Burn

A quick trigger warning - there is an assault at the end of this chapter.

Nothing super graphic, but it does involve a character being drugged.

Please read at your own caution.

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Friday and Saturday slipped by quickly.

Enid spent her first free days outside, exploring the campus and the small town that surrounded it.

On Friday, she window shopped for a few hours and came back to her dorm room with a new plant from a lovely greenhouse shop.

It was a small fern with spots that made it look like it was smiling.

She spent most of Saturday in the library researching sadism.

The library was old and beautiful, with sweeping beams along the ceiling and stained window pains letting in the daylight.

Rows of bookshelves stretched as far as her eye could see.

She could see herself spending hours there, getting lost in the pages of the endless books.

She ran her finger along the colorful spines as she searched the "S" section.

Pulling a few books from the shelves, she tried not to gasp at the images on the covers.

Finding a table tucked in the corner, she began her research.

It was a difficult process, as she could only read a few pages before needing to stop.

By the time it got to descriptions of women or men being tied up, she decided she was done for the day.

She was bright red by the time she left.

Distracted by the sweet Autumn air as she stepped outside, she accidentally ran into the person coming into the library.

"Enid! I was just about to text you!" Emilia smiled brightly at her.

"Oh! Well, I'm so sorry for bumping into you." She smiled back at the girl.

"No worries. Anyways, the bonfire is tonight at eight, should I pick you up at your dorm?" Emilia waved her apology off.

Enid shifted uncomfortably on her feet.

She hadn't thought much about the bonfire with all the distractions she had going on.

Three distractions to be exact.

"Erm, I'm not sure I'm going..." She trailed off, watching as Emilia deflated slightly.

"Oh okay. Well, if you change your mind just shoot me a text!" The friendly girl waved farewell as she opened the doors to the library.

Enid bit her lip, wondering if she had made a mistake.

Something in her gut told her not to go.

But she didn't want to ruin her first chance at making a friend here.

"Actually, wait. I'll come. We could meet by the coffee shop if that's okay." Enid spoke quickly and the other girl turned around with a large smile.

"Great! I'll see you at eight!" She responded happily before finally slipping inside the building.

Enid worried the entire way back to her dorm room.

By the time that eight rolled around, she had tried on six different outfits and had nearly texted to cancel three times.

With a minute to spare, Enid threw on her pink knit sweater and some leggings before slipping on her boots and heading out the door.

It was a warmer evening, not like the bitter cold nights she had grown to know the past week.

Emilia stood outside the coffee shop with two other girls, chatting animatedly.

The tan girl smiled as she approached and showered her with compliments over her outfit.

"Enid, these are my roommates Jessie and Sarah." Emilia introduced.

"You were so right, Em. She is the cutest thing ever. I want to squeeze her." Sarah said, adjusting the scarf wrapped around her head.

Enid blushed and smiled bashfully.

Sarah reminded her of the moon, starkly pale with hair so blonde it was nearly white.

Jessie was her contrast, with dark skin and hair, wearing a stylish black trench coat.

Their gloved hands were laced together.

Jessie seemed more standoffish than Sarah, but she gave her a small smile when Enid glanced her way.

Together, the four girls made their way to the south end of campus, where the thick forest began.

They chatted about classes and Enid's accent.

They were so interested to hear about what it was like growing up in a different country.

Enid was just overjoyed at the idea of having some "girlfriends" like the ones she had read about.

Jessie slowly opened up more as they walked, revealing her sarcastic sense of humor.

She was teasing Enid about her pronunciation of "tourist" when they finally made it to the tree line.

For a moment, Enid felt as though she was back home.

The trees were as wide and tall as the beech trees at the estate.

Nostalgia and longing rustled in her chest, but she pushed it away.

She was out with friends and she was going to have fun.

A mile into the woods, Enid heard the thumping of music.

The smell of smoke grew heavier as they came upon the large field with the bonfire at its center.

Hundreds of college students were gathered, drinking alcohol out of red cups and singing along to the pop music blasting from the speakers.

Enid wondered if it was too late to pretend like she was ill.

A tug on her arm from Emilia led her closer to the fire, where long tables were set up.

"Do you want a drink?" Emilia practically had to yell over the loud song.

"Is there anything non-alcoholic?" Enid asked, doing her best to shout back.

Emilia looked around for a moment before shouting at a boy walking past them with a crate of water bottles.

"Hey Jack! Over here!" She yelled at him, grinning as he tossed a water bottle toward them.

Emilia caught it just before it hit the ground and handed it to Enid with a smile.

She then turned to pour herself some of the cheap champagne that Jessie handed to her.

The night was loud and overwhelming, spent dancing with the three other girls and trying not to blush when Jessie swooped Sarah in for a deep kiss every so often.

That usually arose a cheer from the crowd around them.

