Peace in Flames: A Peace Series Novella

by Caroline Andrus

  The smile fell from his face and he licked his lips in anticipation. "Get up."

  His voice was like iron, hard and devoid of warmth, it sent goosebumps prickling along her arms. She raised her chin in defiance. "No." She knew she was going to lose this battle, but that didn't mean she had to make it easy for him.

  Undiluted fury crossed his face. It was obvious he wasn't used to hearing the word no. In an act of anger and frustration, he reached out and caught her left wrist in his hand, and yanked her to her feet. She twisted her arm and tried to break free from his grasp, but he pulled her to him, as though they were partners in some kind of twisted dance. Their bodies collided and the impact knocked the breath from her lungs. Before she had a moment to recover, he was bracing himself. He scooped her up and swung her over his shoulders like one would an ill-mannered toddler.

  She sucked in a deep breath and screamed as loud and long as she could, but there was nobody around. Half the town was at the school for the dance, and the other half were drinking at one of the three bars in town. She was alone. Nobody was going to save her from what was coming. Tears began to well up behind her eyes and she blinked rapidly, trying to temper her panic and squelch the thoughts of what she was sure he had in store for her.

  Chris carried her, kicking and screaming, through the door leading into the depot. The rusted metal, which had been pried open at the hinges by the comings and goings of teenagers over the years, squeaked like nails on a chalkboard.

  He threw her to the dirt-caked cement floor and pushed the door closed behind them. The warped metal prevented the door from closing all the way, leaving a crack just big enough to taunt her. He turned to face her, that wild look in his eyes again. She scooted as far back as she could, knowing she needed to get away from him, while at the same time realizing she was putting herself further from what was probably her only escape route.

  She scanned her surroundings; there wasn’t much to see. It was mostly one large empty room—a garage really—big enough to house a few school buses. At the far end of the building were two large garage doors. The windows were cracked and dirty, but she didn’t see a way to lift the heavy doors.

  Chris chuckled and Valerie whipped her head around, her eyes now trained on her attacker. He slowly stalked toward her, a predator hunting his prey. "You can run, but you can't hide." He rubbed his hands together and had she not been so frightened, she would have laughed at the absurdity of that action; he looked like a villain in a cheesy movie.

  "If you let me go, I promise I won't tell anyone what happened."

  "You're not going anywhere until I get what I came for."

  He'd reached her now and knelt down on the hard ground in front of her. With two strong hands, he grabbed her by her upper arms and pulled her to him. Before she could even comprehend what was happening, his lips were on hers. They were hot and tasted of stale beer and something stronger. She gagged and clamped her lips shut. She turned her head away and tried to push him off but his grip was too strong. He pushed her back, forcing her to a lying position on her back. The ground was cold and hard beneath her, and a rock or some other jagged object jabbed into her hip. She squeezed her eyes shut when she felt his weight on top of her, pinning her to the ground.

  His lips at her neck, he braced himself on one arm, while using the other to fumble with the left strap of her dress. She tried to lash out with her legs, but between the fabric of her dress and the weight of his body, she was unable to move. Her hands were locked between their bodies and she struggled to pull them free.

  His tongue trailed across her neck, wet and slimy. Bile crept into her throat; this couldn't be happening. This was not how she wanted her first time—or any time—to be. She doubled her efforts to free her hands and felt a surge of triumph when her left hand escaped its prison from between their bodies. She didn't waste a moment and clawed at his neck and cheek.

  Chris chuckled into the flesh above her breasts. "Ahhh, so you like it rough."

  Valerie shrieked and clawed more ferociously as his free hand tore through the thin strap holding up her dress. He pulled the fabric down and exposed the black strapless bra beneath. Then his body was crushing her again, forcing the breath from her body.

  "Please," she whimpered. The tears she'd been fighting finally trickled out, a damp river trailing down her cheeks. "Chris..."

  "See, I knew you wanted it."

