Awakened
The mask had slipped, revealing the deep, unsettling scars of a childhood stolen piece by piece.
She walked over to the oversized leather sofa and sank into the cushions, pulling her knees up to her chest, looking tiny against the vast expanse of the room. I followed her, sitting down on the opposite end of the couch, maintaining a respectful distance while keeping my full attention locked on her.
"Tell me," I said quietly.
Ashley stared down at her lap, her fingers tracing the fine stitching of her trousers. When she began to speak, the stories spilled out of her like blood from a freshly opened wound, deeply unsettling, quiet horrors that shattered every lingering thought I had about high-