Chess is the game by emily walton (classic book list TXT) 📖

welling at the edge of my eyes. I bit down, hard, and I knew I drew blood a few seconds before I tasted it. I slammed my eyes shut. two more snaps, and more pain, fallowed, ad then it reseded slowly.

" better?" I nodded, my eyes still squeezed shut, hand still shoved in my mouth. I sniffed, then gasped, reaching for a pot holder. I lifted the boiling noodles off of the stove and dumped them in a strainer. I heard the boys shuffle around, and Knew they were pretending to do homework, which meant one thing- mom was now in the room.


" Misery, Is the food done?" she said too sweetly. I shook my head, watching her out of the corner of my eyes. she picked up a wooden spoon, and I started to tremble. I heard air whistle as she brought it down fast and then felt the sting as the wood hit my cheek, the momentum making my head turn.

" Why not, Misery? and who fixed your hand?" I shrugged, and I felt the sting in the exact same spot.

" Don't Lie! finsh cooking and go to your room. your not allowed out tonight, since me and your father is going out, screw up." I felt the sting one more time, and a tear in my skin. soon I felt the blood running down my cheek as she walked up. I glanced at a mirror and flinched. my cheek was red and swollen, with blood running down it. I caught Phillips eye in the reflection. he was shaking, and at first I thought he was mad, but then, with a sickining feeling in my gut, I relaized he was restraining Chess from going after 'mom'. I cleared my throat.

" don't. Phillip, get the key from her and let me out when she leaves. we'll talk then." I ran my tounge over my cracked lips, then finished supper. I poked my head out into the living room so they knew it was done, then hesitated. after a second, I went over to Chess, bent and kissed his cheek, barely letting my lips touch his skin before I pulled up and scurried to the stairs.

" Misery, their gone." came Phillips voice through the haze I used to call sleep a few hours later. I moaned softly, and I felt my bed sink, and a hand stroke my face, avoiding the tender parts. these hands weren't his, though. they were a different pair. a pair from my dreams...

" CHess?" I asked softly, opening my eyes wearily. he tried to smile. I could see him clearly with the moon comeing through the window.

" Hey, Izzy." with those two words, simple, easy words, I was crying. just to here his voice say my nickname brought back the memories that I love, and yet hate. he folded me into his arms and whispered soft things in my ear as he held me. I clung to his wide shoulders, feeling the wounds on my hands opening again, but not caring. I didn't care about anything for five glorious minutes exept for the fact that he had come to me. for me, and now he was here, holding me like I remembered. finally the tears stopped flowing, and I pulled back,

" Thank you, Chess." I said softly. I could hear the weight of my words on us. i was thanking him for holding me, yes, letting me cry, yes, but I was also thanking him for coming, for being here, and thanking him for loving me, even after I left. He stroked my hair, and the parts of my face that wasn't bruised, or cut. he studied me carefully, and I watched his emotions as they changed from caring, to furious, to confused in an instant.

" Izzy..." he trailed off, and placed a gentle, controlled kiss on my cracked lips. just as I was about to return it, he pulled back.

he looked so sad, so different from the last time I had seen him. did I do that to him? did I make him look so upset?

" what's the matter?" I asked softly, my voice cracking again. he snapped his head up, looking at my night stand. he pulled something off it and hadned it to me.

" here. Phillip said to give you these." he handed a bottle to me, and a cup filled with milk. I frowned, then my eyes widened.

" right, ok." I said, trying to keep the panicked edge off my voice as I counted back in my head. it's been....fuck. It's been 42 days. here we fucking go again.

" hey, you alright?" he asked, brushing his fingers along my jawline, pulling back emedietely when he hit a sore spot and I flinched.

" no, i'm not. go get Phillip, I need to kick his ass." he tried to smile again, then leaves.

I'm pregnant, again. damn.


"why didn't you tell me?" I whispered when Chess and Phillip entered my room, fallowed by Richie, Greg, Chase, and Derrek. he froze.

" I didn't think you'd catch on." I shook my head as Chess sat next to me.

" shouldn't have given me the milk." Chess touched my cheek breifly.

" why'd you drink it, by the way? normally you can't stand it." I grimaced, but Phillip answered for me.

" she does when she's pregnant." It was dead silent for a little bit. I felt my stomach roll, and a second before I sprang from my bed, Phillip said

" oh, shit." and sprinted to open the bathroom door for me. I threw up for God knows how long, and then, when the ringing stopped in my ears, I heard Phillip talking to someone.

