Hope’s POVThe night is pitch-black and the rain is unforgiving, drumming down mercilessly, transforming the path into a treacherous mudslide. I forge ahead, senses on high alert, while Larry struggles behind me.“I hate this,” he mumbles and slips again, landing with a squelch on his backside."You okay, Larry?" I turn back and offer him a hand to pull him up but boy is this guy heavy, He may be thin but he weighs like a bull."Just peachy," he grumbles, wiping mud from his face with exaggerated care before accepting my hand.We continue trudging through the downpour, both now silent in our own train of thoughts as we follow that jerk’s trail. That traitor’s trail is unfortunately our lone beacon of hope and like it or not, we have to follow it.Suddenly, I freeze, catching a rustling sound from the nearby trees. It is loud, even with the downpour, I can hear it.I motion for Larry to stop."Someone's watching us," I whisper.Larry's eyes widen in mock horror. "Oh, really? Couldn't b
Hope’s POVI do not know how long I stay kneeling in the rain but I think it is a long time. It is funny how you lose track of time or your senses when your heart breaks, everything else just does not seem to matter anymore.“HOPE!”Someone is calling my name.“HOPE! GET UP!”Someone has grabbed my shoulders and is shaking the bejeezus out of me.“We’re sitting ducks out here! Get into the cave!”That someone groans and grabs my face, forcing me to look up. It is Larry.“Were you crying?” he asks, bewildered. His wet brown hair is plastered over his furrowed brows and rainwater drips from his downturned lip. Above him, the heavens crack and flash.“C’mon, get up, Hope!”Larry pulls me up, or rather, he tries to before falling on the mud himself. I look back in the direction where Blake left and let out a quivering breath. Larry is right, we are vulnerable out here, an open prey to everyone and anyone who wants to kill us.I wipe the tears and snot from my face and nose, then shaking m
Hope’s POVI stare at him, I stare at Blake but for some reason, I feel as if I am staring at a stranger.Gone is the warmth in his steel grey eyes and in its place is something foreign and cold. It is as if some alien has taken over Blake’s body.“Blake?” I find myself whispering his name, hesitantly stepping towards him but one word from him and I freeze in my spot.“Stop,” he says. Behind him, lightning flashes across the sky and a low rumble fills the air. The rain starts to fall again.I blink, confused. “Who is this?” I ask. “There are dead bodies in the cave, Larry says she killed them.” I point to the woman.She is hooded with a cloak and all I can see is her thick red lips. I frown. Who the hell has time to put on lipstick in the games? Did she have them tattoed on or something?Or is it blood? A nagging thought forms in the back of my head. I shrug it off.The woman smiles and pulls Blake closer towards her, her breasts practically touching his arm through that skin-tight bo
Hope’s POV“Mom!” I scream.My eyes snap wide open only to be greeted by darkness. Still caught in the web of my nightmare, I spring to my feet and up from the ground.“Mom…” my scream trails to a whisper when I realize that it was a dream. My chest is drenched with sweat and my heart is pounding. The dream…it felt so real.I hug myself and realize that I am trembling, I have to make a conscious effort to stop this silliness. It’s just a dream.Or is it? A voice inside of my head asks. I shoo it away and narrow my eyes to adjust to the darkened vision. Except for a faint glow of light and shadows coming from the winding curve of the cave, everything else is dark.I close my eyes and take slow deep breaths. My ribs feel tight and my muscles tense. I wiggle a toe, it cracks loudly and my toes touch my blouse that lays on the ground. Instantly, memories of what happened earlier sprout up like mushrooms and flood my mind.Blake. His kiss, his touch and most of all, him, all of him inside
Blake’s POV10 minutes before Hope screams in her sleep.I look down at sleeping beauty in my arms. Her eyelids flutter and she mumbles something in her sleep. But it is no fairy tale dream she is having. Her brows furrow and I frown, resting myself on my elbow and leaning nearer to study her face.Beads of sweat have formed on her forehead and her breathing is fast starting to become laboured. I can smell her fear. She is having a nightmare.I am about to call out her name when suddenly, I smell another scent. Fear.But it is not from Hope. It is from Barry. Or Harry, or Larry, whatever his name is. We have intruders.I contemplate waking Hope up but Barry’s fear stifles the air, so much so that it is suffocating. Gently, I slide my arm out from under Hope’s petite frame and spring to my feet. A quick glance tells me that the brows on her forehead are no longer creased. Maybe the nightmare has passed.I sprint back towards the mouth of the cave. Because of my heightened senses, I est
HOPE’s POVOnce when I was younger and dad was still alive, I accidentally stumbled upon his secret stash of porn magazines. There was a particular edition; it was called ‘summer fling’ and right smack in the middle of the magazine, there was a set of pictorials depicting a couple having sex.The girl in the photos looked like she was in seventh heaven or something while the guy pumped into her. She did not look like she was in pain. Nope, not at all.Reality is so much different.Blake slams into me. Searing pain cuts through me as Blake tears through my virginity. I scream, “ARGHHHH!”It hurts, and yet, strangely, I want more of him. I want all of his massiveness in me, filling me. Blake stops for a second and leans down to kiss my forehead. His breathing is harsh and ragged, like mine.“I’m going to move in and out of you, Hope.”I close my eyes as he eases out slowly and I bite down on my lip. I won’t scream. I won’t scream. I won’t –He pounds into me again and another scream tea