Chapter 4

Chloe's POV.

I didn't wait to see more, I did see more – I saw them naked, with their clothes scattered all around and soft moans escaping from them, I saw all that.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, the image of Raven and King tangled in each other's arms seared into my brain, not only in each other's arms, they were having sex!

“Oh lord!” I broke into tears. I didn't want to cry but I couldn't help it, and so I ran. I heard King call me but I couldn't bear to look back.

Raven.

That bitch! My own flesh and blood, she had done it again. She had taken something that belonged to me, something I thought belonged to me.

As I finally stopped to catch my breath, tears streamed down my face like a torrential rain. I didn't understand why I was crying. I had only known King for a short time, but the pain felt like a stab wound to my heart.

Maybe it was the shock, the disbelief.

I thought back to all the times Raven had taken things from me. She had a way of making me feel like I was never enough, like everything I had was hers and I didn't deserve anything.

I slumped against a nearby rock, my body shaking with sobs. I didn't know how far I was from home, I had been running for quite a while.

I felt like a child again, powerless against Raven's manipulations. Why did she always have to take what was mine? Why couldn't she just let me be?

As I cried, memories flooded my mind – Raven flirting with guys who showed interest in me. Raven getting the attention and praise while I was left in the shadows.

I wiped my face with my sleeve and stood up. Where would I go from here? Not home certainly. They could still be with each other and I didn't want to have to face either of them.

I got up and was walking into an alley. I didn't know where it led, but I hoped it led me far away from Raven or King.

The alleyway seemed like a shortcut to my destination, even though I didn't know where. I stopped when the thick smell of blood filled my nostrils. The entire place reeked like rotten meat.

Before I could react and walk back out, a couple of guys came out and when they saw me, I saw their hard faces spread into an evil grin.

"Hey, look what we got here," one of the guys sneered, leering at me. "A little princess, all alone in the dark."

I turned back nevertheless and was about to run, but then one of them came closer and grabbed my hands.

"Leave me alone," my voice was so low, it could almost be inaudible.

"She's got glass skin.” Another guy said.

“Might want to have her.”

I knew what they meant and I didn't want to believe I heard them right. In an instant, the guys had surrounded me, they pushed me to the floor and every other thing happened so fast.

Fear paralyzed me as they jeered and flirted. One of them came to me, his hot breath on my skin made my flesh crawl. I struggled to break free, but he was too strong.

Then the rest pinned me to the ground, their weight crushing me. Panic set in as I realized their sinister intentions.

Rape.

“Please, stop, don't do this.” I couldn't help myself, I wasn't strong, I couldn't help myself.

Just as all hope seemed lost, I saw someone emerge from the darkness. I prayed he was the hero sent to help me.

Alas! He really was the one sent to help me because he lunged toward one of the guys yelling, “Get your hands off her, cowards!” The person said.

I was going to stand up, I was going to but then I saw a flash of steel, heard a grunt of pain, and then the guy who was above me hit me, the steel connected with my head, and a searing pain exploded in my skull making everything go black.

The world around me faded away, leaving me in a state of nothingness. The last thought that lingered in my mind was that I didn't want to die. I didn't want to die.

And then – everything went dark.

*****"

I slowly opened my eyes, groggily taking in my surroundings. I was in a van, I think and I was laying on a soft surface. But how did I get here? Panic set in as I scrambled to sit up, my head spinning like it would fall anytime.

"Shit! Where am I?" I thought. My mind was completely blank. I had no idea where I was, or how I got there.

It was then the door of the van opened and I saw a man. He was as handsome as a new dawn after a heavy rain at midnight. His voice was as gentle as I envisioned. "You're awake. I was beginning to think I might need to get you to the hospital.”

I couldn't understand his words, so I asked, “Where am I?”

“I found you in an alleyway, about to be mauled by hungry boys. One of them hit you and you went unconscious. What's your name?”

Name? What was my name? I racked my brain, but nothing came to mind. My memories were shrouded in a thick fog, inaccessible. “I can't remember.”

The man handed me the water bottle he was holding, his eyes filled with concern. "Drink this, you need to rehydrate."

I took a sip, the cool liquid soothing my parched throat. But my confusion only grew. Who was this man? Why was I with him? I couldn't understand why I was at the ‘alley’ he talked about.

As I struggled to make sense of my situation, a wave of exhaustion washed over me. My eyelids drooped, and I felt myself slipping away again.

"Who am I?" I whispered, my voice fading into darkness. The last I saw was the man coming to my side and catching me before I hit my head on the floor, then, everything went black once more.