Deck of Cards

Day 3- Scarlett

Jack of spades- looking after the hounds all day

Scarlett's POV

I woke up unrealistically optimistic, I really believed that that day would be good. These thoughts were banished away to where they came from when I saw what my card was. Another freaking Jack. Another day with those hounds. Cursing loudly, I looked at the scars they had given me the time before, deep bite marks ran up and down my thighs. What did the spade mean? I prayed that it meant a short amount of time. I prayed with every fibre of my body. My prayers weren't answered.

In my direct line of vision I saw my walking nightmare. My guard. He was smiling- it was bad news.

"Seeing your best friends today, got a whole day with them. 6am -8pm. Your going to love it!" He said with the same excitement as a child on Christmas. I spat in his direction which gained a curse from him but I really didn't care. I needed to cause diversions. He saw right through my plans and I found myself being dragged harshly by my wrists to the gates of hell... again.

I didn't even try and look around for an escape as we traversed through the corridors and countless doors; I had learnt already that hoping for an escape was pointless. I was trapped.

"Have fun," he said with words laced with venom. He was evil- they all were. Pure and utter evil.

The hounds saw me within three seconds and came over barking like deranged things, baring their teeth and spraying saliva everywhere.

Cursing, I entered my death sentence and the buzzer went off meaning I had started. Keeping my back to the wall, I edged my way to the first bed, keeping my eyes on the dogs like hawks. They gave me malicious looks- it was going to be a long day.

The mess on the beds was less revolting than it had been on the first day but it still took me a while to stomach the smell. It didn't help that I was constantly jumping as the animals brushed their fur against me, teasing and taunting me.

I think at one point I was certain that I was getting rabies because one of the hounds was frothing at the mouth for a little too long. They were like wild beasts and I was the gazelle. They nipped at my skin when I passed them and drew blood on my legs, all the while tears fell down my face. I tried to keep my cool, I really did, but eventually I snapped.

"Stop, please just stop. Get me out of here," I shrieked at them, at anyone who could hear.

As if some guardian angel was listening to me, the dogs stopped barking and came over not to bite me but to comfort me. It was all too surreal and even more tears flooded my face, turning me into a blubbering mess. I was done with the whole game. All I wanted was to go home. To my sweet home.

When my time was finally up, I remember feeling like a sack of bones- I was drained. Zapped of all energy. The guard laughed a bit but stopped after he realised nothing was that funny and he regained his professional character.

It seemed like all the guards were little kids, laughing constantly and getting excited over nothing. They were sick kids if anything. Who finds that much pleasure in people's pain and suffering? Who creates a game where the sole purpose was to destroy young girls? Evil people that's who. People who are wrong in the mind.

That night for the first time in what seemed like forever, I dreamt happy thoughts and fond memories. Whether it was brought on by the dogs or just my general mindset, I found myself indulging in bittersweet memories. Like the first time I met him.

It was nine am on a sunny June morning when I stopped outside a book shop to peer in the window just to see if anything was there. I was obsessed with books and loved nothing more than to indulge myself in a romance novel with a cup of warm tea resting beside me.

Almost  out of a movie, a gorgeously handsome man walks past me and completely walks into me making me drop my bags and him to drop 12 cups of coffee... over himself.

"I'm so sorry!" He spluttered, trying his best to suppress his laughter as he looked at himself in the shop window. He looked ridiculous. His white shirt was now a light brown and there was a huge wet patch where his crotch was making it look like he had wet himself.

Even his hair hadn't been spared, and was dripping in coffee, sticking to his forehead in an adorable way. Everything was too perfect.

Our eyes locked and his chestnut ones gazed into mine and the chemistry was electric.

"No harm done to me at least. Are you alright? You haven't burnt yourself have you?" I gushed loudly, pretending to be concerned when in reality I was containing my laughter.

He laughed heartily, the sound almost like music to my ears and I watched as his eyes crinkled up. The smile on his face was contagious and we stood like idiots in the middle of the street just laughing at the absurd situation.

From that moment on I knew we were made for each other, a real case of love at first sight. We dated for a while, a long while, and every second I was with him I felt like I was on cloud nine. I thought we were so compatible, like peas in a pod. Apparently not.

Suddenly my dreams turned a lot darker as a remembered the end of it all and as much as I tried I couldn't shake the sound of him saying 'Its over' in my head. It played on repeat all through the night , like a song that never ends.