The steamy bathroom was now quiet except for the continuous drip of water coming from the shower head. Tabina stepped onto the towel mat on the floor and grabbed the towel from the rack and wrapped it around herself tightly. Her wet, now brown again, hair was plastered to her back and the sides of her face as she looked into the mirror. There was a small bruise from the gag on her cheek and her wrists were still bleeding slightly from the deep cuts which were cut along some more bruises. She hadn’t been able to take off the heavy bandages on her foot, but she could feel the pain from it… She was starting to think she really did break her toes.
Quickly she dressed back into the pajamas and opened the bathroom door, the wraps to her wrists hanging loosely around them. “How do you…? Maybe if I just…?” She bit her lower lip slightly as she tried to wrap a wrist. She lowered her head, trying to concentrate as she walked the room and just as she brought up her head- BAM!
“Ow!”
Tabina took a step back, rubbing her forehead as she looked at the door. Just beyond it, she could hear someone giggling slightly.
“Don’t laugh! It’s not nice!” hissed a voice, and the giggling fell silent. Tabina grinned sheepishly before she opened the door. Around a table were two people, one person sitting on the window seat. Karla and an older woman (whom she supposed was Karla’s mother) were the ones sitting at the table, and the girl from earlier was the one at the window seat.
(Mira)
“Your hair looks nice like that,” said the girl on the window seat with a smile.
“Uh… T-Thanks,” Tabina said with a faint smile back, rubbing her forehead.
“Dear, would you like me to rewrap those for you?” asked the woman quickly, noticing the laughing smile on Mira’s lips.
Tabina smiled sheepishly again and nodded a little, walking over to the table and sitting next to her. She pulled back the sleeve of her right arm first and held it out to her, looking away as she began to put the bandages on. “Thank you… For helping me earlier,” she said to her, and looking over at Mira. “And for taking care of me while I wasn’t awake. It was… Really nice of you guys.”
“Don’t worry about it,” said Mira happily. “I’m just surprised I opened the door to see you in there. How’d it happen any-”
“Mira, don’t ask questions right now,” said Ella with a small glare. “You’ll have to excuse Mira. She’s Karla’s cousin visiting us for a few years while her parents are in Australia. Karla already told me she introduced herself, so there’s just me left. I’m Ella Gregerson, Karla’s mother and Mira’s aunt.”
(Ella)
“And,” interrupted Karla, “you’ll have to excuse their uniforms again… They haven’t really gotten a chance to change yet.” Tabina looked at Ella’s and Mira’s clothing, and looked back at Karla’s, noticing she had changed into normal clothing.
(Karla)
“It’s okay… I think they’re nice,” said Tabina with a smile. “Karla told me that you run the Gregerson Cleaning service, so I can understand where it’s coming-” She flinched and withdrew her hand quickly, hugging it against her chest as she felt the bandage fall limply on the side.
“Oh dear, I’m so sorry,” said Ella sincerely. “I guess I put that on a little too tight. I’m sorry Tabina.”
Tabina slowly took her hand from her chest and held out her arm again. “No… I-I’m sorry. I thought it was jus the… bracelets again,” she said quietly, looking down at her lap.
She could see Ella, from the corner of her eye, look at Mira and Karla. She finished up Tabina’s right arm and moved onto the left. “Tabina… I know this is probably too soon for you, but you need to tell us what went on with Sean.”
Tabina looked up at her and bit her lower lip again. “Um… W-Well… I don’t know,” she lied with a small sigh. “I just… I went out in the park with my book… A-And I fell asleep outside by accident and when I woke up, him and Johnus were there. They thought I looked like someone and they put something to my face and I fell asleep again… I woke up with my hands cuffed and then they left after they put the gag on me. They said they would be back with Jarred to take me somewhere…” Well, at least she was being truthful with somethings. It wasn’t the whole story, but it was the general gist… And just without Lieanna. Tabina didn’t have the heart to say it right now and get out of town… They were so nice to her and it seemed, by the look on their faces, that they cared about her… Maybe a little in the least.
“Is that all?” asked Mira.
Tabina nodded for an answer, putting down her left arm now that it was wrapped. A small silence fell over them before the oven went off.
“I told mom you were hungry,” Karla said to Tabina. “So she made us a snack before dinner.”
“What time is it?” Tabina asked her.
“Around nine.”
Tabina frowned a little in though. School usually let out around three, so she had been here for six hours. And she left her apartment last night around one… So she was there for over twelve hours. She let a sigh of annoyance escape her. That stuff could have killed me! “Um… Nothing,” she said with a smile as she looked at their confused faces.”
“Right… Well, let’s get started with eating shall we?” said Ella.
“Great! I’m starved!” said Mira excitedly as she took the spot Ella left.
