Deceived by sleep, Minnow was back in the forest on that dreadful night.
She could hear her laboured breaths as she ran out into the small grass-covered clearing amongst the towering trees.
The air was crisp and heavy with damp moss and decomposing leaves.
Minnow could see her parent's mansion, situated slightly above the Oakheart town. The light at the main gate shone like a searchlight in the distance.
Scattered pearls of the faraway gas giants spilt out over the navy blue sky's backdrop in beautiful patterns above the open area.
She smiled at the night's hidden beauty and admired how the moon rays basked the playground's shiny metal equipment in glistening silver.
Minnow stumbled as her high heels sunk into the moist earth, and for a split second, she thought about taking them off so she could run faster.
But being drunk lulled her into a false sense of security that there was no need since she was nearly home anyway.
Suddenly, Minnow's stomach churned, and she felt an unfamiliar rush of nerves firing through her body, making her heart skip a beat in her straining chest.
Nevertheless, she ignored these gut feelings and continued to run over the soft dew-covered grass.
She was almost past the spiral metal slide when a dark shade fell over her.
Before she could react, a pair of giant hands covered her mouth and most of her face pulling her aggressively into the tall shadows amongst the creaking tree trunks.
Her feet dragged helplessly in the wet grass.
In her dream state, her muted screams echoed through her head, and Minnow tossed violently in her bed.
With each heavy step, she could make out the sounds of the winnowing wind slipping through the leaves and the cracking undergrowth.
The putrid scent of wet fur, bitter alcohol and urine filled her nostrils, and she gagged into the stranger's palm.
Minnow's small hands desperately pulled at the man's fingers to free her face.
She could hear two men's rough, slurred voices. They sounded excited, and their cruel laughter made her skin crawl.
The man dragging her stopped and pushed her violently to the ground. Minnow landed painfully on her knees, and the man kicked her hard in the back with his boot making her fall face-first into the dirt, gasping for air.
She was in complete panic and scrambled on the damp, slimy forest floor. Wet rotting leaves and sludgy soil stuck to her bare legs sending shivers down her spine.
Their selected spot was isolated and sheltered from sight with dense vegetation. And Minnow's heightened senses raised the question that this might be a place they knew and had used before.
Her form-fitting dress had slid up mid-thigh, and her jeans jacket gaped open, revealing her low neckline. She franticly tried to cover up as much of her exposed body parts as possible as she turned around.
Two black silhouettes towered over her, and a red flicker lit up from a smoking cigarette.
Then, a low rumbling growl vibrated through the air, and their soul-chilling eyes glowed in the night like burning coals from the pits of hell.
"It's time to play, little human." a calm and unhurried voice spoke in the dark.
Minnow could feel nothing but blind terror, and the fear sealed her throat.
Suddenly they grabbed her legs, and she screamed out a guttural cry.
"Minnow, Please wake up! Saylor's tense voice seeped into her nightmare.
He was shaking her rigid body to awaken her from her torment, and she unknowingly fought him with every ounce of her sleeping being.
Then, slowly she left the horrifying night terrors, and her wild eyes darted around the room.
"You are safe. I am here." Saylor repeated until her frightened mind could hear his comforting words.
"I am sorry," Minnow sniffled, ashamed. Her heart hammered painfully in her chest, and her breaths were shallow and uneven.
"Don't be. It's ok. I am here for you." Saylor laid down on the pillow facing her flustered face.
His eyes were swollen from lack of sleep, and his hair was messy, making him look innocent and boyish.
"Do you want to talk about your dream?" he asked softly.
"Not really. But I remembered something strange?" Minnow began. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to make sense of this memory.
"What was it? Saylor wondered and covered up a yawn.
"Animal eyes and fur? But not like from a dog owner. It was different somehow?" She could hear how silly she sounded when she said it out loud. "Nevermind" she exclaimed quickly to hide her embarrassment.
"No, that's good. It doesn't matter how small or insignificant. It's still a clue." Saylor encouraged her.
He gently tucked some of her tangled bed hair behind her ear.
Minnow nodded and rolled over to her back. "You can go back to sleep. I am going to listen to some music." She grabbed the headphones from the nightstand and placed them over her ears.
Saylor curled up next to her, and soon he was asleep.
Minnow carefully let herself think about what she had remembered from the flashbacks in her nightmare. Had her mind played a trick on her or did the men indeed have yellow eyes?
