Page 18 of In the Light of Day

“I wouldn't want to leave anything that someone could use if they stumbled across this place.”

“Give me forty-eight hours to get some explosives and it will be nothing more than dust and rubble.”

I'm confident in my skills and know that if she is sure of her decision, then the physical reminder of what happened to her will fade.

Chapter 14 - Nova

Stretching, I try to uncurl my body from the cramped position I was sleeping in. The small couch in the station break room is deceivingly comfortable. Martha is sitting on a chair next to me, crocheting little jellyfish with a smile on her face. A few loud bangs come from one of the surrounding rooms before the door to the break room slowly opens and Ace pops his head in. His eyes light up when he sees I'm awake.

“We just got back but I made a stop at the local bakery. It's not the best place I've ever seen but decent enough. The coffee is terrible though. You want me to make you an instant?” he says, walking over to the small kitchenette completely oblivious to the waves of emotions rolling through me. Have they not just been searching the forest for where I've been held captive for the past five years?

“Um, Ace?”

“Two seconds darlin', let me come sit down and we can share this chocolate eclair.”

Is this the Twilight Zone? Martha is just finishing a tentacle on the fifth jellyfish she seems to have made. Ace is casually brewing us all coffee and then he wants to eat eclairs. The sheriff is who knows where?

Did I, or did I not just escape a bunker in a forest?

I stare at his back, his bulging arms braced against the counter, a ripple rolling down his back.Is he tense?I see him take one deep breath and then another, his head dipped low, almost out of sight ...almost. While he waits for the kettle to boil. His eyes are closed, a deep frown on his brow and just as he turns to face me, I can see the smile he tries to force. A small gesture of reassurance as he puts Martha’s coffee down next to her.

He comes and sits next to me on the small sofa and because of his size, it means we’re squeezed in but I don't mind that we have to touch. His body is warm as his thigh presses against mine, one arm stretching behind me. My breath catches slightly as the memory of being held down flickers to the surface and I try to collect myself. Not wanting to make all of my issues everyone else's so they can enjoy a small reprieve from the drama that I've brought to their lives. The faint sound of my mother's voice saying,ladies act demure,ensuring I don't let my facade slip.

Ace's fingers graze my chin, gently pulling my focus in his direction. Despite my promise, I do nothing to hide the tears forming in my eyes. I'm still scared and hopeful about what he might tell me.

“We found it.Everything. I need you to be sure that you want it gone. We can wait a little bit, but ultimately once it's gone, it's gone.”

Shutting my eyes, I try to control my breathing as visions of what he would have seen storm my memories. I don't know if I can look at him again, knowing he has an idea of what happened. I shut my eyes and try to move my head away but his fingers remain on my chin, resting there, not forcing me to stay but letting me know that he wants me to keep my focus in his direction.

“Was it ...” My voice breaks as I keep my eyes firmly shut, trying to compose myself to ask the question. “Was it as bad as it is in my nightmares?”

My sobs escape again and I'm gently pulled into Ace's lap, his arms wrap around me and I can't help but feel safe as I dig into his chest and cry uncontrollably. He rubs my back in a soothing motion and I hear him say so quietly that I almost miss it, “It was worse darlin' ... It was worse.”

Just like in the shower only hours earlier I cry until I can’t cry any more. My tears soak through his shirt as I hold onto him, keeping me anchored to the here and now. Never once does he waiver in his hold of me. Moving as I move, always keeping me safe wrapped in his arms.

When I'm finally brave enough to look at him, Martha having long since left the room, he grins broadly at me and pushes some of the tear stained hair off my face.

“I don't know about you but I have a hankering for some chocolatey goodness,” he says, reaching over to the small coffee table and bringing a large brown bag to my lap. Tearing it open, a pile of delicious looking pastries greet us both and he takes one, putting the entire thing in his mouth, showing me a large food laced smile. The juxtaposition from sorrow to joy is so fast a laugh escapes my mouth, startling me as it slips past my lips.

I laughed.

I laughed … again.

This incredibly large and amazingly coordinated man made me laugh in what I hope is the beginning of the end of the lowest point of my life.

Picking up an eclair, I bring it to my mouth, intending to take a bite when Ace quickly leans over and steals a large chunk from the pastry I'm holding. Leaning his head back, muffled laughs escape his full mouth, cream and chocolate smeared all over like a kid still trying to learn how to eat ice cream. Without thought I stuff the remaining pastry in my mouth, cream now overflowing my mouth making me splutter when I try to take a breath. Bits of cream and chocolate fly all over Ace's face, where he sits feigning shock and we both burst out laughing, more cream flying all around us. The silliness of what we're doing completely takes over, leaving me feeling a little lighter in the all-consuming pain I feel.

Chapter 15 - Nova

Creep - Radiohead?

“I managed to get a hold of your parent's household but the person I spoke to said they were unavailable. I don't know what to say, I’ve not come across a situation like this.”

The sheriff's voice is calm, however, the deep frown line on his brow speaks volumes about what he really thinks. And if I'm honest, I can't blame him.

I don't understand either.

I was taken from my family and they’re acting like I slighted them, punishing me for something I had no control of. We might not always have seen eye to eye but surely they spent some time looking for me?

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