  She squeezed her eyes closed and tried to will her mind to separate from her body. He was going to do what he wanted to her and she didn't want to remember it. This isn't real. It's just a bad dream.

  And then, the pressure on her body was gone.

  She gasped, her lungs eagerly drinking the oxygen. Her eyes opened in time to see a figure punch Chris in the nose and throw him to the ground. Her eyes grew wide as her brain put together the pieces of what was happening.

  Liam.

  She didn't know how, but Liam was here, and he was literally kicking Chris' ass right in front of her. Chris attempted to punch him, but Liam dodged and pushed Chris to the ground. Chris struggled to stand up, and she watched in shocked astonishment as Liam kicked Chris in the ribs. As big and strong as Chris was, he wasn't getting up.

  A surge of hope coursed through her body. She sat, frozen, and watched the whole thing play out.

  Chris groaned, clutching his stomach. Liam lurked above him. When it was clear Chris wasn't going to get up, he took a few strides toward her and knelt down a few feet away.

  "Are you okay?" His voice was calm and gentle. He didn't try to touch her, instead he watched. He reached out a hand, tentatively, as one would approach a wounded animal.

  Valerie shook her head back and forth. "Yes. No...I..." How could she answer that when she herself didn’t know? She cast a glance at Chris, still on the ground between her and Liam, and the door. "I need to get out of here." Her voice was a hoarse whisper.

  Liam nodded. "May I?" He extended his hand toward her. She hesitated. The thought of anyone touching her right then was terrifying, but she knew she needed help, and Liam had proven himself trustworthy in more ways than one.

  After a long pause, she nodded. She grabbed his hand and winced as he helped her slowly to her feet. Her body was stiff and sore. She grasped the top of her dress and pulled the torn material up, trying to hide her body.

  For the second time that night, Liam removed his jacket and placed it around her. Hesitantly, he settled his arm around her shoulders. She felt him relax a bit as she leaned into him, feeling a wave of calming comfort from his close proximity. He had saved her.

  He helped her navigate past Chris, giving his prone body a wide berth. Once they were outside in the fresh night air he asked, "Do you want me to take you home? Or call someone?"

  Valerie stared at Chris’ truck and shook her head. She didn't want anyone to know what happened. All at once, an onslaught of tears rushed down her cheeks. She was cold and shaking. Shock, she thought vaguely.

  Liam hesitated. "I could take you back to my place. My mom is out, so she won't be around to ask questions."

  She continued to stare at the truck. She could go to Liam’s house. Was that a good idea? Was it safe? She mentally warred with herself.

  "Where's your house?" she finally whispered. Her tears had stopped but she was still numb. She rubbed the hand that wasn't holding her dress together back and forth over the opposite arm. Despite Liam’s jacket, she was numb. Liam pulled her closer and his body heat felt nice, though it did nothing to stop the shaking.

  "There." He pointed across the bus depot's parking lot to the trailer park.

  She nodded and allowed him to guide her. The walk felt like an eternity, though in reality it couldn’t have taken more than a few minutes. Valerie kept replaying everything that happened over and over again in her head. She was angry and ashamed, how did she let herself get in this situation in the first place? She was too trusting. It was her fault, she shouldn't have been sitting on her porch. She should have been safe inside
her house. At the very least she should have locked herself inside as soon as she heard those tires squealing on the pavement.

  She was so stupid.

  They finally stopped in front of a trailer. It was nearly identical to the ones around it. Liam released her and pulled a set of keys from his jeans pocket. He stepped forward to unlock the door and guided her inside, locking the door behind them.

  What she could see of the trailer was sparsely furnished and moving boxes were piled in one corner, waiting to be unpacked.

  "It's not much..." He ran a hand through his hair and regarded the meager room self-consciously. "Here." He removed his jacket from her shoulders and grabbed a throw blanket from the couch. He gently wrapped it around her, then slipped his jacket back on. "Can I get you something to drink? Water? Milk? Orange juice?"

  She shook her head. She needed to be alone.

  "Are you sure you don't want me to call someone? The police?"

