Trapped (Book 2)

Chapter 1

I woke up in a sweat, my mouth feeling dry as a desert. I was breathing heavily, basically gasping for air. My dream, no, my nightmare woke me up with such a start. It was like the other dreams I've been having for the past couple months. They all are about Nathan. About how he beat me nearly to death, how he basically raped me. It woke me up constantly throughout the night.

Gavin grumbled in his sleep beside me and rolled over. I smiled at the sight of seeing him in the bed with me. This is the first night he's slept in the same room with me. Mom has let him stay on the couch in the living room. The living room is only a few feet away from my room, so if I needed him in the night, he was there. He's basically my home health nurse.

I've only just recently fully recovered from my horrible experience with Nathan. I have scars to remind me of that year. It's been tough trying to get on a regular schedule again. Eating is hard to do. I'm always afraid of being told no, or that Nathan was going to show up and beat me. A plus side is that I get to wear whatever I want. Sweatpants are now my go-to pants.

I stretched and got out of bed. I wiped my damp face and headed into the kitchen. The house was quiet and peaceful. I liked this time of night. I opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of tea. Chugging the cold tea, I sat at the dining table and looked on my phone.

"Couldn't sleep?" I jumped at the voice. I turned around to see my mom standing in the doorway.

"I woke up but couldn't go back to sleep," I got up and hugged her. She kissed me on the head, hugging back.

"Feeling okay?" she whispered.

"Better then ever," I whispered back. We both sat at the table. "Why are you up, Mom?"

"Oh, I got hungry. Wanted something to snack on," she munched on the chips she had grabbed from the cabinet. "Are you sure you're doing okay, honey? Considering.."

"Yes, Mom. I'm fine. I haven't felt this good in a while." I fidgeted with my now empty tea bottle.

We sat there and talked a while before we both headed back to our beds. It's always nice talking to my mom.

I woke up to a Gavin nudging me. "Come on, love. Get up. I have breakfast," his soothing voice urged me to open my eyes. I groaned and rolled over, pulling the covers over my head. "I know. You don't want to leave your room, but you need to eat."

"Just leave it on the nightstand," I said mid-yawn.

He sighed. "Fine, but please try to eat something." His retreating footsteps told me I had won again. The clicking of the door closed told me he had left. I pulled my head out and looked at the tray full of food.

I got up, grabbing the tray. I walked to the bathroom and dumped the contents into the toilet. I watched the food swirl down until they disappear. I sighed and sat on the floor by the tub. I picked at a loose tile in the floor, wondering if I should pull it up. I gave in and peeled the tile off the cold floor. A razor blade lay under the tile, where I hid it. I grabbed it and pulled my sleeve up. I inhaled sharply and carved a line in my skin like I've done many times.