Hello again :). This chapter is a little longer, but I promise you it still gets interesting. If you have any constructive criticism or positive comments, please comment below. Happy reading :).
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I opened my eyes to find myself standing inside the abandoned factory. It was quiet and everything had a shimmery, unreal feel to it. Sunlight filtered lazily into the decaying hallway through cracks in the boarded windows and dust motes floated around in the still air. Blinking a bit in confusion, I took a small step forward. Dust puffed into the air around my shoes as a piece of discarded plywood flattened to the ground under my weight, grinding against the crumbling concrete.
What was I doing here...?
My gut twisted suddenly in panic, the hair on my nape standing on end as my heart rate picked up. Through the silence, that voice called my name sweetly; the sound seemed to swirl through the hallway. My body moved automatically in reaction, my legs shifting as I started to run. There was no other sound as the voice grated through the corridor like steel on concrete. Terror coursed through me as my running slowed against my control. I started moving in slow motion, like trying to move through molasses. The harder I tried to flee, the slower I became.
The peaceful, crumbling hallway had changed. It was dark now; the light was completely gone as tangible blackness closed around me. It enveloped my eyes, ears, nose, and mouth as I tried to struggle. The presence of the voice neared my ear, cold lips touching the lobe as it started to speak. A horrible wailing noise erupted from his mouth, jolting me into wakefulness.
A shock of electricity ran up my spine and I bolted upright, panting hard and shaking in fear. With panic-induced movements, I tore the stifling blanket away from my face, finally taking in a deep breath of cool air as I reached back and slapped the 'off' button of my obnoxious alarm clock to silence the horrible noise. Cold sweat dripped down my temples as the hairs on the back of my neck stood stiffly to attention. My heart continued to pound in my ears as I blinked a few times and looked around, sighing and sagging in relief as I realized I was in my dorm room. The mattress creaked and a pillow fell to the floor as I shifted, pulling my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them, laying my cheek on top of my right knee. After a while, my breathing started to slow and I didn't feel the cold sweat as much; my heart calmed as I listened to the familiar sounds of morning dorm life. Pop music bounced through the hall, the lyrics and rhythm of the song clouded with the sound of a hair dryer or two and the slamming of doors as girls got ready and headed to class. I sighed, looking at the clothes strewn over the floor as I felt my body calming, the adrenaline filtering away. Though I was left with an uneasy feeling, my dream was nearly forgotten as I slid up off my bed, getting to my sock-clad feet on the cold tile floor. After glancing at the clock and seeing the time, 8:33 am, I groaned in annoyance. I was going to be late for class!!
Quickly gathering my stuff for a shower and slipping on my old flip-flops, I hustled into the bathroom and nearly ran into another girl as she left the communal bathroom. I showered fast, not giving the water time to heat up and shivering under the cold stream as I scrubbed myself with soap and lathered my tangled, sleep-mussed hair with shampoo. Hardly taking the time to properly dry off after I rinsed away the soap and hair product, I threw on my clothes for the day: patterned blue and teal tank and pair of jeans, and wrung out the water from my hair as I hurried back to my dorm room and tossed the wet towel and nightclothes in a heap onto the floor. Not bothering to look at my reflection, I roughly brushed my hair, cringing as I forced the bristles through the knots and speedily worked out the tangles in my hair. Tossing the brush onto my messy, blanket-strewn bed, I grabbed my back pack off my desk and stuffed the necessary books inside before zipping it shut and throwing it over my shoulders. Slipping into my shoes, I grabbed my keys and hurried out the door without bothering to tie the loose laces. I ran all the way to class, cool morning air and sunlight brushed over my skin; my usual Chuck Taylors frantically slapped the sidewalk and my laces flopped about as I strode toward the sciences hall.
Swinging open the door and taking the stairs two at a time, I managed to get to the third floor and turn the corner to room 309 by 8:59. I panted hard, turned the heavy handle on the door, pulled it open, and walked quickly into the room.
The other students who had arrived on time stole glances at me, one of them even raising an incredulous eyebrow as I passed. Pulling out the chair and cringing as I squealed against the worn tile floor, I flopped into my normal seat beside my friend, Becky, and began pulling out my books. It wasn't for a few moments that I realized she was staring at me. I raised my eyebrow and smoothed some stray hairs back into place self-consciously, squirming under her gaze and still panting a little.
"What...?" She looked at me wide-eyed for a few more seconds before leaning close and smirking a little, whispering,
"Somebody had a good time last night."
My brow furrowed and I looked at her, confused.
"What do you mean...?"
Becky grinned and leaned over to retrieve her bag from the floor. She set it on the table top and took her compact out of her sparkly, over-stuffed, black purse. She opened it to me and held the mirror angled to my neck. I gasped, my mouth falling open in disbelief. A large, deep, dark purple hickey marred my neck by my collarbone. Immediately, my cheeks flushed and I slapped a hand over the bruise, turning away from her and dropping my head to the table top. As I tried to remember how the hell I had gotten such a mark, my brain started to buzz and a maddening humming sound rose in my ears. The sound of the professor's voice dulled and slowed as if traveling through syrup. The presence of the other students faded; even Becky was forced out of my reality as my brain went into overdrive and my focus shifted to the storm in my mind.
In the next few moments, all of the previous night's events came rushing back to me... The factory, the chains, the man, the rape... The hickey...
My face red and heart pounding with shame, I got up and left the class, stepping outside into the hall. The professor continued teaching, but I felt a few pairs of eyes follow me as I strode up the aisle between the tables. The heavy wooden door clanged shut behind me and I leaned my back against the wall just around the corner, sliding down until I was sitting. Hugging my knees to my chest, I didn't really fight the urge to make myself small on the dusty floor. I wanted to cry as all the memories from last night exploded back into my memory and spun me into a whirlwind of emotions. He had taken my first kiss... He had taken my virginity... He had even left me with a huge-ass hickey as a brand of shame... I shivered, rubbing my palms over my upper arms to calm myself. I wasn't going back into sociology class today... I was too embarrassed by my sloppy appearance and I didn't want anyone asking questions when they saw the tears on my face. I probably wouldn't do well in my other classes, either. Not today, at least...
After a while, I pulled out my laptop and emailed the rest of my teachers for the day that I would not be coming to class. I was 'sick,' I claimed... It was half true, I felt like I was going to vomit. Closing the lid and neatly packing it back into the bag, I pulled the heavy back pack into my lap and hugged it. I rested my chin on it, the rough and durable fabric of the bag felt a little comforting, as well as the weight of it in my lap.
After a few quiet minutes passed in the empty hallway, I finally got tired of having a pity party on the floor and stood up, throwing my back pack over my right shoulder. Turning on my heal and heading toward the stairs, I began skulking back to my dorm room. The nice thing about the Science's hall was that it was lit mostly by sunlight; warm sun rays beamed over me as I descended the stairs. Exiting the building, a cool breeze swept over me as I chose the shortest path to the dorms. I looked down at the sidewalk whenever a stray student passed; there were still tears brimming in my eyes and blurring my vision. My hair fell over the hickey, hopefully covering the dark bruise with a curtain of still-damp red locks.
