"What the fuck do you have to say?" I shouted out through clenched teeth, why was she here? Did you actually think this would do any good? Trunks had begun lieing to me right off the start and now that I was finally healing, this shit happens?
"Let's talk inside, it's too hot out here," She spoke in a casual tone looking over her shoulder towards the neighbours house.
I took a moment to look her over; she was dress very wrong for this weather. She had on jeans with leather boots and what looked like a long sleeve t-shirt under a heavy looking leather jacket.
"Why didn't you dress accordingly then?" I said for a second forgetting my hostility for a moment, "Anyways I don't assume your husband would appreciate us talking."
"He's not my husband!" She shouted out before turning her head away and dropping her eyes to stare at the ground, "Goten, I need to tell you something."
"Goten, I have to tell you something…" Marron said dropping her eyes to stare at the table. What was she going to say exactly? No matter what words she was to pick, it was going to hurt him and he would probably get angry with her.
"What? Did the play scenery get a bad review?"
It was the exactly same look that Marron had before telling him about the bet. At that time though I considered comical relief and tried to take the tension away or maybe I just didn't want to hear it then because I knew I would be hurt. Maybe that's why I didn't want to here this, maybe I was just to stubborn to face reality.
I stepped back from the door, "You have ten minutes, after that I am just throwing you out, if you don't leave after that, I'll call the cops," I said walking back into the living room with my book in hand.
She walked in casually and closed the door but stopped when she entered the living room, "I guess I should start at the beginning," She said and began removing her jacket.
"Keep it on, you aren't staying long."
She dropped her jacket to the ground and met my eyes, "I am telling you the full story and for you to see it, you need to see the memories," she said as her hands hooked around the bottom of her t-shirt.
I put a hand over my eyes and quickly turned away, "Listen, I really don't need to see you naked, I don't know what you are trying to achieve here but this is not the way to do so, please keep your clothes on."
"I am wearing my bra and if you want to know who I am, you do have to look at me," She said in a tone that had a shred of discretion and almost fear in it, "Please look."
"Will it get you out of my house any faster?" I asked with a few doubts in my head. This could all be a set up but what else did I have to lose?
"I will leave as soon as you here the story," Her tone was flat, it almost sounded unemotional, like she had dropped all her emotions just to protect herself.
I removed my hands and turned towards her before letting out a gasp. I would've said she had a beautiful body except for the scars that riddled over every inch of her once covered flesh. Some where long and thin resembling a whip, others were small and circular as if there were cigarette put out on her, there were so many all over her body.
"What… what happened to you?" I stuttered out half-disgusted and half-crazed. I didn't like this woman but at the same time no person deserved to go through such things. I couldn't help but wonder what happened before a thought occurred and I was on my feet, "Did Trunks do this to you?"
A smile hit her lips, "Please sit and let me explained," She spoke quietly as her hands twisted the fabric of her t-shirt. The look on her face was that of pure agony, torment and even embarrassment.
I sat down and nodded for her to begin once again.
"My name is Maria Isabella LeBlanc, I was the daughter of a wealthy French business man," She said with a sigh, "I am now eighteen years old and have been living with Mr. Briefs since I was fourteen.
"Growing up I was the one everyone watched, I was the little girl that everyone envied except they did not know the whole picture, the picture only looked good from the outside. At home my father was a vicious drink but would never hurt a hair on my mother's head, mine though," she said looking down towards her body, "my head meant nothing to him.
"At a young age I had to grow up, at the age of twelve my parents had a second child, Sophia," Her eyes met mine.
"She's your sister?" I asked in wonder.
Maria gave me a little smile that did not reach anywhere near her eyes and a slight nod, "Yes. From the age of twelve I became overly protective of her making sure that my father never had a chance to be within two feet of her, it was my job to keep her safe since my mother didn't care just as long as we looked good for the cameras.
"Mr. Briefs came into the picture just under five years ago. My father invited him over to our house for dinner, hoping to end a business deal but showing him what a wonderful family we were. We were all told to dress in our best clothes and to aim to impress Mr. Briefs. We were told to act civilized as we do in front of cameras.
