Melissa’s Tribulation part IV

*** Rewritten into parts and respaced ***

Melissa’s Tribulation part IV



Melissa was sitting alone in the Red Lion Pub in Greenwich. She took a sip of the vodka she had ordered and gazed out the window. Her body ached terribly from the abuse she had suffered over the last two days. It was hard for even Melissa to comprehend what had actually happened to her.

Yesterday, she had been repeatedly raped by her own brother and four of his friends in London. As a result of that, she had come to Greenwich today to clear her head and think. Unfortunately, she ran into three American sailors who had other ideas for her. After they had each raped her, they had tied her down and gagged her, leaving her in the woods while they went to a pub. During the time that they were gone, a stranger had come across Melissa, and instead of helping her, he had also raped her and left her as he had found her. When the sailors returned, she was raped twice more before managing to escape.

“Mind if I sit down, luv?”

Melissa looked up to see the barmaid who had served her. She shook her head “no” and went back to staring out the window. The barmaid sat in the chair across the small table from Melissa.

“My name’s Dani.” She looked questioningly at Melissa.

“Melissa.” she answered the unasked question.

“Nice to meet you, Melissa. I just thought I’d see if you’re alright. Not feeling too well, are you?”

Melissa glanced at the barmaid, then went back to staring out the window.

“Look,” Dani said softly, “this may not be any of my business, but you look like bloody hell!”

“Gee, thanks.” Melissa muttered.

“No offence intended. But really. Look at yourself. Your eyes are swollen and puffy from crying, your hair is matted down, there are two buttons missing from your blouse, your trousers are grass stained and you’ve no shoes on.”

“Okay. So I’m not a neat person.”

“I’ve got some experience with this, luv. Quite a bit of experience, actually. I can tell when a girl has been raped.”

Melissa stared at her, not knowing what to say. Was it that obvious? Did everyone in the pub know?

“Easy, luv. None of the blokes in here are smart enough to recognize the signs. It’s just between us.”

“Okay,” Melissa replied, “it happened. It’s over. I just want to go home.”

“Where’s home?” Dani asked.

“London. I’ve a return ticket on the tour boat.”

“Are you sure you want to take the boat in the condition you’re in? And what about the tube when you get to London?”

“I don’t seem to have much choice, now do I?” Melissa said.

“I let a small cottage just outside of town.” Dani told her. “It’s an easy walk. You’re welcome to spend the night. Get a shower, clean up some, a good nights sleep. In the morning, we can get you something decent to wear.”

“I’m a stranger. Why do you want to help me?”

“I told you. I’ve some experience with this.” Her look was far away. Then a smile returned to her face. “Besides, us girls have to stick together, don’t we?”

“It does sound appealing.” Melissa sighed. “I can’t tell you how tired I feel.”

“Then it’s settled. As soon as I finish my shift, we can leave.” Dani smiled and stood up, then pointed at Melissa’s glass. “I’ll get you another, on the house. You look like you could use it.”

By the time Dani finished work, Melissa had consumed three large vodkas. Since she had not eaten all day, she felt quite light-headed.

“Ready to go?” Dani asked with a smile.

“Ready.” Melissa replied as she rose unsteadily to her feet. Dani took her by the arm and guided her out the door. In not quite twenty minutes, they had arrived at Dani’s small cottage. Unlocking the door, Dani lead Melissa inside.

“Not so big, but I call it home.” Dani said as Melissa looked around. They were in a small sitting room furnished with a couch, two chairs and a coffee table. There was a book case against the wall with a cheap print hanging to either side. A doorway directly across from them opened onto a small kitchenette. To the right were two more doors, one leading to the bedroom, the other to the bath.

“It’s very nice.” Melissa told Dani.

Dani smiled. “It serves it’s purpose. That’s the bathroom. I’ll get you a towel and a nightgown.”

Dani disappeared into the bedroom. In less than two minutes, she returned with a large fluffy towel, a white nylon nightgown and a pair of white nylon knickers.