Maybe she believed they did because her brain perceived them as animals for what they had done to her?
Rage quickened her blood, and the resentment grew inside her like a tumour.
Death was the only punishment good enough for these monsters.
Eventually, she huddled under the covers and gripped the sheets until her fingers hurt. She held her breath, waiting for the soft music to take her mind somewhere else.
Minnow stayed awake until the sun's soft rays ignited across the dawn sky, basking the extensive bedroom in shimmers of rose gold.
A few hours later, she was woken up by Ariella tidying the room. The old lady quietly and efficiently cleaned up any traces from their movie night.
"Breakfast is ready downstairs," Ariella announced before leaving the bedroom.
"Thank you." Minnow called out without opening her eyes.
Saylor stirred under the heavy duvet. "Did she say breakfast?" He asked. His voice was hoarse and sleepy, and his stomach rumbled on cue.
"You are always hungry." She teased, shaking her head. For as long as she had known Saylor, he had loved his food. It had forever been a mystery to her how he stayed so thin, yet he ate like a horse.
"Nothing wrong with that. So what are we having?" He uttered in a serious but muffled tone and poked his head out from under the soft bed coverings.
"Anything you want," Minnow laughed at his bright eyes and beaming grin.
She was glad Saylor didn't mention last night's bad dreams, and her body relaxed slightly.
Somehow, she felt stronger this morning, possibly from her talk with Saylor. Perhaps it was better not to keep it all bottled up?
So to treat herself for being brave, she decided she felt ready enough to leave the house for the first time since the attack.
"How do you feel about some retail therapy?" She asked with a sunny smile.
Saylor's face lit up even more. "Girl, you know me. I never say no to shopping!" He rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom.
"Great, I was hoping you would say that." Minnow hollered after him.
She rubbed her palms together and could barely wait to have a typical Minnow and Saylor fun day out.
She so desperately needed to feel like her old self, if only just for a moment.Dovie stopped them before they could escape through the extensive front door. "Minnow darling, don't forget you have a dress fitting later today for your birthday," her mother called out from the top of the wide staircase. Minnow sighed, her shoulders slumped, and her feet dragged a few steps. "Ok, mother, I won't forget. She grumbled without looking back. "Mrs Venandi, you look younger each time I see you." Saylor smiled and waved at her mother, and Minnow could hear Dovie snicker approvingly. Minnow rolled her eyes. "You are so gross." His eyebrows rose, "I can't help that older women love me." he chuckled in defence. "Pretty much all women love you?" Minnow corrected, pushed open the doors, and let in the crisp autumn air. "Well, I didn't want to sound too presumptuous." He winked and walked past her towards the waiting car. Their private chauffeur walked around the side of the shiny black sedan and opened the passenger door. His weathered face broke into a friendly smile wh
The walking track around the lake looked quiet despite the beautiful autumn weather.They stopped and ordered coffees from a pink vintage coffee van set up for the lakes, usually many visitors.Saylor added a couple of the van's owner's homebaked cookies. He handed the small brown paper bag to Minnow, and the aromas of freshly brewed coffee and warm buttery vanilla filled her nostrils, wrapping around her senses like a comforting blanket.The gravel crunched under their feet as they headed down the dirt track towards their favourite spot at the water's edge. The lake lay motionless and blank in the middle of the network of paths, reflecting the surrounding landscape like an old faded photograph. "I am sorry for before." Minnow felt so ashamed for her behaviour, especially now when she had calmed down. "I thought I was ready," she mumbled and sipped her hot coffee."You don't have to apologise. What happened to you will take time to heal. I am, in fact, proud of you for being so brav
Back in her room, she finally could breathe again. Her whole body ached from the exhaustion of pretending everything was ok.Minnow grabbed her one photo album from the desk drawer and lay on her stomach on the large bed.She loved looking through the photos of Saylor and her at the lake under the liquidambar tree. In the album's first photos, the two of them couldn't be more than ten years old. Oh, how they had grown practically adults now.Minnow's face broke into a heartfelt grin as she glanced at the younger versions of themselves. So happy, innocent and carefree.Her face soon turned into a frown as the sadness of losing that innocence washed over her. These strange men, these monsters, had stolen something from her that could never be brought back—her virginity and trust in human beings.Minnow's phone chimed, and she secretly hoped it was Saylor. She could need some of his kind words and cheer up.She glanced at the display, and curls rolled like waves through her body."Oh, no
