You're Automatic.

I snuck quietly back into the house, a large grin on my face. I heard someone in the kitchen and figured it was Skye, too impatient to wait until morning for an update on how my night went. It was almost 5am, so it wasn't impossible that he was already up. "Skye?" I whispered his name as I tiptoed through the house.

Suddenly, I felt a tight grip on my throat as I was ripped into the living room and thrown backwards into the couch. The corner of the glass coffee table caught my jeans and tore them, leaving a gash in my leg as well. I let out an agonized cry, instantly locking sobs in my throat before Shawn could yell at me to shut up.

The light snapped on and Shawn stood in front of me, face red in fury. I wiped the tears from my face quickly.

"What are you whimpering about you little fuck? I haven't even done anything to your sorry ass yet!" He picked me up by my arm and literally dragged me to the kitchen, throwing me into Skye, who was on his hands and knees cleaning something off the floor. We both slid across the slick wood floor and crashed into the wall.

I was enveloped and terror and shook uncontrollably, looking at my brother. My breath caught in my throat as I noticed dried blood on his face, a trail that started somewhere under hair that trailed down to his cheek bone, another small trail starting from the corner of his mouth. I looked toward where he had been cleaning and looked at the faint red stain: blood. I cringed into him, sobbing quietly, and he wrapped his arms protectively around me. I was shaking so bad, I could barely breathe. Skye and I both looked up as Shawn towered over us menacingly. I closed my eyes and buried my face in Skye's shoulder.

I jerked into a sitting position, a blood curdling scream ringing through the room; almost immediately, Skye jumped over to me and stroked my hair. "Shh, Mandy, it's okay! He's gone, it's okay," he assured me as I stopped screaming.

I sat shaking and sobbing hysterically, my whole body hurting. "S-Sk-S-Skye," I sobbed, clinging tighter to him.

He held me close, gently rocking me back and forth. "It's okay. Lay back down and go back to sleep, I won't let him hurt you anymore."

I did as he said, wrapping myself in a safe cocoon of blankets. I looked at Skye, wondering how he had managed to gather a couple pillows and blankets while carrying me to the bathroom in the weak state he had been in. I scooted closer to him and put my head on his chest, the way I used to sleep when we were little. I couldn't stop shaking and the memories from the day before seemed like nothing but a distant memory, or even a desperate dream. I drifted back into sleep, hoping to relive that dream.

"No way, fuck off! I'm not opening this goddamn door!"

I woke up to Skye yelling and pressing his back against the bathroom door. We were cramped inside the small bathroom we shared upstairs, but it was the only room with a lock other than mom and Shawn's bedroom and bathroom. I heard out mom's weak voice croak something than Skye had to press his ear to the door to hear.

"Why, so that bastard can smack us around some more? No way, fuck you!" I opened my eyes as she said something else. "Yeah, ahuh, just go to work. Can't support a family with no money," he barked bitterly. He had never talked to anyone that way before, except a boy that had bullied me in the second grade.

I wrapped my blanket over the top of my head and pulled my knees to my chest, still shaking. Everything that had happened before I came home felt so long ago, like a completely different lifetime.

I jumped when I heard the front door slam shut, followed by a car screeching off down the road a couple minutes later.

Skye sighed and turned around. As soon as he saw me, one eye nearly swollen shut with a pretty bad black eye. "Did I wake you up? I'm sorry," he said, scooting a little closer. He pulled some of the blanket away from me to wrap around himself and he put his arm around me.

I winced at his arm around my back, it was sore and tender, but I just scooted closer. We both sat quietly in the small room, and I actually felt somewhat safe. Maybe it was because Shawn was at work, or maybe it was because I was barricaded behind a locked door with my brother.

Skye moved toward the door and put his hand on the door knob. He winced as I screamed as the door opened with a bang. Skye had his hand on his heart and looked at me. "Holy shit, you just scared the hell out of me." He chuckled nervously. He told me to stay here and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

I waited, feeling stupid for screaming at the door. I knew it stuck and usually needed force to open, which always made it bang loudly. I sighed deeply, hoping to calm my nerves a little bit. It felt like an eternity that I sat there alone, but it gave me a minute to hopefully calm down a little. The door banged open and I screamed, covering my mouth to muffle it this time. All my work was gone and I was shaking again, hyperventilating like I hadn't even done anything.

Skye frowned sadly and walked over, crouching in front of me. He pet my hair and sighed. "They're gone. Come with me." He helped me to my feet and half carried me to our bedroom. "Are you okay to stand?" When I nodded, he slowly walked away from me. He took my luggage bag from my closet and tossed it onto my bed. I saw his sitting on his bed, zipped closed.

I watched him take clothes from my closet and dresser and pack them into the bag. "Skye? Are w-wer going s-somewh-where?"

He slowed down for a second then nodded, picking up the pace again. "I'm not gonna let this happen anymore." He looked at the clothes he had put in my bag, then looked at me. "I called Tom. You had his phone number in the pocket of your jeans. Anyway, I asked if you could stay with him and the others. Of course, he didn't argue for a second." He said something to himself under his breath, shaking his head. "I didn't tell him anything, just that we needed his help and it probably wouldn't even be for the duration they're in town. I told him I'd bring you over as soon as I could." He didn't seem happy with the circumstances, but he didn't have much of a choice. He zipped my bag up, grabbed both his and mine, and led me downstairs to the car.

