Page 59 of A Foster Fling
“Your menses are early this month,” she comments. “Must have been brought on by the fall.”
“Maybe,” I mumble.
“Do eat, Zelinda.” She pushes the pie pan in front of me. “You need your energy back.”
I take a few more mouthfuls and force the pie down my throat. Ever since Abbe forced his way into my tower and between my legs, food tastes like ash. I’ve lost all my senses, and my sight cannot see vibrant colors.
This must be depression.
“The next few months will be a bit difficult for me,” Pearl says as I force another spoon of pie into my mouth. “John is coming to stay with me for a while. He’s not doing well in town with his aunt.”
“Oh?” My head snaps up at her information. “That means you won’t be here as often.”
“Only to drop off food now and then.” Her eyes narrow on me. “The same rules apply, Zel. You are not to leave this tower. There have been many merchants riding these woods to and from town lately, and they could sense your energy.”
Is that what happened? Did Abbe sense me?
“I won’t leave, Pearl.”
“Good girl,” she hums as her black nails dance along her cheek. I know what she wants. I don’t miss the longing looks she tosses at my large bun on top of my head. If it’s the only way to get rid of her, I will risk losing some energy.
“Would you like to brush my hair before you go?” I offer.
“I shouldn’t,” her eyes skim over my head. “Are you strong enough for it?”
“It’s fine,” I wave her off and stand from the table. The room spins a little, but nothing like it was a few days prior.
I sit myself on the stone floor in front of the couch and wait for her to retrieve the brush from my bedside. She comes back with excitement shining from her mismatched eyes and sits behind me. She tugs on the band holding my hair, and I wince when it jars the lump on the back of my head.
The heavy waves fall around me to settle on the floor, and Pearl gets to work. She’s mindful enough to avoid the bump, but the brush running through my hair is enough to send shots of sharp pain through my head.
I endure it because I’m ready for Pearl to leave, and I know she won’t leave until she’s had her fill of me. I just need to be alone, to decompress, and figure out what I’m feeling. Depression is there, but I’m not sure for what reason exactly.
Is it because Abbe raped me? Or is it because I won’t see him again?
I’m tired of being alone, and Pearl has no intention of letting me go.
Maybe Abbe was under a spell, and it sent him into a storm of lust, something he couldn’t control.
Pearl snags on a knot, causing me to whimper, and then I feel myself being drained. She hums, the vibrations coursing through me, setting my heart into a gallop. But it’s not her face I see when I close my eyes. It’s Abbe’s, and even though it’s dangerous and insane, I wish for him to come back and save me from this tower.
Besides Pearl, he’s the only one who knows I’m here.
And I’m trapped.
I slump over, my heart now slowed to a sleepy rhythm, and my head swimming, just barely staying conscious. Pearl lifts me, her strength now back tenfold, and carries me to my bed. Instead of her slim arms, I feel Abbe’s muscles, his hard chest at my cheek, and his breath on my hair.
“Don’t stay away,” I beg him. “Come back to me.”
“I’ll try to be back in a few weeks.” It’s Pearl’s voice, but I imagine Abbe. “Eat the fresh fruit first, then eat the preserves.”
She continues to speak, but I lose my battle with consciousness and drift off onto a cloud of painless oblivion, dreaming of the man who violated me.
——
It’s been eight days of pacing back and forth. My feet are worn out from the rough stone floor. The lump on my head has completely gone down, but the area is still tender to the touch. My vision no longer dances with black orbs when I sit up too quickly, but there’s an ache in my chest I can’t quite figure out. I feel like I’m missing something… Something that I haven’t realized I’ve been missing before.
I’m lonely.