Radioactive

And Scars are souveniers you never loose. The past is never far...

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Seven year old Harper Adams tapped her fingers on the wooden arm of the rocking chair, using her feet to rock the chair back and forth. Amaryllis Scott sat on the floor in front of her, looking as if she were going to doze off at any second. The adults were sitting on the couches, in a deep conversation about politics. Neither seven year old understood a word of what they were saying, not that they would have been interested anyways. Time seemed to pass by slower than usual before a lady with blonde hair, perched on the couch beside her husband, glanced over at them. "Alright. Times up, you guys can go play."

Harper threw herself off of the chair as Amaryllis lurched to her feet. The blonde lady, Amaryllis' mother, stopped them before they could dart from the cramped living room. "But if I catch you guys playing around the pool again, you're going right back in time out."

"Yes m'am." They said in unison, sidling under the arch that lead into the dining room.

The stifled through the fridge for a snack, downing a pudding cup each before Harper found herself standing in front of the sliding glass door, staring out at the pool. "We should go out there again."

"I don't know. My mom seemed pretty mad." Amaryllis said uncertainly, dropping her spoon into the sink with a metallic cling.

"Don't be a baby, Scotty." Harper taunted, pulling open the door. They carefully stepped outside and slid it shut.

At seven years old, a game of tag was the best game they could play on a sunny day. Rays of dazzling bright sunlight filtered in through the screen over their heads, making their cheeks rosy as they laughed loudly and darted around the pool. Amaryllis leaned forward as she ran, her fingers barely brushing Harper's back. "You're it!" She squealed in excitement, spinning around to avoid any quick tag backs.

Harper groaned, taking off at a run behind her. Although they were the same height and size, Amaryllis was still faster than her. "This is unfair!" She yelled. "I'm always it!"

Amaryllis laughed as she ran around the pool, way out of Harper's reach. "Don't be a baby!" She gasped breathlessly. "Come and get me!"

Harper jumped over a pool noodle on the ground, her side hurting from all the running they had been doing. She didn't notice the wet patch on the ground, causing by something splashing into the pool. She let out a shriek as her foot slipped out from under her, pitching her backwards off her feet. Her arms pinwheeled wildly to keep her upright, but to no avail. Amaryllis let out a scream as her friends head cracked against the stone, and she tumbled right off of the ledge into the pool.

She was completely still as she crashed into the water. It sucked at her clothes, easily weighing her down, and she sunk down beneath the water that had been jostled by her fall. "Harper!" Amaryllis screamed, darting towards the other side of the pool where she had gone under "Mom! Dad!" She called towards the door as she crouched down at the edge of the pool.

Bubbles floated up to the surface from her still body, so Amaryllis automatically did the only thing she could think of. She'd never been a good swimmer, although her dad had constantly talked about one day taking her surfing, but she didn't think twice before she again screamed for her parents--who she could see rushing into the kitchen through the glass window--and dove head first into the water. The chlorine stung her eyes, but she peeled them opened anyways, her hands wrapping tightly around Harper's thin waist. She tugged with all her might, but it only pulled her closer to the pool floor. Her lungs ached for air, but she only became more determined.

A dark shape fell into the water beside her, followed closely by another. She cried out as her body was jerked away from Harper's, air pressing from her lungs, bubbles billowing up around her.

Ten minutes later, she was wrapped in a towel in her mothers arms, and Harper was already in the car on her way to the hospital. She had a concussion and a twisted ankle, but was otherwise unharmed from the incident.

For years after the accident, their parents would always joke about their "unbreakable bond." The stories only intensified when, at the age of eleven, they went trail riding and Amaryllis's horse was spooked, and she was bucked off, breaking her ankle. It was near dusk, and both horses had bolted, leaving them alone in the forest for the entire night. Harper somehow managed to build them a fire and keep them warm until morning when their parents realized their beds were empty.

They had always looked out for each other. Always. Even though they'd been friends by default. Their mothers had grown up together, so they were thrown into the same friend group.

All of this flashed through Harper's mind as she twisted her hands back and forth, trying to somehow loosen the handcuffs. At this point, blood had begun to seep through her long-sleeved t-shirt as the handcuffs dug into her skin. She hardly seemed to notice the pain.

Philip held his hands up above his head, although his expression showed little to no fear. "Nothing to see here," he said in a bored voice, "I'd suggest turning around and going right back to bed before things get ugly."

Taniss' gaze flickered towards then gun and then back to Philip, an amused expression flitting across his features. "I'm the one holding you at gun point, aren't I?"

"Philip!" Andy's voice came from around the corner, "look what I found!" He sounded excited. His reason became clear as he rounded the bend, jerking Matt ahead of him, his gun trained on his back. Matt's expression turned first shocked, and then furious as he took in the scene in front of him. Andy simply looked confused. "What's this?" He drawled curiously.

Taniss' cursed under his breath as Philip grinned, "you have a lot more at stake here. Put down the gun." His grin only widened as Taniss pulled back the safety, revealing that he had been bluffing before. "Willing to risk the nerd for the girls?"

