March 7
th
ā Afternoon, Dr. Samuels' Office
It was a typical psychiatrist office, conservatively decorated with comfortable chairs for the patient and doctor. Subdued lighting, ornate desk, hardbound texts in a tidy bookcase, and low sound of air pushing through the vent from above all combined to create a serene setting intended to put patient and psychiatrist at ease.
Ella Sanders sat in one of the chairs, hands resting in her lap. She kept idly running her right thumb back and forth over the back of her left hand, having just finished telling her story.
Peering intently at the young woman, Dr. Samuels asked, "How did that make you feel?" She waited patiently for the answer, absorbing Ella's body language, the way her shoulders hunched slightly, and the way she constantly looked down.
Ella's face wore a distant, troubled look; her mind was stuck in that moment of being bent over a chaise lounge, arms held down, the battering ram behind her relentlessly driving its length home, over and over. This story had been her secret, untold to anyone until now. Finally seeking professional help in a desperate attempt to overcome the dark feelings of dread and worthlessness that were a part of her day to day existence, she found herself here, sitting in this chair, sharing these damaging details of her personal life. It had taken her weeks to build up the courage to tell Dr. Samuels the full story. She still couldn't believeā
"Ella?" Dr. Samuels gently prodded.
Ella's eyes focused and her attention returned to the office and Dr. Samuels. Dr. Samuels was an older woman, in her late 50s, with a soft manner and understanding nature. Ella had interviewed almost a dozen psychiatrists before deciding on this one, determined to find a doctor she felt absolutely comfortable with. Dr. Samuels fit the bill perfectly.
Brushing a strand of soft brown hair behind her ear, Ella spoke again. "Well, devastated. I⦠she never liked me, only pretended to. I felt betrayed, strung along, you know?" she continued, with a pleading look. "What am I supposed to feel?"
Dr. Samuels leaned forward in her chair. "All of those feelings are natural, Ella. What they did to youāthe way they planned it all out, it's unspeakable." She paused a moment before continuing. "And yet, you got out of the situation, isn't that right?"
"Yeah, I did," Ella said with a certain pride. "I grabbed a towel and ran, kept running until my feet bledāand then ran some more." She remembered it vividly, the towel wrapped around her waving in the wind as she dashed down the streets, bare feet pounding the pavement over and over. She was panting, breathing with her mouth open, running as fast as her taut legs could carry her. Finally she made it to a convenience store and phoneā¦
"And you obviously moved on," Dr. Samuels continued, "because you left Key Biscayne JC and went on to the University of Washington, where you graduated with a degree in marine biology. It's perfectly understandable that you would seek to get as much distance as possible between yourself and that horrible situation. How did you feel about going to Washington?"
"Everybody was so nice," Ella said, a small smile playing over her lips. "And I made some new friends there. Some real friends." Her smile brightened.
"Yes, success! So, you got your degree, you have genuine friends. And you're doing what you love," Dr. Samuels finished, referring to Ella's employment at SeaWorld Orlando.
Ella nodded.
Dr. Samuels fixed her gaze firmly on Ella. "You have to like yourself Ellaāand forgive yourself, too. They raped you. They took something from you that you have to take back. You did nothing wrong."
Ella felt it then, the way she sometimes did when the reality of what had happened hit her unexpectedly hard: the powerful urge to go wash her hands. It all felt so dirty, even now, nearly three years after the fact.
"You did nothing wrong," Dr. Samuels repeated. "Please try to remember that."
Dr. Samuels tried to lighten the mood. "Now, strictly as a friend, how do you feel about SeaWorld? It must be very exciting, working with the mammals! I was always so intrigued by the Orcas!
"Oh yes, it's just amazing!" Ella said brightly, warming to this new line of conversation. "I always thought I'd like to be a dolphin, if I could be any animal..."
March 7
th
ā Evening, Ella's Apartment
After her visit with Dr. Samuels, Ella picked up some Subway and stopped by Barnacle's Book Shack, a used bookstore two blocks from her condo. She perused the latest best sellers, found nothing she couldn't live without, and finally decided to head home.
Of course, after she got home the first thing she did was check her email. Scanning the typical spam ("Viagra, cheap!" "Increase your size!" "International Monetary Transfer!"), one subject line caught her eye:
ATTN: All Key Biscayne Junior College Students, 2004 ā 2006
Curious, Ella clicked it, began reading.
Key Biscayne Junior College is very pleased to announce the Engagement of John Boy Wiggins and Jenny Thompson. They will be joined in Holy Matrimony on April 12, 2008.
All Key Biscayne Junior College students from 2004 through 2006 are hereby invited to John Boy and Jenny's 'All-American pre-Wedding Bash,' to take place April 5, 2008. This will be the Biggest Island Event Ever! Jack Thompson, father of the bride, is very proud to host this event at his home.
All festivities will begin at 6:00 PM. Click the link below for map and directionsā¦
"No," Ella whispered. "No, no, no⦠this can't⦠can't beā¦" she croaked, shaking her head.
They couldn't do this, couldn't just come barging back into her life, not now, not after she had finally summoned the courage to talk about what had happened. Not after she had finally broken down and shared all the sordid details with her psychiatrist.
It seemed almost as if she were being victimized again.
She wasn't ready to think about John Boy and Jenny⦠Jenny⦠especially Jenny, if just didn't seem fairā¦
Ella jumped up and hurried to the bathroom, reached into the medicine cabinet and grabbed the bottle of Ambien.
She needed to sleep this off. She would have plenty of time to think about it tomorrow.
March 7
th
ā Night
It was dark in the closet, not quite pitch-black. Her eyes gradually became accustomed to the lower light, enough to vaguely identify rough shapes. The somewhat muted sound of music flowed beneath the door, masking the efforts of Stone Moore adjusting himself behind her. Stone moved in closer, folding his long legs around her lower body. After he was finished, she felt his large hands close around her waist, squeezing softly.
She felt him leaning into her back, rubbing his fingers up and down her outer arms. There was a certain detachment; in her mind, she knew it was happening, but could almost believe it was someone else.
Almost.
Frustrated with her inability to see what he was doing, Ella closed her eyes and sighed. She had expected him to be rough, take what he wanted; she was surprised at the softness of his touch, at the way he smoothly positioned his body so that it cradled her own. He pressed up close to her, chest to back, and kissed her shoulders, her neck, and her ear. His fingertips playfully brushed the sides of her breasts, curled around them and then up, stroking the swell of her rounded bosom above the skimpy white tank top.
Suddenly she was no mere observer; he had broken through and caused her body to respond. 'This feels so good,' she thought, flushed, as she felt the heat rise within. 'This is really niceā¦'
She felt the pressure beginning to build up in her head, at the tips of her nipples, and deep within her pulsating maidenhead. Her heart raced, pounding in her chest. She felt his hand pause directly over her heart and heard him chuckle softly.
"Your heart's going a hundred miles an hour," his deep voice whispered. She felt his breath hot on her neck and was thankful the light wasn't on; she was blushing furiously and didn't want him to see.
He casually reached one hand down, cupping a breast, and then did the same with the other. He was caressing, squeezing softly, tracing the outline of her hard nipples but never actually touching them, playing his fingers around the pronounced areolas.