The Recovery (Caleb, Aurelia, Brooke)

"Caleb!" Aurelia called. "Have you seen Brooke? She's not in her room."

"Nope," Caleb replied, coming out of the kitchen. "You wanna check outside? She likes to sit in the gazebo."

Caleb and Aurelia exited the house and headed towards the gazebo. There was a warm gentle breeze with a slight tinge of salt coming from the ocean. They walked hand in hand through the newly cut grass enjoying the peaceful scenery.

"I'm really worried about Brooke," Aurelia broke the silence. "It's been three days since she came home and all she ever does is stay locked up in her room sleeping. She barely eats and Merlin knows how many times she's thrown up. She's lost so much weight."

"I would too if I was deflowered by the likes of Josh Murray. If I were a girl, that is," Caleb replied. "Give her time, my dear. All we can do is be there for her and make sure she knows that we love her no matter what." Caleb slung his arm around Aurelia's shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

Aurelia sighed. "But it breaks my heart to see her like this."

"I know it does. At least she can move more."

Aurelia nodded. "Tristan's coming back," she stated, "perhaps he can cheer her up a bit."

Caleb shrugged his shoulders. "It's hard to say but maybe she'll try to be a bit more like herself so that Tristan doesn't find out."

Caleb spotted Brooke sitting in the gazebo, her gaze turned to the calming rhythm of the ocean. "There she is," he whispered, not wanting to startle her.

Slowly, they made their way up the gazebo steps and sat down, one on each side of her. A comfortable silence rested between them.

After what seemed like a long while, but was actually only a few minutes, Aurelia broke the silence. "It's beautiful, isn't it? You've always loved the ocean, Brooke."

The past three had consisted of repetitive movements: forcing herself to eat something, throwing it all up, getting cleaned, and then going to sleep only to be woken up a few hours later for more food. That morning, she had awoken from a nightmare - of what, she can't remember, but she knew it had to do with what all her nightmares had been about: the boy, Joe, and Tristan - to the realization that her brother was due home the next day. Sleep would not come back, and so, with a sigh, she dragged herself out of bed and pulled on the first comfortable shirt she could find and a pair of shorts.

Slipping out of the quiet house, she made her way to the gazebo near the beach. Although most of the bruises and scratches on her body had been reduced significantly and were almost gone, her muscles still ached, which was why she walked slowly, a slight limp visible. Once she reached her destination, she eased herself onto the cushioned seat, the ocean breeze a welcomed difference to the stillness of her room. Taking deep breaths, she filled her lungs with the salty, fresh air and the smallest trace of a smile flashed across her face before disappearing.

Happiness was something that had hidden itself from Brooke, and to get such a rare opportunity to glimpse it was startling, and the effect disastrous, for it served as nothing more than a reminder of times before she had met... Josh. She shivered at the harshness of that single syllable the moment it presented itself in her mind, but she knew she had to come to terms with what happened. Hopefully, she thought, something before she went back to Hogwarts, because if she hadn't, she might break down in class if she saw him, and that was not something she wanted to happen.

She had sat there for the longest time, just watching the waves gently greet the shore, wishing that she could be as peaceful and calm as the water was. She heard footsteps approaching, and she didn't bother to turn around, knowing that it had to be her parents. And indeed, they had joined her, taking respective seats next to her.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? You've always loved the ocean, Brooke."

"It is," she replied, her voice still missing the emotions it normally held. She let another few moments pass before she sighed and stood up, moving to the seat opposite her parents. "You can't let Tristan know." This time, there was a firmness in her tone, indicating the seriousness of her words, and she sat straight, switching her gaze between both Caleb and Aurelia. "Promise me you won't tell him."

When Brooke replied in the affirmative, it was done so with a voice devoid of emotion. Aurelia knew not to push her daughter to try and be more normal. She knew that she was trying the best she could, given the circumstances. Still, she missed the musical voice of her daughter and the way it took on an excited tone when she talked about what she loved. It killed Aurelia. Every hour that she watched Brooke suffer was an hour that she suffered.

Both Caleb and Aurelia watched curiously as Brooke shifted to the seat opposite them

"You can't let Tristan know. Promise me you won't tell him."

Unlike the rest of her sentences and words, this one held firm determination. It showed how much she cared for Tristan and though Aurelia did not really agree with keeping Tristan in the dark, she would stand by Brooke's decision. After all, they could not let what Brook went through all go to waste. She did not just get raped to protect Tristan only to let him find out and possibly run away. Then all that Brooke suffered at then hands of that boy would be all for naught. No, they would make sure Tristan didn't find out. Before she could reassure Brooke, Caleb beat her to it.

