The Bar

27. Two Years Ago

*Trigger Warning: Talk of a rape/sexual assult experience*

Flint approached Clara in the kitchen, his hands nearly shaking. Clara looked up at the large man and gave him a slight smile.

"Clara, we need to talk," he says and nods towards the sitting room. Her smile fades and she follows his direction to the sitting room.

She sits on the edge of the leather sofa, feeling uneasy. The scottsman paces and tries to force the words out.

"What happened two years ago?" He asks finally.

Clara takes a deep breath and opens her mouth but no words form. She licks her lips and slowly bites down. She leans back and begins to pick at her nails.

"It was nothing..." she says with a crack in her voice.

His hands turn to fists, he sighs and tries to calm himself.

"What happened?" He asks again.

She shakes her head, looking away from him. Her eyes on her hands that lay in her lap. She feels the pain in her throat, a pain in her head, a pain in her chest. She tries not to cry as she begins.

"I...I was...I went to a football game...some friends at school wanted me to go...and I went and had fun...I couldn't drive yet and my parents didn't like me hanging out with other students so I told them I was at the church helping out with this evening youth group... and I was walking home..." she trails off, tears forming. Her eyes begin to change to a red color as she holds the tears back. She takes in a shuddered breath and continues.
"I was walking home," she repeats, her voice cracks.
"My dads friend saw me walking, he said he'd give me a ride... but...um...he didn't take me home," she begins cry a little, trying to hold it in to tell him. It needed to come out.

"He pulled into some dirt road. He pushed me down on the seat of his truck..."
Flint closes his eyes not wanting her words to hold any truth to them. The pain in her voice said otherwise, none of it was a lie, all of it held true.

"He took out a pocket knife and held it at my hip and said that if I screamed, he'd stab me," she explains then sniffled and let some of the tears stream down her face.

Anger boiled within him. He didnt want her to continue, but he needed to know. He need to know what happened.

"Thats why I have those scars, on my hips. He...he took off my clothes and he forced-" she stops suddenly and hears Flint slam him fist against a wall. She shakes at the loud sound.
She whipes away the tears and sniffles.

"Where is he now?" Flint asks already knowing the answer.

"I testified agaisnt him and He went to prison," she answers, trying to calm herself.

Flint needed more answers. He asks the next question that comes to mind.

"Is Sevonism really a cult? Did you grow up in a cult?" He asks trying not to harshly accuse her.

"I didn't know what it was until recently. I found out monthes ago and thats one of the reasons why I needed a job. I needed to get away from them," she explains. She stands up and begins to walk to him.

"How many levels of retribution were you forced to go under?"

She walks up behind him and places a hand on his shoulder.

"Flint-" she begins to try and calm him down but it doesn't work, it only makes him angrier.

"Answer me!" He yells. He leans against the wall, his head against the grey paint.

"All of them." She finally answers. He feels sick, like his body is about to shut down.

"How many times did you go through the last level?" He asks reluctantly.

"Once. After I was...raped." She says hating her words.

There are several minutes of silence. He hears her sniffling behind him. He feels his body give up on him, he turns around and leans his back against the wall and slides down to sit on the floor. Clara turns to look at him. Her face red and puffy from crying.

"Come here," he says. He opens his arms and she obeys. She sits between his legs and turns to nuzzle agains his chest. He wraps his arms around her and lets her cry into him.

"You never, ever have to go back. So help me god, you will never go back," he says. She nods against him and holds onto him for dear life.

                    _______________

Clara laid on the couch in Flint's office. She listened to the sound of shuffling papers as he tried to keep himself busy and from going insane.

A knock on the door came and Flint hurried to the door to prevent them from bothing Clara's sleep. The door opened before Flint could catch it in time. Vanessa swooped into the office and sweetly anounced herself.

"Hi, Captain. I hope, I'm not bothering you," she says cheerfully.

"No, I just..." he whispers and shifts his gaze to the couch.

Flint blocks Vanessa's view of the couch, to refrain her from seeing Clara and getting upset. He knew Vanessa had told the other waitresses of her intentions to seduce the boss and she made it known that her goals would be met come hell or high water.

"I was just on the phone...is everything okay?" He asks. She smirks and tries to move past him but he refuses to let her any further.

"I was thinking..." Vaness began to trail her fingertips up his chest causing him to pull away.

"Thinking of getting back to work? I think thats a good idea," Flint suggests and points at the door.

Vanessa laughs loudly and turns to the door.
"Your so funny...but I know your busy, so we can continue this later?" She says moving to the door.

"Sure," he said. He would say anything to get that woman out of his office.

Vaness shrugs and leaves, closing the door behind her. Flint lets out a large breat and turns around the find a groggy Clara staring at him while laying on the couch.
He puts his hands in the pockets of his slacks and walks to his very tired girlfriend.

He smiles and says the one thing he has been wanting to say to her.

"Hi." He says smirking.
She smiles, her eyes closes.
"Hi," she says.

He kneels besides the couch and kisses her forehead.

"Hi." He says again.
"Hi." She replies and smiles even bigger.