Phantom Scars Read Free

that night. When I opened the door, I heard a small gasp, and my eyes found little Emma scrambling to cover herself in the corner.
    I quickly turned my back, giving her a chance to dress. “Are you decent?” I asked after a moment.
    There was a softly whispered, “Yes.”
    I looked over my shoulder to see that she was dressed and moving to the far side of the room.
    “Sorry, Ms. Emma, I was sent to my quarters by the captain. A storm has come up, and I’ll be wanted on the bridge all evening while we make our way around it.”
    She just nodded, but didn’t move. I noticed her large brown shirt seemed much more fitted. “You fixed your shirt,” I said smiling.
    She blushed lightly and then nodded yes. She turned around and showed me how she had attached a button to one side and made a loop on the other side and then hooked them together, pulling the material taut against her body.
    “Well, you did good,” I complimented.
    She just shrugged lightly, and I saw how she had done something similar to her pants.
    “Well, I hope you don’t mind company for the next couple of days,” I said and lay back. 
    She shook her head no, and then she surprised me, when she pulled out a book from who knew where and sat down on my duffle quietly. I looked over at her a few times, wanting to know what she was reading, but she never looked up.
    I finally couldn’t stand the silence anymore and got up and walked over to her. She looked up at me nervously. “What are you reading?” I asked grabbing the book edge, tilting it so I could see.
    She bit her lip, nervously looking at me, unsure of what I was doing. I saw her wide fearful eyes and knew I was too close. “Sorry,” I said and moved back across the room. “I was just curious.”
    She let out a sigh and nodded okay, setting her book down. She pointed to the bed, and I moved to it, not fighting her. She surprised me by kneeling down next to me. She pressed her finger to her lips to shush me. I guess she knew I wanted to ask more questions.
    She gently stroked my hair, causing me to relax and close my eyes. I heard a soft humming of a song I didn’t recognize, but it seemed familiar, and before I knew it, I was asleep.
    When I woke up later that day, she once again had her shirt off, but she had not noticed me. She was leaned over my little sink, washing her hair.  The soft floral fragrance I had been smelling off and on since our last port assaulted my nose. It was heavenly. I breathed in deeply with my eyes closed and then let my shamed eyes wander across her bare back. I noticed a long angry scar that marred her skin from her right shoulder to her left hip.  There seemed to be a few other marks, but I could not see them clearly. Before I realized what I was doing, I was standing behind her, examining her scarred back. I reached out, touching the bright red angry gash, and she just about leaped out of her skin.
    She spun around, whipping me with her wet hair, soaking my white shirt through.  She slammed herself back against the wall, trying to put distance between us, as she wrapped her arms around herself, covering her breasts. I quickly looked for her shirt, and noticing it on the floor by the sink, I picked it up. She was whimpering and shivering, as I stepped closer to her and held the shirt out for her to take.
    After a few moments, she finally reached out, taking the shirt, and I saw on her wrists that there were bondage scars. My brow furrowed, and I looked into her eyes, worried and wanting answers, but I knew she wasn’t in any state of mind to give them. I watched her pull her shirt on, tugging the sleeves down to cover her scarred wrists.  She sat in a quivering ball in the corner. “I’m not going to hurt you, I promise. I didn’t mean to startle you, I just saw your back was hurt and was worried. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
    I backed up and turned the water off to my little sink. “I should get us some food, please wait here. I’d like to talk to