James
She stands, somehow meek and defiant at the same time. Dishevelled and dirty, her clothes in tatters, bruises rising on her face….
…. and the eyes of a sea-goddess….
Safe now, her abductors taken away, the area saturated with police, I can talk to her freely, for all the good it does.
Eyes downcast, she almost invites me to punish her.
Is it an act?
It hardly matters….
…. It wouldn’t make the slightest difference to her behaviour.
And I stand here, wondering what to say, caught between rage and pride….
…. My Jade….
What the f**k do I do with you?
There’s a yell, Michael’s voice. A cry of warning, of fury and desperation. My attention ripped from Charlotte, I turn to see what has so alarmed him.
Beth is screaming. Michael is running…. leaping….
A slow-winding eternity, a
