Elise’s PoV-

My room had been cleaned up while I was asleep, that was the very first thing I noticed when I woke up. The next was that the door was shut, and I never shut my door when I sleep. I slowly got up and walked over to it, opening it slowly and looked down the stairs where I saw men. I listened in silently.
“Elise…” Jimmy spoke softly. I saw Zacky flinch at the name. I remember him, he was there.
“What about her? She was… Well we all know that one…” Brian let the sentence fade. Indeed they all knew, I’m sure of it, and they knew not to speak of it.
“She’s not. She’s been living with me.” Jimmy looked down, I know how he felt. He had kept this a secret for far too long, but he was telling people! He was telling my secret, without my permission. Was he a true friend?
“What do you mean? She’s not… Can we see her?” Brian quickly asked at the end. I then slowly descended the steps, keeping my head down, my eyes focused on each step till I got to the bottom. I looked up at Brian and Zacky or better known as Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance.
Jimmy started speaking, “She’s mute but she understands everything…” Brian quickly stood and hugged me tighter than Johnny did. Brian was always close to me, even when we were little. He knew me just as well as Jimmy, but he doesn’t anymore.
“My little Eli, why? Why do you cause so much pain?” I looked up at Brian, who had little tears running down his soft face. I gently wiped them away. I heard him whisper; “Where’s those sparkling eyes I remember? You’re lifeless .”
Jimmy stared at all of us for a moment, and then pulled me away from the group. I looked at him.
“Cisi! Please! I’m begging you. Please don’t be mad. Johnny and I only want to help,” I stared at him; his hands were on my shoulders like he was going to shake me to death, but he never made the move to. “You can’t be mad at us for trying to help. Please Elise, forgive me.” He whispered softly. I nodded curtly. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of me forgiving him that easily.
I walked back over to the group, Brian and Zacky both gave me a questioning look, but I shook my head. I didn’t want them to think something was going on between me and Jimmy, because nothing was. I was a free bird and I didn’t want my heart to be taken again then crushed. I glanced at Zacky, he caught my unemotional eye. His eyes motioned towards the other guys.
“Hey, guys, can I talk to Elise alone?” The other three looked at us; they knew this talk had to happen so they left the room, going down into the basement where they would talk about other things. I watched them leave me and Zacky alone. I glanced at him, then looked down. “I’m sorry.” I heard him whisper almost inaudibly. I glared at him. I guess I did show emotions, the only two being; nothing and anger. He looked up at me and sighed.
“I know. I don’t know what it’s like. I was the one that broke your heart, but please just listen to me for a second.” He started. Zacky and I, when we were younger had a thing. It started with innocent kisses, to full blown out make out sessions, to touching each other, and it ended with me saying I love you. He apparently didn’t love me back, so he told me we were done. I had even the thought of giving him my virginity but it never happened. I didn’t want it to get that serious till I was married to a real man.
“I’m sorry I hurt you so much, but you have no idea how much the whole ordeal that happened hurt me . Please understand I would love to take you back at anytime, but back then I wasn’t ready for a lover, but now I am.” He gently touched me cheek and I smacked him. I smacked him so hard it left a hand imprint on his cheek.
“What the hell was that for?” He screamed at me. I glared at him and walked away. I stormed up to my room got dressed. I ran outside and into the blinding sun of California. I didn’t know where I wanted to go but I knew that I wanted to go somewhere. Somewhere where I could escape the horrible people that lived in the house I was previously at. Jimmy’s house…
So, I started running, I ran to where I couldn’t run anymore. Before I knew it I had ran all the way to where I have never been to in California. I looked around; the only things I saw were abandoned old looking building, a few stray cats, dead ends, and not a single person. The thought of there being no one here, irked me, timorous me, and I stood like a deer in headlights in the middle of the sidewalk. I searched for somewhere or maybe even someone to help me find my way back, but the more I looked the more I came to a conclusion there was nobody and nowhere that I could go.
Where am I? What have I done? Where are the people? Oh shit. I messed up, where do I go now? Will I be okay? What if someone comes out and rapes me? I wanted to cry out for help, for a savior, for Jimmy, or someone. Except, now, I ran away, and I don’t know where to go. My eyes watered in fear, in true fear. For once, the walls were down and the unemotional eyes were gone. I wanted one of the guys to rescue me, but I just ran off and now I don’t know where to go, and if I did know where to go I’d be heading back, but I don’t. I doubt one of the guys followed me, Jimmy probably stopped them saying something about how I wouldn’t run far and I’d be back in no time. Well here I am, far away from any place I had ever been.