I climbed into the passenger seat, wrapping the blanket closely around me. I was no longer safely locked in the bathroom. I was out in the open, and I felt like a deer during hunting season. "Wh-where are y-you gonna go, Sk-Skye?"

He drove to the hotel, occasionally looking over to make sure I was alright. "Jesus, Aim, you're shaking like a leaf," he muttered unhappily, looking at his hands on the steering wheel. He pulled into the parking lot and we got out. He grabbed my luggage in one hand and put the other arm around me protectively as we walked into the building and over to the elevator. He did a better job ignoring the suspicious and worried looks from people than I did.

We waited in the elevator as it slowly took us up. Elevators always reminded me of when Skye and I were little and we had stayed at a hotel when on vacation, riding the elevator up and down just for the funny feeling it gave us. When the elevator took us up to the floor the guys were on, we stepped out and walked to one of the doors. Skye pounded his fist on the door, making me jump. He hardly waited five seconds before repeating the action.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming!" We heard someone shout from inside the door. After a couple minutes, it opened. "Am I allowed put on clothes or would you rather I answered in my boxers?" Tom asked in annoyance, giving Skye a nasty look. He looked over at me worriedly as I stood, wrapped in a blanket and shaking. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck as he stepped back from the doorway, "Come on in."

Skye nodded and walked in, his arm still protectively around me. He set my bag down and led to me to the couch, where I laid down. He sighed and rubbed my arm before looking at Tom.

"What the fuck happened to her?" Tom demanded before Skye could say anything. "You never mentioned on the phone last night that she was looked like something the cat dragged in!" He ignored when Skye tried to say something, instead walking up and shoving his finger into my brother's chest. "What the fuck did you do after she left us this morning?"

Skye's face morphed instantly with rage at the accusation. "You think I did this to her!?" He shoved Tom away from him and glared. "Fuck you, she's my sister, I'd never lay a hand on her! I'm the only person in this whole world she can trust, I practically raised her!"

The look on Tom's face when Skye pushed him back was pure hatred. "How am I supposed to know what happened? You don't tell me anything over the phone and then she shows up looking like this?" He walked toward Skye again. They looked like they were about to fight.

I jumped and yelped as Bill sat on the couch next to me. He leaned toward me, worry written in his brown eyes. "Are you okay?" he whispered, voice reflecting the same worry in his eyes.

I just shook, I had no reply. My brain had shut off and I couldn't think. So I just stared at him blankly, shaking. He leaned over and gave me a quick, tight hug before he stood up and put himself between his feuding brother and mine. "Guys, this isn't going to fix anything, just look at her." He held his hand out toward me and the two looked my way. "Let's step into the next room and talk about this like adults." He looked between the two and, after they nodded, led them through a door that was shut behind them.

It was quiet, I could barely hear their muffled voices through the door. The television was on, but the volume was muted. I was alone in an unfamiliar place. And, yet, I felt comfortable and safe. Plus, this was giving me a little time to collect myself and hopefully make my brain function again. I managed to push myself into a sitting position and took a few deep breaths with my eyes closed. I could breathe again, and the shaking slowed to only occasional waves. I leaned toward my bag and searched through a pocket, pulling out my iPod and ear buds. I put one in and started a song, hoping for it to help me calm down as well. I rolled my shoulders and neck, wincing slightly at the pain that shot through them. I looked toward the door the three had disappeared through when it opened.

"Sorry about yelling at you, it just... worried me, seeing her like that." Tom held his hand out toward Skye, who took it and they gave each other a cliche "bro hug."

Skye waved it off and forced half smile. He turned and walked over to me, kneeling in front of the couch. "Are you gonna be alright if you stay with Tom and Bill for a little while?"

I looked at the twins then nodded at Skye. "I'll be alright." I wanted to ask him again where he was staying, but I knew I'd just get the same lack of a response that I had gotten that first time.
He nodded and stood up. "Okay, good. I'll come back for you when I can. And I'll call to check in whenever I can." He kissed my cheek and pat my head before heading for the door. It was then I remember losing my phone the day before.

"Skye, wait!" He jumped up and looked at him as he turned around. He gave a small smile, proud that I hadn't stuttered in the last two sentences I'd said. "My phone was in the bag that was stolen yesterday."

Skye nodded thoughtfully. "Alright, I can just call the room then. Or I can call Bill or Tom." He gave me a real smile when I walked over and gave him a hug.

"Be careful, Skye," I said, burying my face in his chest. "And thank you for taking care of me. You're the best big brother in the world."

Skye hugged me tighter and put his chin on the top of my head. I heard him sniffle before he pulled away. "Alright, alright, no making your brother cry." He sniffled again and wiped his eyes dry. He looked at the twins, "Remember: don't pressure her. If she wants to tell you, she'll do it herself." They nodded and he sighed, half hugging me before walking out the door.

I sat back down on the couch and looked carelessly at the television. Bill and Tom soon were sitting on either side of me. They sat quietly, but I could tell they itched to know what had happened after I got home. Finally, they could no longer take the anticipation.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tom asked casually, though I almost hear his tone begging for it.

I slowly shook my head and looked at Tom. "You shouldn't have accused my brother of this." He cringed with guilt and looked at the floor, hurt. I stood up and walked to the bathroom.