Through The Storm

16

Estella

"What are you going to do to me?" I questioned, unable to speak steadily.

"I don't even know yet. I could do so many things to your precious little life." His tone was darker than I'd ever heard before. He was darker than I've ever seen. His eyes had glossed over with a hunger for danger. And I, was his victim.

"Cade. I'm so sorry if I made you upset. Please I'm begging. I'll do anything, just let me go." I pleaded, not even recognizing my small voice. I was doused in fear and I'm sure he loved it. I wondered if he had ever hurt a girl.

"Relax babygirl. I'm not gonna kill you. Yet." Shit. Oh my god oh my god oh my god. I started panicking. High key panicking. I couldn't control my breathing, my vision was blurring. I was going to die here. At the hands of this man, who not too long ago had his on me.

"Cade. Please I can't- I can't breathe." I was begging, desperate and small compared to him. He could've stepped on me, and in that moment just that small step would've been enough to break me.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please Cade." I was running out of options, my thoughts had gone blank. Think Stell. You can get out of this.

I saw someone in the distance, if I could scream loud enough I could get away. He clasped his hand over my mouth. Fuck. How did he know? And then it hit me, I'm not the first one. He's done this before.

"Sorry doesn't really cut it princess. I told you not to play with fire, you didn't wanna listen." What was he going to do to me? What was he capable of? This whole time, I had believed he was just closed off. When really, he was just the devil.

"What do you want me to do?" I tried staying calm. Maybe I could reason with him. I could still be okay. Although the emotional scars this would leave would probably disagree.

"I want you to stay the fuck out of my business. Tell a goddamn soul about the nightmares, or that you even so much as know me, and I'll come for you. And not how you desperately want me to, babygirl." I was lost completely. I couldn't think any longer; I couldn't fight anymore. I collapsed. Giving him full access to do whatever he wanted. I was done.

~~

"Stella? Stella are you awake?" Jen.What? Where am I? Where is she? Cade. Oh god. I couldn't help the panic covering my face as I opened my eyes, to a hospital room? Why was I in a hospital? Did he do something to me? Oh my god. I could hardly remember what had happened. It was foggy, I hadn't drank much but the fear had triggered my fight or flight. And my mind chose flight. The memories were blank. I had no idea what led me here.

"Jen? What happened? My head feels awful." She looked concerned for me, and was that? My mom. She was standing on the other side of the room. Looking as if she'd seen a ghost. "Mom what are you doing here?"

The doctor walked through the door. Leaning towards me with a clipboard in his hand.
"Estella. You were in an accident. A car accident. Someone hit you while you were walking across the street. They say you were running from something" Cade. I was running from Cade. It was coming back to me now. I didn't collapse, I just blacked out. He continued on. "It was an intersection, the car was going 40. You got lucky. They saw you in time to slam on their breaks. But you've been asleep for four days now." No. That's not right. It was last night.

"Can I have my phone?" Was the only words I could mutter out. And so Jen handed it to me, confused as to why that's what I wanted right now when I just found out I'd been out for four days. But this was why.
Cade: I'm sorry princess. I couldn't stay with you until the ambulance arrived.
Cade: answer me E.
Cade: things got out of hand. Let's talk.
Cade: princess, you have to let me talk to you.
And there were another five or six messages after that. Did he really believe I would talk to him after this? That I would so much as go near him? He threatened me, my life. "I'm not gonna kill you. Yet." The words replayed in my head. In his dark thrilling voice.

No, he did not have this power over me. If he showed up, I would ignore him. It was simple. Or it could be, if my mind let it be.

~~

It was Saturday. I had left the hospital soon after I woke up yesterday.
17 missed calls from Cade
Yeah I'm not dealing with that. Not today. It was my first day home. Really home, yesterday my mom had insisted I stay with Ruby. But today I told her it was time for me to go home and take care of some things.

I didn't tell anyone about the night with Cade. I was too afraid of what he'd do if he found out. How did my life get like this? I had let some stranger feel me up, push me around, and now threaten me. I should've stayed in Seattle. This whole move was a mistake. I would've never met Cade, never fell for his lies. Another call came from Cade. I had nothing to lose.
"Hi." I spoke into the phone

"Estella. We need to talk. Can you meet me somewhere?" His voice sent chills rising up my spine as more memories came back. He had told me I was free to go, so I ran. It was his fault I was like this.

"Somewhere public. And only if I can bring a friend." What was I doing? I can't meet up with him.

"Deal. But when we talk, we talk alone." Shit.

~~

[ two updates in one hour!!! Also I am shaking right now writing this! Almost 500 reads! I am beyond thrilled and excited and thankful and everything I could ever feel. I wanted to be an author for a long period of time, so my sixth grade self is quaking right now. Thank you so so much for the reads. <3 ]