Page 26 of Protect Me
“I like the sound of that.”
“I figured you might. Drink up.”
I down the tea, chugging it before the bitterness can register. The idea of being up and around again is too tempting to pass up. When it’s empty, I set the mug aside.
Adaya eyes it with approval.
“Now, eat.” She carries a plate over, and my stomach immediately cramps and growls with hunger.
The eggs and toast are gone nearly as fast as the tea. When I’m done, I feel clearer and more energized than I have in a long time. Honestly, I can’t remember a time in recent history when I felt as light as I do now. As unburdened and…well…alive.
“Whatever was in that tea, I need more,” I say.
She laughs. “Come on then. On your feet.” She bends down and pulls the covers off me. I squeak in panic when I remember, too late, I’m still naked, thanks to that spill on the bathroom floor.
“Oh, please,” she says, “I’ve seen it all before.”
I exhale. She’s right.
You’re safe,I remind myself.
Adaya helps me stand and dress. The clothes fit surprisingly well. A pair of spandex shorts, a sports bra, and a large t-shirt. Being fully clothed and on my feet gives me a sense of strength I didn’t know I needed.
By the time I’m done, Adaya is standing back and watching me with a sort of approval.
“The herbs worked out well,” she says. “How do you feel?”
I take a moment to move. Flexing my arms around and twisting at the waist. Nothing hurts badly enough to stop me, and that makes me smile. “Strong,” I reply.
“You’ll want to take it slow. Ease back into activity until you’re sure you’re properly ready.”
“Can I perform?”
She puts her hands on her hips. “What part oftake it slowdid you not hear?”
I grin. “Hard lessons,” I remind her.
She casts a glance toward the ceiling. “You’re just as hard-headed as all of them. Which means you’ll do just fine in this place. All right,” she says, marching over to grab her bag. “But don’t be surprised when your body tires more quickly for the next few days.”
“I’ll be careful,” I promise her, already excited to get out there.
She pauses at the door, her expression softening. “Whoever did that to you... I’m here when you need me, okay? But hopefully, for your sake, you don’t.”
“Thank you,” I tell her.
She nods and slips out.
I blink back sudden tears of gratitude for the woman who healed me without knowing a thing about me—and without asking questions either. It’s far rarer than it should be to find good, honest people in this fucked up world.
Before long, though, my eyes are clear, and the feeling of my sudden freedom makes it impossible to remain inside this apartment. I can move again, without feeling like I’m going to keel over from the pain of it. That’s something I took for granted before that awful night. And it’s not something I can waste in this moment.
I make it as far as opening the door and stepping into the hall before uncertainty halts me. Doubling back, I grab the key Duncan left for me that first night. Then I step back into the hall and lock my door behind me.
My door.
It’s temporary, I know, but that apartment became a safe space over the last couple of days. I won’t take that for granted, either.
Tucking the key into my sports bra, I turn right and head for the stairwell marked by a sign. All I can see on this floor are more doors that look like mine, which means the performing areas must be somewhere else.