Page 74 of This Blood That Breaks Us
“Promise?”
“Fuck yeah, I promise.”
I tried not to remember my childhood, but there was one memory I couldn’t let go of. I thought of it the most because it brought me comfort like nothing else. When I felt alone, I replayed the memory over and over.
Luke and I were six.
My face was hot where my dad had hit me.
I’d run down to the basement to hide from him. I remembered little about the basement, but I remembered the sting on my face and the headache I got from crying so hard. The light at the top of the stairs turned on, and I cowered in the corner, hoping it wasn’t my dad, and Luke emerged. His lip was bloody.
I never understood why Dad liked hurting us. He didn’t hit Mom or our little brothers. Just Luke and me. He was good at hiding it. It was rare he’d leave marks and even more rare for them to be on the face.
Mom thought we fought a lot. We lied. Even after Dad left. I think we were afraid he’d come back. He would come and go out of her life, getting her pregnant and disappearing when she needed him the most every time. I never blamed her for it, though. She was lonely. And tired. I understood that type of tired now.
He’d been especially angry that day. I couldn’t remember why, only the strong scent of alcohol as he’d yelled in my face.
Luke had smiled when he saw me and sat next to me, then rubbed my back. “We’re okay. It’s all going to be okay.”
I’d been shocked by the way he wiped the blood from his lip and pulled me close to him.
“He won’t come down here.”
“H-how do you know?” I sniffled, enamored by his unwavering faith.
“I just do.” He hugged me tighter. “I’ll protect you.”
I didn’t care who I had to be or what I had to do. I would get us to Ascension, and I would protect him no matter the cost.
TWO MONTHS LATER
Dear Luke (and probably Zach too if he’s feeling less broody today),
This isn’t fair. That’s the only important thing I want to say.
P.S. Do you remember that time I had to get my wisdom teeth out? You both came, and Luke held my hand, and Zach talked to me while they put me under. I used to say it was the worst day of my life because I was one hundred percent convinced they were going to put me under and I wasn’t going to wake up again. But I’ve been thinking of that day over and over. When I woke up from my anesthesia, you were the first faces I saw. If I could time travel, I’d go back to that day. Actually, I’d pick that day in the forest and warn us all so we could avoid this whole situation. That would probably be the smart thing.
But thinking of wisdom teeth day makes my chest stop hurting for a few seconds.
Love you forever,
Presley
Twenty
Luke
My heart was about to beat out of my chest.Come on, Luke. You’ve got this. Don’t let this beat you.
I splashed water on my face to try to stop the wave of adrenaline from taking me under. It shouldn’t have been sohard. My reflection stared back at me. I don’t know who I expected to find there. Not me. Not Luke.
I rubbed my chest where my ribs hurt.You’re okay. You’re safe.
I’d had a lot of practice with the panic but hoped it would stop showing up. I hoped for a lot of things. None of which seemed to ever turn out.
That didn’t mean they wouldn’t. Just not yet.
I wiped my face with a napkin and stepped out of the bathroom, and Ezra was waiting.
