Darkness Turns To Light by R.J Reagle (grave mercy TXT) 📕

water soothed all my bruises, and I felt so much better when I stepped out of the shower and covered myself with a warm fluffy towel that I had washed the day before. I looked in the bathroom mirror. The one bruise on the side of my face could easily be covered by cover up. I blow dried my hair and applied the makeup carefully, making sure not to show the bruise so much. I looked at my arms. The bruises reached down my side and all down my arms. I went to my room and picked out a black shirt, sort of low cut and it had red butterflies on the front. Then I grabbed a pair a bell bottom jeans and a butterfly belt to match.
I studied my reflection in my mirror and sighed a breath of relief as I discovered that there was no visual sign of bruises. It was six o’clock by the time I was done getting ready, and I trudged downstairs, my heart thumping wildly in my hest with every footstep. I watched Family Guy for about an hour. The door bell rang and my heart jump to my throat. I got up and answered it. “Hi Talon” I barely managed to say. He smiled his most incredible smile. “Are you ready to go Annie?” he asked holding out his hand. “Absolutely,” I answered, and took his hand, which was warm and smooth under my skin. A tingle of excitement winded through me. He pulled me in closer for a hug, and I fought back a wince as he tightened around my poor bruised skin. When he stepped back I smiled at him and we went to his car.

Chapter 4


When I got in the car I realized I had no idea where we were going. “Um Talon? Where are we going anyways?” I asked tentatively. He laughed softly, “you don’t want me to ruin the surprise now do you?” I shook my head, and smiled. A surprise? We drove a little ways more. The moon was full in the sky and the more we drove the sooner I realized that houses started giving way to trees and then the most beautiful lake ever. The moon shining on its clear glassy surface, we drove up the road to a secluded spot right on the lake. A blanket was placed under a clearing of trees and on the blanket was a cute little picnic basket.
“Oh Talon its perfect. You didn’t have to go to all that trouble.” I said blushing. He laughed, “its no trouble at all for the most beautiful girl ever. Your so worth it.” I must’ve blushed deeper, feeling my face get hot and I couldn’t help but smile. No body has ever done this for me before. I felt so happy. We sat next to each other on the blanket. The intriguing aroma of lasagna, mashed potatoes and warm biscuits made my stomach flip with hunger. He cooks too? Now I knew I must’ve been dreaming. The lake made gentle splashes against the shore. While we ate. It was so romantic, so relaxing, it made me forget my life completely and focus on the most important thing at that precise moment. Talon.
“So, you cook, your romantic, you fall down gracefully and your understanding. Is there anything you cant do.” I laughed. He pulled me in closer. I looked up at him, his beautiful lavender eyes, so clear and bright, longing to kiss me. And I did. A long and passionate kiss, so smooth and wonder as stabs of heat rushed throughout my body. I closed my eyes, taking him in, making this most marvelous kiss last. I ran my fingers through my hair and he put his hands on the small of my back. Pulling me in and I broke from him to rest my head on his chest. I watched the water make ripples across the moons reflection, while listening to the steady beat of his heart as mine had sped up. Perfection. I never thought I could truly be this happy. He looked down at me and smiled.
He reached out to take my hand and bumped the bruise on my arm by accident. Indistinctively I gasped. He looked at me with a confused gaze as I looked down. “Annie? What’s wrong?” he asked, worry creeping into his voice. I slowly looked up at him and sighed. What was I going to say? Oh my dad abuses me on a daily basis but not to worry. No, I didn’t want to tell him. “Nothing, absolutely nothing I’m fine.” And I smiled to reassure him. He looked at me cautiously and then at his watch. “Oh man, its nine oclock already. I better get you back. I don’t want my parents to flip out on me and I don’t want to get your dad mad at you.” he said and helped me up off the blanket. Then he bent down and started packing up. “Do you want any help?” I asked. He shook his head and laughed. “Nah, I got it. Its kind of cold out though so why don’t you wait in the car.” And he kept right on gathering the things off the ground. I did as he asked and made my way back to the car.

