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Seven: wake up screaming
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A Thousand Lies Eight: fake
Temperance "And what does that mean for me?” I ask him frantically. "It means if we don't stop this, then you won't make it. "He’s joking, right?" "Anything that could have caused this?" The doctor asks. I tremble as I realize I can’t tell him the truth, the real cause. He won’t know how bad my body has been treated. Internal bleeding? God really hates me, doesn’t he?"I got mugged the other day." I blurt out a lie. Emaline looks at me, thinning her lips before getting distracted by something Ella whispers. "Aside from your face, where are your other beatings?" He asks. "My stomach and back." "Lift your shirt for me." He responds bluntly. I cross my arms in front of my chest, refusing to lift my shirt. I don't want anyone to take advantage of me. I don't want to be touched like I was before. "Temperance, it's ok," Ella tells me, giving me a soft smile. I shake my head, finally agreeing. The doctor turns to Ella and Emaline, "Will you two leave the room, please."As soon as he sa
A Thousand Lies Nine: you go silent
Alec As I step into my room, I immediately notice Temperance under the sheets of my bed. I keep my gaze on her fragile body. I take a step forward, her eyes are closed and her cheeks are red. She is asleep, but droplets of sorrow dry on her delicate face. My knuckles gently touch her cheek as I attempt to push a hair out of her face. She opens her eyes and slaps my hand away, terrified."What's wrong?" Utter shock flows through me from her reaction. She doesn’t dare look at me as she shakes her head now. Is there a book on how to deal with girls?*********************************************************************TemperanceMy heart is desperate to talk to this man. It forms sentences that don’t arise past my rib cage. The words die in my throat. I want to talk to him but my lips stay locked together, not daring to open. "Did you take a shower?" He asks me. I shake my head no. He goes silent, thinking. "Go take a bath. I'll get you a towel and some clothes." He is so sweet to
A Thousand Lies Ten: I'll go back
TemperanceThoughts of my disgusting body storm in my head. Why did I let him know what happened to me? He thinks I'm disgusting. Fuck. Fuck. I'm so disgusting. Its clear to me now that I have to leave. I'll never be safe from my father. No matter where I am.I tried to blind myself but this assault brought me back to my senses. I'll never be safe, and there's no use burdening Alec. I grab a paper and pencil and start writing. I know you find me gross now. Don't worry. I find myself gross too. I will get out of your hair now. And I will go home. I will see you at school if you decide to come. I know you are busy with gang stuff. Xoxo TemperanceI place the note on his nightstand, folding it up neatly. I know people will start looking for me soon, so I have to get out of here quickly. I have nothing to take back with me, so I leave with the clothes on my back and the prescribed pills. I ignore the pain and sneak my way out of the house and down the driveway. I can't stay here an
A Thousand Lies Eleven: My web of lies
Temperance I pop two pills into my mouth with a bottle of water I have under my bed. I'm not sure if I can mix my pills with regular Advil but that has yet to stop me. I figure that even if I accidentally overdose, it would be ok. Right? I put on black leggings and an oversized dark blue hoodie that stops mid-thigh. As I'm driven into a coughing fit I place my hands over my mouth. The acts of coughing wrack my frail body, my head spinning as I try to calm down. Stepping into the bathroom I avoid looking at myself in the mirror. I can't bear to see myself. I turn on the faucet, letting the water run over the bristles of my toothbrush. I find myself mesmerized by the flow of the water before placing my toothbrush into my mouth. I wince at the shooting pain I feel inside my mouth. Curious, I take my toothbrush out of my mouth, nudging my tooth with my tongue. As one of my molars wiggles, I feel the color drain from my face. This isn't supposed to happen, my teeth are supposed to b
A Thousand Lies Twelve: the chaos in the school
"Code red, Code red. This is NOT a drill."It takes me a second to remember that code red is a drill for a lockdown.The principal's voice seems shaky. Alec and I look at each other, and he grabs my hand. He opens the door to the janitor's closet with a tight grip on my arm. They said out of sight. Not grab Temperance's hand and take her somewhere."Where are we going? We were already out of sight in there!" I protest. I roll my eyes as he decides to ignore me.We get to our classroom, and he frantically beats on the door. "Let us in!" Yes, be loud Alec, that totally won't attract a killer.The teacher opens the door and pulls us in. Everyone is huddled on the side of the room where the window on the door is perfectly angled away from them.The teacher frantically turns out the lights and locks the door with shaking hands. Alec and I make our way toward the class. We sit close to the wall with a few students in front of us. I imagine a person coming in and frantically shooting us w
A Thousand Lies Thirteen: a gun to my lips
Temperance "Take my gun Temperance." With trembling hands, she places her gun in my palms. "W-what? What's going on?" My heart races as I feel the weight of the gun. "Hide it so he won't see." She whispers, her eyes not once leaving the truck. I lift my hoodie and quickly tuck the gun in my waistband, half of it sticking out. "Fuck I promised Alec and the guys that I wouldn't let anything happen to you." She whispers, mostly to herself. I pull my hoodie back down and stand beside Emaline, who looks petrified at whoever is inside the truck. The passenger side is facing towards us, making it difficult for me to see who is inside. We hear the vehicle turn off and someone opens the door. What sounds like boots clack on the concrete after hopping out of the truck. He walks around until we can fully see him. He has several ear piercings. He has caramel color skin with a faded black tattoo on his neck. His dark hair is flipped, and his stubble makes it look like he's missed a few da
A Thousand Lies Fourteen: a fiancée
Temperance The police sirens are wailing as we pull the car to the side of the road. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck." Alec grits his teeth, hitting his fists on the wheel in frustration. I tense at his anger, staying silent. I wait for the car to roll to a stop behind us but instead he speeds past us. The car shakes with its speed. It wasn't after us in the first place. As if today's chaos wasn't enough, I stand in front of my door, contemplating if I should go in or not. I check my phone. It's only 3:40. It's around the time I usually get home. I should've just gone with Alec since they had offered. Next time I won't turn down their offer. I carefully open the gate to hell. I slip through the door and into my smoke-filled house. I try to hold back the coughs that rise in my throat as I drop my backpack by the door. You're invisible. Don't draw attention. I look up and see my father and a strange-looking woman sitting in the kitchen smoking cigarettes. The woman has black hair and pi
A Thousand Lies Fifteen: Safety in the hospital
Alec It's been hours and she still isn't awake. The only thing that's keeping me still is the fact that we got answers from her doctors. She was taken here last night. Not brought into the hospital, she was left in the parking lot. A nurse that was about to clock into her shift found Temperance. She was more dead than alive when that nurse found her. They had to shove a tube down her throat almost immediately, and a lot of other stuff I've already forgotten. They said it was a miracle it worked. She has signs of physical abuse written all over her body. Old and new. When they asked her about them, she said she had a few bullies, which is the excuse she always uses. Bullies. The only person I've seen be rude to her is Sabrina. But even then I would doubt that Sabrina would be the cause of this. Words are different than punches. Then she went into surgery to fix her internal bleeding. The pills she was taking weren't even pills for the bleeding. That fake doctor gave her vitamin pi
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