Page 58 of Dare To Fall

Terror paralyzes me in place.

Why isn’t Eli talking? Why isn’t he taunting me? Making me angry?

If he’s enjoying seeing me so vulnerable, he’d tell me.

What if it’s not Eli?

The thought is like a shout inside my head. I whimper, the sound muffled by the gag. Panic quickens my pulse, sending my breathing into short, sharp pants.

My captor moves off the bed, and a hand strokes its way along my spine down to the curve of my ass. The hem of my t-shirt is yanked up past my hips, and the edge of my panties is lifted. Cold metal touches my inner thigh a second before the sound of cloth being cut reaches my ears. The cotton is ripped away, and cool air washes over the sensitive flesh between my legs.

No, no, no!

My eyes are screwed shut behind the blindfold, but tears leak out, spilling down my cheeks. I renew my struggles, twisting my wrists from side to side, but that only makes the ropes cut into my skin harder.

The knowledge that there is no escape ... I’m at their mercy … is like an ice-cold bucket of water.

A sob tears from my mouth, muffled by the gag.

All I can do is wait. Wait for what they are going to do to me.

I’m shaking, crying, so lost in terror that I lose track of time. I don’t know how long it takes for me to notice that there’s no other sound in the room. No movement.

No one has touched me again.

Have they gone? Please, God, let them be gone.

Sniffling, I rub my cheek against the pillow, trying to dislodge the gag and blindfold but neither budge. My muffled shouts and screams for help do nothing but make my throat raw.

Time crawls by.

My legs and arms ache, slowly morphing into numbness, and I must have fallen into a fitful doze because the next thing I know, the sound of my door opening breaks the silence.

There’s a gasp. “Oh my god! Sarah, call security.”

I try to move my head, but my neck is stiff, and I let out a muffled whimper.

“It’s okay.” The voice is closer. Female and soothing. “It’s all going to be okay, sweetheart. I’m going to untie you.”

The blindfold is removed, and I blink against the blinding light.

Is it morning already? Have I been bound and gagged most of the night?

It takes me a second to focus, and when I do, I see a woman dressed in the school’s house cleaning staff uniform. Her face is pale, and there is pity in her eyes.

The second I see her face, I start to cry.

Chapter 37

Eli

I check my cell, but there’s still no reply from Arabella. She still hasn’t spoken to me since the night in the tomb. My retaliation plan is prepared. I’d planned to carry it out yesterday, but she didn’t turn up to class. When Kellan commented on her lack of presence, one of the teachers said she was sick and staying in her room. We know there’s been no word from her puppet master since Saturday. I guess they’re waiting to see how I respond.

When I walk into math, she’s at her desk. Her appearance throws me for a second. She’s back to the hoodie and yoga pants of her first few months at school, instead of the goth-girl look she’s been sporting since Christmas. Her hood is up, pulled forward over her head and I can just about see a curl of blonde hair peeking out.

I glance at Kellan, who closes the door and positions himself just outside. My lookout, just in case Mr. Drake is early.

All eyes are on me as I cross the room. There’s a sense of anticipation in the air when people realize I’m on a direct course for Arabella. Before she realizes I’m there, I curl my fingers into the neck of her hoodie, haul her to her feet and shove her forward until she’s half sprawled across her desk.

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