Taken into the Unknown (Complete)

True Colors

CHAPTER 35

I hadn’t moved from where I was sitting, except to put on a shirt and some shorts from the closet, until Fiorella was shoved back into the room. The moment I saw her, I scurried over to her. She curled herself up into fetal position and trembled. Her hair was a tangled mess and there were red marks all along her skin.  Down her cheeks were dried trails of tears. Her eyes were wide, barely blinking, and hauntingly blank, not even acknowledging my presence as they stared off into space as if reliving those past moments over and over again.

“Fiorella, can you hear me? Please answer me. Say something. Do something. Just look at me.” She didn’t move an inch, but I took notice of her mouth.

 Her lips were moving oddly and her breath seemed ragged and shaky almost as if she were trying to say something. I lowered my ear to listen more closely. I squeezed my eyes shut, allowing only a single tear to fall as I understood how deeply scarred she was. I wrapped my arms around her and under her knees, and wobbly lifted her up and carried her to her bed. I wrapped her blanket snugly around her before crawling into her bed with her. I protectively wrapped my arm around her and ran my hand through her hair, smoothing it out just like my mom did for me when I was younger.

“It’ll be over soon. I promise I will get you out of here. I won’t let them hurt you anymore. I won’t let them,” I whispered. But all I could hear as I fell asleep were the same words she whimpered with every breath she had, “Stop, stop, stop.”

When I awoke the next morning, Fiorella was thankfully sound asleep next to me. The next thing I noticed was the intense pain I felt in various parts of my body, no doubt the effect of all the blows I took yesterday.  Carefully, but not painlessly, I slipped out of her bed so as not to wake her and washed up in the bathroom. As I washed my face in the sink I remembered how short I was on time. Who knew how many hours I had to find Jayden before Damon snuck me out of here?  

Time was running out and I was starting to feel a little desperate. I dried my face and looked at myself in the mirror. I was almost tempted to try and sneak out again, but one look at myself and Fiorella was enough to deter me from that mistake again. Along the contours of my face and neck were purplish bruises. I lifted my shirt and winced at just the sight of all the purplish marks covering my body. Some were fainter than others, but they were all tender nonetheless. Other spots were red from where their nails scraped me or they hit me hard enough to draw blood.  I don’t think I ever looked this bad even when I lived with my father. I sighed and pulled my shirt down.

I walked back into the room and kneeled down next to Fiorella. “I’m so sorry for getting you involved in my mess,” I whispered to her sleeping figure. Before I could say or do anything else the door to the room was slammed open. I stood up protectively in front of Fiorella.

“Haven’t you guys had enough already! I won’t let you hurt her again.” I snarled.

“Well then it’s a good thing we’re not here for her,” one of the guys said as he held my arms behind my back and pushed me forward. I winced as the man squeezed the tender parts of my skin.

“Hey! Let go of me! Garrett said I wasn’t to be touched.”

He whacked the back of my head, luckily not too hard but none too gently either. “First of all you don’t have to right to say his name so casually, and secondly,” he sneered, “He’s the one who called on you.” Thinking quick, I ducked twisted under my arms to slip out of his grip. I ran in any direction I could, but I was only met with the cold ground slamming against my body as somebody tripped me.

I let out a frustrated groan as I was picked up off the ground and dragged backwards to wherever they were taking me. Why is it that every single one of my attempts to escape ends with me getting seriously injured?! I have the worst luck! I tried to get back on my feet, but I simply fell back down and endured the pain of being dragged around with bruises everywhere.