UNPROTECTED

Part Ten

Alina's POV

The air whispering over my forehead aroused me. 

The oxygen tasted clean and fresh - not artificial or forced. It felt like I was at the tree houses again except that there was a wonderful, sweet, refreshing breeze. 

Connor's eyes bore into mine as I rolled out of his arms and onto the floor, trying to get away from him. "Careful! Your oxygen-bit might fall out!" 

Then I realised the thing inside my nose, enabling me to breathe in a barren wasteland completely empty on one side and a huge wall looming on the other. We were free. What Connor didn't know was that I already had one in my boot for safekeeping - but, I guess it was good to keep a spare. 

With a flash, my memories came back. 

Of that half-hour. 

Of that half-hour that felt like a complete and disastrous lifetime. 

Of that half-hour that mentally scarred me for life.  

I could already feel my face changing and contorting into expressions which were too depressing to even think about. 

"You okay?" Marcus pushed forward, checking my temperature with the back of his hand - I must have looked sick - and Delia soon followed, checking my head wounds and brushing dirt off of my face. 

Nodding, then hauled me up, Maria, Ryan and Louisa's faces creased with, what I thought was worry.

After our short trek, we came to another door, almost identical to the one that lead from the prison, but this one wasn't airtight and metal - it was a plastic material that was strong and contained a small visor in the top, obviously so that whomever was inside, could peek out. 

And they did exactly that... 

After I had been through a large amount of blood tests, I was in my own room, Delia's, Louisa's and Maria's room behind my right wall and Marcus, Ryan and Connor's room behind my left - I wasn't quite sure why I had my own.  I knew where we were, though. We were at the Reformation bunkers, a place that I had heard so much about and had been to so little - I wasn't a Reformer myself but some people in my family where and that meant something.  

Within my wardrobe I had found a white, leather jacket, some ashen-grey leggings, black and white trainers and a jet-black, skinny t-shirt. I had had a shower and cleaned myself thoroughly and yet, I still felt dirty. 

Soon, a mid-fourty year old woman entered my room, who I could only assume, was Pearlilia. 

"Hello, Alina - I have been told so much about you by your Reformer family member. I can not reveal their identity, but I can say that they love you dearly. I am Pearilia. Now, child, as you may remember, as soon as you came here, we put you through a series of blood tests to make sure that you were not infected with anything contagious and your results were clear - but, emotionally, I do think that is the case. 

"Would you like to tell me what is wrong, or do I have to drag it out of you?" Her face slightly smiled in a sympathetic way. I couldn't bare to look at her, with that expression. It made me feel dirtier than I already felt. 

"Ah, so it's going to be like that? Do you know why you got your own room?" I shook my head. "Because I knew by the way you looked that something terrible happened to you in that jail. I knew you would need alone time to think about it. 

"Sweetie, everyone around here knows what horrible things those people do to you in there - most of us have experienced it, just like you. Take me for example: I was raped and sexually harassed whilst I was sleeping and then they further dosed me up so that they could get more of it." 

I gazed at her, in shock. Clearing my throat, I explained. "He gave me no choice. Ripped off my clothes and shagged me like my opinion didn't even matter. I wished it would stop, but it didn't." I wiped a tear from my cheek and carried on. "I feel so greasy and like I don't belong any more. I just feel like giving up." She shook her head and tutted. 

"Giving up is letting them win - I turned this feeling into a fight for what was right. Think about that." Leaving me in peace, I couldn't help feeling releaved by just a little.

It helped to know that I wasn't the only one.