บท 12: Chapter 12: Haven
※ Everything was dark and cold. The change was shocking as my previous dream of warmth and safety was ripped from my mind in an instant. Replaced by a much more familiar setting. The white apartment walls, the cold tile floor, as well as all the furniture was all the same. My body ached, I didn't even have to look down to know it was littered with cuts and bruises from the beating I must have experienced earlier. Not to mention the dull pain I felt in my lower parts when his friends were having their fun.
I was back at Andrew's place.
My mind went on full alert as I sensed danger, it had to be him, I had dared talk back at him and now I must face the punishment. No, I won't let him get to me so easily. My body buzzed with energy as I swiveled my head for a spot to hide. There, at the corner of the room were boxes stacked on top of each other haphazardly. Without further thought, I made my way over to them, carefully unstacking them and placing them around me to hide myself.
"Esphera~, where are you, you little bitch?" Andrew's sinister voice rung out through the room, my heart rate quickened and my breathing was shallower. I didn't even want to think about what would happen if he found me.
"You think you can hide from me? You're weak, just a tiny, little, mindless, bug for me to squish. You are lucky that I love you, or else your pitiful existence would be snuffed out in an instant." He growled. He was right, he wouldn't kill me, he loved me too much. Maybe it was me that was doing things wrong, he wouldn't hurt me unless I deserved it. I was weak, he's the reason I'm still alive, he's saved me many times. He's separated me from my parents in time before they betrayed me, even though I've never heard them planning to, he told me he did, and he's never lied to me.
"Come now, Esphera, after your punishment I'll make sure you feel good~" He whispered, I was so lost in thought I didn't even realize how close he was. I heard his footsteps coming closer and closer to the boxes, they stopped right in front of them. A low chuckle came from the other side, my heart dropped and my blood ran cold, I let out a small whimper. Suddenly the boxes flew away from me to reveal my shacking form.
"Found you~" He laughed deeply, malice filled his voice to the brim. I saw his hand shoot out to grab me. . .everything went black before he could.※
A gasp escaped my lips as I shot up from the bed, I shuddered violently thinking about the nightmare. I felt movement besides me, I went pale and a thought crossed my mind. Was it real? I slowly turned my head, preparing for the worst, instead of Andrew, I saw a sleeping Thorn next to me. I was shocked for a moment before I abruptly remembered the events before going to sleep.
The bright red lights from my clock blared at me, snapping me from my mind, it was 5:23 P.M. I slept for five hours? I glanced back at Thorn, he looked so peaceful, I turned away, it felt like an invasion of privacy seeing him like that, but my eyes didn't stray far. I noticed a lock of black hair on his face, obscuring my vision, gently I brushed it aside to get a clearer view. I could only wish to gain that level of calm he displays.
I'm too tense, I need to calm myself before it takes over my mind. Luckily, I've already found a perfect spot for me to relax, I should go there now so I can return quicker and not worry Thorn. Within five minutes I've already put on a pair of jeans with a loose shirt tucked in, as well as a pair of combat boots. I decided to leave my hair down so I could cover my left eye easier. Before I left I wrote a note for Thorn, telling him I've gone out and that I would be back in an hour or two. He'll probably chew me out when I get back, but I didn't care.
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I've only seen about five people on my walk to the woods, none of them seemed to have noticed my eyes which allowed me to avoid any unwanted conversation. Even though the sun was still relatively warm, the air was slightly more chilly, fall was coming quite quickly. My mind wandered back to my students, I missed them dearly and I started thinking of the other students I haven't met yet, the ones that were absent on the first couple of days of school. I should start working on the lessons for the week once the school is fixed.
The thought troubled me, our school would be behind by almost a month, I'll have to push my students further and cram them with content. from the little questionnaires I made them do, almost all of them have trouble with and hate math. I'll have to figure something out to make it more interesting for them, I should incorporate their favorite pass times to help them. I could also make little competitions, like Family Feud, that would especially appease to the athletic kids since they are more prone to being competitive.
I can worry about that later once I get back home, right now I should just focus on relaxing. The trees parted slightly and allowed me to see the small clearing which harbored a single tree in the center. The branches and leaves of the Weeping Willow flowed gently with the wind, I've always liked to think the leaves were like a curtain separating me from the cruel reality of life. Just being here with nothing but nature was already calming my nerves.
I made my way over to it, parting it's branches ever so gently and entering my safe haven. As soon as I entered, I felt something odd, I felt like I was being watched but instead of it feeling stalker-ish it was like a guardian angel kind of watching. I liked it and made me let loose my tense muscles. The chirping of birds and the small trickle of water were heard in the distance. The wind howled gently and lifted the branches of the Willow slightly, even though it was just a small part, I could still see the other side.
My eyes widened, my breath hitched in my throat as I saw the figure only five feet away smirk at me. I turned and ran out of the cover of the tree, desperate to get as far the hell away as possible. He anticipated this. I felt a hard body slam into me and pin me to the ground. I yelped in shock and panic as I felt his hard on rub against my lower back. He chuckled just as he did in that godforsaken dream.
