Page 5 of Protecting Christina

I waited for my sister to show up. She rarely stayed quiet for long. If she was in that house, I would hear her soon enough.

“Don’t move. I’ll be right back,” he finally said and shut the door behind him.

I exhaled, and my shoulders relaxed. I hadn’t realized I’d tensed up like that. After inhaling a couple of deep breaths, the door opened again.

This time my sister appeared.

I hadn’t seen her in years, and I hardly recognized her. She’d cut her curly brown hair to her shoulders and her once round face was gaunt and pale. Despite the low light from the setting sun, my sister squinted when she stepped outside. Simon followed closely behind her.

“Christina?” she asked. Her eyes were dilated, and her lips were dry. She was on some sort of drug. I could tell that much. She wore a tank top and shorts which hung loosely on her. My sister always wore the tightest clothes she could find. But she appeared to have lost some weight, so I wasn’t sure if that was the reason for the ill-fitting clothes.

“Donna, are you all right?” I asked. My hand reached out to touch her arm, and she flinched. I pulled my hand back.

She licked her lips. “I’m fine.”

“Why don’t we go for a coffee and catch up?” I looked into her red eyes. “It’s been a while.”

“Yeah. It has been. But now’s not a good time.”

“Why not?”

Simon interjected. “We have some friends coming over, and it’s best if you leave.”

He grabbed my sister’s arm and pushed her back inside the house. This time, he closed the door completely. “It was great catching up. But it’s time for you to go.”

“I’m not leaving without my sister.”

I had no idea where this protective instinct came from. I didn’t learn it from either of my siblings. Perhaps it was from my parents, but I’d only been a child when they were killed. Despite the anger I harbored inside of me, I couldn’t walk away. It wasn’t just because she was my sister. I didn’t think I could leave anyone who looked the way she did in that house with Simon. If she was willingly taking the drugs, I wasn’t sure. But she was in no state to be left unprotected in that house.

“Get Donna and I’ll be happy to leave.” I sniffed the foul air and recoiled from his odor. “I can’t wait to get the hell out of here.”

He clenched his fist and stepped closer to me. “Get the fuck off my property.”

My heart beat faster in my chest, but I didn’t back down.

“Not without my sister.”

“Didn’t you learn from the last time, princess?” The nickname on his lips brought me back to that night and I thought this time I would surely throw up on his doorstep. He’d said the name over and over as a punishment.

“You always thought you were better than the rest of us.”

My heart hammered against my chest, warning me to flee, but my legs wouldn’t move. I inhaled sharply through my nose and confidently said, “I am.”

His nostrils flared, and his jaw tightened. “Get the fuck out before I hurt you, princess.”

I ignored every survival instinct that shot through my body. My flight response kicked into overdrive, but I fought against it. This was the reason I’d decided to come here. I wanted Simon to know he didn’t break me.

“No.”

He looked over my shoulder behind me. I wasn’t sure what he saw because I didn’t trust him enough to look away, but he unclenched his fist and stepped back.

“You saw your sister. No need for a wellness check. This is the last time I will warn you.”

He opened the door and I knew enough about the law that I’d be trespassing if I forced my way inside.

I wouldn’t be leaving with my sister tonight.

“This isn’t over,” I said.

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