My Mai.

13

The night I stumbled into that police station, a team of investigators questioned me about my kidnapping.

I told them that Kim Taehyung, a classmate of mine, had drugged me then brought me to a cabin so that he could keep me like some pet. I informed them that he had killed a man, thinking he was protecting me in some way. I also told them all the punishments he inflected upon me and that I knew what his mental state was like; that he was seriously dangerous.

After that, I was taken to the town's hospital where my injuries were cleaned and stitched. Before I was able to shower, a nurse suggested I take a pregnancy test just in case. I took the test and as I waited for one or two lines to appear on the stick, I took the longest shower of my life. I scrubbed every inch of my body with the awful scent of hospital soap; the cut on my thigh had only been stitched a few hours ago, so a piece of clear wrap protected any soap or water from touching it.

I sat on the showers floor, the hot water pouring on to my back. I was exhausted; completely drained of any emotion. I guess I expected some sort of relief in this moment, I mean, I had policemen guarding my door, detectives prowling the grounds, and I was inside a hospital. I'm suppose to feel safe in a hospital, right?

The only thing I kept thinking was that he was still out there, still looking for me, still thinking of punishments to teach me a lesson for running away.

I turned the nozzle off and stepped out of the shower. As I looked in the mirror, my reflection was that of a broken woman. I could hardly recognize myself; I swear I could still see Charlie's blood stained on my arms. I glanced over at the pregnancy test: negative. You'd think I'd be jumping with joy; that I was thankful that I wouldn't be giving birth to a psychopath's kid. But, to be honest, I wouldn't care, I don't think I'd ever care about anything ever again.

There was a knock at my door.

My eyes grew wide. Wh-what if it was him? What if he found me? I had only just tasted the outside world and he was already pulling me back into his cold, dark, shell-

"Miss Yung? It's me, Jace Lee."

I let out a heavy sigh then wrapped a towel around myself. I opened the door slowly.

"Yes?"

He noticed my attire and quickly looked away, his cheeks flushed pink.

"I um- can wait if you want." He coughed.

A smile creeped to the corner of my mouth. After I had put sweats on, I welcomed Jace into my hospital room.

"So, officer, how can I help you?"

"Oh um I just wanted to see how you were doing, is all. And uh I brought you some soup! Doc said to grab something that would be easy on your tummy."

Before I could respond, I felt tears tickle my cheek. I had begun crying in front of him. I didn't know why I was crying, but I assumed it was because he was the first real human contact I've had since escaping from Taehyung. All the detectives and doctors were only concerned about the whereabouts of Taehyung, none of them wondered if I was okay, until Jace.

Jace POV

"Oh I- don't cry- I can get you a different flavor of soup-" It was then that I finally took the time to look at her, like, really look at her; passed her cuts and bruises, and her delicate frame.