Content.
A large hand splayed across my back, pulling me closer.
Exploring fingers—too soft, too shallow. Too afraid.
“Just … please.”
Too still. Too cold.
A stuttered breath.
An electric charge.
A final thud.
The ashes of first love forced down my throat.
The room splinters around me.
Drops of darkness trickle from the sky, drenching the world in night.
It’s quiet, save for the soft beating of my heart.
Rough bark at my back, damp ground beneath my legs.
Cold metal around my wrists.
No. No, no, no.
Hate-filled hands on my skin, twisting my ankle, shoving down my tunic.
No. No.
NO.
Hot breath in my ear. A malicious grin.
The promise of pain.
“Bow.”
No. Never. No, no, no, nononono.
A sharp crack. My brain rattles in my skull. Humiliation blooms across my face, drips down my chin.
Jagged rocks bite into scraped knees.
Rough, thorny roots shackling my wrists.
The sinister rattle of an unbuckling belt.
No. No. Stop. No.
Wet cheeks, pounding heart, whispered prayer.
A beat.
Silence.
