She cries out in pain, clutching her shoulder.“You fucking bitch!”
I gasp and try to lift the vase again, but it’s too late.She grabs for the vase, and it falls down, breaking into a dozen pieces between us.
I jump back, my right hand frantically scrambling for the knife.Shit, shit, shit.I manage to grab the handle and pull it out, but before I can do anything, she grabs my arm, moving as quickly as a snake.Her grip is like a steel band around my right wrist.
Her face is flushed and her eyes are glittering as she twists my arm painfully backward.“Drop the knife, Nora,” she orders harshly, her voice filled with fury.
Panicking, I try to hit her in the face with my other hand, but she catches that arm too.She clearly knows how to fight—and she’s also obviously stronger than me.
My right arm is screaming in pain, but I try to kick at her.I can’t lose this fight.This is my best chance at escape.
My feet make contact with her legs, but I’m not wearing shoes and I do more damage to my toes than to her shins.
“Drop the knife, Nora, or I will break your arm,” she hisses, and I know that she’s telling the truth.My shoulder feels like it’s about to pop out of its socket, and my vision darkens as waves of pain radiate down my arm.
I hold out for one more second, and then my fingers release the knife.It falls to the floor with a loud thunk.
Beth immediately lets me go and bends down to pick it up.
I back away, breathing harshly, tears of pain and frustration burning in my eyes.I don’t know what she’s going to do to me now, and I don’t want to find out.
So I run.
I am faston my feet and in good shape.I can hear Beth chasing after me, calling my name, but I doubt she’s ever done track before.
I run out of the house and down to the beach.Rocks, twigs, and gravel dig into my feet, but I barely feel them.
I don’t know where I’m running, but I can’t let Beth catch me.I can’t be locked up in the room or worse.
“Nora!”
Fuck, she’s a good runner too.I put on a burst of speed, ignoring the pain in my feet.
“Nora, don’t be an idiot!There’s nowhere to go!”
I know that’s true, but I can’t be a passive victim any longer.I can’t sit meekly in that house, eat Beth’s food, and wait for Julian to return.
I can’t allow him to hurt me again and then make my body crave him.
My leg muscles are screaming, and my lungs are straining for air.I divorce myself from the discomfort, pretend I’m in a race with the finish line only a hundred yards away.
It feels like I’m running forever.When I glance back, I see that Beth is falling further and further behind.
My pace eases a little bit.I can’t sustain that speed much longer.Without thinking too much, I head for the rocky side of the island, where I can clamber up the rocks and disappear in the heavily wooded area above them.
It takes me another ten minutes to get there.By then, I can no longer see Beth behind me.
I slow down and climb up the rocks.Now that I’m out of immediate danger, I can feel the cuts and bruises on my bare feet.
It’s a slow and torturous climb.My legs are quivering from unaccustomed exertion, and I can feel a post-adrenaline slump coming on.Nevertheless, I manage to get myself up the rocky hill and into the woods.
Tropical vegetation, lush and thick, is all around me, hiding me from view.I go deeper into the brush, seeking a good spot to collapse in exhaustion.It wouldn’t be easy to find me here.From what I remember during my earlier exploration, this forest covers a large portion of this side of the island.
I should be safe here for now.
As the darkness begins to fall, I take shelter under a large tree, where the underbrush is particularly impenetrable.I clear a little patch of ground for myself, making sure I’m not near any ant hills or anything else that could bite me.Then I lie down, ignoring the throbbing pain in my lacerated feet.
Not for the first time in my life, I’m grateful to my dad for taking me camping when I was a child.Thanks to his tutelage, I’m comfortable with nature in all its glory.Bugs, snakes, lizards—none of these bother me.I know I should be careful around certain species, but I don’t fear them as a whole.
