off the wall, opened the door, and left Sam to slide down to the floor in a heap. She sat there with eyes closed and every nerve in her body vibrating. Both hands pressed to her chest, she struggled to breathe around the dense pain.
The need to vomit sent her running to the bathroom. Then came the yelling accompanied with her every heave. Scriber yelling at Ruin, “What did you do to her! See me outside!”
The sound of Luke crying sent Sam blasting out of the bathroom into the chaos. “Stop it!” she yelled at the men who stood toe to toe, eye to eye in the center of the kitchen with Luke holding his ears at the table, crying. “What the hell!” Sam gasped, shoving them apart, stumbling in those stupid boots as she did. “There is a kid here!” She slammed her fist into Ruin’s arm, jolting him then looked at Scriber and pointed a trembling finger at him. “I will not do this!” The words shook out. “I won’t hurt him, I’m done! You need to find somebody else. I can’t. I won’t be a cruel person!” she gasped.
Scriber looked down briefly, nodded, and then walked out, making Sam feel worse.
“What do you want from me!” she yelled after him. “I can’t do this!”
She regarded Ruin now who held a look of hatred on her and she brought up her hands, fighting to make them stop shaking. “I’m done, no more. You keep your memories, I don’t want to touch them.” And she really didn’t. Ever. Then she remembered what he’d just done and stormed up to him, grabbed a fistful of t-shirt and jerked him down to her face. “But you ever touch me like that again,” she whispered, “I will knee your balls so far into your gut, new stars will form in your little psycho universe.” She shoved him away, daring him with her glare to test her. Please do, please try it.
She turned to Luke then who still rocked back and forth with his eyes closed and she was suddenly a four year old girl finding her older brother hiding in the basement trying not to hear mom and dad fight. The same need to protect and comfort hurried her to him. “Okay, hey, look at me.” She pulled his hands down. “I’m here, you see me? Look at me, Luke. Tell me you see me.”
He nodded looking at her. “I see you.”
“Okay good.” Her boot heel twisted and she stopped long enough to yank them off and throw them aside with disgust then knelt before him. “You listen to me,” she said, making her voice strong. “Are you listening?”
“I see you,” he nodded.
“Well guess what,” she whispered excited. “I have a surprise for you.” She wiped the tears from his cheeks. “All around the woods, I have traps.”
He blinked a few times and sniffed. “What kind?”
“The kind that traps animals, like rabbits and raccoons, and possums.”
“Rabbits?”
“You like rabbits? Would you like to catch a rabbit?”
“To keep?”
Sam widened her eyes, not considering he’d want it as a pet. “I don’t see why not! But we have to go and set the traps with food so we can catch one. Can you help me?”
His eyes brightened a little. “Can I?”
“Are you strong enough to carry a back pack? We may as well make a camping trip of it, would you like that?”
“A camping trip? Can Mr. Ruin come?”
Pain hit Sam’s chest just at the name. Why did the boy always care about Mr. Ruin, anyway? It wasn’t like he was the least bit kind. “I don’t think he feels like camping,” she whispered.
“I’ll go,” Ruin barked from behind. “For safety.”
Sam swallowed her pain and pride at knowing it was those protective urges Scriber told her about. They were more than he could deny. He was a prisoner to protecting her now, and he hated it as much as Sam did. But Sam wouldn’t make it worse by pointing it out again. Once was enough. Too much.
Chapter Eleven
“You can set a trap near here, no camping. Scriber said it’s too dangerous.”
Ruin watched Sam’s bright green eyes seek out whether or not he was being
The need to vomit sent her running to the bathroom. Then came the yelling accompanied with her every heave. Scriber yelling at Ruin, “What did you do to her! See me outside!”
The sound of Luke crying sent Sam blasting out of the bathroom into the chaos. “Stop it!” she yelled at the men who stood toe to toe, eye to eye in the center of the kitchen with Luke holding his ears at the table, crying. “What the hell!” Sam gasped, shoving them apart, stumbling in those stupid boots as she did. “There is a kid here!” She slammed her fist into Ruin’s arm, jolting him then looked at Scriber and pointed a trembling finger at him. “I will not do this!” The words shook out. “I won’t hurt him, I’m done! You need to find somebody else. I can’t. I won’t be a cruel person!” she gasped.
Scriber looked down briefly, nodded, and then walked out, making Sam feel worse.
“What do you want from me!” she yelled after him. “I can’t do this!”
She regarded Ruin now who held a look of hatred on her and she brought up her hands, fighting to make them stop shaking. “I’m done, no more. You keep your memories, I don’t want to touch them.” And she really didn’t. Ever. Then she remembered what he’d just done and stormed up to him, grabbed a fistful of t-shirt and jerked him down to her face. “But you ever touch me like that again,” she whispered, “I will knee your balls so far into your gut, new stars will form in your little psycho universe.” She shoved him away, daring him with her glare to test her. Please do, please try it.
She turned to Luke then who still rocked back and forth with his eyes closed and she was suddenly a four year old girl finding her older brother hiding in the basement trying not to hear mom and dad fight. The same need to protect and comfort hurried her to him. “Okay, hey, look at me.” She pulled his hands down. “I’m here, you see me? Look at me, Luke. Tell me you see me.”
He nodded looking at her. “I see you.”
“Okay good.” Her boot heel twisted and she stopped long enough to yank them off and throw them aside with disgust then knelt before him. “You listen to me,” she said, making her voice strong. “Are you listening?”
“I see you,” he nodded.
“Well guess what,” she whispered excited. “I have a surprise for you.” She wiped the tears from his cheeks. “All around the woods, I have traps.”
He blinked a few times and sniffed. “What kind?”
“The kind that traps animals, like rabbits and raccoons, and possums.”
“Rabbits?”
“You like rabbits? Would you like to catch a rabbit?”
“To keep?”
Sam widened her eyes, not considering he’d want it as a pet. “I don’t see why not! But we have to go and set the traps with food so we can catch one. Can you help me?”
His eyes brightened a little. “Can I?”
“Are you strong enough to carry a back pack? We may as well make a camping trip of it, would you like that?”
“A camping trip? Can Mr. Ruin come?”
Pain hit Sam’s chest just at the name. Why did the boy always care about Mr. Ruin, anyway? It wasn’t like he was the least bit kind. “I don’t think he feels like camping,” she whispered.
“I’ll go,” Ruin barked from behind. “For safety.”
Sam swallowed her pain and pride at knowing it was those protective urges Scriber told her about. They were more than he could deny. He was a prisoner to protecting her now, and he hated it as much as Sam did. But Sam wouldn’t make it worse by pointing it out again. Once was enough. Too much.
Chapter Eleven
“You can set a trap near here, no camping. Scriber said it’s too dangerous.”
Ruin watched Sam’s bright green eyes seek out whether or not he was being