The mass of bodies was strange at first, but Enid soon gave up caring as she mimicked Emilia's wild dance moves.

Arms in the air, twirling and laughing.

She had never felt so young.

It was nearly ten by the time that Emilia let them take a break from dancing.

"I'm going to run and get another drink. Do you want anything?" Emilia asked her as she brushed her sweaty bangs away from her forehead.

Enid nodded no as she pointed at her half-full water bottle.

Jessie and Sarah had snuck off at some point in the night.

"Probably went to eat each other's faces." Emilia had explained when Enid questioned their disappearance.

Enid had flushed a dark red.

Now she stood alone at the edge of the clearing, watching as a group of boys cheered over a beer pong game.

She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, feeling incredibly out of place.

Without the distraction of Emilia and dancing, she was once again reminded of the way in which she didn't truly fit in with her peers.

"Excuse me, I need help." A voice came from behind her and she turned to find a boy wearing a sweater embellished with the name of one of the fraternities.

"Oh, what's wrong?" Enid asked kindly, looking around to find the source of his issue.

"I've lost my glasses; I think they're somewhere in the woods around here. Will you help me find them? I can barely see a thing without them." He gave her a sheepish smile.

She thought for a moment about Emilia's command for her to stay put until she returned.

But she couldn't just not help.

"Of course." She smiled warmly and stepped into the shadows with him.

She pulled out her phone and turned on the flashlight function, beginning to search the forest floor.

"Here, I'll hold your water bottle while you look." He said, taking the drink from her hand.

If she wasn't so wrapped in the desire to be helpful, she would have wondered how he could have seen what her drink was.

Ten minutes of hopeless searching later, he sighed.

"No worries. I'll just hope someone finds them and puts them into the lost and found tomorrow. Will you stand with me while I wait for my friends? They told me they'd meet me over here." He smiled charmingly at her.

His boyish good looks and broad shoulders were usually all it took to get girls to agree.

"Um, I'm not sure..." Enid eyed him hesitantly as she met his eyes and saw that he seemed to be looking at her quite clearly, although he was obviously very intoxicated.

He simply nodded and handed her back her water bottle.

Parched from the dancing and searching, she took a few sips.

She turned to head back to the clearing but found that her vision had become hazy.

Steadying herself on the tree beside her, she tried to speak but found that her tongue would not move.

A slurred murmur was all she could produce, her head suddenly feeling very heavy.

The water bottle fell to the dirt below.

Her thought processes were slow and she struggled to understand what was going on.

All she knew was that it wasn't good.

"Are you okay?" A voice spoke into her ear and she felt the heat of a body pressed against her back.

Fear grew hot and quick in her stomach and she knew she needed to get away.

She tried again to speak, a tangle of vowels sliding through her lips.

Something was very wrong.

"Shh. It's okay." A hand crawling up her shirt. Her vision came and went, flickers of the fire before her.

No. It wasn't okay.

She shook her head, trying to regain some clarity.

She needed help.

Help.

Someone had told her to call them if she needed help.

She remembered a large hand giving her a phone with a pretty case.

Pressing her weight against the tree, she struggled to push the body away from her.

"Hey now. We're just going to have some fun." He chuckled as he pushed her back against the tree, his hands gripping the bottom of her sweater.

She felt sluggish.  Powerless.

Her thoughts drifted for a moment before a rush of cold air pulled her back into the moment.

Her sweater was now pushed up, her stomach exposed to the chilly night.

Still the body pressed against her, his comforting whispers terrifying her.

She felt dirty, the fingers on her bare skin making her nauseous.

They pressed tightly.

Too tight.

Digging deep into her sides.

They would leave bruises.

She breathed in deeply, gathering her strength.

And then she pushed.

Pushed as hard as she could until he went stumbling back.

She was grateful he was inebriated, as she wouldn't have had a chance against him if he was sober.

Squinting, she sprinted away from him, trying to remember which way led back to campus.

She fell a few times, scrapping her knees and hands on the forest floor.

The tree roots were impossible to see with her blurred vision.

On her fourth trip, she became aware of a buzzing coming from her back pocket.

Rising and beginning to run again, she blindly answered the call.

"Enid. I have tried calling you ten times. You must answer when we call you." The deep, angry voice did not scare her.

She could not understand why, but she knew that the voice, although angry, meant safety.

Stopping and resting against a tree, she pulled together the last of her energy to speak.

"Help."

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I absolutely hated writing that.

However, it is an important part of Enid's story.

If you have ever been assaulted in any way, please know that you are loved.

No one should ever feel powerless.

As someone who has experienced an uncomfortable sexual encounter herself, I know how alone you can feel.

Please know that you never are.

I promise next chapter will be happier (although we will have three very angry men on our hands).

Comments fill my heart with joy.

All my love, Sappho ✩