I sat under an awning that hung over a few steps. It was dark out now, and a slight drizzle had started coming down. I watched for a while, slowly starting to get a craving for food, and I wanted somewhere, preferably my bed, to sleep in. I slowly got up from the steps, my ass ached but I ignored it and started walked the way I came. The farther I walked, the busier it got, but the area still didn’t look familiar. How far did I run?
I looked across the street where the beach was, so I slowly crossed the street and sat on a bench. It was still showering lightly, and I was bound to get a cold from this, but at the moment I was focused on staring at the gentle waves from the ocean. The sound and movement of it was so soft, gentle, soothing, and fearless. I wish I was the ocean. To be fearless and calm all the time, but as humans we do have fear and we can never stay calm, because of our emotions. Our emotions are such on a high wire that they just get strung out, and that calmness we once had disappears. Calm, it’s just a figure of our imagination. When we say we’re calm, we’re just saying that nothing truly is happening, but there’s that instance, like now, where we feel at peace with ourselves, instead of calm.
A while later
I felt myself pressed against a body; a warm, muscular, body, which had an even heartbeat. I slowly fluttered my eyes open and I looked up to see Brian. He was sound asleep. I could only wonder what had happened. I nuzzled my face into Brian’s chest. Thank you guys. Thank you for saving me, finding me, or whatever you did; thank you Jimmy, for bringing these guys back into my life. I think it’ll help me greatly on a new road to recovery.
“Elise, why… Why would you run away like that?” I heard someone whisper from the doorway. I sat up and looked at the figure in the door way. It was the same man from the previous dreams! “Are you stupid, pet?” The voice inquired. Was I really a pet? Was I his pet?
He walked closer to me and grabbed me hair, making me look at him.
“You stupid, bitch.” He growled in my ear. “I hate you. Do you know that? I hate those stupid smiles you give to all the guys, you’re a damn flirt! Do you want to know something though, bitch? You… Are… Mine… No one else’s, and if you think that you can run away from me, well you can’t. I will always know where you are. Always.” He let go of my hair and walked out the door. My eyes watered, I rubbed my head from where he pulled my hair, and before I knew those tears that were nothing, were rushing down my cheeks. I was terrified, freaked out, and worst of all… I believed this strange man. For some reason, I knew he wasn’t lying. He would find me.
I awoke with a start. Brian was shaking me like a mad man. “Elise! Elise! Don’t scare me like that, okay?” What was I doing to make him so scared? Was it something so horrible that he had to shake me to wake up? I always thought I was a light sleeper; apparently I wasn’t when this nightmare happened. I touched my head. It had a small ache; I noted that where I was touching was the same place the man was pulling my hair. I pulled my fingers away when I felt a small sticky substance. My eyes widened when I saw it was blood.
“What did you do in your sleep?” Brian asked. To be honest Brian, I don’t know what I did. There’s this man in my nightmares, that knows who I am, and he likes to scare the living shit out of me too. Brian, who is this man? Why won’t he live me alone? Why is there blood from where he pulled me hair? What was I doing in my sleep? Brian, I’m scared. I wanted to blather out to him, but my voice was lost long ago by that day…
“Elise, why won’t you talk anymore? What’s the real reason?” He queried.
Brian, you know. You know how this has stopped everything in me. You were there that day, the day where everything happened. The day, my image, outside died. It became lost, lost in the pits of my memory that I haven’t remembered. Yes, Brian, I barely remember anything. There are a few things that peak out, like what kind of relationships I had with people, but that was it, Brian. I really have lost to the depths of… I stared at Brian; he seemed to be in his own world, like I was. I wrapped my arms around his neck, closing my eyes, just wanting to try and be at ease. There was always so much tension now, that when only one of the guys were around, I could feel – or try to – feel at ease.
“Elise…” Brian whispered as he hugged me back. I slowly let tears leak out of my eyes, and for one time I would show my emotions, to try and remember what it felt like when I truly was… alive.
I think I might’ve heard him wrong, but I also might’ve not had when he said, “Don’t worry anymore, Elise, he’s in prison.”
Who was he talking about? Was he talking about the man in my nightmares?