“We’re near the same size.” Dani told her. “These should fit reasonably well.”

“Thank you.” Melissa smiled. “I don’t really know what to say.”

“Then say nothing. Shampoo and conditioner are on the shelf in the shower. Soap is in the dish.”

Melissa stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. She removed her soiled blouse and trousers and inspected herself in the mirror. Dani was right. She did look like bloody hell. Turning on the shower, she adjusted the water temperature to be as hot as she could stand it and stepped in. Picking up the soap, she lathered and rinsed three times, trying to get the feeling of being dirty off of her. She then shampooed and rinsed her hair twice. Turning off the water, Melissa stepped out onto the bathmat and picked up the towel.

After toweling off, she picked up the hair dryer and brush from the sink and dried her hair. When she was done, she dressed in the underwear and nightgown that Dani had supplied. The white nylon gown was a near perfect fit, somewhat low cut in the front and mid thigh in length. It hugged Melissa’s body as if made for her.

Melissa opened the door and stepped into the small sitting room. Dani was sitting in one of the chairs wearing a silk robe, her legs curled under her and a book in her lap.

“Feeling better?”

“Much.” Melissa replied.

“I made you a sandwich.” Dani said, nodding towards the coffee table. “I’d be willing to wager that it’s been ages since you’ve eaten.”

“You’d win that wager.” Melissa said, as she sat down. Next to the sandwich was a large glass of milk. “You do seem to understand, don’t you?”

“I told you, I have experience.”

“You?” Melissa asked softly.

Dani nodded. “I was fifteen years old. Still a virgin. I’m not even sure how many of them there were. They did everything to me that you can think of, and some things that you probably can’t. I guess I understand how much a little kindness can mean sometimes.”

“I’m sorry.” Melissa said.

“Forget about it. It was a long time ago. Now eat your food.” Dani smiled at her.

They sat in silence while Melissa ate. She hadn’t realized how hungry she had been.

“Would you like anything else?” Dani asked when Melissa had finished.

“No, thanks. That was plenty.”

“Listen. I know that right now you feel like you can never, ever talk about what happened. You just want to push it to the back of you mind and bury it. But take it from me, don’t keep it bottled up. It’s no good for you. Find someone to tell. It’s really the best thing.”

“I’ll try, Dani. But I think it will take a long time. I’m not sure that I could stand seeing the pity in a person’s eyes while I told them what happened.”

“Well, give it some thought, just the same. And now, let’s get you to bed. A nights rest will help.”

****************************************

It was late afternoon and Melissa was on the tour boat, watching the shore pass by as it slowly made it’s way up the Thames toward London. Dani, the stranger who had become a dear friend overnight, had supplied Melissa with fresh underwear, socks, jeans, t-shirt and sneakers. Melissa had promised to keep in touch and to contact Dani if she needed anything.

She thought how strange it was that some people were so evil and heartless while others gave so freely of themselves. Even after what Dani had been through herself, she had refused to become either cynical or self serving. Melissa wondered if she would be able to deal with her own experience as well as Dani.

The tour boat docked at Westminster Pier and Melissa stood up to disembark. As she crossed the pier and began climbing the steps, she wondered at how it seemed absolutely ages since she had left London rather than just one day. It seemed as if she were returning after a long, long journey.

Entering the Underground station, Melissa made her way to the platform for the train that would take her home. As she boarded the train, she wondered what her apartment would seem like when she got there. If the familiar streets of London seemed strange, would her own apartment seem alien as well?

The train slowed to a stop at Melissa’s station. As the doors sighed open, she stepped onto the platform and turned to the exit. The sun was just starting to go down while she walked to the building that housed her apartment. Her brother Sebastian also had an apartment in the same building.

Sebastian. How would she feel about him? She had always loved Sebastian, had even had fantasies about him. But that was before he had raped her. How would she feel when she saw him? How would she react?

