Chapter 8 Broken vows Mended heart

It had almost been a week Anna had been looking for her friend Oliva. She had cried so much thinking she was dead. Even the teachers and the dormitory mates had forgotten about her when they didn't see her for almost a week. It was only Anna that still felt hurt because she and Oliva were close.

The school bell clanged in the distance, its echo fading into the cold dusk. The girls poured out of the classrooms, their chatter muffled by the bite of the wind. But Anna didn't move. She sat beneath the old guava tree behind the dining hall, arms wrapped tightly around her knees, her back trembling with each quiet sob. She had never felt more alone. And then she could hear footsteps . She flinched and was about to run. But it wasn't a ghost or a teacher coming to scare her. It was Olivia. Anna stared in disbelief. "Olivia?" Her voice cracked." Where have you been? We have all been looking for you.

I ...I thought something happened to you".

Olivia hesitated for just a heartbeat - too long and then gave a weak smile. "I just needed to be alone", She said softly. "I...I went to the chapel". Anna noticed it was the same dress she was wearing for over a week, her eyes slightly red. There was something off about her smile- something that didn't quite reach her eyes. "But why didn't you tell anyone?" Anna pressed, almost pleading . "There were tears in your eyes when you left....". Olivia looked away."I'm okay now".

Something happened on an ordinary Thursday in biology class. Mr Matthew had just explained a diagram of cell mitosis, but his words had moved too fast, and she hadn't understood a dime. "Sir," She said,raising her hand politely,"Could you please explain the anaphase again?". He glanced at her and smiled. " See me after class". Anna nodded unaware of his negative plan towards her. After the lesson,the girls filed out . Anna approached the door to the staff office, her notes clutched tightly in her hand. Young and innocent, she knocked. "Come in". Inside,Mr Matthew sat at his desk, the blinds drawn. The room was dim, unusually quiet. A fan creaked above. "You wanted to understand anaphase? He said, his voice low and smooth. "Yes, sir". She stepped forward. But before she could sit, he was standing too close. Her stomach flipped. "I've noticed you, Anna",he murmured . "You're different. Special. Girls like you.. You need guidance . A man to help you....grow". She blinked, confused. " Sir, I don't understand -. His hand gripped her wrist, very hard. She dropped her notebook. "Don't be afraid"; He whispered, his breath sore with something bitter. "This will make you a woman". She tried to scream, but his palm covered her mouth. " No one will help you", he hissed . "You think they care? They will just call you a liar again". The room spun around her. She kicked, fought screamed into his hand but the walls didnt echo loud enough. And then, darkness, pain and violence. When it was over, She lay on the cold floor, her skirt torn, her soul shredded. He adjusted his tie, calm as a priest after a sermon. "If you tell anyone", he said,"they will believe me not you, and also I will kill you with my bare hands".He walked out , whistling. Anna curled into herself, her sobs silent now and broken. She picked up her books with trembling hands and stepped out into the corridor, her face streaked with tears. Girls passed her. No one stopped. She walked like a ghost, the world dull and distant. Her legs trembled . Her body felt hollow like something sacred inside her had been ripped away. Her sobs echoed down the empty corridor but there was no one to hear them. The evening sun cast long shadows along the hallway walls, mocking her silence . Her blouse was wrinkled. Her books hung loosely from her arm. She walked with no direction, just trying to breathe, just trying to make it to her dorm before someone saw her like this . She got to the bathroom first.

Locked the door.

She fell to the tiled floor and broke again. The cries she held in ripped from her chest like a wounded animal. She scrubbed her arms furiously , water running, soap lathering, but she could still feel him - his scent,his hands, the sting. Nothing would wash it away.

She threw up into the sink.

Then she crumpled to the ground and cried until her throat burned raw.

It was past prep when Oliva found her.

Anna had returned to the dorm, her face pale and swollen from tears.She sat on her bunk like a statue , knees drawn to her chest, her arms wrapped around them like armor.

"Anna?"Olivia whispered , crouching beside her bed. "You didnt come to dinner. What happened?". Anna didn't speak. Her lips trembled, eyes glassy. Oliva sat beside her, with concern thick in her voice. "Did someone hurt you?". There was a huge silence for some while. Olivia leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Was it... Was it Mr Matthew?". Anna flinched so hard that her books fell from the bed. That was all the answer Olivia needed. "Oh my God", She breathed, her face draining of colour ."Anna...tell me. What did he do to you?. Anna turned slowly to her, the pain in her eyes unbearable ." He...he raped me" . The words barely came out . A whisper, A wound. Olivia's hand flew to her mouth. "No.."She gasped,shaking her head. " No, No,No...". She wrapped her arms around Anna and held her tightly, rocking her gently as tears streamed down both their cheeks. "I'm so sorry", Olivia whispered. "I'm so, so sorry..". Anna buried her face in her friend's shoulder and cried again, soft and broken. The weight of the secret already beginning to crush her. When the sobbing dulled to sniffles, Olivia pulled back slightly, brushing a tear from Anna's cheek. "You have to tell someone", She whispered ."The principal, Mrs Mary somebody".Anna shook her head violently. "I can't". Why not? He should be arrested!". "No one will believe me," Anna said,her voice cracking. " He's a senior teacher. He's respected. They'll say I seduced him..or worse, that I'm lying for attention".

"But–"

"And he warned me", Anna added, eyes hardening. "He said if i speak up, no one will help me. I Will just be humiliated again..like withMr. Peter".

Silence hung in the air.

Oliva looked away, biting her lip."You're right," she said reluctantly. "I hate that you're right."

Anna sat up slowly. "Please. Just... don't tell anyone. Don't let anyone know."

"But Anna, you can't live with this-"

"I don't have a choice," she interrupted, her voice hollow. "If I report him, he'll deny it. And I'll be the one who suffers. You know how it works in this school."

Olivia's eyes welled up again. "God, this is so unfair."

Anna managed a bitter smile. "Everything is."

Olivia hesitated before speaking again. "Look... I won't tell anyone. I promise. But you have to be careful. Just... avoid him, always. Stay away from him like your life depends on it."

"I will," Anna whispered.

Olivia squeezed her hand. "And one more thing..."

"What?"

"Please," she said, voice low and urgent. "Don't ever ask him questions in class again. Don't even look his way."

Anna nodded silently.

"If he suspects you'll speak out... he could make your life hell. You'll keep failing biology till you leave this school. He has that power."

Anna's heart clenched. Biology was one of her strongest subjects. And now, she was trapped-forced to either shrink or be crushed.

"I'll keep quiet," she said, her voice barely a breath. "I just want to survive."

Olivia nodded. "Then we bury it. Just the two of us."

They sat in silence, their fingers interlocked. Two young girls carrying a secret far too heavy for their age. And outside, life in the boarding school moved on-bells ringing, girls laughing, teachers teaching.

As if nothing had happened.

But for Anna, everything had changed.

From that day forward, she avoided Mr. Matthew like a shadow fleeing the light. She sat in the back of the biology class. Never raised her hand. Never lingered after lectures. If he passed her in the hallway, she turned her face away. If he called her name, her heart stopped until he moved on.

Every glance from him sent a chill down her spine.

And yet, she wore her silence like armor.

She studied hard. She smiled when needed. She gave the world no reason to question her. But at night, behind closed doors, she wept into her pillow-quiet, constant, and unseen.

The secret stayed with her. With them.

But every secret leaves a scar.

And hers was just beginning to bleed.