Ravished by the Beasts

"Miss Isobelle Harding," our principal, Mr. Saunders, called me to the stage.Shaking with adrenaline and sweating like a bitch in heat, I ascended the steps with the sound of applause ringing in my ears. All my focus went into not tripping in my graduation gown and looking like a complete dickhead in front of all these people. The pressure of having a hundred pairs of eyes following me across the stage scorched my face with embarrassment. I wasn't exactly an outgoing person and despised being the center of attention. Perspiration formed across my upper lip like a sweaty mustache, making me feel sticky and gross.Why did this gown have to be made from black polyester?In temperatures of eighty-six degrees, the heavy material was suffocating. By the time I had walked across the stage floor, I was a flustered mess. As subtle as I could muster, I wiped my damp palms against my gown before accepting the diploma. The principal grasped my clammy hand as we exchanged an awkward handshake. I

I gazed out through the windscreen and up at the highlighted brickwork. The spotlights on the walls bathed the guesthouse in a pale-yellow hue and a sun canopy stretched around the front of the building like a light and dark striped skirt. The inside was just as modern as the outside. Peter helped to bring my belongings to the reception desk. We had to be quiet so as not to wake the sleeping borders. Chloe and Lincoln were there to greet us, and what a fine-looking couple they were too. Chloe’s summer dress clung to her voluptuous figure like she had been hand-stitched into it, and her blonde hair and tanned skin gave her a healthy glow. Her husband, Lincoln, stood around six-foot-five, rocking the hot mountain man look without really having to try. Either he was well-endowed, or a snake had slithered up the inside leg of his jeans, because fuck me, that was one impressive appendage. I turned my attention elsewhere. Peter and Lincoln carried all my luggage to my room, allowing Chlo

“So that’s it? They just returned unscathed?” I asked disappointedly. Call me wicked, but I hoped there would be a raunchy tale to tell. Something to fantasize about when I go to sleep at night. “I can only repeat what I know.” Teresa shrugged. “The girls weren’t harmed in any way; they came back with the same excuses. That the men were searching for the ideal woman, but they never found the right one,” she finished. “Personally, I think that most of them went looking for trouble. Most seemed disheartened when they came back unfulfilled.” She scrunched her face in revulsion. Chloe giggled and even Teresa relaxed and saw the funny side. The scientist in me was rolling my eyes, calling this out for the bullshit that it was, but after the night I had, something Teresa had just said resonated with me. Like an itch I just had to scratch or else it would bug me. “I thought I heard wolves howling outside the guest house last night,” I told them. Chloe frowned. “Kids love to pull prank

I bucked and thrashed to break free of my kidnapper’s iron grip, but it was useless. Whoever he was, his strength exceeded my own and all I could do was scream bloody murder as he dragged me deep into the forest. No one would know where I was. I dropped my backpack on the lawn. My camera was still dangling from the cord around my neck, weighing me down and biting into my nape. My terrified screams turned to desperate sobs. At one point, a hand pressed down so hard over my mouth that I thought I might pass out. I could scarcely see a thing as he pulled me through the thicket. All I could hear was ragged breathing and the sound of heavy footsteps beating on the ground — until the bickering started.“What part of ‘let me handle it’ did not sink into your thick skull?” an angry voice roared. “Can we not discuss this now? I'm kind of busy here, in case you haven’t noticed,” the guy holding me answered him.“Go easy on her, she still needs to breathe,” a raspy voice snapped.There are thr

They wanted to wait until Alex came back from the kitchen, which was fair enough. This concerned him too. He carried a red mug by the handle, treading carefully so as not to spill a drop onto the floor.So, he’s houseproud — noted. I could tell a lot from someone by their actions. The way they respected their living space and the people around them.“Here, I hope I’ve made it right,” Alex handed me a mug of steaming hot tea then put a coaster onto the coffee table in front of me.I took in every detail, making a mental note of their behavior patterns. It would help me to figure out what made them tick. After inspecting the tea, I risked a sip. It wasn’t too milky, and it wasn’t too strong . . . it won my seal of approval. We were off to an impressive start.Alex watched me, cringing to see whether the drink was to my liking. He wanted to impress me, but why would he care? Kidnappers were supposed to be wretched, horrid, despicable human beings with agendas. They don’t offer their hos