𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐲 𝐇𝐢𝐦

𝐶𝐻𝐴𝑃𝑇𝐸𝑅 𝑁𝐼𝑁𝐸𝑇𝐸𝐸𝑁.

𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚

My eyelids fluttered open to the dawn of a new day. The sun was shining its warm rays in through the window, illuminating the entire room. I opened my eyes fully and looked over at Damian whose eyes were still closed as he slept next to me. His arms were wrapped around my body which was pressed up against his own.

I furrowed my brows in confusion, having remembered falling asleep a good two feet away from him. So how did I end up here?

"It happened again Karina," Keira said sadly.

I sighed and turned over on my back. "Another nightmare? I haven't had one of those in four years."

"Early this morning Damian woke up to you twitching and whimpering in your sleep. He tried to calm you down but you were too riled up. You were also talking in your sleep."

"Oh my Goddess. What did I say?"

"You were talking about Vanessa. And...that incident that happened when you were thirteen."

I covered my mouth with my hands and tears welled up in my eyes as the memory of that incident came flooding back like a raging storm.

Flashback from four years ago...

"I told you never to bring up your dead parents again. I specifically told you never to mention or talk about them to me or anyone else. Your parents are dead! They're never coming back," Aunt Vanessa said coldly as she dragged me through the dark forest, despite my tearful protests. "I told you to keep your mouth shut where they were concerned but you just can't help yourself, can you Karina? Now face the consequences of your actions!"

She continued to roughly drag me along without stopping while I had to squint my eyes to see in the pitch blackness. I tripped over a branch and fell, cutting my knee on a rock. Aunt Vanessa sighed disgustedly and reached down to grab my arm, yanking me to my feet.

"No! Don't do that! It hurts Aunt Vanessa, it hurts! No please don't!" I begged, fighting against the pain in my leg while being forced to walk on it. I tried to break free of her grip but she held on tight. After about a minute she stopped in front of a large Banyan tree and released my arm.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and looked around, unfamiliarity of my surroundings and a bone chilling fear circulating my brain.
"Wh..where are we Aunt Vanessa? What is this place?" I asked in a quivering voice.

"This is where you'll be spending the night. Maybe a few hours alone in the dark and away from your darling Uncle Trevor will teach you not to cross me," she shouted as she pushed me down on the damp ground, causing me to cry out in pain.

"Stay here and don't you dare come back home. I'll be back for you in the morning. Hopefully some wild animal finds you and makes a meal out of you. Or even rogues. I'm praying for the latter," she smirked as she turned to leave. "Oh and if you even think of telling your precious Uncle Trevor what I did, you very well know what I'll do to you. I hope you'll be a good girl and listen to your Aunty."

With that Aunt Vanessa laughed deviously and started walking back the way we came, leaving me alone in the terrifying darkness.

"Please Aunt Vanessa, I promise I'll never do something like that again," I sobbed. "Please don't leave me alone out here. I..I'm scared of the dark. Come...come back! No..."

It was dark. So very dark.

I stayed at the Banyan tree all night long, crying and praying to the Moon Goddess to send someone out here to save me. Hours passed and yet no one showed. I was forced to stay there, at the mercy of the elements and of the night.