"Don't worry, Brooke. We won't tell Tristan. We promise," Caleb replied earnestly, willing his daughter to believe him. He had not been blind to the sufferings of his daughter. Being of the male species, he could not really empathise with Brooke because he didn't know the emotions she was feeling. All he knew was that she barely ate and more often than not, she threw up what she ate. But that didn't make him indifferent or unconcerned. On the contrary, he worried himself sick over her, though he knew that Aurelia did enough worrying for the both of them. He could only hope that when Tristan came back, he would be able to at least put a smile on her face.

Aurelia nodded in agreement. "We won't say anything without your approval. But I won't lie blatantly though. I'll just avoid answering and perhaps shift the topic." She took Brooke's hand in hers and gave a squeeze before letting go.

"Don't worry, Brooke. We won't tell Tristan. We promise,"

She nodded and relaxed, knowing that they wouldn't tell. Never breaking a promise was something she learnt from them and she knew that if they promised something, they would keep that promise. There was never any need for unbreakable vows with Caleb and Aurelia, and all their friends understood that when either of them said those simple words - "I promise" - it was as good as that.

"We won't say anything without your approval. But I won't lie blatantly though. I'll just avoid answering and perhaps shift the topic."

Her heart sank, and again she sighed. "No, you don't understand," she said softly. Her voice was returning and it wasn't as raw as when she had first come back, but it still hurt to talk too much or too loud. All the screaming and begging and crying she had done had made sure of that. "He's too inquisitive. He'll want to know why I came home early and he'll want to know what happened. Tell him..." she paused, trying to think of a valid excuse that wasn't exactly a lie. "Tell him I had girl problems and passed out."

Turning her body, she adjusted her gaze to watch the ocean. The breeze had changed direction and was now blowing her hair into her face, tickling her nose and eyes, but she didn't bother to sweep it away, leaving the green strands as they were. Despite reliving those moments every single moment she was awake - and sometimes in her dreams, too, although the dreamless sleep potions helped when she took them - she still hadn't cried, and any emotion she had of the event were securely locked up inside her, where she refused to let them out. Those stupid things were what had gotten her into this in the first place: love for Tristan, anger at him, the morale of not hurting a person... All of it was to blame.

Suddenly, the words the boy had used came back to her. Weaknesses, he had said. Something about her weaknesses hurting Joe, and she had finally understood what he meant. Her emotions, the very thing that drove her, led her, helped her survive, those were the very things that had ended up destroying her - and along with her, Joe. With that realization, came another: the boy ... Josh ... had none himself. He felt no pity, no ounce of kindness, and that made him a monster. Yes, she thought, the truth finally hitting her. Only a monster would be capable of something like that. If those emotions - compassion, love, benevolence - made her weak, then so be it. She would rather be weak than be like Josh.

As she accepted that truth, the walls came down, and all the feelings that she had so carefully avoided and kept hidden resurfaced, rushing towards her, and she broke down completely, drawing her knees up to her chest and sobbing into them. And just like that, the healing process for her soul - where no spell, potion nor magic could ever reach - began.

Aurelia sighed and nodded her head when Brooke told her the excuse to give to Tristan if he asked. It wasn't exactly a lie. It just wasn't the whole story. She would respect Brooke's wishes by not telling Tristan. After all, she was the one going through all the pain. She deserved to make the call, especially since she went through it to protect Tristan. Besides, Aurelia was never one to break a promise after she made it.

She watched as Brooke turned back to face the ocean. Her daughter always had a fascination about the ocean. She loved it and Aurelia could understand why. The rhythm of the waves as they rolled on the shore, the gentle breeze always smelling of salt, and the sight of nothing but flat blueness rising to meet the horizon was a calming thing and held the power to hypnotise someone. Many a time, Aurelia herself had come out to the gazebo just to stare at the ocean when things were getting stressful and overwhelming. Caleb often joined her and they would sit together in companionable silence, enjoying the beauty of the vast ocean.

Now, she rested her head on Caleb's shoulder and took a deep breath. They would take one day at a time. They would get through this together as a family no matter how long it took. Just as she was about to close her eyes, she heard a sob. She knew Caleb heard it too as she felt him tense up in surprise. Both of them cast a concerned glance at Brooke. She was curled up sobbing.

Immediately, they stood up and went to her. Caleb was faster and he wrapped his arms around Brooke in a comforting and protective embrace allowing her to decide if she wanted to be there or not. Some people, he knew, preferred not to be hugged when they cried.

Aurelia took one of Brooke's hand in both of hers and rubbed them gently. She knew that crying always helped one heal. She hadn't heard Brooke cry before then although she could have always done it quietly.

"Just let it all out, Brooke. We're here for you," Aurelia reassured although if Brooke wanted to be alone, she would respect her need for privacy.