Chapter 2 2:

It was bright red against the dark fabric of my skirt, pooling on the floor beneath me. My eyes widened in horror, panic seizing my throat with a grip tighter than any hand.

"No," I whispered, the sound barely audible. Then, louder, a desperate keen escaped my lips. "No, no, no!"

"My belly..." I gasped, tears springing to my eyes as I looked up at them, begging for help despite everything they had done.

"It hurts so bad. Please... help me."

"She's bleeding!" Sereia shrieked, taking a step back, her face paling. The cruelty vanished from her expression, replaced by genuine shock. "Could something be wrong?"

For a second, I thought I saw a flicker of hesitation in Allysia's eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it came, replaced by a cold, hardened resolve. She crossed her arms, lifting her chin in the air.

"Nothing is wrong," Allysia stated flatly. "And besides, her life is worthless anyway. If she loses the bastard child, it's probably for the best. One less mouth for the school to feed."

My heart shattered at her words. How could anyone be this heartless?

"And besides," she continued, her voice taking on a defensive edge, "if it weren't for my dad's kindness, how could she still be in this college after everything she has done?

She should have been expelled months ago. We're doing a favor to her."

She looked at Dominic and Sereia, who were still staring at the blood. "You know what? We can't have her screaming. The guests might hear."

She reached into her school bag and pulled out a length of rough rope and a dirty rag. She had prepared for this already.

My stomach churned with renewed terror.

"Take this," she ordered, shoving the items into Dominic's chest. "Gag her mouth with the rag. And use the rope to tie her hands and legs. I don't want her screaming, and I certainly don't want her escaping before the ceremony is over."

"But Aly, she's bleeding" Sereia started to protest.

"Did I stutter?" Allysia snapped, her eyes flashing. "Do it. Now."

Dominic didn't hesitate. He grabbed my arm, yanking me up from the floor. The pain spiked again, and a cry tore from my throat, but he didn't care. He was rough, manhandling me as if I were a sack of potatoes. I tried to fight back, gathering every ounce of strength I had left. I kicked out, my leg connecting with Dominic's shin, but he barely flinched.

"Hold her still," he growled at Sereia.

Sereia grabbed my shoulders, pinning me against the cold wall. I was trapped. I looked at Allysia, who was watching with a bored expression, checking her watch.

"Please," I choked out, the tears streaming down my face now, mixing with the sweat of pain and fear. "I'm begging you. Help me. Save my baby."

I slumped forward, unable to stand on my own, and wrapped my fingers around the hem of Allysia's uniform skirt. I clung to it like a lifeline.

"Help me! Save my baby!" I sobbed.

Allysia looked down at me with pure disgust. She kicked my hand away, the impact of her shoe sending a jolt of pain up my arm.

"Let go of my leg," she spat. "You're filthy. Don't touch me."

She stepped back, smoothing her skirt where my hand had been. "Don't block our way. We have to go and welcome the great CEO of the Vanguard Group Company. We don't have time for your theatrics."

She turned to the other two. "And you two, what are you still doing? Do what I asked you to. Tie her up. And when you're done, lock the door. Don't let her out until the VIPs are gone. I don't want her ruining the mood."

With that, she turned and walked out of the storage room.

Dominic threw me to the floor. I landed hard, and the breath was knocked out of me again. He grabbed my wrists, forcing them behind my back. I struggled and screamed, but he was too strong. Within moments, the rough rope was biting into my skin, knotting my hands together behind me.

"Stop moving, you slut," he grunted in my ear.

Next came my legs. They bound my ankles together tightly, restricting any movement I might have tried. I was helpless, a trussed-up animal waiting for slaughter.

Finally, Sereia stepped forward, the dirty rag in her hand. She looked at me, and for a split second, I saw pity in her eyes.

But then the evil in her won her quickly as she shoved the rag into my mouth and tied it tightly behind my head.

The taste of it filled my mouth, silencing my pleas. I could only make muffled grunts now.

They stood up, looking down at me one last time. I was lying on my side, blood still pooling beneath me, my hands and feet bound, my mouth gagged. I must have looked pathetic.

"Let's go," Dominic said, wiping his hands on his pants as if touching me had soiled him.

They walked to the door. Sereia looked back once, her hand hovering over the light switch.

