Seven Deadly Sins

Chapter Two: More Than Seven Problems

Like every other night in her dreams Hailie came back to her family town. It was more like a horrible nightmare rather than a typical dream. She felt like she was trapped in that one particular day, forced to relive it over and over again. Hailie couldn't free herself, always thinking what she might have done differently. If she didn't come that day... Wouldn't it just happen some other day? And wouldn't it end up so much worse? She thought about various scenarios all the time, but the truth was that no matter what she has done, she couldn't have escaped from what happened to her.

And so once again, she was leaning on the steering wheel of her old and small, but easy to use car. She felt weak, even though 10 minutes ago she was full of adrenaline. There was blood everywhere, draining from Hailie's arm and face onto her loose dress and a car upholstery. Her eye swelled a bit so she found it hard to see well, moreover she couldn't stop crying and teardrops were running down her face like a waterfall.

Hailie grabbed a handle and stepped out of the car. She barely stood on her feet, but she had to end it and finally spoke out. She should have done it so much earlier. Maybe then somebody would have protected her.

She looked at a bright neon of a police station. She was afraid, not only because of what happened. She was afraid to talk. But was there anything worse that could happen to her if she tells?

Weak on her feet, she managed to cross the street and reach a door to the police station. She opened them, using all the strength she had and walked inside, squinting eyes from bright lights. She felt like she was in a trance, she didn't know what was happening around her. Seconds had passed and somebody ran up to her. She heard voices but didn't understand them. Everything was so blurry and loud. A policeman led her up to the chair and the other one was calling an ambulance.

She felt blood in her lips and a dryness in her sore throat. She didn't want to see how she looked. She already thought of herself as horribly ordinary, but now she was wounded, swelled and ugly. And she felt so alone and frightened, without anybody to protect her.

A mid-aged woman kneeled beside her and looked at her carefully. She gently touched her throat. There were traces of choking, but it wasn't the worst. Bruises were all over her body, today especially on her face. A woman was terrified just by glancing at her.

"Who did this to you?" she asked softly.

***

Hailie woke up, sweat running down her back. She touched her lips, but there was no blood on them. She was fine, it was another of these stupid dreams of what happened.

"Will I ever stop having sleepless nights?" she asked into space and got up. She knew there was no point in trying to sleep again. She looked at her phone, checking what time it is. "3:33. Wonderful."

Hailie went to the bathroom situated opposite to the room she picked for herself. She was living in this house for three days and nothing really happened. Everything was just like always, except she heard creaking all the time, because it was a very old building. She might thought that something was walking down the halls, but it didn't scare her. As long as she hasn't seen any ghosts, she refused to believe in them.

"Okay, you have a whole night before you. What are you going to do?" she asked her reflection in the mirror. "You've got a big essay to write 'till Monday, maybe you could start it already?"

She thought it was pitiful that she was so lonely, she had to talk to her reflection. She didn't like to look at herself. Her brown, long hair slightly revealed a thin, exhausted face. She always felt that she had so much work to do and so little time to get it done. And what a nose! It had a dent in the middle of the bridge, with an upturned tip. It was nothing like the small, pretty nose of her sister, which she had after their mom. She hated the fact that there was nothing perfect about her.