Page 22 of Teach Me How To Fly

It was him.

My mouth opened, ready to let out the screams of pure terror, but again, I wasn’t able to say anything.

His voice came closer and closer to where I was sitting, and a touch of darkness gave me goosebumps. He was behind me.I felt his fingers playing on my shoulders, trying to reveal my naked skin to his shameless gross fantasies. I tried to escape from his touch, but I couldn’t move.

“I waited for you to be alone, Annalisa. Oh, how much I’ve waited,” he whispered to my ear and my screams immediately filled the entire room.

I was paralyzed with fear, scared stiff of him because I knew what was coming. I knew that there was no one who could save me from his evil claws. I had to accept it and bear it with any power I had left in my vulnerable body.

As I felt his hands wandering on my body, opening up my chest and trying to take out my heart entirely, I screamed. And I screamed so loud that I felt my soul trying to escape from under the flesh that was holding it.

He took my heart in his hands and laughed at it. I felt numb in that moment, and it felt better that way because I stopped feeling the pain and terror he was causing me. Yet he didn’t stop there.

He took a bite from my heart, then threw it on the floor, licking his lips in a way that made me curl my entire body, just hoping I would manage to stand up from the chair.

Everything I did was useless. So I screamed.

I screamed when he touched me again.

I screamed when I heard my name on his lips again.

I screamed, and I wanted to die so bad that I screamed even louder, hoping to crush my own soul and disappear.

“Anna! Anna! Wake up, Anna!”

I opened my eyes, my breath racing and my heart pounding in my chest in a rhythm it never did.

My father was shaking me to wake up and once he saw I did, he took me in his arms and hugged me tight. And that wasthe moment I started crying, letting all the salty tears roll down my cheeks without any shame. I put my hands around him and enjoyed being safe for a second. He never came to my room before, but that night he did, and I couldn’t have been more grateful to have him so close.

“It was just a nightmare, Annalise,” he softly whispered between my hair strands.

I didn’t reply.

I just sat there, trying to convince myself that I was awake and there was no one who wanted to hurt me.

He held me to his chest for a few more seconds, and then he moved away and looked at me. I saw a flinch of worry creeping into his dark irises. I needed his hug. I needed to feel taken care of and protected.

“Sorry for waking you up. I-I had a really bad dream,” I said between the gasps.

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow, you’re safe now. Get back to sleep. I’ll be here if you need anything,” he replied and caressed my right cheek.

I smiled at him and wiped away the tears on my face. He stood up from the bed and gazed at me once more before leaving the room.

And I was alone.

Again.

As I’ve always been.

I let my glance fall on the window and I stood up from the bed. I walked slowly towards it and sat down on the comfy bench in front of it.

The moon was sitting on the night’s dark sky, while the little stars were accompanying her. Even the moon wasn’t alone in the night. Yet there I was.

My thoughts flew to Maksen and how much I would’ve loved for him to be here. He could understand me and listen to what Ihad to say. He always did it for me. But even though I couldn’t have him physically here, I could’ve just called and talked to him.

And that seemed like the best thing I could do.

I walked straight to the bedside where my phone was standing. I took it between my fingers and sighed when I saw that it was three in the morning. He was probably sleeping and there I was, ready to wake him up and not care that my dad might find out and punish him.

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