This man dragged me through the forest towards another cave before stopping and releasing me. There was mud crammed into my jeans and up my back. I was filthy. He turned to me.
"Do you think you can be an adult, stand up and walk now?"
I didn’t move, setting my jaw. He didn’t even flinch. He shrugged and reached for me again. I pulled away from him, trying to escape, but he grabbed me by the back of my shirt. I kicked and twisted, trying to tear the shirt and escape from him, but there was no helping it. The darkness enveloped us, then he let me go. I tumbled down a hill as I tried to kick away from him. I tumbled and rolled and landed into the shallows of a large lake that seemed to stretch for miles.
“You’re not even trying to pull punches, are you?” Francia asked.
“If I’ve been left
