~ oOo ~
The response to this story of mine so far has been a touch overwhelming,
I have to say. I'm loving knowing there are people growing as attached
to these girls as I am. SunflowerFran, all will be revealed regarding Marley,
and why Scarlett is his favorite - in due time ;)
Thanks again, everyone!
***THIS CHAPTER DOES CONTAIN VIOLENCE, SO PLEASE PM IF
YOU'D RATHER I JUST OUTLINED THE CHAPTER FOR YOU***
~ oOo ~
Summary: When two little girls were allowed to walk
home from school one bright spring day nobody could've
predicted the events that followed. The way two families
were torn apart by the vendetta of a deranged man.
Nearly twelve years on, we'll watch as the two girls stolen
away from their homes at eight years old fight to take
back their lives. If only it were as simple as escaping. AU
Pinky Promises
Chapter Three
Just as Scarlett and Rosalie expected, the day passed in a slow, sad haze. They went about their chores as normal, preparing sausage and tomato pasta for lunch and chicken with all the fixings for dinner. By the time the men had left after eating lunch, all of the day's tasks had been completed ahead of schedule, the girls working without pause or chatter, as had become habit. A shroud of misery cloaked the entire ranch. Scarlett and Rosalie's moods affected the others around them more than they realized. Despite their quiet natures they were the heart of the ranch, them and sweet, silent Marley. They fed more than just the men's rumbling stomachs with their soft gentleness and sweet smiles. It was a credit to their acting skills that they could keep up their unaffected, settled act for the better part of the year, though on this day, it wasn't fooling anybody.
They skipped dinner completely.
Everyone noticed the gaping hole at the table that they left. Emmett's eyes flitted to the open kitchen door often, his stomach in a tight, uncomfortable knot. He missed them. Missed seeing Rosalie's blush when he complimented her, hearing Scarlett's snarky remarks, and the way Marley would duck shyly into Scarlett's neck while smiling whenever he pulled cheeky faces at her. Their presence shouldn't have made this much difference to his usually cheery mood, but it did, and he wasn't sure what to think about it.
The men around him were just as solemn, picking up on the mood, so the laughter around the table they'd become used to was glaringly absent.
The shroud pulled tight around them all.
As Emmett and his colleagues mustered up the courage to head outside to make sure everything was set for the evening, he glanced back towards the kitchen, spotting Rosalie just as she ducked back inside with the empty plates from the table. His already dark mood plummeted because she was obviously avoiding them for whatever reason. Over the past couple of weeks he'd thought they were creating a friendship of sorts. He'd even started helping the girls learn a few chords on an old guitar one of the guys dug out from an outbuilding, although so far only Rosalie showed any talent on it. A slight smile pulled at his lips as he tugged on his beanie and remembered Scarlett's excitement when she discovered her talent for playing the harmonica. Where she struggled remembering the chords on the guitar she excelled at the mouth organ, making intricate melodies seemingly without any effort. Emmett hadn't felt bad at all when he'd given her the harmonica he'd bought on a supply run the summer before.
It was with that thought, the girls will bounce back, that Emmett set off into the now-melting snow with the other men to bed the horses down for the night.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen Scarlett kept one eye on Rosalie and the other on Lola, who she feared was making up all kinds of theories about why the girls were so distraught this particular day. The thought worried her. It had always been the main rule the boss enforced – nobody is to know anything besides them, and it had to stay that way. Who knew what he'd do if he thought she or Rosalie had been shooting their mouths off to the new housekeeper. Just the first scenario shoving its way into her mind made Scarlett shudder, her arms tightening around Marley's body, pained by the inevitability of a punishment worse than any suffered at his hands before.
"Scarlett? Are you showering first or second tonight?"
A wide-eyed Scarlett spun to face Rosalie. She blinked a few times before focusing. "Um…"
Anything to do with the shower was their code to check if they were ok. In this instance she supposed she wasn't ok, so she nodded, saying 'goodnight' to Lola in a semi-trance before carrying Marley up the stairs and into the bedroom they'd shared since the beginning.
