Speechless.

"God, I hope this works." Matt mumbled. He was staring at the bus with
worry filled eyes.

"You did the right thing, Matt." the masculine voice assured beside him.
"From what you told me, if anyone can help Amelia at this point it’s
Renee."

"I hope so,"

"all you can do is hope," he commented. "and pray. Right now I think
Amelia needs to know that whatever she is dealing with, she isn't
alone."

"I could have told her that."

"Yeah but coming from you, the words would mean nothing. They'd be
empty to her because she won't think that you could possibly
understand what she is going through." he explained. “You haven’t lived it”

"I'm surprised Renee even agreed to this. I know she hates sharing her
life story over and over again."

"You and me both," he agreed. "I called her as a favor but honestly, I
didn't expect her to show. These types of things were never Renee’s
forte. She's in a better place now, you know? I can understand why she
wouldn't want to keep going back to that dark place in her head."

Matt hesitated, "do you think if will work?"

"All she has to do is listen."

And pictures of Amelia with her hands over her ears filled Matt's mind.

_______________________________________________________________________

Amelia hated herself for not wearing long sleeves today. Today Amelia hated her DMPC Lazer Cut Tunic. In the past Amelia hadn't even really thought of carefully choosing her wardrobe because those around her had seen her
abused arms. They always looked away and didn't ask questions.

But Renee didn't look away and Amelia knew she would ask questions.

"I know you’re thinking you should have worn long sleeves today, and
pants instead of shorts," Renee announced. "to hide the cuts on your thighs." Amelia narrowed her eyes at Renee--she really didn't like this woman. "Your
arms don't scare me, or startle me. I've see them before on others...
On me." Renee revealed the underside of her wrist to Amelia. “ I
had the rubber bands for when I couldn't be alone long enough to put a
razor blade to them. I did cocaine, I popped pills," Renee barely
missed a beat when she saw Amelia's head jerk to the side. "I've seen
heroine addicts. I went to rehab with a couple. But you don't act like
them." she observed.

Perhaps what happened next would have shocked Renee
more if she didn't know just exactly how mute Amelia appeared to be.

"And what exactly am I like?" Amelia questioned cuttingly, her voice
only a whisper but her words were deadly. She was glaring daggers at Renee but Renee could only smile, pleased, to have roused a reaction out of the broken girl.

"You’re like someone who has been running scared for so long you’ve
forgotten who to trust. I know someone abused you, your brother told
me you were living on the streets but that before your ran off you
never touched drugs, never picked up a razor. I just can't seem to
link the two together."

"I'm not a fucking puzzle," her voice rasped.

"Then tell me what you are," Renee dared her emerald colored eyes piercing, alive with a fire that few had seen in so long. "You think I don't know, you
think I can't possibly have a clue. I'm telling you, you're wrong. I’ve
been every statistic, been touched by the filthiest of hands, and done the damnedest of things. Tell me I don't understand," She challenged headedly. "Tell me I don't know what it's like to be abused by someone you trust. To be
so scared out of your mind you think your heart will give out. Tell me
I don't know what it's like to feel alone, to be drowning, and to feel
pain that can't be put to words."

For a little over a year Renee tried to help those with similar demons
but never had she wanted to reach out and help someone as much as she
did then. There was something in Amelia, her story, her silent anger, her silent fear, her ghosts, that compelled Renee.

There had been times when Jamie had asked her why she turned her back
on those who were troubled but denied the help she offered. She told him, ‘I'm not abandoning them; I just can't help those who don't want it.’. And even
though Renee knew that in that moment Amelia just wanted Renee to
leave, she saw the small glimmer of hope and curiosity in the frightened girls oaken eyes. Hope that maybe there was a way to stop feeling the way she did and curiosity as to what Renee planned to do.

It was in that moment that Renee silently decided she was going to stay on the Vans Warped Tour if for no other reason then to help Amelia.

"I know what it's like to feel helpless." Renee murmured. "I had a boyfriend who beat the shit out of me. I was raped less than six months after I broke up with him. I cut for years just to deal with the pain. When one day that didn't work anymore I turned to coke, pot, pills, whatever I could get my hands on. I ran away for a good six months. For the longest time I had no intention of going back. I
wasn't like them anymore; they'd never be able to understand me. I was
too fucked up, too far gone, for anyone to understand."

Amelia looked away, her jaw locked. She wasn't the least bit curious
of whom Renee was anymore. In fact she didn't care at all, Amelia just wanted
her gone.

"What’s the matter," Renee taunted. "Does that hit too close to home?"

"Get out." Amelia’s head snapped in the young woman’s direction. Then she was
screaming, her voice hoarse. "Get out! Get out! GET OUT!"

Suddenly the bus door burst open and Matt was suddenly beside her,
shocked. Amelia's eyes automatically zeroed in on the strange man that
had run onto the bus with her brother. She eyed him for a moment and
decided he was more interested in Renee than her. Which was good, Amelia didn’t want this stranger’s attention.

"What happened?" he questioned while at the same time Matt murmured,

"Are you okay?"

Amelia turned to him and spoke to him for the first time in three weeks.

"Fuck you." she snapped before storming past the strange man and Renee
and making a beeline for the front door.

Before Matt could even open his mouth in protest Amelia was gone. Leaving the tour bus she’d locked herself in since her arrival. Leaving everything she understood behind her.