"I was preparing for the evening, dressing in my best dress and planning to wear a sweater over it to hide my arms and shoulders knowing my father would be quite upset if Mr. Briefs saw my damage…
"I was carrying my sweater with me through the house, it was a hot day so I didn't want to wear it any longer then necessary. It was a big house, couldn't hear someone knock from the entertainment room. That's where it all happened…"
I could see the horror in her face as she pulled up her old memories and I wanted to tell her to stop but I couldn't. I knew that I needed to hear this, I needed to know what happened and a part of me was calling me sadistic for having to fulfill my own curiosity with her pain.
"My father was giving a tour to Mr. Briefs and lead him into the entertainment room. Mr. Briefs' eyes immediately fell on my exposed skin and a look or terror and rage filled his eyes. My father fallowed his eyes to me and all hell broke loss. My father moved swiftly forward and smacked me to the ground before reaching for his belt," She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away, "Thankfully he didn't get it off though. Mr. Briefs had already knocked him to the ground and took a protective stance over me. I screamed for my sister and he was quick to comply."
I was in a state of horror. I would've never imagined something so intense and brutal had happened. This woman seemed a little angry but with the torment she had been put through she should be so much worse in my opinion.
"To sum up the story, Mr. Briefs got my sister and myself out of that house. Made an international adoption and put a lot of money into it so he could finish the matter within a couple of weeks. He's been a father to us, although I could never call him my father due to the fact of what a father means to me, but my sister recognizes him as a father."
I could feel my heart drop into my chest, could feel the pain circling my heart and the empty throbbing I had once escaped, "I'm so sorry…" It was all I could say, I was at a loss for words.
She smiled and began to put her shirt back on, "It wasn't for a couple of years until I learned about Mr. Briefs father and with that story came his guardian angel, who had run off on him," Her eyes locked with mine.
"I know I behaved irrationally and was partially responsible for the mess but I was worried about him. He would act as if the perfect guardian through the day but in the evenings, long after Sophia had fallen asleep, I would hear him crying," Her words were sympathetic and a wave of guilt washed over me, "Those sounds died off though. His habits changed and he would just sit late into the night staring at your photographs. I was so terrified that he would for back to the state he was in if you came back, thought that maybe you wouldn't want my sister and I around… That you would through us out from the only real home we've ever had."
I climbed to my feet and stared at her, "I'm sorry," I said and moved forward and wrapped my arms around her, "You didn't deserve that and I am happy that you are happy now."
She didn't hug me back but just stood there silently for a moment before speaking again, "I'm not happy though."
I was taken a back and released my arms from around her to place them on her shoulders, "What's wrong, do you need some help?"
She turned here head away again and fixed it on a small coffee table, "He's crying again…"
Trunks was crying again? The images of those few days when I went back were flooding through my head. Ever word said to me about him, his words, his lies? Were they lies? Was there anything there that could be taken as a lie? He was telling the truth.
"I'm so sorry…" I whispered out now pulling my eyes away and fighting as tears of realization threatened to spill.
Trunks loved me. He really did love me. He wanted me back. Well he had wanted me back. Did he still?
She lifted her hand and pushed my head to look at her, "You owe me nothing after how hideous I acted towards you but I must make a request," her voice was shaky and frightened but she swallowed hard and continued, "Would you please go back to see him, if not for him, for my sister! I am already damaged from my previously life but she isn't, she doesn't remember and I couldn't stand her seeing the man she considers her father so upset… Please Goten."
I stopped there dazed and confused. Go back? Now? I had to see him again but I couldn't just pick up and leave like this. I had a life! Well… kind of. I had a job! That meant next to nothing to me at this moment. I had friends now! But I didn't love anyone of them yet…
"When's your flight," I asked with a sigh of defeat, I had to go back and this time, it would be me begging for Trunks' love again.
"Well, that's the thing…" She muttered quietly, "I kind of only had the money for a one-way flight and I didn't want to let Mr. Briefs worry about me, so I kind of don't have a flight back…"
I felt a twitch in my cheek, how could this girl act so stupid and reckless, leaving her home without any idea of what she was going to do? What if I had slammed the door in her face? She was just like me…
So it was a rough chapter, felt a little sick writing it myself but without the back-story it doesn't make sense… Ummm… I don't know what to say… there will be one more chapter after this one and then an epilogue.