The Pain That Stuck

         Daryn stared at the word puzzle intently. He turned on the table lamp to his left and squinted slightly. The dark room gave an intense feeling, but he was set on finishing his puzzle. He heard a sniff to his right, but ignored it. He checked off another box. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Acadia. A tear fell from her cheek. He turned his head up and toward her.
“Are you ok?” She smiled and wiped her eye gently with her handkerchief.
“I’m ok,” she nodded. He turned back to his word puzzle, squinted his eyes tight, and again spoke.
“You can’t be ok. I have never seen someone choking so much on their own tears as this.” He set down the word puzzle and walked over to the sofa. “I promised I would be here with you. Do you want me to start up a warm bath for you? I have some exfoliating rose petals in the cabinets and I think you really need some comfort.” Acadia nodded. Silently, she scooted closer to Daryn. He kissed the top of her head and hugged her tightly. He then left toward the bathroom. Acadia stared into the fireplace. Not because of the burning sensation on her right arm, but because it was a source of light. She needed that right now. She frowned and turned to the kitchen door, where she heard a sharp noise. She didn’t realize it at first, but she was standing up.
         Before she knew it, she was close enough to touch the door. She felt the handle. It startled her, for it was not cold, as metal handles usually are, it was hot, burning, untouchable. She knocked on the door, but there was no answer. She couldn’t understand why there was such a heat coming from the door when nothing was inside. Suddenly, she felt a sensation on her shoulder, the same as that of a spider crawling across it. A hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. She would have screamed, if she had any bit of voice left. Her jump was enough, however, to obtain an apology from Daryn.
He took her hand and placed five petals in it. Five petals, five rings, five stormy nights. Her mind wondered for a moment, then she realized Daryn was ushering her toward the bathroom. She walked slowly with him. Once to the bathroom, he lifted her chin and smiled softly. “Enjoy this. Just be gentle on your arm. It’s very sensitive right now.” He closed the door gently. Acadia was alone now. She felt the pain in her arm now that her mind was directed to it. She slowly made her way over to the bathtub. She set down the petals and dipped a toe in, cautiously. She felt the temperature course through her body as she sunk down into it.
         Her mind blanked and she felt at peace for a moment. She took a petal and began scrubbing her left leg using one petal, and then her right using another. She felt some of the pain leave, for the good feeling of the warm water overtook. She then scrubbed her left arm with the third. Though bruised, it didn’t feel as bad as she knew her right arm would. When it came time to feel her right arm, the memory came drifting back. She winced and bit her lip. The pain of the brand would remain with her forever, though it was all over, a war would forever wage inside her head. When she finished, she gasped. His face was all she saw. The rose he offered her, the black car that showed up to take her away. She could almost remember how it felt to be in the back of the semi truck many years ago. The cold, the crowdedness, the girls she met. She hoped they would escape as well.
         Though she used the last petal to scrub her face, she knew it would never, ever scrub the pain away. It would never wash away his face, and no amount of scrubbing would ever wash away the memory.