Chapter 5


We pulled up in front of my house and it was dark. I breathed a silent sigh of relief. At least he wasn’t home. Talon pulled up to the curb and got out of the car. He opened my door and held out his hand. “Welcome home Madame.” he said dramatically. More like prison, I thought but accepted the hand without a word, but a small smile. He led me down the side walk leading to my house. I didn’t want to leave him. I wanted this night to never end. For once in my life it felt like I was just a normal person. No drunken father, no friends worried stares as I made my way home, no thought about my mother. I liked the care freeness of that night. It made me feel very special.
We made it to my door. I looked into his amazing eyes again. It was like he could capture me. Keep me safe and calm and normal. “Will you be ok home by yourself tonight?” Talon asked. I laughed, more at the question than at him. I wasn’t ok when my father was home. I nodded to him. “Yeah I think I’ll be alright.” And he pulled me in for a goodnight kiss, which was shorter than the one by the lake but definitely sweeter. Then he walked back to his car, whistling a very strange and beautiful tune. I stood in my doorway watching him back away from the curb and drive into the night. Then I went inside and flicked the hallway light on. I was half expecting to see him standing in the doorway as he did the night before but the space he once occupied stood silent and empty. I breathed a sigh, I was safe for now. I walked up to my room, humming that strange tune that Talon had whistled on the way to his car. I went into my bathroom and washed off the makeup, revealing the covered bruises. But there was something in my golden eyes that I hadn’t seen before, something I always dreamed I would see but never could. True happiness.


About a week or so later I was at the park. Just lying in the grass on my stomach reading Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer for about the hundredth time, when all of a sudden a shadow fell over me. I looked up startled. “Talon! What are you doing here?” I asked and got off the ground. He gave me a hug and a kiss. “I wanted to see if you…” he trailed away as he looked at my arms. I had gotten another beating last night and there was a bruise on my sleeveless arm. I tried to hide it but the damage was done. “What the hell is that?” he demanded angrily. “Um, what are you talking about?” I tried to play it off innocently. Bad idea. “Oh come on Annie. Don’t play dumb with me. I saw the bruise. Who did that to you? Tell me I need to know now!” he was so angry the angriest I’ve ever seen him. I was scared.
“Well… my dad actually did that last night. Please don’t tell anyone please.” I begged him. He looked at me as if I was crazy. I looked down. “How long has this been going on Annie?” he asked me, his voice calming down some. I hesitated. “Since I was about fourteen.” I whispered. His face turned red. “You stay here ok.” he told me and he raced toward his car. I thought for a moment and I realized he was headed for my house.
“TALON NO! TALON COME BACK PLEASE! HE’LL KILL ME DON’T DO IT PLEASE!” I shouted running after him. His engine burst into life I raced after his car. My house was only a block away from the park but I ran there it felt like it would take years to get there. My legs were like rubber, buckling with each step as they pounded against the pavement. I finally reached my house and I saw that the door was wide open. I heard shouting from inside. I ran inside my house.
“YOU HAVE NO GOD DAMN RIGHT TO BARGE INTO MY HOUSE LIKE THIS!” my father yelled at Talon. “Oh what are you going to do about it, you drunken asshole? Gunna hit me too? Well come here, I’ll give you a real fight you sick-o.” he screamed. Big mistake. “How dare you!? How dare you speak to… you, you little whore! What the hell is your problem? Who is this fool making a scene IN MY HOUSE!? You want to be abused so badly? Well get over here and I’ll show you true abuse.” and he advanced on me. My heart jumped. I tried looking for a way out but I couldn’t. Talon jumped in front of me and blocked my fathers path towards me. “You have to get through me to get to her.” he said. My father grinned and walked over to a place behind the cabinet. What he pulled out made my skin crawl. It was a .45 ml hand gun, shiny but not exactly new. He pointed it at me. He was going to kill me. My own father was ready to kill me.
He took a step closer, steadying the gun a bit. “And to think how good of a father I had been to you. To such an ungrateful little whore.” he slurred the words but as he said them I almost laughed. But no matter what I couldn’t make any kind a sound come out of my mouth. He puts his finger on the trigger. Aimed it towards my heart. A shriek caught in my throat and stuck there. Right when I heard the deafening blast of the gun, Talon knocked me back into the ground. I got up and looked around. “TALON!” I had finally managed to scream. He lay a few feet away from me, covered in blood, and I knelt down beside him. “Talon! No Talon please, please don’t leave me please.” and the tears flowed down my cheeks. His breaths came shallowly. All of a sudden I heard a click and the touch of hot metal against the back of my head.
“Say hello to your mother for me.” he laughed a manic laugh. It frightened me to the very core. I was scared and I shut my eyes. Then came another deafening boom. I peeked