You Have My Heart, Lady Illea (A Lady Illea Novel)

Chapter Three

  A conviciton. That's what they used to call these. I don't know much about them though. We never talked about them much in school. There hasn't been something like this in decades. I was on my knees with the rope rubbing my skin until I felt the blood pouring from my wrists and the scabs forming. I felt hands at my neck and someone pushed my hair onto one of my shoulders.

    I was breathing deeply trying to calm myself.

    This is all just a dream Allie. You're going to wake up and realize this is all a dream.

  In one swift movement I heard the rip and I squealed when all of sudden my back was bare.

     Did they just rip open the back of my dress?

   I heard the heavy footsteps of a guard as they stood in front of me. In one swift movement the bag was removed from my head and I couldn't even look up. I stared at my bloodied wrists and the dirty trim of my dress.

     This is just a dream. I kept telling myself. It's all just a dream.

    Someone took my hands and tied it to something. I didn't dare look up. I didn't want to look up. I felt like my ears weren't working and my mind was playing tricks on me. Was the stadium truly quiet or were people calling for me? I felt like I was stuck in a parralel universe outside of time. Nothing felt real. 

Until I heard the cracking sound in the air.

    I couldn't register the pain immediately. I registered the sting of the first blow once the third one came. I think I was scared but so shocked at the same time. I screamed so loud I could hear the sound of my vocal chords ripping. It felt like a the tip of a thousand knives coming at your skin with the shock of electricty.

    The pain was unbearble and in a matter of seconds my cheeks were soaked in tears. I kept hearing the crack of the whip over my screams and then I head a pop.

   I couldn't scream anymore, I'd become mute. It was the most terrifying thing in the world. The whip kept coming down and I kept trying to scream as I writhered aound, the rope binding my hands together, and no sound came out. 

    It is the most terrifying thing in the entire world to want to scream but be rendered speechless.

   Helpless.

  Then everything went black.