my only savior ❧ book one ❧ completed

Chapter Three

I awoke with a jolt. I was heaving for breath. I was frozen for minutes. Eventually, I tugged the sheets up to my face and sobbed into them. I heard feet stomping in the room behind me and a knock on my door. I got up and wiped my eyes. I opened my door and saw a worried Mark.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "I heard crying, I wanted to make sure everything was okay."

"I-I'm fine," I said. "I just had a bad dream."

He opened up his arms, and I gladly wrapped mine around his torso. He traced circles with his fingers in my back. He buried his face in my hair and sighed.

"Want to talk about it?" He asked.

"Not really," I mumbled into his shirt. "But I probably should."

"I won't force you to do anything," He rubbed his hand up and down my back. "But I would like it if you said something sometime."

I purred and rubbed my forehead against his chest. I don't want this to end I heard in my head.

"Me neither." I said without thinking.

He didn't say anything. Nothing out of curiosity. He let it be. Did I say that out loud? He thought.

"Want to hang out with me today?" He asked.

I lifted my head from his chest and nodded. He put his arm around me and walked me to his apartment. He sat down on his couch and I leaned into him as the tears started to pour again. He put his hand on the back of my head.

"It wasn't just a bad dream," I mumbled. "It was a memory."

I let one last sob out before explaining.

"My ex, he used to hit me," I started. "Every day. One day, I couldn't take it anymore. I went to my friends house and she cut all my hair off and dyed it. I changed my name too, and ran away. So he couldn't find me ever again."

I noticed he had been running his hand through my hair while I talked.

"What's your story?" He asked me.

"Like," I said. "Like my life story?"

"Yeah."

I explained to him, that when I was born, my dad got into a car accident and died. My mom didn't find out until she got out of the hospital and then she was so upset the she.. She killed herself. I grew up with my Aunt, my Uncle, and my cousin Jared. Jared was 8 years older than me, but he was still nice to me. I grew up playing racing games, fighting games, (violent games in general) and sports. When I was three, turning four in August, I had a new cousin. He was named Marley. He was a very dorky child. When I turned eleven, Jared had gone off to college. When I turned 17, I moved out, and I met Darren. He was very nice. Eventually, he asked me out, and I said yes. I moved in with him a few months later. Then he starting beating me. It was every few months, then every few weeks, then every day.

By now, I was clenching Mark's shirt in my fists. I was furious, but I wanted to cry. He pulled me up on his lap and I rested my forehead right above his collarbone. This was the most comforting I've gotten from a man in my life. I was grateful to have him.

"My real name isn't Tara," I mumbled against his skin. "It's Alyssa."

"I'll keep calling you Tara," Mark said. "if you want me to."

•

I spent most of the day playing games with Mark and watching Supernatural. He was very comforting by letting me cuddle him when I felt sensitive. I went back to my apartment by 9:00 PM. While I laid in bed, I heard shuffling outside my room. I got up and looked out, hiding behind my doorframe. I didn't see anything. I stepped out and felt something grab me from behind. I screamed at the top of my lungs, but my mouth was covered. I used my elbow to hit my attacker as hard as I could. They groaned when I hit them in the gut. They stumbled backwards and that gave me time to run. I reached my hand out for my doorknob but I was pulled back. I turned around in the arms of the person and pulled off the mask they were wearing.

He found me.

Darren.

And everything went black.