Evgeniya
My eyes felt a mix of sandpaper and glass, a dry irritation sealing my eyes shut and weighed down with bricks to keep them closed. Every muscle in my body throbbed and ached, especially my neck where it arced in a twist on the cool wooden floor.
For a moment, I wanted to pretend nothing had happened, however long ago it happened. I wanted to pretend the ghostly sensation of a slimy hand on my naked stomach was a figment of a nightmare. I wanted to pretend that the humiliation I had been forced to endure never truly occurred. I wanted to pretend I was at home, with Astennu and Badru and that soon, their warm palms would soothe the dull ache in my neck and body. All of my pretences would, unfortunately, leave me in a soul-splitting disappointment because I knew how the story end
