Moonbay
1/2
"Sleep my love. You are mine forevermore." The words were a dark whisper that Liam barely heard but the quiet sound was enough. He felt the blood pulsing through his veins faster than it should be, his heart working double time and adrenaline flooding his system. He shivered against the touch of the man, the kind of shiver that comes only from genuine terror.
Cold hands were suddenly on his shoulders, chilled enough to make his hurricane eyes snap open, thinking only of the death that touched him. He looked into a face, pale even in the black of the room, holes where eyes should be, though they were too dark to be seen.
"Wake up. You're safe here. You know that. We don't hurt you. Its over." The smooth voice washed over him, stilling Liam's shaking limbs though his heart still raced desperately in his chest. "It was just a dream. Another bad dream," the woman promised.
Liam whimpered, eyes wide and she backed off accordingly, no longer touching him. Human contact was too much, even through the loose t-shirt that he had worn for bed. "Bathroom?" She deftly turned on a small lamp when she saw him nod, its light bathing the room in a turquoise glow. He shivered once more at the color but pushed himself out of bed, staggering to the door connected to his room.
With quivering hands he turned the light on and winced as the bright lights burned his sleepy eyes. Liam didn't bother to be quiet as he let the door slam and stood facing the mirror. He knew they weren't there but he could still see the handprints marring his otherwise pale skin, dark like bruises. He felt the air leaving his thin body, lungs burning but no matter what he couldn't get enough air. He was drowning, clawing at his throat in desperation before stumbling to the toilet, allowing dinner to resurface.
The purging gave him a headache, made him feel even sweatier and disgusting. Not for the first time Liam hated himself, hated what he'd become. Such thoughts were too dangerous to have he remembered, so he banished them. His hair had grown out, he knew, because he had stopped such thoughts. They had finally deemed it safe enough to allow the dark locks to grow. From nerves he had pulled at it from the time he'd entered Moonbay until only two months previous.
Still, the idea of looking at himself in the mirror was sickening, terrifying even. He brushed his teeth briefly, just enough to clear the taste in his mouth before staggering back into the room. The turquoise light was simply another reminder of how crazy he'd become. The typically amber light was too much for him now, reminding him of blacker times, of sadistic eyes.
Jen sat patiently in a corner of the room, reading a book quietly. She was always here in the night. He was not allowed to stay by himself after he had woken up the entire hall with screams, the only vocalized sound he ever made other than an occasional whimper. Liam crawled back into bed, self-conscious even in his t-shirt and long pants.
Jen watched Liam with a sad expression as he climbed back into the bed, limbs shaking and shirt sticking to his body. He wouldn't change though, she knew. It would be too revealing of a process for him. It wasn't until Liam gave her a timid glance that she turned the light off, relaxing into the corner once more and putting her book on the nightstand. What had become of her brother?
Cold hands were suddenly on his shoulders, chilled enough to make his hurricane eyes snap open, thinking only of the death that touched him. He looked into a face, pale even in the black of the room, holes where eyes should be, though they were too dark to be seen.
"Wake up. You're safe here. You know that. We don't hurt you. Its over." The smooth voice washed over him, stilling Liam's shaking limbs though his heart still raced desperately in his chest. "It was just a dream. Another bad dream," the woman promised.
Liam whimpered, eyes wide and she backed off accordingly, no longer touching him. Human contact was too much, even through the loose t-shirt that he had worn for bed. "Bathroom?" She deftly turned on a small lamp when she saw him nod, its light bathing the room in a turquoise glow. He shivered once more at the color but pushed himself out of bed, staggering to the door connected to his room.
With quivering hands he turned the light on and winced as the bright lights burned his sleepy eyes. Liam didn't bother to be quiet as he let the door slam and stood facing the mirror. He knew they weren't there but he could still see the handprints marring his otherwise pale skin, dark like bruises. He felt the air leaving his thin body, lungs burning but no matter what he couldn't get enough air. He was drowning, clawing at his throat in desperation before stumbling to the toilet, allowing dinner to resurface.
The purging gave him a headache, made him feel even sweatier and disgusting. Not for the first time Liam hated himself, hated what he'd become. Such thoughts were too dangerous to have he remembered, so he banished them. His hair had grown out, he knew, because he had stopped such thoughts. They had finally deemed it safe enough to allow the dark locks to grow. From nerves he had pulled at it from the time he'd entered Moonbay until only two months previous.
Still, the idea of looking at himself in the mirror was sickening, terrifying even. He brushed his teeth briefly, just enough to clear the taste in his mouth before staggering back into the room. The turquoise light was simply another reminder of how crazy he'd become. The typically amber light was too much for him now, reminding him of blacker times, of sadistic eyes.
Jen sat patiently in a corner of the room, reading a book quietly. She was always here in the night. He was not allowed to stay by himself after he had woken up the entire hall with screams, the only vocalized sound he ever made other than an occasional whimper. Liam crawled back into bed, self-conscious even in his t-shirt and long pants.
Jen watched Liam with a sad expression as he climbed back into the bed, limbs shaking and shirt sticking to his body. He wouldn't change though, she knew. It would be too revealing of a process for him. It wasn't until Liam gave her a timid glance that she turned the light off, relaxing into the corner once more and putting her book on the nightstand. What had become of her brother?