Filed To Story: Secret with Betas Daughter: Skylar Story Series
I shudder with Jena in my arms and Doc Sylvia just nods.
She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “Let’s get you both back by the fire, get some food in you and clean, warm clothes.”
She walks out with the container and mutters something angry under her breath.
Lillian comes back in with a cooler full of food and drinks followed by Wyatt who has a duffle bag that must have clothes for us. He doesn’t stay, but gives me a small smile before heading back out again.
I have never loved the sight of sandwiches and chips as much as right now. She also brought water and gatorade for both of us. I opened one of the sugary, salty electrolyte drinks and almost gagged at the amount of flavor in it. I had to mix it with water to get it down, but my body needed it.
She also brought several sleeping bag rolls and Jena and I both curled into the soft warmth. It has been a while since if felt something so soft and comfortable. We both tried to get back to sleep. But, that seemed to be asking too much from our frazzled brains.
I layed on my side staring into the fire. Jena’s head was next to mine and I can’t tell if she is sleeping or just letting her body come down from the high of our escape like me. I want to sleep, I can feel the fatigue rack every muscle in my body, but every time I close my eyes I just see the dark dank musty cell we were kept in. The sounds of the whips and paddles used on us. Our dirty and stained clothes being ripped everytime one of the guards reached out to restrain us for our daily beating. Every time my dream would move to focus on Mike, like a camera in a movie, forcing me to focus on something I never want to see again. He was always in profile or looking away from me, but the moment he turned his head his eyes were blazing red and his mouth was turned into a wicked menacing grin, that’s when my body would jolt awake and I sat up looking for the predator himself, sure he was back to torture us more.
Jena was no better, she whimpers and cries in her sleep. Not saying actual words, but I could imagine what is running through her mind. She doesn’t come out of the terror on her own, when she starts to flail getting dangerously close to the fire and finally calls my name, I grab her and haul her to me, cooing that she is safe. I sit and rock her until her body is calm again and then lay her back down next to me.
By the third or fourth time of this, warriors stopped running into the room at the sounds of her cries or my gasps. Lillian decides to post herself at the cave entrance to keep an eye on us. I can hear murmuring voices just beyond the cave entrance. Maybe status reports or her relaying our restless states, who knows. I’m still too fried mentally to even think straight. I have noticed that my body is coming out of the fight or flight mode though and the exhaustion almost hurts. I wonder if part of that is my body finishing the detox of whatever sh*t Mike’s guys gave us.
The next time I woke though, there was a distinct difference. I could smell Jena next to me and feel the weight of her head on my shoulder, but we were bumping around and I could feel the thrum of vibrations under my butt. My brain woke up quickly, my eyes however did not get the memo. It was almost as if they were glued shut. I quickly went into defense mode. I started to name off things that were real without the help of sight. I could feel Jena leaning on me and smell her. What else could I smell? I can smell Wyatt and Lillian. A little fainter I can smell Osiston, stale fried food and gas. I try to still my heart, we must be in a car moving, but why can’t I open my eyes.
“Where are we going?” I ask Osiston
“Home, Little One. Just rest. We have you.”
Is all he said, then I fell back to sleep.
Warmth.
Softness.
Safety.
That’s what I feel right now. I recognize the smells here, even before my brain and body fully wake-up. I’m home, I can feel it in every fiber of my being. A smile creeps across my face as I start to blink my eyes open and take in my surroundings.
“SKYLAR!” A scream from somewhere in the room brings me out of my safe bubble and I am plunged back into that dark dank cell. Was I dreaming? Is my mind starting to play tricks on me to make me feel safe? “SKYLAR! HELP! HELP ME!”
I shot up from where I was laying, looking to my left for Jena. But she’s not there, a door is there. No, Jena is chained up to my left. What the f*ck is going on?
SKYLAR! PLEASE, HELP ME!”
I shake my head, I’ll figure it out later, Jena needs me first. I swivel my head to the right and see her thrashing in a bed a couple feet from me. A bed. We never had beds. The white comforter is on the floor and she is tangled in the sheets to the point of strangulation. I shut my analyzing brain down and ran to her.
I grab her by the shoulders so she doesn’t hit me in her quest to get free of her nightmare.
“Jena, Jena, I’m here. Jena you’re safe, open your eyes.”
More thrashing and whimpering. “JENA, WAKE UP, NOW!” I shout at her.
She finally opens her eyes and recoils from me a bit. I keep my hands up in surrender until she is able to focus on me. Just then the door bursts open and Doc Sylvia, Osiston and Lillian are there. Jena jumps back more, receding into the spot where her headboard meets with the wall and she makes herself as small as possible.
“Jena, look at me. Just me, Jena, look.”
Finally her eyes turn towards me, wide and unfocused. She’s awake, kind of, but still locked in her dream. “We. Are. Safe. Do you hear me? We are safe, you’re here with me.”
I reach my hand out to take hers, but she just recoils more into her corner.
“What can I do? This is getting worse the longer we are out of that prison.”
I don’t look behind me, but the question is aimed at the people standing, waiting behind me.
“Try to get her to tell you what is real. It will help her brain to start to accept that she is free. I don’t even know if she can hear me right now.”
Doc Sylvia says from the door. “Five things that she can see. Four things she can feel. Three things she can hear. Two things she can smell. And One thing she can taste. It’s a grounding technique for panic attacks.”
I just nod, never taking my focus off of Jena. “Hey, Jena.”
My voice is soft, but not placating, she has always hated that. “Look at me, we are going to get through this, but you have to let us help you. Nod if you hear me.”
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.