His blank expression was gone now, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Guess we'll find out." Matt said nothing, his expression neutral as he kept his hands above his head. Harper was yanking at the cuffs even more now, her eyes wide in alarm, the cloth in her mouth muffling whatever she was saying.

Philip only shrugged. "You're not. You guys are a weird group. You all care for each other to much. And now," he chuckled, obviously amused by the whole situation, "you can watch your friend suffer because, hey, it's all good fun to me!"

Taniss didn't appear to have a reaction, the furious expression was plastered on his face. Having an audience seemed to make the whole ordeal more interesting, in Philips mind. He knelt down on the edge of the mattress, motioning Amaryllis towards him. She swallowed back whatever emotion she was feeling, and knelt down in front of him, face to face. For a moment, she looked as if she were going to say something, but then his hand tangled in her hair and jerked her roughly into him, and the brief moment of bravery had melted away. His free hand slid down to her waist, squeezing her harshly, enough to no doubt form a bruise. His lips brushed across her neck, sucking the skin there. She squeezed her eyes shut to block out what he was doing, especially when he shot a look at Taniss, a wide grin on his face. "Does this bother you?" He taunted, his hands sliding across her shoulders. He carefully slid the straps off her shoulder and reached for the bra clasp, his hands fumbling over it. "The damn thing won't come off--"

A gunshot echoed loudly through the small, enclosed store. Amaryllis let out a scream as a sticky, gooey spray of blood fanned across her face. Philips' body jerked, his weight crushing her beneath him as he slumped into her.

Andy let out an alarmed shout. In this moment of confusion, Matt brought his elbow into his stomach, causing him to gasp in pain. He spun around, twisting the arm holding the gun. It clattered uselessly to the floor as Matt knocked Andy's legs out from under him, causing him to slump down to the ground. Without a moments hesitation, he twisted his arms behind him, pressing a knee into his back. "Where are the keys to the handcuffs?"

Andy cried out beneath him, so he tightened his grip on his arms until he answered. "My pocket, my pocket," he gasped.

Amaryllis gave the body keeping her crushed against the mattress a rough shove, rolling it off of her and to the side. Taniss hadn't moved, his finger still on the trigger, trained on the spot Philips' head had been, his eyes wide. She clambered clumsily to her feet, staggering away from the mattress, away from Philip, unsure exactly what was happening and what she was supposed to do. She was incapable of moving until Matt had un-cuffed Harper, and she was suddenly tightly embracing Amaryllis. Automatically, her arms slid around her friends waist, and she buried her face in her thick black hair, hiding herself from view as her knees trembled.

-*-*-*-*-

Taniss had given her his t-shirt to cover up. It was a Nirvana shirt with a yellow smiley face in the center, and it fell down to her thighs. She stared at herself in the full length mirror on the bathroom door. Blood was splattered on her arms, neck, face, and legs. She ran her fingers through her hair, untangling it, keeping eye contact with herself. She picked up the rag that Piper had given her to wash off with, wet it in the sink, and began trying her hardest to get all the blood off before she hopped into the shower. She had gotten the majority of it off when she reached her neck. Once all the blood had been washed off in that particular spot, she noticed the small, dark purple bruise that had formed. She blinked back tears as she scrubbed at it, even though she knew it wouldn't help. It wouldn't come off, no matter how hard she tried. The tears spilled down her cheeks now, soft, choking sounds wrenching their way from her throat. She pulled back a fist, chucking the wet rag at the mirror. Her face was red and blotchy now, she realized, but she didn't care. She pulled the t-shirt up to hide the bruise Philip had made on her neck, pressed her back against the wall, and sunk down to the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest. Her cries were loud, sobbing sounds, and she hardly worried about if anyone would hear her. She heard the door open, but she didn't look up to see who it was.

"Amaryllis," Taniss' voice said softly, directly in front of her. She couldn't move, only continuing to sob into the crook of her arm. "Hey, look at me." Somehow, he managed to force her head up to look at him. "You're okay now. You're alright. I'm not going to let anybody touch you again. Okay? I promise. Nobody is going to hurt you ever again. Not while I'm around." She forced herself to nod, but she felt only numb, and she wasn't sure if she was at all capable of responding.

Taniss stood up, turning to the row of showers. He opened the curtain to the nearest one, leaning inside to turn on the water. He stood there, testing the water until it was hot enough for her. He grabbed a towel from the stack of things Piper had left on the counter and draped it over the rod holding the curtain, set the soap just inside so she could reach it, and turned towards her. "Amaryllis, i'm going to be just out side."

"No." She grasped onto him, tightly squeezing his arms, her gaze pleading. "Please don't leave me." She choked in a broken voice, "please."

"Okay." He kept his back turned while she undressed, sitting down against the wall when he heard the curtain close. He drummed his fingers on his knee as he sat there, having no choice but to listen to the sound of her echoing sobs.