"Are you ok?" Rosalie asked worriedly, her own sadness creeping back up on her like a tidal wave now they had escaped from prying eyes. It took everything in her to keep in control throughout the day. Back in the relative safety of their room it was exceedingly difficult to carry on holding it together.
As though reading her mind, Scarlett realized the same thing. She snapped out of her trance with a sharp gasp.
Rosalie watched with a vague sense of horror as Scarlett changed before her eyes from white-faced to cool and collected. She had to admit it made her even more nervous to see the almost instantaneous transition between the two emotions, despite it not being the first time. More than once Scarlett had somehow gone from opposite ends of emotional spectrum within seconds. It wasn't hard to deduce it was her defense mechanism, the thing she most relied on to keep herself, Rosalie, and Marley safe when things went bad, when she needed to be strong enough for the three of them. Times like this one.
Scarlett reached back to kick the door shut, turning just in time to wrap her free arm around Rosalie before she trembled to the ground. "It's ok, you're ok. You can cry with me," she murmured into Rosalie's hair, rubbing her back gently as she rocked them gently side-to-side, feeling Marley's breaths even out against her neck and knowing she'd lost her fight to sleep.
Passing minutes found the pair tangled together beneath the covers on the bed, their tears dampening the pillow beneath their faces as they cried until their voices were gone, their eyes dry.
Outside the sky turned from gray-blue to gray, from gray to navy and then to black, the clouds finally parting around midnight to display the stars in a stunning vista. As the first day of February dawned Scarlett padded on socked feet to the window, leaving Marley wrapped around Rosalie so she could gaze out at the dark, rainy night.
It wasn't even one a.m. when her eyes caught movement. She squinted, making out the silhouette of a familiar, average height man, his pale blond hair covered by a hood. She watched him walk towards the barn, pausing just outside the doors to glance up at her window. With the light switched off Scarlett knew he wouldn't be able to see her, especially with the sheets of rain pouring down, so she didn't move even as he stared up. Then, he turned, pushing the door open just enough so that he could slip inside. Just as he disappeared from sight she saw him pull something from his coat pocket, perhaps his phone, she mused, suspicions now thoroughly roused. What could necessitate Paul having to go out to the barn, in the rain, this early – or late, depending on your view – to make a call?
~ oOo ~
"Good morning. Thank you." Scarlett's eyes stayed trained firmly on Paul as he accepted the coffee Rosalie poured with a grateful, tired smile.
No wonder you're tired, she thought to herself wryly, moving on to pour the rest of the men their wake-up drink of choice. Ever since she watched Paul walk back into the house at almost two a.m. that morning she'd been wondering what he could be up to, unable to sleep for thoughts of Rosalie's agonized, fitful rest and the possibility that Paul could've been brought in to spy on them. Scarlett couldn't think of anything they could have done to warrant a babysitter, but since when did they ever have to actually do anything? Sometimes, punishments seemed like more of a spur of the moment thing than anything else.
Around the table Emmett's eyes alternated between Rosalie's reddened baby-blues and Scarlett's contemplative expression. He noticed her attention frequenting Paul. The way she eyed him made mistrust spring to mind. That notion was one he didn't like at all, so Emmett made a promise to himself that he'd have a word with the new guy. So far Paul hadn't proven himself to be anything but a good guy and a hard worker, but if he was making the girls uncomfortable in their own home then Emmett couldn't stand by in good conscience and let it happen.
~ oOo ~
The sun was well on its way to the horizon when Emmett heard familiar, light footsteps on the rungs of the ladder leading to the hayloft. His lips spread into a wide, welcoming grin as first Scarlett and Marley, then Rosalie, popped their heads into the makeshift hay-fort before clambering inside, perching on a hay bale with Marley and Mister Eddie at their feet.
