Forbidden bonds
Noah tossed and turned in her bed, caught in the throes of a nightmare. Her body shifted restlessly, unable to find comfort as her mind replayed a haunting scene from her childhood. In her dream, she was a little girl again, awakened by the soft but urgent voice of her mother.
"Noah, Noah, sweetheart, wake up," her mother, Angela, whispered with a tremor of fear. Angela's face was bruised, and her eyes were wide with panic. She spoke quietly, careful not to alert the man pounding on the door.