Page 101 of Bleed for Me

A shudder rolled through me at the mere thought. I didn’t want to hurt Pastor Valentine—not even sexually. He’s done nothing but help me.

Shoving those vile thoughts to the back of my mind the best I could, I slowly approached our assigned cabin. From the outside, it looked just like the others. A wooden building with a window on either side of the door. Blinds blocked my view, preventing me from peering inside. I reached for the doorknob and twisted, leaning into it in order to push it open.

Voices bled through the gap, greeting me instantly.

Despite being away from the asylum for a little while, there was still a cold chill settling deep within my bones. It’s been there a lot lately. Especially when I closed my eyes or lost myself to my thoughts within the shower. I’d never been close with my mother, but there was still a part of me that missed her, a part of me that yearned for her love and approval. How could that be? Why would I care about her approval when she clearly didn’t give a shit about me?

Because you’re pathetic.

She’s better off without you.

Her biggest regret is you.

You ruined her life, Rosalie.

My stomach twisted painfully as I willed the taunting voices to drift into the back of my mind. They seemed to play off of my biggest insecurities.

Sighing, I closed the door behind me, glancing around the cabin. It looked exactly as Valentine’s had. Leather couch, fireplace, and a small kitchen off to the side.

A few girls were crowding the hallway, trying to squeeze past the others to get to the bedrooms. I hesitantly moved to join them, making sure to keep a good distance away from the others. There were a lot of women here I didn’t recognize, leading me to believe that some of them resided within a different wing.

Nervous energy prickled along my spine as the several bodies before me shifted and conversed amongst one another. It took a while, but the hallway eventually cleared out. I blew out a breath of relief, glancing either which way to see which rooms were full and which weren’t.

“In here,” a girl called at the end of the hallway.

My steps faltered as I moved my gaze to hers. I’d never seen her before in my life, but she was staring right at me with a friendly smile. She looked a little bit older, but not by much. She was beautiful, with curly, brown hair, tinted skin, and dark brown eyes. She was also much taller and skinnier than I was.

Hoisting my bag higher over my shoulder, I cautiously drifted toward her. The walls felt like they were losing space between them, closing in on me until the only sound I could hear was the beating of my racing heart.

It’s a trap.

Everyone here has killed before.

She wants to hurt you.

My hands curled into fists at my sides.Shut up.

Maniacal laughter drifted through my skull, causing me to wince. This wasn’t normal. Maybe Ididneed to speak to someone about this.

The girl stepped out of the way as I approached, giving me the access I needed to enter. There was a bunkbed on either side of the room with a single closet to the left. It wasn’t anything fancy, and the thought of sharing a room with three other people had my anxiety churning all over again.

“I’m Angelina,” the girl spoke again, keeping her overly friendly smile in place.

“I-I’m Rosalie.” I glanced around again, taking note of the other women occupying the space. One of the girls was already stripping down, not caring that she wasn’t alone.

It was easy to see which beds were already taken. The girl undressing had her bag resting on the lower bunk to the left while the other girl was busy climbing the ladder to the top bunk on the right.

“I’m fine with either,” Angelina stated, seeming to know exactly where my train of thought had gone.

Reluctantly, I moved toward the top bunk at the left side of the room. Being crammed in a small space with three other girls already had me on edge, but being on the top would probably ease my nerves some.

“Is there a bathroom nearby?” I asked

The half-naked girl released a snort as she fumbled with the button on her jeans. “Good luck with that. You’ll be waiting a while. Last I checked, there was a line forming.”

“It’s nothing we haven’t seen before,” the girl standing a few feet away from me remarked. She had a pixie cut and her hair was as red as blood. “I’m Tawnie by the way.” She motioned toward the other girl—who was now tugging her shirt on over her bikini top. She was pretty, too. With medium-length brown hair, bronze skin, and brown eyes. “That’s Kim.”

My heart was pounding in my chest. I’d never even seen these girls before. Who were they? Why were they here? Surely, Dr. Blake wouldn’t have allowed them to come if he thought theywere an immediate danger to society. Then again, Archer was here when he’d just choked the fuck out of me a few days ago. They all seemed to know each other, meaning they were more than likely from the same wing. Those weren’t good odds for me.

---