Do You Remember Me?, Onyx [i can read book club txt] 📗

right paw. I gave him a quizzical look and his eyes seemed to laugh at me.
Instead of attacking, as I thought and hoped he would to kill me and end my pain, he sniffed my face and my hair a little and ran off. Back into the woods and the darkness. I was once again alone, the blood of my freshly defeated enemies all over the ground and my clothes. I had to run before any other animals followed the scent of the blood. There was little chance I’d be so lucky if another predator came hungry.

I jolted awake, those eyes set on my mind. Those golden, devilish eyes. Why had that wolf not taken me that day? It could’ve ended me easily. I wouldn’t have fought back. I was vulnerable, weak and dying, yet it spared me. Why? Why couldn’t it have a little mercy and end my misery?
But ‘the universe works in mysterious ways.’ Maybe there was more meant for me here. With Danielle. Maybe her forgetting the past was a godsend, I mean, if she remembered what happened, she’d probably loathe me. But with her forgetting, she was hanging out with me again. Only for information, yes, but it’s something. I dreaded the day she found the truth and dreaded how she would react.
Until that day came, I had her for myself. She was mine! I had to win her back!

The next day came, but it came without Danielle. We didn’t watch the sunrise together. We didn’t lie under the oak tree. We didn’t go to dinner, didn’t take a walk. I didn’t see her at all. I thought, maybe this was Jaclyn’s doing. She’d be there the next day.
But she wasn’t there when I woke. She didn’t show up at all that day either.
A dangerous, painful thought hit me the morning of the third day. She was probably never coming back. Maybe she remembered. Maybe Jaclyn told her. Maybe she was in the hospital again!
I choked. I gagged. I told myself to calm down, but it didn’t work. I wrapped my arms around myself and curled up in a tight ball under the oak tree. I wouldn’t leave this spot until she returned. If I died here, so be it.
Maybe she was tired of me, maybe she was sick. Maybe she forgot about me again. Maybe Jaclyn gave her the pills again!
Blood rushed to my face and my eyebrows furrowed. My fists clenched. I wanted to beat down Jaclyn for giving her those pills! Just to make her forget!
I stood. I had to find Danielle. I missed her vanilla scent, her hair, her eyes, her warm skin. Most of all I missed her voice. Her sweet, angelic voice.
I took a step forward just to collide with something… or someone.

