Page 9 (1/2)

Chapter One: A promise is a promise

She looked at her surroundings confused, her body trembled as if she was cold but her skin burned Her breath felt as if it left her face only to rebound on so The darkness around her should have comforted her She had always felt safer in the dark it was easier to hide in, instead she felt lost in space So hand out to find how far the as from her but her hand was stopped within inches The as a carpet of sorts She felt a ru beneath her and looked up, she was in the trunk of acar

As with most people who do not enjoy small places, the diminutive space shrunk around her as she panicked Suddenly it was as if she were Alice and had eaten the cake toup the trunk She felt her bitter shivers increase as she panicked and blood left her extremities She closed her eyes and decided to focus on the other obvious proble victim to a panic attack

Sheher clothes torn, shredded al open She flexed her muscles that felt tender but not wounded She closed her eyes trying to recall the last thing she could but her thoughts see Everything was hazy except her heartbeat, which pounded fierce enough that she could feel it in her socks Scratch that, tattered socks Her toes dangled from the ends of them

“I’ve been raped”

The statement rolled off her lips as a subtle whisper but it felt as if it weighed a ton once it hung in the air around her Abruptly, as if sent on a twisted path beyond her control, her ht about the recent suht about how she’d dated Jiht ether It had happened on a hot August afternoon, lazily by a river near his parent's house She re the effort that went intoit a perfect experience, but also how violated she had felt afterward

That feeling of violation was suddenly fresh in hersilently down her cheeks, how had this happened? Where had she been? She pushed herit as she had with her oing back days not hours

It didn’t irls oke up in trunks sore and exhausted with clothes ripped to shit had been kidnapped and raped There was also a real possibility of torture She thought about the pain involved in torture and decided instantly, cringing with disgust, she would be a good girl She would do whatever her cruel attacker wanted, she wanted to live She planned it out in her h this

Then she would recover fro a nun or ashe had seen so about female monks

Her thoughts slowed along with the tires of the car, stopping altogether as it did She felt panicked and decided fake sleeping et her a feers aspeople

She felt her body relax as she pretended to be unconscious but herto coht for her freedoet back theshe didn’t truly care if she ever got the any new memories with her attacker

She heard the car go into park

She heard the parking brake

The keys pulled from the starter

Driver door opened

Feet crunch down on the gravel, soft gravel

Door closed

Feet crunching closer to the trunk

Feet stopped outside the trunk

Breath of the stranger

Keys sliding into the lock

Cold night air rushed into the trunk as the latch opened She fought with her eyes forcing theainst her to see hiht about the possibilities, janitors or construction workers, fellow grads, teachers Realistically it could be anyone

“I see you're holding your breath, I know you’re not sleeping and honestly I don’t want to carry you anylish Continuing to hold her breath she thought long and hard but ca that description

He didn’t touch her or bend down to her He wasn’t threatening her He just stood there She waited ten more seconds and opened one eye very slowly

He was incredibly old, she paused for aon him, “You? You raped me?” The words crept from her mouth

He ju of the sort” His cheeks flushed as he stammered, “I-I only rescued y-you”

He looked truly offended Hanna looked down at her ripped clothing looking confused, “You found me like this?”

He nodded holding a hand out to her

Before taking his hand she stopped and thought for a moment, “You found me like this and decided to putto have to answer to the authorities”

He frowned looking confused, “Miss Hanna, no one has harmed you” He tilted his head off to the side, “You did this to yourself I put you in the trunk to protect myself”