"It seems you are all alone here, little slut, there's no tough guy in sight to ruin our fun, let's get started now, shall we~?" Andrew's voice was heavily laced with lust, making me shudder under him which only excited him further, judging from his groan. My mind raced and my body started shaking, flashbacks of these exact same scenarios flooding my thoughts. My heavy breathing soon turned into growling, defiance clearly showing now. All of the things he's done were still circling through my mind filling me with burning anger, sadness and disgust, so much disgust. I snapped.
"Get off me, you bastard!" I snarled, my voice was deeper, and contained so much rage it turned almost demonic. I bucked upwards and threw him off me, I stood up quickly and glared at him. My vision was red with the only other color being the black outline of Andrew's shaking body. I ran over to him and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, gave him one last growl as a warning and threw him as far as I could from the clearing and into the woods. I heard his screaming fade as he flew farther and farther away from me, I smiled triumphantly.
My victory was cut short when pain started to overcome me, I felt my control slowly slipping from my grasp. I fell to my knees, shaking and panting like a dog, it was getting harder to breath and my conscience was slipping steadily. Shit. . .this isn't good, I might kill an innocent person if I don't hold it. God, this hurts so much. Someone, please, stop me, kill me, do whatever just please, someone, help me!
I started screaming in pain, desperation and despair laced with it. Just as I was about to let go, I felt a sudden warmth envelope me. I was still only able to see red, but I saw a white outline of arms around me. The arms brought me closer to the body it was attached to, bringing in more warmth as legs wrapped around mine, pinning me to the person. Somehow, I wasn't scared, I didn't go on the defensive even though they were constricting my movements.
"Calm down, Rose, he's gone, yer' safe now." I recognized the voice immediately and relaxed into his embrace. The pain started to dissipate slowly, until finally there was none. I didn't move until I was able to see other colors apart from red, once I could, I shifted in his arms so I could face him. He was staring down at me, he had no expression on his face, yet his golden-like amber eyes were warm and compassionate. They were so unlike Andrew's, Thorn actually cared about me and worried for my safety, he even accepts that I'm a monster. He even praised me when he saw what I did to those bastards that were shooting up the school.
I didn't realize I was crying until I felt Thorn's thumb brush one away, he smiled kindly not saying a word yet a whole book could be written. Before I knew it I was sobbing into his shoulder, letting my fear and sadness take over like they usually do whenever I think of Andrew.
"Hey, sweet cheeks, stop crying, this isn't like ya', where's the fierce woman I know n' love?" He teased, I barely registered what he said, but I didn't respond, I couldn't, I didn't trust my voice to say something without breaking. My mind wandered back to Andrew, all of the things he's done to me, all of the lies, all of the torture, the pain. He's the reason my last words to my parents were, 'I hate you!', he's the reason. . .I am a monster.
Thorn's POV:
Shit, she isn't listenin' to me. I managed to calm her down after snappin' but she's still stuck in her mind. Her breathin' got very quick, I don't even think she's takin' in any oxygen. Probably thinkin' about that cowardly bastard, what did he do to make her like this? She's gonna hurt herself if I don't do anythin', she's so going to kill me after this. I looked down at her shaking form, it pained me to see her like this, that's why I have to do this, I don't know how she'll react, I just hope she doesn't hate me.
I hooked my finger under her chin, forcing her to look at me. Her eyes were glazed over and tearing up, I licked my suddenly dry lips as I continued to look at her. The pain in them was unmistakeable, she has gone through hell and survived, she's stronger than most of the clan combined. Without further hesitation, I leaned down and pressed my lips against hers, she let out a small gasp. I took the opportunity and stuck in my tongue, forcing her back into reality. Her breath hitched and she let out a surprised whimper.
Her face was completely flushed, giving it a bright red tint. Her eyes were focused now and she was very much in the present. I brought my hand up and placed it at the back of her neck, deepening the kiss further. The other was around her hip and pulling her tight against my body, I could feel her heart race wildly, she was shaking slightly. I heard her moan into the kiss, earning wholly possessive growl from me.
She started to go limp against me, her energy depleting by the second. With one final whimper she promptly passed out in my arms, sleeping soundly. I detached my mouth from hers and panted softly, seemed like my plan worked. I was right, whenever she snaps, her energy consumption increases to an absurd amount. I just needed to keep her in the present long enough for her body to catch up to her.
I picked her up, much like the first time we met, thankfully with the lack of blood. I looked down at her, wondering for the hundredth time what was her past. I'll have to ask later once she's awake and back on her feet, right now I'll just bring her home.
Andrew's POV:
I can't believe that bitch. She used to be such a naïve pushover, tch, just you wait, slut, I'll have you on your knees. Damn I'm lucky I landed in the lake instead of being slammed into a tree, it's like the bitch wanted to kill me! If Boss didn't want her so much, I would have already shot her and be done with this shit, could've even have a bit of fun once she was dead. But, nooooo, I have to monitor her and see what she's doing at all times. Sorry Boss, but this job isn't as easy as you think with that brute hanging around her like some damn mutt.
Boss doesn't even know about the bitch's sudden strength, eh, who cares if he knows or not. I couldn't care less if he got pummelled by her, the plan would still unfold even if he died or not. Once it's done, she will be my clan's personal toy until we don't want her and just throw in the dumpster for some homeless scum to have their fun. I'm so generous, I share my toys with everyone, even the homeless, I don't see why she dares call me bastard.
I'll get you, bitch, once I do, you'll wish you were never born.
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