Bruised Innocence

Chapter 3

I could hear footsteps behind me and knew that I was being chased. I put on all my efforts to outrun them but my leg got entangled in a dense shrub and I fell, trying to break my fall with my hands.

I desperately tried to free my leg and stand up again. However, before I could free myself, they were already there and Samon's friend stamped his foot on my ankle. I cried out in agony and clutched it with my hands.

It throbbed with pain and the scratches from running through the undergrowth. Tears made their way out of my eyes.

"Gloise!" Samon shouted and I looked up to see Gloise's fist close to my face.

"Don't!" Samon looked at Gloise in warning. Gloise pulled back his punch with a scoff and turned towards him. He was about to punch me but stopped on Samon's orders.

I realised that I had brought my hands up to shield my face. "Please don't hurt me." I heard myself say and started to crawl my way out of the bushes with my bruised leg.

Gloise pulled me out of the bushes like I weighed nothing, threw me on the ground and looked over at Samon meaningfully who nodded again.

Samon was moving towards me and there was something off about his expression, it was not like before. He seemed bugged and I tried to crawl away using my elbows but he grabbed my legs, flipped me over and climbed on top of me.

I was mortified and looked at him pleadingly. He didn't stop so I gathered the last remnants of my courage and asked him, "Why are you doing this?" 

He didn't reply, though he stopped to consider me, so I tried again.

"What do you want?" I asked desperately. 

"I want you." He replied. That stumped me. 

Want me? What the hell! Of all the responses I was expecting ranging from 'leave our school', to  'go back to your gutters' etc, which were often used against me, this surely didn't make the list.

He sensed my confusion perhaps because he clarified,"I hate your eyes," which only made me gape at him.

He didn't like my eyes? He kidnapped me, tried to kiss me and -- because he didn't like my eyes? Was he quite right in his head?

I looked at his friend Gloise in confusion. I wanted to ask, 'Was this guy for real?'

Samon growled as he saw me sneaking a look at Gloise and I looked back at him.

"They are too trusting, too kind. This world is no place for eyes like that!"

"I--I will--" I struggled to find a response. What even could I say to that? "I can't bloody change my eyes!" I retorted. He glared at me.

"I thought I would watch over you and let you learn yourself but you are just too naive to be allowed to remain the same, I can't let others take advantage of your innocence. I just need to make you mine." He ranted.

I was both shocked and confused. It took me a while to process it all. Watch over me? I wasn't naive! I saw through people's pranks! 

The last line though truly infuriated me. I didn't even think before replying, my blood on boil. 

"I don't even know what are you talking about! Who the hell do you think you are, to own people." I shouted defiantly. He might have been rich and used to getting things that he wanted but I was no toy.

"I kept telling you that he was an ungrateful wench but you didn't listen. After all you did for him, he just dissed you! He was just playing you, Samon." Gloise responded angrily.

What the-- What did he mean by 'after all he did for me?'. Playing him? I barely knew him, for God's sake! Were they both living in a different world?

"It's fine Gloise." Samon replied offhandedly and then he turned to me with a smirk and answered, " and you, kid, Don't worry. You will know soon, just who I am."

"I am not a kid!" I retorted.

"Aren't you?"

"Go to hell!" I spat and resumed trying to push him off me. He didn't even move, no matter how hard I tried to push him. I was panting with the effort to push him off me but he barely broke a sweat.

I was acutely aware of the lack of distance between us. His shirt clung to his body and I tried to grab or pinch any body part of his I could reach. All this while he watched me eerily. I managed to grab the biceps of his right hand and squeezed them with all my might. He barely winced.

Though It got him to react and he grabbed both of my hands and pinned them above my head very uncomfortably. I tried moving my legs to kick him but it hurt a lot, so I dropped them. 

"Listen, I really don't know what I did wrong, just please, let me go! I am sorry for whatever I did wrong, Please!" 

I cried out in frustration but he didn't let go of my hands. His eyes were still as emotionless as ever. I wondered what would a person had to goo trough for their eyes to be as heartless as Samon. 

I looked over at his friend, Gloise. Even his eyes weren't as expressionless as Samon's. I could see his hatred for me in them. When he caught me looking at him, he sneered.

I suppressed a sob and closed my eyes. The forest floor was cool and his body burned hot on me. Thankfully, there was no wind, even the forest seemed to beholding it's breath. I tried to even out my breath.

I could feel his chest heaving in and out with every breath and felt so helpless lying there on the ground with him on me but exhausted from all the day's running I ceased struggling.

* I am trying to bring these chapters to a standard length of at least 1000 words each and it is tougher than it looks, lol. I don't want to change the style or premise, though I have added a bit of information on their motivations and backgrounds. Like, comment and share please. Updated on 2/08/20*