"You brought Mister Eddie to learn too, little one?"
Marley's lips curled up in a bashful smile as she leaned into Scarlett's leg, twirling a lock of her hair around one tiny finger. She was a beautiful child, with large doe eyes and an angelic face to rival any cherub. With her small button nose, rosebud lips, and pale skin dotted with a few small freckles, she looked like a porcelain doll.
"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in," Emmett teased, moving his attention to the older girls.
Scarlett displayed a little of the spirit she'd begun showing him recently by rolling her eyes with a huff. "Are you going to teach us, or what?"
The tone of her voice, sarcastic and teetering on the edge of playful, made Emmett's happiness at seeing them increase tenfold. This is how he liked to see them. Not somber and silent.
"Of course, of course."
After passing the worn guitar to Rosalie, he chuckled, tossing the harmonica in an arc that ended with Scarlett's small hand plucking it from the air with ease. Her lips twitched into the tiniest of smiles, but to Emmett, the small movement was a huge victory. Especially as Rosalie's fingers ran over the smooth wood of the guitar and he spotted the beginnings of a smile on her face, too. It was the first time in over a week he'd been blessed with either of their smiles.
"What do you ladies want to play today?"
This time, it was Rosalie rolling her eyes. "We don't know anything to play, yet. How about we start with the chords?"
Both Scarlett and Emmett laughed at the matter-of-fact statement from Rosalie. Marley too, though her giggles were silent, and shielded by her small hands over her mouth.
"Oh I see how it is. You're the boss lady now, huh?"
Rosalie shrugged, but her cheeks were flaming so it was clear she hadn't meant to come across as she had, it was all false bravado now she was embarrassed.
"All right." Emmett kicked off his boots, wiggling his toes in the straw and winking when he caught Marley peeking at him from behind her curtain of hair. "Let's get to it, then."
The next couple of hours saw the adults making up silly tunes on the guitar and harmonica, Marley quite content to listen and strum a few chords on Rosalie's lap. Once her young mind tired of trying to learn the new skill she wandered away, exploring the hayloft with Mister Eddie wedged firmly between her arm and her side. Finally finding a comfy spot still within view of Scarlett, Rosalie, and Emmett, she settled down and fell asleep with her head pillowed on her hand, feeling safe with the wall of straw at her back and her three favorite people at her front.
~ oOo ~
It was Lola's day to prepare a simple dinner so the girls were surprised to hear her yelling their names well before seven – the allotted dinner time. Rosalie, Scarlett, and Emmett scrambled down the ladder into the late afternoon sun, Marley clinging to Scarlett's back like a little baby monkey until they were on the ground and she could wiggled back to her hip. The warmth was a welcome reprieve from the rain of yesterday, and the day before that.
At least, it would have been if Scarlett hadn't immediately spotted the reason for Lola's summons.
Parked beside the house in all its pretentious glory was the boss' supped up, shiny black four-by-four with its gold trim and black-as-pitch windows.
Rosalie noticed Scarlett's stricken face first, her expression falling before Emmett could ask what was wrong.
"Scarlett, Rosalie, are you ok?" He eventually murmured. Without thinking he reached out to rest his hand on the latter's shoulder. She flinched violently away from it, grabbing Scarlett's arm to tug her towards the house without looking back. Just as the pair reached the door Scarlett glanced back over her shoulder, offering him all she could.
The frightened grimace and terrified eyes she showed him for the first time were only the start of many shocks Emmett would receive over the next few weeks.
"Ah, there you are." Lola watched from the small sitting room outside her bedroom as her boss greeted his daughters. From her raised position behind him his face wasn't visible, but Scarlett and Rosalie's were. Lola's eyes narrowed as Rosalie's cheeks burned scarlet. In contrast, her sister's face was wiped completely clean of any emotion whatsoever, and Marley had tucked herself so far into Scarlett's body they were practically one person. It was almost scary to look a, Lola admitted to herself at the same time as Mr. Smith called out for his wife. Moments later the bottle-blonde appeared at the top of the stairs opposite her, dressed in impractical gold metallic jeans, a cream shirt with ruffled sleeves and a pair of peep-toe high heels. From the dining table, where a few of the men not working were sitting, there were hushed murmurs of appreciation.