Karla leaned in on Tabina. “My mom’s not the best with food… But it’s still edible,” she said to her with a wink. Tabina held back a laugh and smiled back as a ‘thanks for the warning’. She folded up the sleeves of the pajamas as a tray of snacks were brought onto the table.
“Pig out!” cried Mira happily, taking a handful of chips and stuffing them into her mouth.
Quickly she dressed back into the pajamas and opened the bathroom door, the wraps to her wrists hanging loosely around them. “How do you…? Maybe if I just…?” She bit her lower lip slightly as she tried to wrap a wrist. She lowered her head, trying to concentrate as she walked the room and just as she brought up her head- BAM!
“Ow!”
Tabina took a step back, rubbing her forehead as she looked at the door. Just beyond it, she could hear someone giggling slightly.
“Don’t laugh! It’s not nice!” hissed a voice, and the giggling fell silent. Tabina grinned sheepishly before she opened the door. Around a table were two people, one person sitting on the window seat. Karla and an older woman (whom she supposed was Karla’s mother) were the ones sitting at the table, and the girl from earlier was the one at the window seat.
(Mira)
“Your hair looks nice like that,” said the girl on the window seat with a smile.
“Uh… T-Thanks,” Tabina said with a faint smile back, rubbing her forehead.
“Dear, would you like me to rewrap those for you?” asked the woman quickly, noticing the laughing smile on Mira’s lips.
Tabina smiled sheepishly again and nodded a little, walking over to the table and sitting next to her. She pulled back the sleeve of her right arm first and held it out to her, looking away as she began to put the bandages on. “Thank you… For helping me earlier,” she said to her, and looking over at Mira. “And for taking care of me while I wasn’t awake. It was… Really nice of you guys.”
“Don’t worry about it,” said Mira happily. “I’m just surprised I opened the door to see you in there. How’d it happen any-”
“Mira, don’t ask questions right now,” said Ella with a small glare. “You’ll have to excuse Mira. She’s Karla’s cousin visiting us for a few years while her parents are in Australia. Karla already told me she introduced herself, so there’s just me left. I’m Ella Gregerson, Karla’s mother and Mira’s aunt.”
(Ella)
“And,” interrupted Karla, “you’ll have to excuse their uniforms again… They haven’t really gotten a chance to change yet.” Tabina looked at Ella’s and Mira’s clothing, and looked back at Karla’s, noticing she had changed into normal clothing.
(Karla)
“It’s okay… I think they’re nice,” said Tabina with a smile. “Karla told me that you run the Gregerson Cleaning service, so I can understand where it’s coming-” She flinched and withdrew her hand quickly, hugging it against her chest as she felt the bandage fall limply on the side.
“Oh dear, I’m so sorry,” said Ella sincerely. “I guess I put that on a little too tight. I’m sorry Tabina.”
Tabina slowly took her hand from her chest and held out her arm again. “No… I-I’m sorry. I thought it was jus the… bracelets again,” she said quietly, looking down at her lap.
She could see Ella, from the corner of her eye, look at Mira and Karla. She finished up Tabina’s right arm and moved onto the left. “Tabina… I know this is probably too soon for you, but you need to tell us what went on with Sean.”
Tabina looked up at her and bit her lower lip again. “Um… W-Well… I don’t know,” she lied with a small sigh. “I just… I went out in the park with my book… A-And I fell asleep outside by accident and when I woke up, him and Johnus were there. They thought I looked like someone and they put something to my face and I fell asleep again… I woke up with my hands cuffed and then they left after they put the gag on me. They said they would be back with Jarred to take me somewhere…” Well, at least she was being truthful with somethings. It wasn’t the whole story, but it was the general gist… And just without Lieanna. Tabina didn’t have the heart to say it right now and get out of town… They were so nice to her and it seemed, by the look on their faces, that they cared about her… Maybe a little in the least.
“Is that all?” asked Mira.
Tabina nodded for an answer, putting down her left arm now that it was wrapped. A small silence fell over them before the oven went off.
“I told mom you were hungry,” Karla said to Tabina. “So she made us a snack before dinner.”
“What time is it?” Tabina asked her.
“Around nine.”
Tabina frowned a little in though. School usually let out around three, so she had been here for six hours. And she left her apartment last night around one… So she was there for over twelve hours. She let a sigh of annoyance escape her. That stuff could have killed me! “Um… Nothing,” she said with a smile as she looked at their confused faces.”
“Right… Well, let’s get started with eating shall we?” said Ella.
“Great! I’m starved!” said Mira excitedly as she took the spot Ella left.
Karla leaned in on Tabina. “My mom’s not the best with food… But it’s still edible,” she said to her with a wink. Tabina held back a laugh and smiled back as a ‘thanks for the warning’. She folded up the sleeves of the pajamas as a tray of snacks were brought onto the table.
“Pig out!” cried Mira happily, taking a handful of chips and stuffing them into her mouth.
