Tortured - Jaele

|| Chapter Thirtyfour ||

Riele -

His were lips on my neck again, teasing me. His mouth was a hot jewel on my skin, melting it. I felt everything. His slick, skilled pink tongue shocking my body with waves of pleasure. I struggled against the hold he had on my legs. I kicked at him but then smoothed my hand down his hair, squirming and screaming. 

"Let go of me!"

I jerked myself up to a sitting position. When I opened my eyes I was back in my bedroom. I studied the darkness, gulping air into my lungs desperately. It was hot in here, suffocating almost. I wiped the perspiration from my upper lip with the back of my trembling hand and made myself breathe deeper.  He was gone. It's okay now. I reminded myself, falling back on the pillows. The bed creaked under the motion. Was he really gone? No. He was still in my head, in my dreams, in my thoughts. I can still feel the way he used to touch me. My skin crawled, and it ached in a contrast that confused me. In that dream, that nightmare. I had wanted him to get away from me, but not stop... What kind of person am I becoming? A sick one., I said to myself.

"Riele, are you okay in here?"

Reiya slips into the room, turning the light on and I'm relieved to see her. I looked up into her eyes, and sighed very quietly. 

"Yes, I'm fine. It was just a bad dream."

"About what?"

I hesitated for a moment, and then reach my hand out to her.

"Something stupid, stay with me?"

Reiya grabbed my hand, smiling slightly and climbed into the bed next to me.

"Of course."

We wrapped our arms around each other. And for once since I had been back with my mom and my sister, I felt safe. Having her here with me, made things bearable. For the moment at least. I couldn't take her hand and guide her through my inner thoughts, where I was the most alone I've ever felt in my life. 

"Riele?"

Reiya whispered to me.

"Hm?"

"Was your nightmare about Jace?"

"No."

I replied, closing my eyes. I willed her silently to drop the matter. I didn't want that possibility to exist, but it did. It was the only thing my life seemed to be revolving around. 

"Rie, it's okay if you don't want to tell me it was about him, and it's okay to be scared. I understand."

I swallowed the lump that was forming within my throat. It's been almost 2 weeks since testifying against him in court. I had to see his face again. I had to relive the horror and the memories. And he sat there staring at me as if it was all my fault. As if I had voodooed him into kidnapping me and this was all just some crazy nightmare.

"I'm not scared, and you'll never understand."

I replied.

"Maybe not exactly, but if you want to talk about it you know I'm right here."

"Why would I want to talk about it?"

I asked her, staring into her eyes. Reiya calmly laid her hand on the side of my face.

"Because you need to."

She said, in a soft caring voice. I knew she only wanted to put my ailments to rest. But it wasn't that easy. 

"You don't know what you're talking about."

I said, staring at the ceiling. I gave an account to everything that I had seen and experienced with him. It was like walking down a short hallway, and hell was waiting for me at the other end of it. Jace stared at me continuously, trying to etch fear into my heart. His golden brown eyes were searing, like the most painful of burns concentrated on my face. He as searching for a mistake, a loophole he could escape through.  Later on the news he was sentenced and charged with 3 counts of 3rd degree murder, 1 count of attempted murder, pre-meditated kidnapping, reckless endangerment, a  Category 5 misdemeanor, unprescribed medical drug use, and lastly rape. But according to his attorney, the account of rape was dropped because... It was partly consensual.