The woman's white-blonde bob was solid and unmoving, just like her over-botoxed face.
The sight nauseated Scarlett and Rosalie.
"Girls, your mother has come home for a visit. She's staying for a few weeks, isn't that right, darling?" Mr. Smith draped an arm around his wife, one hand sliding down to cup her behind possessively. Mrs. Smith didn't move, so if she objected to the gesture she didn't show it. At least not that Lola could see. The thought of the man touching her sent a shiver through Lola's body. He had to be fifty, maybe even pushing sixty. And though she'd had a lot of work done, Mrs. Smith couldn't have been older than thirty. A trophy wife, if ever she'd seen one. Not that she'd want that trophy even if it were giving to her for free.
"It is, darrrrling." Lola cringed at the exaggerated rolling of the woman's 'r's, continuing to listen to Mr. Smith telling his daughters they'd need to make up her usual bedroom next to his. Lola frowned. She doesn't share his room? What am I saying…of course she doesn't. Who'd want to sleep with Creepy McCreeperson.
Before Scarlett or Rosalie could leave, he extended a hand and placed it on Scarlett's shoulder. Even from twenty-feet away Lola could see the way she flinched. It didn't look as though he was gripping hard enough to hurt…
"Hold on Scarlett. I just want to talk to you for a minute. Rosalie, run along and fetch the things for your mother's room."
If Lola had been closer she'd have heard the timid, nervous whimper escaping Rosalie's lips. She'd have seen the way Scarlett's jaw tightened. It would've been painful if her body hadn't slipped into a stunned state of detachment.
Mrs. Smith didn't notice either of those things even though she was standing as close as a foot away. She was too busy eyeing the man letting himself in behind them. His dark blond hair was scruffy once he'd tugged a well-worn beanie from his head, rugged and masculine jaw framed in a light smattering of stubble.
To her horror his eyes didn't stick on her for longer than a second, instead following Scarlett's body as she trailed after Mr. Smith towards his study at the back of the house. They danced to Rosalie then, who ran a hand over Marley's head as she strained around her towards Scarlett as they moved up the stairs.
Mrs. Smith held out a manicured hand, forming the most alluring expression manageable with her lips pouted and eyes wide. "Hello, I'm—"
"Sorry Ma'am, but is everything ok? I saw…has there been some bad news?"
Her face fell, and Emmett mistook that to mean that something had happened. His stomach churned in misery for them. He'd taken the few minutes since they left him to consider how much trouble he might get in for prying, deciding it was worth the risk and marching across the yard. Besides, his boss often laughed or joked with him and the other ranch hands. Surely he wouldn't object to him asking if the girls were ok? Everyone on the ranch knew how protective of the girls Mr. Smith was.
He'd proven that with a shotgun and an impromptu lesson in what he called 'manners' one spring almost five years ago.
He'd expected to come in and find them having a happy reunion – the girls' parents had been away for weeks – but instead he saw Mr. Smith leading Scarlett towards the forbidden study, Rosalie running up the stairs with Marley as fast as her feet could carry her, and the startlingly blonde woman he knew to be the boss' wife standing alone in the entrance.
"Nothing's wrong—" she began, trailing off in a shrill voice that he, ashamedly, admitted reminded him of a horse's whinny.
Emmett blew out a long breath, realizing he had two choices. He could push it, or leave it be for now. The chances were the girls would tell him anyway, their friendship growing stronger by the day.
"All right, well, sorry for interrupting, Ma'am. I'll just be getting back to work." With that he turned on his booted heel, taking three long strides to get to the door. It slammed shut behind him, making Mrs. Smith jump. She huffed with more than a hint of petulance, annoyed with herself for not even getting his name.
