Unmistakeable

Chapter 6

It was dark. My vision was impaired, fuzzy. Drowsiness hadnt left me for days. Little light seaped through from the dirty windows from the next rooms over head lamps. The smell of sewer invaded my nose. The damp cemet was cold under my bare feet. I pulled my wrists, in hope of looseness. But if anything it was tighter than before. I kept my head low as my vision started to return to me. My favorite jeans, now torn and stretched, clung to me with wetness from sweat. My white tank top, tattered and bloody, soaked and now a pale yellow. I tugged my ankles out, feeling the rope tighten. The curls that fell in front of my face hid my wandering eyes from my captors. I studied the metal chair that held me that was bolted to the ground for mistakes. I heard the latch open.

"Buenos dias hermoso." The smugness in his voice was unmistakeable.

"How's my little buttercup today?" He moved slowly toward me. I kept my head down.

"Why so quiet?" His lips were at my ear. "We both know you're a screamer."

His words set me over. I snapped my head up and thrashed in my chair. My reaction pleased him. A grin plastered on his face.

"There's the spicy pepper I know!" He laughed in praise of himself. His two biggest cousins filed in behind him. Ready to inflict whatever Raul wanted them to.

"Right, so why don't we get straight to it today, eh?" He removed his hands from his perfectly pressed grey dress pants and rubbed them together. He moved right in front of me a squatted. His eyes now level with my chest, he peered up into mine.

"Aspen, where's Betty?"

"Probably still in you're bed from last night." I answered. He dropped his head, unamused by my reply. He stood swiftly waving a hand and Chuy. He plopped around me.

"Augh!" Escaped my lips as Chuy yanked a fistful of my hair down, holding my face upward in place.

"I'm not in the mood for games today aspen. Where's Betty?" Raul affirmed.

"I forgot Betty's a lesbian, she's still in my bed from lastnight." I smirked.

"Well when a day starts off like this, it's useless." He motioned for Chuy to let go of my hair. "I really don't want to touch your face harshly mi amor." He said caressing my cheek. "But, on days like today, it's needed." His hand pulled away from me, I watched as his fingers moved into a tight fist. And then the tight ball met my face.

----

I awoke drenched in sweat, my breathing heavy. My hands, shaking, searched desperately for my phone on the night stand. 2:30 am. I looked over to Perrie who was still sound asleep in her bed across the room. I tried slowly my breathing, but it wasn't working. I needed to get out of that room.

I threw the covers off of myself and hurried to the closet. I grabbed a pair of black sweatpants slipped them quickly over my spankies. I turned to the other side of my closet and found the matching sweatshirt and pulled my arms threw. I shoved my feet in a pair of red toms as I pulled my hair into a messy pony tail. I grabbed my phone from the night stand and headed out the door.

I hadn't relived that moment in a dream in weeks. I thought it was getting better. Why was I relapsing? At least I didn't wake up screaming. Who knows what Perrie would have thought. Or our neighbors.

I hadn't realized that I was already so close to the pond. In fact, I hadn't realized that's where I wanted to go until I got there. I made my way over to the base of a tree and sat down. The weather was nice. It was a comfortable temperature with a beautiful breeze. I moved from my seated position. I now laid flat on the ground, my head rested on a protruding root. The breeze grew constant. Calming me. I unzipped my jacket and felt the cool air glide over the skin of my torso. The leaves twirled around me, one landing over the curve of my hip bone, giving me goosebumps. The fresh scent of the pond flooded my nose, relaxing me further. In this moment, I felt safe.