"... It's just how she deals with stress, Chess. she's going to be fine. I'm sure she's listening to us now, aren't you, sis?" I groaned.

" ass." I muttered. he laughed weakly, then handed me a napkin.

" THanks." I said softly, wipping at my mouth. I heard someone sit next to me as the door closed, then I was in someones lap, my side exploding in pain. I hissed, and there grip emediately loosened.

" sorry, so sorry." Chess whispered in my ear, and I relaxed into him, my head resting on his chest. he stroked my hair, avoiding the bumps I knew he could see.

" why?" he asked suddenly. I frowned.

" why what?" his hand froze.

" why did they do this to you?" I shook my head slowly.

" I don't know." I said softly, burrying my head in his shoulder, ignoring the pain.

" I missed you, Chess." I sobbed, suddenly crying.

chess

Gentle, Gentle, Gentle. THat was always on my mind as I held Misery to me.

my mind kept screaming to me that this broken creature I was holding wasn't my beautiful, amazing avenging angel. but when I held her, It felt like it used to be, and I loved it.

" Shhh, Misery. It's going to be ok now. I promise. I missed you too, Iz. Shhh." I said, rocking her as she cried. she sat up ubruptly, and bit her lip.

" you promise?" she whispered. I almost couldn't hear her. I kissed her forehead lightly.

" yes, I promise." she met my gaze a moment longer, then leaned foreward and kissed me gently with her cracked lips.

" I believe you." she said softly, a little louder than before. I gave her a weak smile.

" Are you really..." I trailed off, not believing it. She nodded miserably, setting her head back down on my shoulder. she raised her hand, then hesitated a moment. I was about to ask what was wrong when she started tracing patterns on my exsposed hand with a feather light touch I'd never felt before. I sighed, leaning my head back. It didn't matter that I was sitting in a bathroom that smelt like vomit, or the fact that Phillip would show up at any time. nor did it matter that Misery was broken even farther THan I thought she was, or the fact that she was so light I almost didn't feel her in my lap. no, I was holding my Angel, My misery, My life, and That was all I needed.

" what was it like, Graduating?" she asked softly. I looked back down at her, but her eyes were on her hand, still tracing patterns on mine.

" I wouldn't know. I didn't graduate last year. I had to repeat." she froze a moment before nodding.

" Oh." was all she said. I studied her bruised face, and realized that, despte it's disfiguration, she was still as beautiful as ever.

" Izzy..." I mummured, burrying my face in her hair. she stopped tracing patterns on my hand, and snaked up to my neck, where she continued making the small circles along my bare skin.

" why do you do it?" she said suddenly. I turned my face so I was talking in her ear.

" do what?" she touched my sleeve lightly, then, when I didn't answer right away, pulled it down to reveal my puckered lines. I sighed.

" because, I missed you." I didn't realize she was crying until she spoke.

" I-I never sh-should've l-left." she said. I dared to hold her harder a moment before releasing hte pressure.

" It's alright, Izzy. I'm going to make it all better, I swear." she settled into my lap farther.

I heard a door slam downstairs.


Izzy, I-" she scrambled up and flew out of the bathroom so fast i almost didn't see her. Phillip came up the stairs as I came out of the bathroom, wide eyed.

" he's home. that's not good.' he whispered as his dad came bounding up the stairs.

" move, please. " he growled, no polietness in his voice. something hit me, and i growled.

" no." i said, sitting up straighter. his dads eye flashed, and then I was shoved against a wall.

" I want you out of my house tomorrow." he hissed, then stormed up the stairs. a moment later, i heard a door slam. I turned to Phillip with a disbelieving look.

" you shouldn't have done that." he siad softly. I frowned at his horrified look, and then he had me pinned to the wall again.

" you SHOULD'NT have DONE that. now he's going to take it out on HER." i felt my face pale. as if to confirm his statement, I heard a muffled scream from upstairs. i lerched foreward, but he dragged me back to the guest room the guys were already in.

" don't you'll jsut make it worse, trust me. let him leave, and then go up there." I growled, then kicked the wall.

" I promised her I'd make it all better, Phillip! how is letting him rape her making it better!?" i hissed. he shook his head.

" he's not raping her. not yet, anyway. he seems to always know when she's pregnant. he'll beat the crap out of her till she has a miscarriage, and then he'll rape her." It was my turn to pin him to a wall.

" and that makes this any better?" he sighed.

' do you want her to live to see tomorrow? if you do, I suggest keeping your mouth shut. and leaving tomorrrow. with her.''


"wake up, chess!" Phillip hissed. I jerked up reflectively, out