Cruel Summer

The Buried Truth

"Where are we?" I asked as Wanda walked towards the front door of a small cabin. We were in the middle of nowhere.

"Somewhere safe," she responded, opening the door. It slowly creaked open allowing us to see what was inside.

Sunlight shone through the open doorway and peaked through cracks on the dust cover windows. Wooden furniture filled the house with the smell of pine. The curtains on the windows looked stiff and like they hadn't been used in years. Everywhere was covered in a thin layer of dust and I could see some cobwebs hanging in the corners of the room. Wanda turned back to look at me.

"Why don't you go take a bath," she told me. "The bathroom is just through that door and there should be some towels in there."

"Are you sure you don't need any help cleaning?" I asked looking around the room again. She had already grabbed a broom from a small closet and began to sweep up the dust and dirt on the ground.

"Yeah, I'm sure," she said softly. "Just shout at me if you need anything."

I nodded and headed towards the closed door. Behind it stood an old bathroom. There was a lot less dust in the bathroom and most of it sat on the floor before the clawfoot tub. I grabbed a towel and set it on the edge of the tub. The water flowed from the faucet as I grabbed a thing of soap from under the sink. When I turned back to the tub something caught my eyes. I turned to my left and saw a full-body mirror leaning against the wall. My hair was a mess, my eyes were bloodshot, and I had blood splattered on my arms. I sighed and grabbed a second towel to throw over the mirror. I knew that I wouldn't want to see my naked reflection, not this soon. The tub was almost full so I decided to turn it off but before I got in my breathing became ragged.

"No, no, no," I muttered. My legs shook under the weight of my body. I tried to move towards the tub so I could grab the side and keep myself off the ground, but I wasn't quick enough. My legs collapsed under my weight and I fell to the ground.

I couldn't calm my breathing and tears began to fall from my eyes. Memories flashed in my eyes reminding me of things that I wanted to forget. My chest heaved up and down as I tried to suck in air and calm myself down. There were memories of Hayward's punishments and the men he sent into my cell at night. Their hands weren't really touching my bearskin but I could've sworn they were there. My arms wrapped around my legs and I curled up into a ball, rocking back and forth on the bathroom floor.

"Please," I whispered to the images that flashed in my mind like a terrible movie. "Make it stop!"

I was crawling deeper and deeper into more horrifying memories and I couldn't force myself out of the past. Everything was so vivid and it terrified me.

Cold, desperate hands traced their way up my body. They touched every inch of my skin with pure need. There was no love or care in their touch, just need and want.

"Mya?" Wanda shouted. Her voice was far away. I silently sobbed trying to answer her but my voice failed. "Hey! Hey!" I felt her arms wrap around me and pull me into her. "Shhh, it's ok," she whispered.

"I-I-"

"Hey, it's ok," she said again, quieting me.

Being in her arms I felt a sense of calmness overtake me. After silently staying in her arms I pulled away from her. My hands shook as I placed them on her shoulders. My breathing had mostly returned to normal and memories rarely flashed in my eyes.

"I-I'm sorry," I gulped.

"It's ok," Wanda assured. I watched as she raised her hand and a small ball of energy danced across her fingers. "May I?"