"This is ridiculous Sutton, I told you I was fine and I meant it." Emma said angrily.
Emma stood up too quickly and lost her balance due to the injury on her leg. Lucky for her, Sutton had stood up just in time to catch her. The older twin quickly wrapped her arms around Emma's waist, steadying her.
Emma's eyes went wide with pure terror and she stuttered"P-please let g-go of me."
Confused, Sutton responded "What? No way! Emma you can barely stand, so could you stop being so damn stubborn and-"Sutton was cut off by the look of fear in Emma's eyes and she quickly removed her arms from her sister's waist.
Emma sunk down to the bed again, pulling her knees up into her chest. Sutton took a cautious step forward, earning a whimper from Emma.
"I'm sorry Emma, I promise not to yell at you again okay?" Sutton said calmly. She slowly walked forward until she reached the bed and sat down next to her frightened sister.
"Hey…it's okay. I won't hurt you." Sutton whispered, gently reaching out and taking one of Emma's shaking hands in her own.
Emma took a deep calming breath and looked up, acknowledging her sister's presence.
"I'm sorry Sutton. I guess I'm still a little bit jumpy." Emma said with a half-smile.
"You think?" Sutton scoffed, playful nudging her sister with a smile.
Sutton carelessly looped her arm around Emma's still tense shoulders. Emma sat up straight, obviously uncomfortable with her sister's close proximity.
"Look Em, I know something is seriously wrong with you. But I can't help you deal with whatever it is until you let me. So I suggest you go in there and take a nice hot shower, preferably with my help, and when you get out don't even bother putting on make-up." Sutton said, her authoritative voice leaving no room for argument.
"Sutton, look I-" Emma began.
"Stop. Look Emma, I know we just met and this entire situation is a little bit awkward. I get that, I do. But the thing is, we're sisters. I trust you, and that is saying something because I really don't trust that many people. Now you have to trust me too, so stop arguing with and let me help you." Sutton finished, tugging Emma up with her helping her walk to the bathroom.
"Thanks Sutton." Emma said, hoping that she would take a hint and leave her to shower.
Against her better judgment, Sutton decided to let Emma shower without her assistance. "No problem Em, I'll lay some clothes out for when you get out and then I'll be in the living room."
As Sutton turned to leave, Emma grabbed her wrist and spun her around, wrapping her arms around her sister's neck.
"Thank you, for everything Sutton. You have no idea how grateful I am" Emma murmured into her sister's shoulder, tears welling up in her eyes.
Stunned, Sutton quickly returned the hug, wrapping her arms very cautiously and gently around Emma's waist.
"You don't need to thank me; it's what sisters are for." Sutton whispered back.
The twins broke apart from their embrace and Sutton excited the bathroom. As soon as she was gone, Emma lifted her shirt over head, revealing some nasty looking bruises. She winced as she slid her jeans down around her ankles, fighting tears as more, darker busies and dried blood became visible. She let out a shaky breath, removing the rest of her clothes and slowly stepping into the hot water.
Emma let out a gasp as the hot water hit her fresh bruises. She winced as she reached for the shampoo and run her fingers through her hair. After rinsing her hair, she lathered it with conditioner. She looked over at the body wash and let a sigh of relief. She hadn't felt clean since the attack and prayed that this would help with that. She poured herself a generous amount and began to apply it all over herself. She was cautious, trying to not upset her sore body, but to some point it was inevitable. She scrubbed every part of her body raw, trying to get the feeling of him off of her. No matter how hard she scrubbed it just didn't go away.
"Damn it!" Emma shouted.
She let her head drop into her hands and let out a heart-breaking sob. She let the tears fall freely, choking back sobs.
"Emma?" Sutton asked, outside the door in seconds.
"Em are you okay? Can I come in?" Sutton asked more frantically.
"I'm f-fine Sutton. I'll be out in a second." Emma called back.
Emma turned off the water, wrapping herself in a fresh towel and drying her hair. Staring at her reflection she realized just how much like hell she looked. She had deep purplish bags under both her eyes, framed by deathly pale skin. Bruises seemed to liter her entire body, especially on her legs. Letting out another shaky breath, she opened the bathroom door, releasing steam into the rest of the house.
As soon as she took a step out Sutton engulfed her sister in a hug.
"Ow, Sutton, I'm fine." Emma said, obviously in pain from the surprise attack.
"I know, I was just worried." Sutton said, releasing her sister.
Emma nodded, walking over to the bed and picking up the clothes that Sutton laid out for her. She gathered them in her arms and walked back into the bathroom the change.
After Emma changed into the comfortable sweats and t-shirt that revealed some bruises she walked back out and sat next to Sutton, who was waiting for her on the bed.
The two sat in silence for a moment, before Sutton reached over and pulled Emma onto her lap. She realized Emma was shaking and snaked her arms around her little sister's waist, pulling her close and resting her chin on Emma's shoulder
"I guess you're waiting for me to start huh?" Emma asked
"I'm not really sure where to." Emma said, looking down.
"How about the beginning?" Sutton suggested.
Emma nodded and recounted the entire tail of Travis and her foster parents. By the end Emma was in tears and Sutton was rubbing circles on her back, trying to soothe the traumatized girl.
"It's okay Emma, it's alright. I'll get you through this. I promise." Sutton vowed, kissing her sister on the forehead.
Hey everyone! Sorry it took me so long to update, I'm trying to be better about that! Please review any suggestions, things you liked, didn't (gently!) Thanks for reading and I hope you review. I'll update quicker this time around!