Chapter 6

Chapter 6
Danielle

I was on the couch, curled up under the covers. It was the only way to get warm during the winter; our heater was broken. But it was comfy on the couch under my soft, black, king-size blanket. I was watching the frost creep over the windows and melt with the afternoon’s sun. It was around 2:30 so C would be getting back from his job soon. He worked at a computer repair shop. 8 am to 3 pm. It was a small business but it paid good enough money.
Everything was all calm, peaceful and quiet, with me alone to my thoughts like always. Until a knocking came at the door. I sighed and stood. I walked over to it and opened it, only to have something hard and metal slam against my face and my vision faded to black. The only thing I’d seen before I fell was a woman around the age of 20 with wavy blonde hair and skinny frame.
I’d woken up being dragged into a basement, the air freezing and the 2 inches of water that covered the floor was dangerously cold. The woman from earlier grinned down at me and drug me all the way across the dark room to the other side, with me wiggling and squirming all the while. I couldn’t do anything or make any progress of escaping for I was stiff and weak.
The woman drug me over to the chain attached to the cement floor about a foot away from the wall. At the end of it was a handcuff-like attachment which she stuck my ankle in and locked. The woman took a step back and laughed menacingly before turning and leaving me here. As she shut the door behind her, the only light there was vanished and I was left in the dark with my fears.
I could hear her heading up a staircase. A cement staircase. The faint sounds of her footsteps echoed through the basement.
I shivered. For so long there was utter silence. Hours passed. The only noises I heard were my breathing and some basement rats scurrying about.
I wanted C. I closed my eyes tightly and held them shut, praying I’d just fallen asleep on the couch and was taking a nap. Yeah, that was it. Then C would wake me up and kiss me and ask me how my day was.
The door creaked open, and light poured into the room, hurting my eyes. I flinched, squinting. C? There was a figure standing at the doorway, watching me. The hair was short so it wasn’t C. the figure stepped in and shut the door behind him. I trembled.
Splash. Splash. Splash.
He was getting closer! I squirmed, crawling over to the wall.
Splash, splash. Splash, splash. He was coming faster! He was about a foot away from me when he stopped. I could barely make out the outline of him through the darkness.
I looked at him and he watched me looking at him. A long, tense moment passed before I spoke up, “Who are you?”
The man did nothing.
“Why am I here?”
Still nothing.
“SAY SOMETHING! TELL ME SOMETHING! WHY THE HELL HAVE YOU BROUGHT ME HERE? I DID NOTHING TO YOU!”
The man slapped me. Once. Twice. Three times. Harder each time.
“You will not speak until spoken to, Danielle. Got that?”
I spat on his face, “You can’t tell me what to do.”
His fist met the side of my face, and a bit of blood slipped down my chin. My cheek was sore. I laughed a little.
“You think this is funny?!” He shouted, punching me twice more. I choked out a bit of blood and I couldn’t open my right eye. It was swollen and throbbing.
“This outta teach you a lesson.” He laughed, slipping his shirt over his head. I pressed myself against it as hard as I could, as if I could disappear into it. But he grabbed by my hair and yanked me away from it.
He unzipped his jeans and slid them off quickly, carelessly tossing them into the water. He looked me up and down, tears streaming down my cheeks. He gently wiped a couple of them away before sitting on my stomach, pinning my legs down with his knees and pinning my arms down with his. He grabbed my shirt and ripped it apart. He grinned a little, feeling me.
“Please, don’t!”
He slapped me once more, which hurt worse than any of the other ones, “Shut the fuck up and quit wiggling around!”
He then grabbed the top of my jeans, and tore those too. He pressed himself against me, caressing me and kissing my lips. I didn’t return it. He tried to slip his tongue inside my mouth, but I kept it tightly shut. He tried harder, getting irritated. When I would not give in, he wrapped a hand around my neck and gradually squeezed harder until I opened my mouth to catch a breath, and his lips crashed into mine, his tongue slipping inside my mouth.
My stomach churned. My heart was screaming, aching. I didn’t want to be here. This couldn’t be real.
The man reached around my back and unhooked my bra, throwing that into the water as well. He slipped out of his boxers, than tore my panties off. I shouted, I hissed, I pleaded, I cried. But the man was ignorant.
He repositioned himself, spreading my legs apart and holding my wrists down. He pressed against me again, a sharp pain flying through my body like an electric current. In and out, in and out. The electric current grew more painful each time.
A few minutes passed before I felt a little warmth down there and the man moaned so loud in my ears it gave me a headache. He stood and smiled, “Wasn’t that fun?”
My cheeks were damp with tears and I felt so dirty and used. I shook my head, glaring at him.
He chuckled, picking his clothes out of the water, “I know you love it, darling, but I’m sorry. I have work to do. But don’t worry, I’ll be back for more tomorrow.” He ran his hand through my hair and kissed me. I felt nauseous.
Once he was gone and I was in the dark again, I let it all out. I shouted and cried. I shouted a name I couldn’t understand. I felt so cold and alone. I wanted to go home and forget this ever happened. I just wanted to curl up in C’s arms, where I was safe, protected, loved.
I wondered if I ever would. If I’d ever be able to curl up next to him with his arms around me. If I’d ever feel his lips against mine. If I’d ever even see him again.

I jolted upright, my face wet with tears. I looked around frantically, I was home. The sun rays shining through the window were warm and comforting.
I stood but collapsed. I was shaking. My breathing was heavy. I was… afraid. Of what?
I had to find C. I just wanted to be in his arms. To find that comfort and protection and love I once knew and cherished. Maybe I didn’t remember anything of us, but I really needed his comfort.
Jaclyn was sprawled out on the couch, sleeping, like always. She was so lazy and didn’t even have a job. I wondered how she paid the bills. Did I even want to know? I glanced at the clock, 9:32. I slowly shut the door behind me, as to not make any noise, and I ran. I ran like hell.

I found him exactly where I always did; at the park under the tree. I sprinted as fast as I could toward him, but he was looking in the other direction. He sighed and stood, walking my way, and I crashed into him.
We fell, right into our spot in between the roots of the oak tree. I was crying again, I noted and as he recovered from the surprise, he ran