Page 1 of Torment

Chapter 1

June 30, 2009

Blanchette was lying on the bed, staring out the window at the sunset. She was trying to concentrate on the beauty of it—the pinks, yellows, and oranges that painted the sky. But the pain was too much. No matter how desperately she wanted to ignore it, she couldn’t. She had already stolen two ibuprofen tablets from her grandmother’s medicine stash, but the pain was still there, lingering inside her body. Every move she made was a painful reminder of what he had done to her, what he planned to do to her again. It would never stop…hewould never stop.

Along with the physical pain, there was also the kind of pain that could not be numbed with painkillers. Her soul was bleeding, an open wound of nothing but agony. And the worst part? There was absolutely nothing anyone could do to take her pain away. No one could help her.

Closing her eyes, she tried hard not to picture his face, to hear his voice whispering all the revolting things he would do to her, how he planned to violate her body the next time he took her. But it was all she heard inside her mind, his face the only thing she saw. Every minute of every day, his face haunted her. It was the face of the devil, the demon that had possessed her body with his evil. Because of his possession, there was no place inside her for anything—anyone—else. It was him, and he made sure it would always be him. There was no way she would ever be able to forget. No matter how hard she tried, she would never be able to survive him.

The bedroom door creaked open, and Blanchette stiffened. Her spine froze as the blood in her veins turned to ice.

“Hey, you.”

Blanchette let out a breath when she heard her sister’s voice. She turned around slowly. “Hey.”

With big blue eyes Willow glanced her way before placing her bag next to the bed. “What’s up with you?”

“Nothing.”

“You look like death warmed up.”

“Well, thank you. It does wonders for my self-esteem to hear I look like a corpse.”

“Why weren’t you at dinner?”

Blanchette shrugged. “Not hungry.”

Willow got onto the bed next to her, laying her head on the pillow. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah. Period pains are kicking my butt this month, that’s all.”

Willow reached out and tucked a strand of Blanchette’s hair behind her ear. “I’m worried about you. You haven’t been yourself lately.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” She placed her hands beneath her pillow and tried her best to look relaxed. “Where have you been all day?”

A smile slowly spread along Willow’s face. And not just any smile. It was the type of smile that only meant one thing.

Blanchette jerked up. “You saw him again, didn’t you?”

Willow’s smile reached her eyes. “I did.”

“How long has it been now?”

“A few months.” Willow bit her lower lip. “B, he’s the one.”

Blanchette nestled her cheek back into the pillow. “How do you know?”

“I just do.” She reached beneath her shirt and pulled out a chain she was wearing, staring at it dreamily.

Blanchette touched the round, silver trinket with her finger. It was beautiful. Hearts twined together forming a beautiful maze. “Did he give this to you?”

“Yes. A few weeks ago. I love him, B.” She let go of the charm and stared at Blanchette. “I really love him.”

The way Willow’s eyes danced when she said those words was proof enough that she was head over heels for this guy. It was written on her face just how deeply she had fallen in love.

Blanchette had never met him. She didn’t even know his name. For some reason, Willow was very secretive about him and made Blanchette swear she wouldn’t tell anyone about them.

“Will you ever tell me his name?”

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