I stood outside the changing rooms, waiting for the others to get changed, and decided to check in with my mother. She was really enjoying her work and was getting along great with her new colleagues. She wouldn’t be back until 7 pm so she asked me to make dinner. I agreed, happy to help her out, excited to tell her how things went for me. Ben was the first one out, heading straight to me. As soon as he reached me, and the moment Grace walked out of the changing rooms, I felt my hair get yanked backwards and being slammed into the ground, hard. My eyes watered from the impact, head throbbing after it connected with the hard floor. I jumped up, having to catch myself as I felt a little dizzy and spun around, and I was honestly not surprised at who I found behind me. Marissa was fuming, I could almost imagine steam coming out of her ears. 

 I needed to have a quick shower, especially after the state I was in when I woke up and I needed to cool myself off. My body feeling hot. I jumped up off the bed and started to make my way to the bathroom, but I stopped and glanced out the window. He wasn’t there this morning. Feeling a little dejected, I padded into the bathroom and turned the water on. Once I was done, I dressed in legging and my long grey hoodie and slipped on my socks and shoes. I walked into the kitchen, finding a small note on the fridge from my mom.   I had to leave early this morning, I should be back by 5 pm, but you go out and have fun, make sure to call me if you need anything!  Love mom x x   Smiling to myself, I grabbed a granola bar

I couldn’t believe a month had passed already. For an entire month, my mother and I have been safe and protected. I would never have been able to believe that this could be real, would never have known that we could be cared for, not until it truly happened to us. I would not have had enough brainpower to imagine all these people around us. Thankfully over the course of the month, the rumours that had been spread about me had died down and no one seemed to be paying them any mind anymore. Marissa had backed off, but most certainly had not backed down. I knew she was planning something but for the first time in a very long time, I wasn’t scared of facing it alone. I had my friends, my amazing, supportive, sassy and hilarious friends to back me up and support me. And I do the same when they need me. We all spent so much time together, enjoying life and having fun. I haven't been so happy in many years and I

I followed after Alpha James, as he led me out into the ferocious wind again and towards the line of trees. The wind died down slightly once we stepped into the forest and were surrounded and sheltered by the thick trunks of the trees. He led me further and further away from the packhouse, deeper into the forest. The sunlight filtering through the clouds, turned grey, deepening some of the shadows. We had walked for about half an hour in near silence, the occasional sound of twigs snapping underfoot, or the wind winding through the trees, or even some small animals scattering about in the undergrowth, were the only sounds.  Where was he taking me? “You’re not planning on murdering me out here right?” I asked jokingly, but still nervous. This made him laugh, a de

He had been gone for a few hours and I didn’t know what to do. My mind was working through what to say to him, how to tell him about what had happened to me and with my brain moving at a mile a minute, I didn’t know what to do with the rest of me. I eventually decided to have a hot shower, to wash out the twigs and leaves that were inevitably in my hair and to warm myself. I walked to the closet, looking to see if there was anything I could change into, but only found a large dressing gown. I took it out and padded to the bathroom attached to the room. Taking my clothes off, I placed them carefully on the counter in front of the mirror wall. I stood there, naked, looking at my reflection, staring at the scars on my legs and remembering, with immense detail, what happened that day, what happened after. Shaking my head, trying to clear the memory from my mind, I hopped into the steaming shower, ignoring the