Cusp of the Violet Moon

Her heart beats faster as he slams her against the wall. "HOW DARE YOU EMBARRASS ME AT THE GROCERY STORE!!" He booms. She mentally revisits their trip to the shop. All she did was ask him what shaped pasta he wanted for dinner. This was getting too much. He pulled her in close next to the packets of pasta and whispered angrily, "Stop making a scene. Everyone is watching us. You are making a laughing stock out of us Annie. We are leaving, NOW" and with that he hurriedly escorted her out of the store. She snaps back to reality as a breeze brushed her cheek as his fist bursts through the wall beside her face. Funny thing was. It didn't scare her anymore. This happened everytime.  Just keep calm and let him go. He will be back to 'normal' in a few minutes. She thinks to herself. "You're a fat useless piece of s**t Annie! You're lucky you have me! No-one else could EVER love you!" he spits. He storms off to boil the kettle. She excuses herself and goes to have a shower. Annie wasn't quite sure when he changed. He used to be so loving at the start. She thought he was her forever person. She had begged him to stop doing drugs because she could see it changing him.  He was possessive, paranoid and emotionally abusive. She had gained a lot of weight because he made her. Didn't want anyone else to be attracted to her and try and take her away... she started dating him when she was 16.  But one day she was strong enough to leave. ********* Annie woke up in a sweat. GREAT. I LOVE flashbacks. She sarcastically says to herself as she lets her eyes adjust to the light. Looking at the clock beside her bed she sees its 6am. May as well go for a run.  It had been 6 whole months since she had left. New town, new Annie. She was looking after herself a lot better and losing weight. There was a restraining order in place and HE didn't know where she was. She could feel the fog lifting in her mind as his cruel put downs and insults slowly starting leaving her mind. She was HAPPY.  She drags herself out of bed and throws some leggings and a tshirt on. Her socks and favourite runners and selects her favourite playlist on her phone before grabbing her keys and heading out the door. She loved her new town. It was a nice quiet little hamlet with plenty of forest area around which was great to run in. It kind of reminded her of a town you read about in fairy tales. She couldn't help but feel like there was something magical about this place. Her blonde ponytail bobbed behind her as she picked up her pace a little and turned out of her street and headed towards the forest land 2 blocks away. She had been jogging for about a month now, it hadn't taken her long to drop 30kgs. She felt amazing and looked a lot better. Resigning to the fact she would always be curvy but happy in her new body. She loved the freedom she felt when jogging in the forest. She had no idea why. She grew up in an orphanage and left when she was 16. She met HIM the day she left and thought she had found her happily ever after. She frowns to herself as the memories creep back. She often wondered what happened to her parents but the orphanage had no information to give her. She was found on the doorstep with no note.  Annie shakes her head to try and stop herself from dwelling on the past as she reaches the opening of the forest. I feel like exploring deeper today. She says to herself. She has her phone fully charged and can access a map if she needs to. She jogs past her usual track and ventures further in. Something felt different today. She couldn't place her finger on it. She stopped for a second and mentally told herself to clear her mind and focus on the jog ahead. She checks her phone for an upcoming track she can go down and spots one not as obvious at the others. She sets directions and heads off. About 15 minutes later she finds herself at the entrance to a not so obvious track. Looks more like a wildlife trail. She notes. It's slightly overgrown but has a trail of gorgeous little native orchids that are bright purple and something tells her she needs to follow it. She can see the light of day approaching as the sun starts to rise and feels an overwhelming sensation of calm. Taking a deep breath, Annie breaks into a jog and heads down the path.