"You'd finished all of your chores, huh?"
Scarlett cowered away from the man towering over her, hating herself for it all the while. Feeling weak, scared, insignificant.
"What about the kitchen? Did you make sure it's all cleaned ready for breakfast tomorrow?"
"N-no. It was Lola's turn to do dinner tonight. We did breakfast and l-lunch," she whimpered.
The atmosphere around them was saturated in rage, fear emanating from the petite blonde in torrents. I've never seen him this angry before, she admitted to herself, not in the almost twelve years she'd known him. She had no idea what she was about to be punished for, her heart racing impossibly fast in her chest.
The first sign, as if this show of animalistic dominance wasn't enough, that he was about to lose it came in the form of a rumbling growl in his chest.
"Lola's turn? So, what? You take turns now? I thought you understood your place here, Scarlett." He spat her name through gritted teeth, Scarlett having to stifle a disgusted expression when spittle flew past her face. "You and your sister do the housework! Lola is here to assist, not to do it all herself while you gallivant all over the place and whore yourself around!" He sucked in a long breath, "get up."
Rising as slowly as she thought she might be able to get away with, Scarlett felt the first of many tears tumbling over her cheeks. She clamped her teeth together while her stomach rolled. There was no use fighting this, so she resigned herself to having a few limitations over the next few days.
~ oOo ~
Rosalie's eyes followed her sister's tense movements as she stubbornly refused to have any help, wincing with every tug on the quilt she was trying to cover. The bruises were blooming already. They covered the right side of her jaw and ribs in colorful patterns of purple and blue – simply knowing they were there made Rosalie feel sick to her stomach. "Scarlett please, just let me hel—"
"It's fine, Rosalie. Leave it," Scarlett snapped.
Chastened, Rosalie nodded, turning to dust a cabinet she'd already dusted so Scarlett wouldn't see the tears leaking from her eyes. As if she didn't feel bad enough, Scarlett wouldn't even let her ease the burden when she was obviously in a lot of pain. When she met Rosalie outside the room they had to prepare for 'their mother' Rosalie had known she'd been right to worry. Only Scarlett and the boss knew exactly what went on in his study but it obviously wasn't a friendly father-daughter chat like he had everyone believe.
What's she going to tell the others when they ask? Rosalie wondered, distraught at the sight of Scarlett's struggle.
"Right, c'mon. We can clear up so Lola can do whatever she wants," Scarlett said. She moved gingerly towards the door, pausing only when Marley darted across the room to tug the hem of her top. Misery painted Scarlett's features. "I'm sorry babygirl, I can't pick you up right now. Rosalie—"
Marley was shaking her head before she could even finish speaking. Scarlett sighed, unable to even crouch to speak to her easier. With pleading eyes, Marley raised her arms in entreaty. The 'please' was plain as day on her face.
Scarlett shot a pleading look at Rosalie, watching through tear-filled eyes as she scooped Marley up and tried to soothe the sting by stroking her hair. It usually worked, but Marley squirmed and whined until she was set back on the floor, refusing to be picked up again. She walked beside Scarlett instead, clutching the fabric of her joggers in one tiny fist, her bunny in the other.
The girls headed downstairs at a slow gait, finally reaching the kitchen just as Lola finished packing away the last of the clean dishes. She glanced in their direction, doing a double-take when she spotted the dark bruising on Scarlett's face, the way she was tilting her body to one side, free arm curled around her mid-section.
Lola's gut clenched. She had to force herself not to go into protective, questioning mode. It was as though she'd been seeing through black and white lenses but they'd suddenly been replaced with high-definition color. It all added up. Why hadn't she noticed it before?
"You walk into a door or something?" She injected fake teasing into her voice, flicking the dish towel towards her with a manufactured grin.
