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Post by Tess Echo on Oct 19, 2009 14:23:39 GMT 9.5
Tess felt a shake and at first, it did nothing. Then she heard Paul's voice breaking through the nightmare, which had just caused her to gasp in breaths and sounding squeaky, not letting the air out. Her eyes snapped open and she looked at Paul. She collapsed in his arms and burst into tears.
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Post by Paul Zion on Oct 19, 2009 14:28:37 GMT 9.5
He held onto her gently yet comfortingly. "Shhh...it's okay, now. I've got you." He ran a hand through her hair. "It was just a dream, Baby. You're fine..."
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Post by Tess Echo on Oct 19, 2009 14:38:12 GMT 9.5
Tess continued to sob, but felt safe in Paul's arms. Nothing would hurt her there. Her body shook from the fear and she closed her eyes. For a second, she saw nothing. As soon as she felt relieved, she saw James' face...and the way he looked at her....
Her body tensed and she clung to Paul. "Please don't leave me...."
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Post by Paul Zion on Oct 19, 2009 14:41:28 GMT 9.5
He held onto her. "I won't. Promise." He murmured. He thought a moment. "You seem shaken pretty bad...is...is everything okay? I mean...you wanna talk about it?" He looked at her, concern in his eyes.
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Post by Tess Echo on Oct 19, 2009 23:33:30 GMT 9.5
Tess sighed softly. When Paul asked if she wanted to talk about it, she shook her head vigorously. Though something told her that she should. "I need to get some water..." She wished she could just lay there, but she knew what she had to do. She grabbed his robe and put it on. Walking in the kitchen, she grabbed a glass and poured water in it. She drank it down, and then paced in the kitchen. After a couple of strides, she walked back in and sat next to him. "I was adopted...." Tess started
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Post by Paul Zion on Oct 20, 2009 0:27:10 GMT 9.5
Paul nodded quietly when she shook her head. He understood that she didn't want to talk. It was obviously a traumatizing thing for her. He let her get up to get water, and waited for her to get back, intending to comfort her however he could. He hated seeing her like this.
When she came back and started talking after sitting next to him, he listened closely.
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Post by Tess Echo on Oct 20, 2009 1:06:02 GMT 9.5
Tess closed her eyes, so she could see it clearly. "My adoptive father, James, took good care of me the first ten years of my life. After that, he taught me how to clean the house, iron clothes, do yard work, cook, and stuff like that and then expected me to get everything done in one day and get it perfect. When I didn't...he'd beat me. I'd go to school with bruises and sometimes even burns."
Tess paused a second, coming to the worst night. "It got so much worse on my 18th birthday...I woke up early and we had breakfast. Everything was fine until that night. He gave me a box. When I opened it, I saw that it was a short red silk nightgown....I looked at him and he was practically on top of me....I managed to get out of there, but not after some more beatings, and I tried to fight him off...But in that dream...I didn't get out...H-He..." She couldn't finish the sentence as she covered her face with her hands, trying to stop the tear flow.
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Post by Paul Zion on Oct 20, 2009 1:19:04 GMT 9.5
Paul was wrapped in the blanket as he listened. The things Tess went through...it was...horrible. He felt his anger boiling just thinking about it. But not towards Tess, not at all; towards James. He'd kill him.
Paul pulled her close, wrapping her in the blanket with him and kissing her forehead. "You didn't deserve treatment like that. But don't worry. As long as I'm around, you'll never have to deal with that."
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Post by Tess Echo on Oct 20, 2009 1:33:51 GMT 9.5
Tess felt warmth and comfort laying in the blanket and in his arms. Softly, she replied, "...I thought I did....I mean, what good would I be if I didn't know how to do all that..." She snuggled closer to him and closed her eyes. "I'm glad I won't have to deal with that when I'm with you, though..."
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Post by Paul Zion on Oct 20, 2009 2:52:59 GMT 9.5
Paul held onto her like he'd lose her if he let go. "It's okay now. And you know I'll protect you. No matter what. I love you." He ran a hand through her hair while his other hand rubbed her back through the robe.
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Post by Tess Echo on Oct 21, 2009 14:46:45 GMT 9.5
Tess clung to him, grateful that he was always around for her. What would she do without him? "I love you too...and I know you'd protect me. You'd be the first I'd call." That was saying a lot, putting a lot of trust and faith into him. But, after all, he was her boyfriend and they loved each other very much. It made sense.
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