Chrysalis

Chapter 15

Notes: This chapter proved to be quite challenging to write, I hope I gave it justice.
And thank you so, so much for the support, I cannot put into words how much it means to me :)

Warnings: Injuries caused by an abusive caretaker and other mentions of child abuse.
Dialogues in italics between Francis and Maggie mean they're speaking French.
English isn't my first language, I apologize for the mistakes. I proof-read multiple times and use both Microsoft Word built-in spellchecker and a free version of Grammarly, but something always escapes me, especially if I'm tired. I should probably also mention that I try to use the British spelling – any American form is actually a mistake on my part, since I cannot really distinguish the two. (I'm specifying this because a reader pointed out that American readers might consider the British spelling as a typo along with the real ones, thus increasing the number of mistakes they find.)

This said, I hope you'll enjoy the chapter! And reviews are always extremely appreciated :) 

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Chapter Fifteen

Something was throbbing distantly. No – not just something. Her entire body was throbbing, the pain intensifying and then fading down in waves in tune with Maggie's breathing.

Maggie needed to wake up – but waking up would mean increasing the pain, a corner of her mind told her. Fading away would be better. Even so, the ever-lasting pain that pounded in her brain no longer allowed for such a respite, and the sun rays hitting her eyelids weren't helping.

Groaning, Maggie tried to turn away, only for a burst of agony to flare up in her left arm. She cried out, instinctively curling up on herself as pain ate her entire body in a white flash. Maybe she fainted for a moment, she couldn't have told for sure – but when she came to, the pain was so intense that it was almost unbearable, tearing a small whimper from her lips. At the same time, the fact that the sensation was now impossible to ignore forced her into alertness.

Maggie stayed still, waiting for the pain to abate. It never did fully – but after some agonizingly long moments, it became more localized. Her head was pounding along with her heartbeat, merging her thoughts in a muffled mess. Her entire abdomen was hurting too, her stomach painfully contracted and churning, spires of pain flaring up in her ribcage at each shallow breath. The worst, however, was her left arm, throbbing so viciously that Maggie almost wanted to cry. She didn't dare to move it.

'What happened?'

Desperately trying to block out the pain and swallowing to bring relief to her parched throat, Maggie pried her eyes open. The light felt like a scorching needle piercing her brain. A whimper bubbled up her throat as the nausea increased, but she stubbornly refused to close her eyes – there was something wrong with the entire situation, and she needed to find out what.

It took Maggie an embarrassingly long amount of time to register the foreign, hard texture pressed against her cheek and arm, so different from the pillowcase. Blinking to put her surroundings into focus, she realized that she was in the living room, lying on the sofa.

'How did I get here?'

It didn't make any sense. Thinking only increased the headache, yet Maggie stubbornly forced herself to sort through her most recent memories. She could recall a dreamlike afternoon with Alfred, falling asleep with her mind still lingering on the pleasant recollections... and at the same moment, the last pieces of the puzzle clicked together in Maggie's mind, making her blood run cold and her body go rigid as her chest constricted.

Oh, shit.

The knot in Maggie's stomach rose to her throat, squeezing it. Her ears were ringing, her lungs begging for air – only at the very last moment, she became aware of the acrid taste of bile in the back of her throat.