Ch. 49: The Dark Hall Continues

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE:
Jake ~
I woke up a little disoriented but at peace. When was the last time I had fallen asleep so easily and felt so at ease? I opened my eyes to Evan telling me we had passed out. We. I opened my eyes more and sat up to feel and see Rachel right next to me. We had fallen asleep together on this couch. My heart quickened. She looked so adorable in this sleepy state. She realized we needed to go and I was sad at that, but after our good few hours together, I felt more at peace, satiated.
We left her place and I glanced back up at her door before we started up the stairs uphill on our way back into town. I couldn’t help but smile.
I was nudged by Evan’s elbow. He gave me a knowing look.
“Shut up,” I told him, half heartedly and still smiling.
“Ugh,” Nick groaned two steps ahead, “Come on lover boy.”
I chuckled. I maybe would have normally given him a stern look, but I was in way too good a mood to. She had felt so comfortable with me she pretty much fell asleep against me. It made me ecstatic and proud. No one was going to ruin this.
I’d mention my odd dream to them later, I didn’t want things to get picked apart right now.

Rachel ~
The charge of positivity helped me hold on through the weekend. I was able to get up on my own the next day. I sat out on the balcony and read most of the day while texting Sean, Ally, Lana, and Jake throughout the afternoon. Maybe I could hold onto this for tomorrow.

I did, but I didn’t. Monday started off a little more positive. I sat with Jake, I got to school, I sat with Ally, we did some homework, Sean sat with us and he seemed happy with my attitude change. We walked to film class and I lost myself in the movie. Break went by with Ally and I talking about things, including still not hearing from Kyle. Then I went to class. And I started to regress. I could feel his clutch on me tightening. Like a lizard in a coldsnap my muscles tightened and I slowly got colder and colder all over. The doom loomed over me and I felt my spirits sag.
No, this couldn’t go on like before. Not anymore. I have made so much progress! But class finished and I felt locked in my seat. And I knew what was coming. I felt his eyes boring into me and I started to worry about how angry he might be about my avoidance all weekend. He had sent a few anonymous texts from different phone numbers but I had just deleted them and moved on with my life. Looks like I couldn’t ignore whatever was about to happen next.
Class ended and I was trying to get my body to move. It was like fighting with my own muscles. I was rushing to get out but my body was stiff, trying to stay put. In the end I couldn’t win much. I got up but couldn’t leave the room until the very end. And when I got outside I knew he would be there waiting. He was.
“Dark hall,” he venomously whispered.
I fought it at first. I took a step to the side, the opposite direction. But then he reached out his hand and clenched my wrist. Warm-cold clammy skin. My spine repelled, but I couldn’t do anything now. My feet betrayed me and followed him to the hall. I looked around frantically, still able to control my neck and I tried to cry out. The sound came out as a soft plea that only Vance could hear and he dug his nails into my wrist.
We were in the hall and he slammed me roughly against the wall. I winced as my head hit the bricks.
“Why were you ignoring me?” his eyes blazed and he stepped close.
I blinked trying to clear my vision from the head pain.
“I was messaging you all weekend,” he raged, spittle flying on my face.
I scrunched my face in disgust and he shoved me at the wall again. I reached a hand up and touched where it hurt, “Ahh…” I was able to get out.
His eyes widened, “How are you fighting like that? Did your little witchling figure it out?”
Witchling? “What?” I asked, disoriented.
I finally realized I could talk, and I tried to push him away but that didn’t work. He just grinned all brazen, like he had already ultimately won. My hands could move a bit but I couldn’t push him, just put my hands on him and now I was just giving him body contact that I didn’t want to give.
“Let me go, Vance, I don’t know who you think I am but I’m not her. And I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t feel that way for you - I have a boyfriend. And even if I didn’t, I don’t think of you that way. Ever. Let me fking go!” I tried to yell but barely spoke above a whisper.
He shoved me to the floor. I thankfully could still move my hands a bit so I reached them out to try to break my fall. My knees hit the hard floor first and I cried out, although it only came out as softly talking.
“Look what you made me do!” He whispered angrily into my ear before he pulled me up and back against the wall, much harder than before.
There was no way I wouldn’t have bruises. I winced and cried out again. But the more he stood over me and threw me around, the softer my voice got, and the less I could fight back. It was several more minutes of terror before he let me go, telling me this would never be over. That I should just give in and it would be easier. I was shoved out of the door and I caught my balance before rushing to the courtyard, hoping I could at least try to tell someone this time. But once I found Ally and tried to explain it, I knew it was too late.

The rest of the school week went on like this. By Wednesday I was zombified once more. Nightmares consumed me every time I closed my eyes, and I got brief snippets of sleep. Sean tried to coax me into who I was before but snapped at me in a moment of frustration. Jake tried to talk to me on the bus in the mornings, and as much as I wanted to, as much as he brightened my mornings and gave me hope, I had to fight with all my strength to say even a word to him. Texting was the same way with him - with everyone. I was losing my voice in every way.I couldn’t help it. I was dying inside.
By Friday I had seriously considered giving in to Vance for a few minutes. I was thinking about how bad it could really even be, if it meant a shot at getting my voice back. But I reconsidered of course, if he had this much control over me now, I couldn’t imagine how much he could have if I volunteered for this. It was even getting hard to think. I had spent some time looking up the term ‘witchling’ thinking that could be a clue, but nothing helpful came up and all the text on the glowing screen gave me a scorching headache. I consoled myself by just focusing on the weekend. Maybe this weekend could provide some respite to me again. I hoped and prayed for that with every part of me.