  She shook her head frantically. If the police were involved then everyone would know what had happened. She cleared her throat. "No. I don't want anyone to know."

  A worried crease appeared between Liam’s eyes and his lips turned down in a frown. She could imagine the battle waging in his head; torn between doing what she wanted and what he probably felt was the right thing.

  Eventually loyalty to her won out. "Do you want to go home? I can try to get my hands on some wheels and drive you back myself."

  She considered his offer, then shook her head again. "What if he comes to and finds me there?"

  "You have to go home sometime." His words weren't unkind, but they stung.

  "Not yet."

  He sighed. "My mom would not be cool with a girl spending the night."

  Tears prickled behind her eyes again and she hated herself. She didn't want to be that girl. She prided herself on being self-sufficient. Tonight, she was anything but.

  Liam groaned. He squeezed his eyes closed and reached into his pocket. Pulling his hands out he stared at his empty palms. "Shit."

  She cocked her head quizzically.

  "My lighter. It's gone." He groaned again. "It must have fallen out while I was...." He trailed off and his eyes met her. They both knew how that sentence ended. She was grateful he didn't finish it.

  "Listen, if you're quiet, I can hide you in my bedroom tonight. I can sleep on the floor and you can have my bed. My door locks, so we won't have to worry about my mom walking in and busting you, okay?"

  She nodded.

  "But, what about your family? Won't your parents worry if you don't come home?"

  "I'll call..." Valerie closed her eyes and sighed. Her phone. It was in her purse, which was on the porch swing where she'd set it when she came home, before Chris...

  "What?"

  "My phone is in my purse. At home."

  "Oh... that will look suspicious."

  She nodded. "JoJo will cover for me. Can I use your phone?"

  He unlocked his phone and handed it to her. She paused, her shaking finger hovering over the screen. She was in no state to call anyone, especially JoJo. One word out of her mouth and her best friend would know something was up. Instead, she pulled up his text messaging app and sent a text.

  VALERIE: It's Val. Are you home yet?

  JOJO: Walking in the door. Sup? Liam's phone?

  VALERIE: My purse is on my porch swing. Grab it and bring it into your house. Text my mom from my phone and tell her I'm sleeping at your house tonight.

  JOJO: ???

  VALERIE: Please. I'll explain later.

  JOJO: Okay....

  VALERIE: You are the best. Later.

  JOJO: Later...

  Valerie handed the phone back. "JoJo will cover for me," she repeated her earlier words, her voice a whisper.

  "And what will you tell her? Are you sure you don't want me to bring you to her house?"

  She shook her head again. "If I see her now, she'll know something happened. I can't..."

  He nodded and held up a hand. "I get it. Come with me."

  He led her down a short hall and opened the door to a bedroom. Like the living room area, the decor was sparse. A bed covered in a blue comforter sat against the wall across the room, while a dresser with a single framed photo on top sat to her right. She stood awkwardly in the entryway, still clutching the throw blanket around her body. Her shivering had finally eased up.

  Liam pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants with a drawstring waist so she wouldn't have to sleep in her dress and handed them to her. Then he showed her to the bathroom.

  The mirror above the sink reflected a girl she didn’t recognize. A girl she wanted to forget. Her lip was slightly swollen and a trail of black tears ran from her eyes, marring her cheeks and reminding her of a zombie raccoon. She quickly changed into the too big clothes and scrubbed at her face with water, trying to remove as much of her smeared makeup as she could.

  Drying her hands on a towel, she realized she still had a splinter in the palm of her hand. She stared at it a moment, trying to remember when she’d gotten it. Everything was a blur. She needed to remove the evidence. She looked around the bathroom until she located a tweezers in the cabinet. She pulled the splinter out and tossed it in the trash, staring at the dot of blood on her palm.

  She closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. Calmer, she bundled up her dress and shoes in her hands, slipped the blanket back over her shoulders, and entered the bedroom. Liam was busy spreading spare blankets on the floor to use as a bed for himself.