Melissa unlocked the door of her apartment and entered. Looking around, she had the same feeling as she had when she had stepped off the tour boat. Everything was familiar, but somehow different. Melissa sighed. Would things ever get back to normal?

****************************************

The boat ride home had been hot and humid, causing Melissa to feel somewhat sticky. She took a quick shower, then put on a nightgown and robe. She wasn’t going to bother dressing since she was staying home tonight. Maybe she could figure out some of the things that seemed so confusing to her.

Melissa sat down in front of her computer in her bedroom and pushed the power on switch. Maybe some time surfing the net would help clear her mind. Just as the system finished booting up, there was a knock at the door. Melissa stood up and walked into the living room.

“Who is it?” she asked at the door.

“Mel! It’s me. I need to talk to you.” She recognized Sebastian’s voice through the door. “Please, let me in.”

Melissa hesitated for a moment before unlatching the door. Then, she relented. After all, he was her brother. She would have to face this sooner or later. Better to just get it over with. She opened the door and let him in.

“Thanks, Mel.” Sebastian said with a small smile on his face. As he stood before her, tall, muscular and good looking, Melissa felt the familiar twinge that had always caused her to fantasize about her brother. Even with all that had happened, she still felt an attraction to him.

After latching the door, Melissa crossed the room and sat on the couch. Sebastian followed and sat next to her.

“So what did you want to talk to me about?” Melissa asked.

“First, where were you last night? I stopped over and you weren’t here. I kept coming over until after two in the morning. I was worried about you.”

“Worried? YOU were worried about ME?” Melissa let the sarcasm come through.

“Yes, I was worried about YOU! In spite of what’s happened, you’re still my sister, and I still love you. You must know that!”

“How can I know that, Seb? How can I? You hurt me. You hurt me more than anyone ever has.”

“I know, Mel, I know. And I’m truly sorry. But you were thinking about it, too. You’ve thought about me taking you for ages. You know you have!”

“But that was just FANTASY, Sebastian! It wasn’t suppose to really HAPPEN!”

Melissa began crying softly, her face in her hands. Sebastian put his arms around her and pulled her to him. Melissa put her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist as the tears rolled down her face.

“Don’t cry, Mel. It will be alright.” Sebastian told her softly as he rocked her gently in his arms.

They sat like that for quite some time, Melissa crying softly and Sebastian holding her in his arms. Finally, Melissa’s tears stopped. Excusing herself, she went to the bathroom where she threw some cold water on her face and blew her nose. Going back to the living room, Melissa sat on the couch and leaned on her brother’s shoulder. Sebastian put his arms around her and they sat for several minutes without speaking.

“You said that it wasn’t supposed to really happen, Mel.” “That’s right. It wasn’t.”

Why not? Really, Mel, tell me why not?”

“Because it’s WRONG, Seb! You’re my BROTHER and it’s WRONG!”

“According to who, Mel? According to who? If you and I have feelings for each other, if we each want the other, who has the right to tell us that it’s wrong? Who has the right to tell us how to run our lives?”

“I don’t know.” Melissa replied softly. “I just know that it’s how I feel.”

Sebastian held his sister closer, squeezing her tightly against him with the arm around her shoulders. He put his other hand on the side of her face and gently stroked her cheek. Melissa sighed and snuggled closer. In spite of what had happened, it felt so good being here with him. It felt so very good.

Sebastian tipped her head back and softly touched his lips to hers. The kiss was gentle and lasted only a split second. Sebastian let his lips play over Melissa’s forehead and down her cheek, returning to her lips in another soft meeting. Melissa responded, returning the kiss as she laid her hand on his cheek. Sebastian’s hand traced down her cheek, over her shoulder and down her side.

Melissa felt his lips part, felt his tongue gently probing. She hesitated only a second before parting her lips and allowing her tongue to meet his. She felt him untie the belt of her robe. He pushed her robe open to expose the short nightgown she wore. She felt his hand on her abdomen, felt it moving up towards her breast.

“No.” she said breathlessly as she pulled her lips from his and pushed his hand away.