- "how much strength does it take to hurt a little girl? how much strength does it take for the girl to get over it? which one of them do you think is stronger?"
- fiona apple
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Her legs dangled from the edge of the bed, her sketchbook in her lap and a pen in her hand. The girl drawing the sunset that overlooked the city state of Bana-Mighdall; she planned on painting it on a canvas later when she went back to Gotham.
Nova's parents were somewhere amongst Qurac for vigilante business. Her mom and dad decided it was best to leave her in Bana-Mighdall, with someone Artemis very much trusted. Dalma was a close friend - a sister to her, and Artemis would trust Dalma with her life, her daughter. And Nova loved her when they would visit, the woman always telling the eight year old how beautiful and gifted she was. She would always gift Nova things of old and new. Dalma made her feel special.
There was a knock at the door, Nova's head shooting up as she murmured a small 'Come in!' to whomever it was. The door creaked open revealing Dalma holding a dinner tray in hands, the smell of what Nova assumed was shawarma filled her nostrils; and it wasn't until then she realized how hungry she actually was. The older woman smiled at her, closing the door behind her with her foot. If Nova wasn't too distracted by her own hunger and the food sat down in front of her, she might've noticed how Dalma also locked the door.
Dalma sat down on the bed next to Nova, watching as the girl took a bite of her food. She took in the way the girl licked the excess food off of her lips, the way her young body looked in the beige nightgown she was wearing; her long mane black curls down to her back. Maybe that was the reason why Dalma wanted her so badly. For goddesses sake she couldn't figure out if it was the envy of Nova or the lust for the girl that was about to make her act on her sinful desire. She tried to keep her feelings down, but with a whole two weeks of watching the girl; she couldn't hold down that devil anymore.
"This is actually really good!" Nova complimented with a mouth full of food, almost done with the whole plate. She was completely, utterly clueless to Dalma's true intentions. It wasn't long before Nova picked up on the older woman's odd behavior, watching her like a lion would watch its prey.
Full of hunger.
It was enough to make the girl set the rest of her plate down on the table, her bright green eyes watching the woman with feelings of curiosity && anxiety. Had something happened? Dalma hadn't taken her eyes off her since she sat down.
"Did something happen? Are my dad and mom okay?" Nova asked suddenly, tapping her fingers on her knee as an attempt to keep the feeling of bursting out of her own skin at bay. Waiting for the woman to reply felt like a matter of minutes, though it only took her a couple seconds.
"They're fine, Nova. I just spoke with you mother, it won't be long before they come and pick you up," Dalma replied truthfully, she had just spoken to Artemis over the phone. Only because her husband (jayden,was it? she doesn't remember, but then again she also didn't particularly care.) was far too paranoid to leave their child with anyone. Even after Dalma listened to Artemis assure him she was trustworthy. That, 'she's like a sister to me.'
...and maybe his paranoia wasn't misplaced.
Nova breathed a sigh of relief, watching Dalma as she picked up her sketchbook and looked at what she was drawing. The woman looking between Nova and the page. "This is beautiful, Nova...but not as beautiful as you." The woman's compliment made her cheeks heat up. Yes, her parents always gave her compliments on both her and her talents/traits. But it was...different coming from Dalma. Maybe because she didn't actually have to compliment her, even if her dad and mom meant it; Nova also knew that they were her parents. So of course they would say that to her.
Dalma moved some hair out of Nova's face, getting a better look at her. Nova looked down out of both embarrassment and the fact that she was a little uncomfortable. Maybe that wasn't the right word, but Nova's body involuntarily scooted away from the woman; like her conciseness already knew something bad was going to happen.
"Do you want to try something with me, Nova?" Dalma asked, running her hand up the young girl's leg. Watching as her face lit up with curiosity, waiting for the woman to elaborate. "Something for just the two of us, something special." And Nova's eyes widened at the offer, what could be so sacred that it was something only for the two of them? She nodded her head, hands in lap as she waited for Dalma to continue.
"Spread your legs for me." She murmured, glancing up to read the girl's facial expressions. A look of pure confusion spread across the girl's face.
"What?" Nova questioned, because that was such an odd thing to ask of her. Dalma took her hands in her own as she spoke again.
"Spread your legs for me." Dalma repeated, as if Nova didn't hear her right the first time. And when Nova obliged, she smiled a small but sickening grin. Oh, Hera forgive her for what she was about to do.
Tears streamed down Nova's face as she shakingly put her nightgown back on. Facing away from the woman, but could still feel Dalma's eyes on her as she redressed herself. She knew what they had just done was bad, really, really bad. Nova knew she needed to tell her parents, they had already discussed with her that if someone did something like that, to tell them. That they wouldn't be mad or think any less of her. Her father was always the one to say that to her. But she still couldn't shake the guilt of the sins they committed, and the feeling of shame that washed over her as she tried to drown out the thoughts of how they would really react if they found out. Of how disgusting she was.
Apparently Dalma could read her mind, because the next words that she spoke cut the wound in her soul open even more.
"They'll never forgive you." Dalma muttered as she came up behind the girl, moving her hair over to one shoulder. She leaned down as she whispered into her ear, her tone sickly sweet for what she was about to say.
"You can't tell anyone, Nova. It's between us alright? They- They would never understand." The woman tried to come up with some pathetic excuse to justify her actions, for tainting the little girl; and being honest to the gods not feeling a single ounce of guilt for what she had done. For ridding Nova of her innocence and childhood, for leaving a wound that would never fully heal.
"I promise..." Nova trailed off, ignoring the woman as she spoke once more before leaving the room. Closing the door as gently as possible behind her, and something about her doing that made Nova cry even more. 'she wasn't that gentle with me.' She thinks to herself, and part of her knows that it's certainly not the last time they do this together.
And oh how right Nova is. Because for the next two weeks she's with Dalma, it happens every night. Every. Single. Night for fifteen whole days. It was on the third day Nova learned to leave her body while it was happening, to pretend she was flying out into the sunset instead of laying flat on her back paralyzed as someone she had trusted abused her body like it was a drug she couldn't get enough of. Like the young girl was her salvation.
Everyday for those fifteen days was like a limbo for Nova. Awaiting the sunset sky every night to seal her fate. The overwhelming feeling of dread washing over her every time that door opened, and feelings of shame and inadequacy every time it closed.
