Chapter 2 - Since you've been gone
When I woke up the next morning, I felt highly refreshed. Well, my body ached from the beating I'd taken yesterday, but other than that, I felt good. I crawled out of the bed and only then realized how filthy I was. Mud caked my clothes on the floor and my skin. My clothes were tattered all to hell and my hair had twigs and leaves in it. I could feel the tiny stings on my skin where I'd been scrape by trees deep enough to bleed.
A shower. I needed a shower. Or a bath. A bath sounded even better for my aching legs. I've never been very athletic in my life. Last night was the most I've ever run in my life.
I walked out into the living room and looked around. I didn't notice a bathroom last night, but then I wasn't really looking for one. I found another door I'd walked past. Opening it, I found the bathroom. My jaw hit the floor.
The opposite wall was entirely mirror. Along the bottom of the mirror was a giant jacuzzi bath, big enough for at the very least five. It was a dark purple marble with viens of gold and silver shot through it. The faucet was a crouching tiger on a log. There was a slit under the log that I assumed was the faucet. The knobs were two little bushes on either side of the log. They all gleamed silver.
The tile was silver and gold, alternating like a chess board. A counter made out of the same kind of marble holding a sink with a similar faucet to that of the bathtub. I checked under the counter and sure enough, purple fluffy towels filled it. I grabbed two of them and set them on top of the toilet, which sat opposite the counter, near the bathtub.
I glanced at myself in the giant mirror. I did indeed look how I felt; beaten and worn out. I turned on the faucets to a nice warm, almost hot, temperature and hopped into the marble tub. It filled up quite quickly for such a large tub. I let the water pour out like a waterfall from under the silver log untill the water was up to the tops of my breasts. My god, this was a deep tub!
My muscles relaxed in stages. The ached went away with a wash of warm water. A coldness in the center of my being seemed to ease. Steam rose lazily from the top of the water, my thoughs along with it.
Jason was gone. I'd spent almost two years with the abusive b*****d. My father loved him, but of course, anything to keep me oppressed, my father loved. I didn't have to have the heartache of my mother watching all of it happen to me. She wasn't broken, she just didn't care. I knew that, she'd told me.
When I was six, I'd almost died by a car hitting me. In the hospital, my mother showed up and sighed when she saw I was alright.
"I'm okay, mommy!" I'd exclaimed, reaching for her. "I'm okay!"
"Damn."
I'd frozen. "What, mommy?"
"I was hoping you'd finally be off my hands." and then she left me there to cry.
The memory filled my heart with a hard ache. I pushed it away. My mother never loved me, not something I could change. My father didn't love me; again, not something I could change.
Jason, though....
I'd thought he loved me. But he didn't. He like the idea that I was oppresible and my father was giving him major money for me.
The thoughts of how no one there had cared for me choked my up, but I thrust them out. I didn't have to deal with them anymore. They were gone. Poof. I never had to deal with them again. Ever. The thought eased another cold lump inside me.
I was free. Finally.
I gave a happy sigh and looked for some sort of soap. A small bar of it sat next to the tiger. I grabbed it and inhaled. It smelled vaguely like honey and almonds. I lathered myself up and got all the mud off. Along with the mud, the thoughts. Gone. The thought made me smile. I scrubbed everything away and by the time I was done, not only did I smell edible, the water was a murky grey color. My god, I was dirty!
Just then I realized there was no shampoo or conditioner. Or so I thought.
Like magic, it was suddenly there. Two bottles of what looked like homemade shampoo and conditioner. I jumped a bit and eyed them. They didn't look harmful, but poison ivy is a pretty plant. Then again, they had the same scrawling elegant writing on them as the note did.
Well, what could a bottle of shampoo do?
I scrubbed my hair with the stuff and immediately was happy I did. They had the same scent as the soap, but more powerful, and more relaxing. I sank into the feeling of clean hair and shampoo that smelled edible.
When finished, I drained the tub and wrapped myself up in the towel. They were so soft and warm, like they'd just come out of a dryer. I was thankful for them, but too soon did I realize I had no other clothes. Only the filthy ones. Putting those on seemed to totally defeat the purpose of the bath.
Sighing, I went to my room anyways. Maybe there was something left in the closet. Yet, on the way there, I realized there was nothing in there last night when I'd look at it.
"Then again, Ivi," I said to myself. "The shampoo and conditioner weren't there when you first arrived, either."
I entered the room and looked inside the closet. Sure enough, clothes now filled it. I had to remember to breathe for a second. Jeans, skirts, shorts and all sorts of tops hung on the numerous hangers. Shoes lined the bottom. Hell, there was even a little dresser, which upon opening, I discovered underclothes.
"Holy s**t," I whispered, picking out clothes. Maybe I was just tired. Yeah, that would explain why I didn't see anything. Hell, I didn't see the doors to the bedroom and bathroom last night. Maybe everything I was finding was here last night, I just walked past it. Yeah, that had to be it.
After dressing I headed to the kitchen. Upon opening the fridge, I found...well, food. Lots of food. From all the food groups. I shook my head. My god, I was tired last night.
I fixed myself a salad with chicken strips and some sort of homemade dressing that smelled wonderful. When finished, I walked out the back door to see the backyard. It had a small cobblestone walkway, like the one in front, but out here there was a food garden, not a flower garden. Ever veggie imaginable was growing like happily little plants on one side, the other was fruit trees and vines.
I shook my head. "It's got to be magic. It's got to be...."
Magic doesn't exist I scolded myself. You were just really tired.
But that note said something about magic in this house....
I shrugged the thought away and went inside to make a fire. I was slightly chilly and so was the house. I left the nagging thoughts alone. The note said magic, and I'd seen enough proof. Besides, even when i'm tired, I don't miss that much.
If this house had magic, I was willing to leave it alone. One good thing my family did give me...a willingingness to accept help. Wether others didn't believe it or not. I mean, I'd always thought magic was real, but I'd never seen proof of it. Untill now. And it wasn't foreboding. If anything, It was helpful.
But cuddling on the couch with the blanket in front of the fire, I couldn't help but wonder what else was in store for me from this place.
Sassy Stormy Sky Community Member 
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