Unmasked

Chapter 36

Chapter 36:

It hurts.

It hurts too much.

I can barely think.

I can't...

I'm going to die.

~*~

"I thought they would kill you for sure," Mariah's voice is the first one I hear. My vision is still blurry but I can barely make out her sideways figure standing just at the door to my room, someone else was sitting next to me.

"My sweet child..." I can barely recognize Harriet's raspy voice, she must have been through a lot herself.

"Harriet," my voice barely manages to make its way out, my throat stung with the vibration.

"Don't speak and don't move an inch." I'm warned but I'm unsure by who. The feeling slowly begins to return to my body and I can't help but cry. I used any any strength I had to get myself in trouble now here I am... Crying.

"Should we use it?"

"It's not safe... but it will ease the pain."

"Then... Put some on her. She'll still be expected to work."

"Harriet," I call out to her again, my voice coming out stronger than before but still softly.

"Now, now," I feel a soft hand begin to stroke my hair, "I'll make it all better."

"Has she ever had this done to her before?" My senses slowly begin to recover and now understand the scene before me. Mariah is guarding the door and watching over me and Harriet nurses me.

"She has but never to this extreme." Harriet explains with an edge to her voice, "Why does she do this to herself?"

"I think she did it to spare someone else. She must've known her relationship with the prince would save her." Mariah sighs heavily.

Soon my body is on fire. My tears begin to pour and I hear myself call out to Harriet again.

"It's not a legal drug but it's popular for criminals to use."

"There's one thing I'm sure of and that's that my girl isn't a criminal, she should never have needed this," hands begin to touch me which manage to sting even more, I hold back a cry, "but there's no other option."

"There, there it will be over soon."

And I'm coated in darkness once again.

~*~

"Mary, I'm going to need you to wake up now." A hand gently shakes my shoulder. Mariah's voice is hushed and I can hear the urgency in it.

When I open my eyes I notice that I'm in my room still laying on my bed face down. My back is entirely numb and I'm too afraid to even move.

"It's okay, it won't hurt anymore," she reassures me, squeezing my shoulder to confirm it, "they won't excuse your absence. I managed to let you rest for as long as I can but they're beginning to look."

I let out a breath then look at her. It's not enough to say she looks tired. Her eyes seem to have dark shadows under them, her hair that once looked smooth and brushed looks messy, and she definitely looks pale. I wonder if I did all that to her...

"How long has it been?" I ask her as I slowly say up, still unsure of my injuries.

"Three or four days. I've lost track," she closes her eyes, "I've been all over the place."

"You need to rest." It wasn't until I moved to stand that I realized that I was in some sort of robe of worn out fabric and I was wrapped in brown bandages. I stood there looking down at myself, everything that happened playing back before me.