years ago that no one wanted to listen? That no one cared enough to help? And telling it meant reliving the whole nightmare. It was bad enough to go through it once. I wouldn’t do it twice if I had a choice.
So instead, I lifted my eyes to meet Rafael’s own piercing ones. “I think we both know what happened,” I whispered.
Moving with supernatural speed, Rafael suddenly had my arm in his hands and was pushing up the sleeve of my shirt before I even realized he had moved. I blinked and he was touching me, just that fast.
“Wait, don’t-” but I wasn’t fast enough. Rafael revealed the dark handprint bruise on my forearm.
His face became totally still. In fact, his whole body grew so still that I thought he was in a trance or something. I was too scared to speak, too scared of what would happen next, that I just sat there, waiting to see what he would do. But all that happened was Rafael laying my arm gently back down on the table, turning sharply on his heel, and stalking out of my house, the door clicking closed behind him. He didn’t even slam it, which, given his rage, I was expecting. But then, Rafael rarely did what I expected.
In fact, he never did.
For a long while, I stared at the short hallway that led from the kitchen to the entryway with the front door, wondering what had just happened. Then I shuddered as I looked around the room. It still felt as though Rafael were present. I could still smell his curiously clean, completely unique scent, the scent of the outdoors. The powerful aura that surrounded him seemed to linger in the room, and it unnerved me.
Where had he gone? He had looked so angry… For a moment I had the single, terrifying thought that he had gone to find my father and attack him as he had with Austin. But I banished the thought as soon as it came. Rafael didn’t know where my father was. I didn’t even know where he was.
But then… hadn’t Rafael found me? Found my house? Hadn’t he followed me for days on end without my even noticing? Wouldn’t it be just as easy for him to find my father? No, no, no . I repeated the litany to myself, trying to force myself to believe it. I tried and failed to refocus on my homework as I worried. But in the end, Rafael returned after just an hour, walking back through the front door as if he belonged in my house. This time, I stood when he entered, narrowing my eyes at him.
“All right, I locked the door after you left,” I said, ready to stand my ground. “How did you get in? I triple checked it.”
Rafael got that slightly disdainful look. “Locks can’t stop me, Lyla.”
I crossed my arms and shivered a little, scared by the matter-of-fact-ness with which he informed me of this. Could Rafael really enter my house, enter my bedroom , at any time he wished? I was distracted by how nervous this made me when Rafael stepped forward, reaching into the large plastic bag I hadn’t noticed he’d been holding. It was from Verizon, the cell phone company. My jaw dropped when he pulled out a brand new iPhone, handing it me.
“What’s that for?” I asked, sure that he couldn’t mean what I thought he meant.
“It’s for you,” Rafael said, as though I was an idiot. “I got one for myself as well. The saleswoman programmed my number in already.”
I stared at the sleek, slim cell phone in his large hand. A cell phone. It was a luxury that I had never allowed myself to fantasize about. After all, why did I need one? I never needed to call my parents to tell them where I was, or to come pick me up. Sure, it’d be nice to call Natalie on my own line, to text my friends like everyone else in the world, but that was play. I didn’t play. I couldn’t afford to. That was why I pushed Rafael’s hand back toward him, even though I really, really didn’t want to.
“Rafael,” I said, summoning conviction into my voice. “I can’t take this.”
“Why not?” Rafael asked, starting to look irritated once again.
I wouldn’t let his
So instead, I lifted my eyes to meet Rafael’s own piercing ones. “I think we both know what happened,” I whispered.
Moving with supernatural speed, Rafael suddenly had my arm in his hands and was pushing up the sleeve of my shirt before I even realized he had moved. I blinked and he was touching me, just that fast.
“Wait, don’t-” but I wasn’t fast enough. Rafael revealed the dark handprint bruise on my forearm.
His face became totally still. In fact, his whole body grew so still that I thought he was in a trance or something. I was too scared to speak, too scared of what would happen next, that I just sat there, waiting to see what he would do. But all that happened was Rafael laying my arm gently back down on the table, turning sharply on his heel, and stalking out of my house, the door clicking closed behind him. He didn’t even slam it, which, given his rage, I was expecting. But then, Rafael rarely did what I expected.
In fact, he never did.
For a long while, I stared at the short hallway that led from the kitchen to the entryway with the front door, wondering what had just happened. Then I shuddered as I looked around the room. It still felt as though Rafael were present. I could still smell his curiously clean, completely unique scent, the scent of the outdoors. The powerful aura that surrounded him seemed to linger in the room, and it unnerved me.
Where had he gone? He had looked so angry… For a moment I had the single, terrifying thought that he had gone to find my father and attack him as he had with Austin. But I banished the thought as soon as it came. Rafael didn’t know where my father was. I didn’t even know where he was.
But then… hadn’t Rafael found me? Found my house? Hadn’t he followed me for days on end without my even noticing? Wouldn’t it be just as easy for him to find my father? No, no, no . I repeated the litany to myself, trying to force myself to believe it. I tried and failed to refocus on my homework as I worried. But in the end, Rafael returned after just an hour, walking back through the front door as if he belonged in my house. This time, I stood when he entered, narrowing my eyes at him.
“All right, I locked the door after you left,” I said, ready to stand my ground. “How did you get in? I triple checked it.”
Rafael got that slightly disdainful look. “Locks can’t stop me, Lyla.”
I crossed my arms and shivered a little, scared by the matter-of-fact-ness with which he informed me of this. Could Rafael really enter my house, enter my bedroom , at any time he wished? I was distracted by how nervous this made me when Rafael stepped forward, reaching into the large plastic bag I hadn’t noticed he’d been holding. It was from Verizon, the cell phone company. My jaw dropped when he pulled out a brand new iPhone, handing it me.
“What’s that for?” I asked, sure that he couldn’t mean what I thought he meant.
“It’s for you,” Rafael said, as though I was an idiot. “I got one for myself as well. The saleswoman programmed my number in already.”
I stared at the sleek, slim cell phone in his large hand. A cell phone. It was a luxury that I had never allowed myself to fantasize about. After all, why did I need one? I never needed to call my parents to tell them where I was, or to come pick me up. Sure, it’d be nice to call Natalie on my own line, to text my friends like everyone else in the world, but that was play. I didn’t play. I couldn’t afford to. That was why I pushed Rafael’s hand back toward him, even though I really, really didn’t want to.
“Rafael,” I said, summoning conviction into my voice. “I can’t take this.”
“Why not?” Rafael asked, starting to look irritated once again.
I wouldn’t let his
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