, eyes flashing almost violet as her hair glints blue under the light. She looks like a pissed-off enchantress, ready to murder Him.

I look away and tears drip down my cheeks. Derek hugs me hard, pressing my face into his chest and he smells like pine needles and perspiration, oddly comforting. I don't want to say his name; if I do, he'll find me and he'll come and hurt everyone.

But I have to.

"R-Royce. Royce Banks."