The town below was engulfed in a kaleidoscope of shimmering lights flickering in the distance as the starry nighttime swept over the Oakheart village that never seemed fully asleep. The garden was cold and completely dark when Minnow and Henry decided to head back inside. It had been quiet and peaceful under the apple tree, but Minnow felt the chill as the darkness swallowed them when the candle in the lantern burned out.It was the most piercing darkness she had felt, awakening her senses with its sharp, crisp smells.The night had never bothered Minnow before, but now, shadows seemed to reach for her at every turn. She could feel her heartbeats quicken, and her hands became clammy.Henry put his hand on her arm, and Minnow jumped from his unsuspected touch."Oh, I am so sorry, Minnow. I didn't mean to frighten you." Henry apologised profusely."That's ok. The dark makes me a bit nervous sometimes." She mumbled, grateful he couldn't see her strained face under cover of night."Come
Minnow couldn't sleep that night. She was too wired to relax and tossed and turned the night's first half. The clock had entered the hour of the wolf when she finally fell into a slumber, the time when the deepest fears haunted her. The sleepless spell when ghosts and demons are most powerful. Minnow was transported back to that dreadful night everything changed. It was dark, cold and damp in the playground. Minnow desperately moved her shivering body crawling over the wet grass. Dead rotting leaves rose and squeezed out between her fingers as she dragged herself forward on the nature floor. The blood rushed loudly through her ears and blended with her laboured, shallow breaths. Heavy footsteps followed behind, and the clacking sound of the metal as a belt buckle was undone. "No, no, this is not happening." Her brain screamed, drowning out all rational thoughts about fight or flight, freezing her in tonic immobility. A pair of warm hands gripped her bare legs and flipped her for
Minnow had seen the man stepping out on the road in the rearview mirror, watching her disappear. There was something about that man making him hard to forget. It was the day of the dreaded birthday party. Minnow's room had been transformed into a beauty parlour as multiple people pampered her for the big day. The large bay windows flooded the room with natural light as the afternoon sun travelled westward across the sky. Soft tunes were playing on the stereo, mixing pleasantly with the murmur of low voices from the stylists moving around in the space. Minnow sat quietly on a chair in front of a sizeable lit-up make-up mirror. Her face was etched in a deep frown from all the fuss. None of this was her idea. It was all her mothers doing in her strive for perfection. Minnow had to be shown looking fabulous tonight in front of the more important townspeople. Her mother had been bossing everyone around since the crack of dawn. She had a hand in every detail, leaving no stone untur
Minnow paced the bedroom floor. An incoherent chatter was heard from the bottom stairs as the guests were greeted and shown into the elegant ballroom.Minnow had been given strict orders from her mother not to come down until she sent for her. She was expected to make a grand entrance when all the guests were gathered. There was a soft knock on the door, and Minnow froze in fear. "Already, surely all of the guests haven't arrived yet?" She mumbled to herself before calling out in a trembling voice. "Come in!"The door creaked, and Minnow held her breath. Her shoulders slumped when Saylor's familiar face peeked in through the door."Oh, thank God. Quick, come in before my mother sees you." Minnow waved Saylor into the room, hurried over and gave him a warm embrace. "Wow. Minnow, you look stunning." Saylor praised and twirled her around in a slow pirouette."I know, right." Minnow winked with a big childish grin. "I bet you are surprised I could scrub up like this." she laughed ha
As the night continued, Aiko mingled the crowd with elegance and ease. She held the influential businessmen's lingering stare with newfound confidence and calm.Aiko knew the men in the room desired her, and she moved her curvy body sensually and gracefully to tease and provoke.Minnow couldn't control anything happening to her; in what felt like an out-of-body experience. Nevertheless, they remained co-conscious in a state where one person was out, but the other was aware of what was transpiring.Minnow was mortified over the way her alter acted around these big shots.Her grandfather watched her from the centre of the room, surrounded by a group of flatterers. His usual disapproving frown was there, but there was a shift in his glare as curiosity flashed in his milky eyes. "You seem so different. I thought you hated these kinds of events?" Saylor questioned as they danced to the upbeat tunes.He glanced at her suspiciously, and she pouted her full lips and peeked at him from under