And then, when he finally stopped. When he let go of me and let me fall to the floor. The shame, shock, and heartbreak flooded my system all at once. There was nothing the vampire blood running through my veins could heal. I had been broken beyond repair.
Once he was done with me, I fled the room with only one thought in my mind.
Run.
I ran up to my room as fast as I could, holding on to what was left of my dress. I threw on some clothes and snatched my backpack off the floor. I wasn’t sure how much time I had, but I wasn’t going to waste a precious second of it. I only hesitated once before jumping out the window.
Worst case scenario, I hobble until whatever bone breaks can heal. Hours at most.
So Ileaped. Some part of my foot did snap, and there was a sharp pain as I walked, but I was correct in that my body healed within a few hours. As long as my head was still attached to my body, I’d survive.
I always did.
That was the most bitter part about it all. Once again, I was alone, left to figure things out. But I could do it. I always had. I didn’t need Desi. I never did.
The woods were great at shielding any light, but my blood supply was running low. As I reached the edge of the woods, I sat down and stared at the highway.
I would have to flag someone down and hope they’d take me to a blood bank.
Not only did they make sure vampires were fed,but they alsohad resources to help me get somewhere safe.
I pulled my backpack off my shoulders and dropped it between my legs, opening it. Inside were empty canisters, my wallet and I.D., and the dress he had torn from my body. I wasn’t able to leave it in that house. I pushed the dress aside to get the only other item in the bag— my tarot cards, minusThe Fool.
I reached for the last canister with blood and my cards. I drank and shuffled my cards as I sat, trying to find serenity in the sound of moving cars and nothing else.
I looked at the cards in my hands and felt sick. These were full of negative vibes. I couldn’t bring these with me wherever I was going.
I finished my last bottle and tossed it back into my bag. I took a deep breath and shuffled my cards one last time. I drew three cards, placing them on the moist, cold ground.
Past, present, future.
I flipped them over to reveal the Five of Cups, Ten of Swords, and the Three of Swords.
I racked my brain, trying to remember what I’d been taught.
Five of cups, my past. Fives were always bad.
Regret.
My heart cried as I thought of Desi. Happy Desi, with his weird smile and mismatched eyes.
I licked my lips and focused on the next card.
Ten of Swords. Tens were always an end. The Ten of Swords card was a rough one. The person lay on the ground with ten long blades in his back. Pain. So what did that mean for me? The text came back to me from my lesson book.
Betrayal, painful endings, and loss.
All of that paired with the card before it. Desi and I were over. There was no coming back from what happened in that room. What he did to me.
Finally, I stared at the last card I had drawn. The Three of Swords. I remember the first time I had ever drawn that card. Desi and I were hiding in an abandoned building in the middle of nowhere. I could still see his face darken and hear his words clear as day in my head as he told me what that card was.
“It’s the card for broken hearts.”
I stared at it for a long time. My mindranthrough the relationship that was restarted without us knowing at the movie theater. That first time seeing him. My heart knew what my mind didn’t. It remembered him, even if I wasn’t allowed to.
I stiffened when I heard the faintest voice, his voice, calling my name. He was awake. I stood quickly, grabbing the cards and slinging the bag over my shoulder.
Desi and I were meant for each other, but not like this. I refused to be his punching bag.
