Disclaimer: Laurell K. Hamilton owns all these characters.
I’m just using them for my own amusement.
Feedback: I’d love some. Please don’t be too harsh, constructive criticism is
welcome. Send comments to [email protected]
Safe
By Snow Leopard
As soon as Cherry entered the room she was rushed by a group of people. They
were all talking at once and so fast that she could hardly distinguish between
the different voices. She tried to yell above the noise but no one could hear
her. Finally she just stood with her arms crossed until everyone was silent.
“What is wrong with ma petit?” Jean-Claude asked, his voice devoid of all
emotion. His face was a lovely mask as unreadable as his voice sounded.
“I’m not sure--” Cherry started to say but was interrupted by Richard’s
yelling.
“What do you mean you’re not sure? You’re a nurse, you’re supposed to know!” he
exploded at her. His eyes flashed amber but changed back to normal before
anyone but Cherry noticed.
“I mean I’m not sure,” she repeated. “She wouldn’t say a word. And anytime I
tried to get near her she would point her gun at me and start whimpering. I’ve
never seen anything like it.” She threw up her hands in defeat and collapsed on
the couch.
“What are we supposed to do then?” Jason’s voice was desperate. He ran his
hands through his short blond hair. Sitting next to Cherry on the couch, he put
his head in his hands and quietly began to cry. Cherry rubbed his back gently
in an attempt to comfort him. Jason fell into her arms and sobbed.
“We’ll just have to wait and see if anything changes,” Cherry answered Jason’s
question. From the looks on everyone’s faces, that wasn’t the answer they were
hoping for.
************************************************************************
Anita huddled in the corner of the room with her gun. She didn’t know how long
it had been since she had stumbled into the Circus. She had barely managed to
make it to her room and curl up in the corner. People had come in and out a
lot, but after the first time, at least they had learned to keep the light
turned off. She hadn’t let anyone come near her either. She couldn’t after what
had happened to her. After what they had done. If anyone touched her, she would
break completely.
************************************************************************
Richard came back to the Circus after another day at work. Ever since Anita
came back that night, he had been staying there. Jean-Claude even set him up
with a bedroom near Anita’s. Not to close though. Anita had made it clear that
she didn’t want anyone anywhere near her. Except for Cherry, the closest she
would let someone get was just inside the doorway to her room. And even Cherry
she wouldn’t let get much farther than that. She stayed huddled in the corner
the entire time except to go to the bathroom. She didn’t even eat. It had been
a week and still no change.
Cherry came out of Anita’s bedroom interrupting Richard’s thoughts. He jumped
off the chair hopeful of getting some news. She just shook her head and kept
walking. Richard was about to sit down again when the phone rang. Since he was
right next to it, he picked it up.
“Richard here,” he said into the receiver.
“It’s Edward. I need to speak to Anita,” came the brusque reply.
“She can’t talk right now,” Richard informed him.
“Why not?” Edward asked blandly.
“I don’t know. Something’s wrong with her. We don’t know what. She won’t eat or
sleep and she doesn’t let anyone near her. All she does is sit in the corner
with her gun. She doesn’t even talk,” Richard told him. He waited for an
answer. He finally realized no one was on the other end. Shaking his head he
hung up the phone and sat back down.
************************************************************************
Not three hours had passed before Edward was bursting into the Circus of the
Damned. After talking to Richard he had to come and see Anita. Making his way
down the stairs he saw everyone grouped around the fire. He saw Cherry come out
of a room off to the side and shake her head. The group slumped visibly and no
one spoke.
Jean-Claude was the first to notice him. “Monsieur Edward what a pleasant
surprise. To what do I owe this visit to my home?” His voice and facial
expressions did not change once since Edward had entered.
“Richard said something was wrong with Anita so I came to help,” Edward
replied.
“Would you please inform ma petit that Monsieur Edward is here Cherry?”
Jean-Claude asked politely.
She nodded and went to Anita’s door. She told her that Edward was in the other
room and wanted to see her. Cherry had to throw herself backward to avoid being
plowed into. Anita barreled out of the room and straight into Edward’s arms.
Hugging him tight she buried her face in his neck and cried. The first emotion
she had shown in a week. Getting over his initial shock, Edward put his arms
around her and whispered soothing words in her ear. Everyone was too stunned to
do anything. Edward picked Anita up and took her back into her room. When
people tried to follow, Anita pulled her gun and started whimpering as soon as
they got into the room. Giving up, they all went to sit around the fire again.
************************************************************************
After carrying her into the bedroom, Edward laid her down on the bed. Then he
sat down beside her. Anita turned around and rested her head in his lap. He ran
his fingers through her hair. Without knowing it, he began to hum an old song
that he remembered from his childhood. He didn’t remember much from his
childhood so that he remembered this song surprised him. He felt Anita shift in
his lap and looked down.
“I’m glad you’re here Edward,” she said with tears in her eyes.
“When Richard told me something was wrong, I couldn’t stay away,” Edward told
her.
Anita turned her head and looked away. Edward put his hand beneath her chin
pulling her around to look at him. “What happened Anita? What could be so bad
that you would break?” he asked
“I was raped Edward,” she whispered. “I was raped.”
Edward was in disbelief. All the things that had happened to her and all the
things she went through everyday and this happened. Something as savage as
rape.
“I’m sorry Anita. I’m so sorry.” Edward put his face in her hair as a few tears
slipped past his clenched eyelids. “But why me? After a week of solitude and
silence you open up to me. Why?” he asked through his tears.
Anita grabbed his face and brought it to her own. She pressed a chaste kiss to
his lips and pulled back. Edward’s smile was full of wonder. Hesitantly he
kissed her again, more passionately this time. When they finally separated she
spoke.
“You are the only person I’ve ever felt safe with,” she said.