Scarlett's eyes were devoid of emotion as she lied. "Something like that. Do you need us to help with anything?"
"No, uh, everything's done. It was my turn, wasn't it?"
Seeing the chance to get Scarlett resting quicker, Rosalie thanked Lola for doing the washing up, gently tugging her away to their bedroom before she could argue. Once there Rosalie dragged a cabinet in front of the door, locking it for good measure, before ordering Scarlett to get in the bath while she assembled the first aid kit.
"There's no use, Rosalie."
"Of course there is! Don't be ridiculous. Besides, you didn't shower this morning, and Marley could use a hair wash, too. Do you want a bath, Marley moo?"
Marley smiled, nodding. Her earlier bad mood forgotten at the promise of a bath, she hurried into the bathroom and the older girls heard the sounds of a little girl wrestling with her clothes.
Resigned, because there was no way Scarlett would say no now Marley was excited, she sighed and trailed after Rosalie into the bathroom. The tub wasn't very big, but neither were Scarlett and Marley. It took some careful maneuvering, then a pair of scissors to Scarlett's top, but fifteen minutes later she and Marley were sitting opposite each other in the water, Marley's skinny little legs atop Scarlett's. The ranch didn't have an unlimited supply of hot water, and by this time of day the ranch hands had usually used the majority of it up, but the warmth was comforting on Scarlett's muscles, and Marley was content enough to splash her feet and hands.
It hurt Scarlett's heart that she didn't seem the slightest bit worried about the marks on her body. That said, it wasn't a new thing for Marley, to see bruises on Scarlett's skin. She was used to the sight.
Scarlett couldn't help but admit the bath was making her feel a little better. She leaned back against the edge of the tub and just watched Marley enjoying the water. She loved to see the rare smiles Marley blessed them with. She really was a ray of sunshine when she was happy. Truly the brightest part of Scarlett's day. Without Marley, Scarlett wasn't sure what state she'd be in. Everything she did was for Marley and Rosalie. Without them, Scarlett wouldn't have had any motivation to keep going. So for that, she was happy to let Marley sit in the tub as long as she wanted. And they did. They sat in the tub for almost thirty minutes, until their feet were wrinkled and their hands pruned.
Rosalie helped Marley out first, wrapping her in the one good towel they had before settling her on the bed while she helped Scarlett. The little girl didn't need to see Scarlett struggling, didn't need to witness the tears she shed when moving proved agonizing.
After their soak Rosalie sat Scarlett on the bed beside Marley. Scarlett eased onto the mattress with a wince. She'd managed to pull on a faded white tank top herself and gray check pajama bottoms, while Marley had chosen a long black t-shirt and a pair of black leggings to wear. Rosalie hadn't bothered to change yet, more focused on helping Scarlett. She knelt on the floor in front of her.
"This is going to hurt. Did you take the painkillers I left on the side of the tub?" Rosalie whispered, picking up the roll of bandage from the floor at her feet.
Scarlett stifled a sob and nodded.
"Ok. I'll be gentle as I can. Don't move." Carefully, Rosalie raised the tank top until pink skin faded into black and blue. She wasn't a doctor but it was pretty obvious the ribs were badly bruised. Perhaps broken, but they wouldn't know. It wasn't as if they could get to a hospital, even if the boss would let them. With slightly shaky hands and an anguished cry in her throat, Rosalie began to wrap Scarlett's ribs to hold them while they healed.
For the next thirty minutes the room was filled with soft huffs of pained breath and murmured apologies, overwhelming sadness filling it to bursting point. It was like a bubble, stretching taut until it threatened to burst. Marley perched on the pillows at the head of the bed, face buried in her folded knees, tiny hands white-knuckled around the body of her bunny.
In the room next-door Emmett laid supine on his bed, arms crossed beneath his head, eyes locked on the ceiling in thought. He wouldn't be ashamed to admit it was Scarlett and Rosalie's scared faces haunting his restless sleep.