"Leave it," Dominic said. "Let her rot in the dark."

He flipped the switch, and the room plunged into darkness, save for that single, high beam of sunlight.

The door closed for the final time. The lock clicked.

"I was alone."

The silence was deafening. At first, there was nothing but the sound of my own ragged breathing through my nose and the pounding of my heart in my ears. Then, the pain came rushing back like a tide.

I lay there on the cold floor, tears rolling down my cheeks and soaking into the dirty rag gagging me. I shifted my weight, trying to ease the pressure on my belly, but it was useless. I was too weak. The struggle had drained the last of my energy.

I patted my stomach gently with my bound hands, the awkward angle making it difficult.

Baby! I'm sorry, I thought, the words screaming in my mind. Mommy is so sorry! I failed you. I should have fought harder. I should have run away.

I tried to sit up, to roll toward the door, to bang on it and make noise, but my limbs felt like lead. The dizziness was overwhelming, a black fog creeping at the edges of my vision. I had lost too much blood. I could feel it, the coldness seeping into my bones.

I can't let you die, I thought desperately. You have to see this world. You have to have a chance.

I managed to roll onto my side, facing the beam of light. My eyes caught a glint of color on my wrist. It was the bead bracelet I wore. Made of wooden beads and a single, distinct glass bead in the center.

I stared at it now, my vision blurring, watching the way the sunlight caught the glass, turning it into a tiny star against my skin.

"Where are you?" I whispered in my mind, the thought floating disconnectedly. "Are you still in this world? If you're still out there... if you exist... Please come save me. Save our baby."

A fresh wave of tears broke through the dam of my resolve, hot and stinging against my cold face. I was delirious, talking to a bracelet, imagining that a stranger from the past could hear my silent scream. It was the desperation of a drowning woman clutching at straws.

But as I looked at the bracelet, an idea sparked in the haze of my pain. It was faint, a flicker of hope in the encroaching darkness, but it was there.

I drew my knees up as best as I could with my ankles tied, maneuvering my bound hands toward my wrist. It was awkward and agonizing. My shoulder screamed in protest, and every movement sent a fresh jolt of pain through my abdomen, but I gritted my teeth against the gag. I had to try.

I hooked the rough rope binding my wrists against the string of the bracelet. I pulled, sawing the rope back and forth against the delicate cord.

"Snap. Please snap."

I grunted, sweat beading on my forehead as I worked. I felt the cord stretching, the fibers straining. I thought of the baby.

"My unborn baby, whom I couldn't risk letting die."

With a sharp ping, the string gave way.

The sudden release sent my hands jerking back, but I didn't care. The bracelet fell loose. I watched, breathless, as it tumbled from my wrist and hit the concrete floor.

"The sound was deafening in the quiet room."

"Click. Click. Click."

The beads scattered. Some wooden ones rolled away into the shadows, while some skittered across the floor with a frantic energy. It hit the wall, bounced, and rolled toward the small gap beneath the door.

I held my breath, my eyes straining in the dim light. I watched it roll, mesmerized. It was a message in a bottle, a desperate signal sent out to sea.

Please, I prayed, my heart hammering against my ribs. Please let someone see it. Let someone walk by. Let someone wonder why a piece of wooden bracelet is coming out from an old storage room.

"I waited."

I lay there, staring at the bead, listening for the sound of footsteps outside. I strained my ears until they rang, but I heard nothing, muffled sounds of the school.

They won't come, a voice in my head whispered. Everyone is at the front of the campus waiting for the guest's arrival. No one comes back here. You're going to die here, Aurora.

You and the baby both.

"No!" I screamed internally, fighting against despair. "Someone will come. They have to."

"Time seemed to lose its meaning."

The dizziness returned, stronger this time. The edges of my vision began to darken, narrowing down to a tunnel focused on that single bead under the door.

I tried to keep my eyes open. I tried to focus on the light, but my eyelids were so heavy. It felt like weights were attached to my lashes. The black fog swirled around me, whispering promises of an end to the pain.

Just close your eyes, it murmured. Just for a minute. Then you'll feel better.

"Help."

I mouthed silently, the word forming on my lips but having no voice to carry it.

Then, the darkness swallowed me whole, and I knew nothing.