  "I could sleep on the floor," she said softly.

  He shook his head and offered a kind smile. "No way. You need a good night’s sleep. Climb in. When I'm done in the bathroom I'll lock the door so my mom won't come in."

  She watched him leave the room, closing the door gently behind him. She stood in his room, feeling out of place. She walked to the dresser to inspect the photograph she'd noticed earlier. There was an attractive Asian man looking stern and proper in a military uniform next to a bored looking younger version of Liam. An attractive brunette was on Liam's other side, smiling at the camera. Those must be his parents, she thought.

  The toilet flushed in the bathroom and the faucet turned on. She crossed the small room to the bed, pulled back the covers, and slipped in. The bed was soft and warm, and despite the torrent of emotions running through her, she was asleep before Liam even returned.

  Morning came quickly and when Valerie's eyes fluttered open, it took her a moment to figure out where she was. With that revelation came a wave of nausea. She squeezed her eyes closed and tried to melt into the bed and disappear. She didn't want to face another human being ever again. Eventually though, she heard voices from outside the bedroom door and curiosity got the better of her.

  She swung her legs over the side of the bed and tiptoed past Liam’s empty pile of blankets on the floor. She pressed her ear to the bedroom door and listened.

  "What is going on?" Someone asked. Was that JoJo? "Enough excuses, where is she?"

  She heard footsteps and before she could back away from the door, JoJo was there pulling it open. Her friend stopped short and blinked in surprise.

  "Valerie!" JoJo looked her up and down, scrutinizing her for any sign of distress. "What the hell is going on?"

  "Um..." She glanced past her friend. Liam stood behind JoJo, shrugging and shaking his head. "Nothing."

  JoJo looked between the two of them.

  "What did you do to her?" she asked Liam.

  "Nothing! I swear." He held his hands up defensively.

  "Nothing, JoJo," Valerie reiterated.

  "Then what are you doing spending the night at the house of some guy you barely know?"

  "It's a long story."

  "Try me."

  She looked to Liam for backup. He shrugged again. She knew he wanted her to tell the truth, but there was no way that was happening. She just wanted to forget the previous night had ever happened.

  Valerie stared at JoJo's sne
akers and tried to come up with a plausible excuse. "Um... I had too much to drink and Liam let me sleep it off."

  "You? Drinking?" JoJo's voice was filled with astonishment.

  "It's true," Liam added. She shot him a grateful look, she wasn't sure he'd back up her story.

  "So, you mean to tell me that after all these years of me trying to get you to lighten up and have a sip, all it takes one date with a cute boy for you to finally let loose?"

  Valerie nodded.

  JoJo turned to Liam and held up her hand for a high five. He appeared baffled, but gave her a weak slap to the hand.

  "Anyway," JoJo said. "I brought you some clothes. Now you won't have to do the walk of shame in last night's dress."

  "Thanks, JoJo," Valerie said gratefully. "You're the best."

  She grinned. "I know."

  Valerie took the bag and said, "Give me a couple minutes." She turned and entered the bathroom, locking it behind her. Once safely alone, she set the bag down and stared into the mirror. She looked the same as ever, but she felt different, as though she'd experienced a lifetime of emotions in a single night. At least the swelling in her lip had gone down and Chris had left no other visible marks on her face. She couldn’t say the same for her arms and legs, but she could cover those easily enough with clothing.

  She emptied the contents of the bag and got dressed. Looking herself over once more in the mirror, she thought she could pass as a regular teenage girl who hadn’t had her entire life torn asunder only hours before. She tugged her hair free from the neck of her Peace High hoodie and, bracing herself to lie to the world, exited the bathroom.

  "While you were sleeping it off, you missed all the drama," JoJo said. She was seated in a chair at the dining room table. Liam stood in the doorway, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

  "What drama?" Valerie asked. She looked quizzically at Liam, who appeared as confused as she did. There was no way anyone could have known what Chris had tried. Not without knowing the part Valerie had played.