Hannah's POV“Hannah, what is going on?…”I raised my hand and Olivia stopped talking. I pressed my phone closer to my ear and tried to hear Simon admist my mother's sobs.“Mom, I need you to calm down and tell me what's wrong. Is Simon with you? Is he hurting you?My mom's sobbing continued and I could hear her desperately struggling to get the words out of her mouth.“Hannah, please, you have to listen to me. Come home. Come home… Ahhhh!”“Mom?”The line went dead and when I tried to call her again, it didn't go through. I feared the worst. What had Simon done to her?Carlos and Olivia looked at me with concern and I tried to assure them that everything was all right.“You two should continue the date. I have to go home and check on my mom.”I tried to walk away, but Olivia grabbed my hand and pulled me back to her.“Hannah, are you insane? You know the sort of monster that your stepfather is. You know what? I'll change and we can go…”“Olivia, no.”I yanked my hand away and tried m
Hannah's POV“Help!"The water was getting in toy lungs and the air in the barrel was quickly running out.My skin was dotted with goosebumps as I drew closer and closer and closer to my grave in the water.Tears filled my eyes and I began to cry.I should have just stayed with Olivia and Carlos. I wished I was back with them. I wished I was with Mr. Dalton and we were preparing for the H.S.CMy mother had been quiet. She had been quiet for a while and I was left to believe that she had died. After all, she had been in her drum longer than me.My limbs felt weaker and I could feel my body begin to slowly be robbed of air.A tear ran down my face slowly. This was Mom's fault. If she had listened to me and left that monster when she had the chance. If she had listened, then we would both be alive and living a better life.I was on my last few breaths and I had resigned myself to my fate when I heard a muffled sound from outside, as well as light scratching.My hearing had weakened, but
Hannah's POV“Come on phone! Work!"I held the power button and looked at the phone with all my might, trying my best to will it to work but it was all hopeless.I sighed, nearly on the brink of bursting into tears, and took out the tub of rice I had stashed under my bed for this very purpose and stuffed my phone back inside it.Maybe a few more minutes inside there will get rid of all the water. I could imagine that Carlos and Olivia had been calling like crazy and that they were worried sick having not heard from me.I sat on my bed and curled myself up. I had been thinking of how to escape but it was all futile. It seems that Simon had prepared for my return and had fitted my room windows with iron bars. I couldn't fathom climbing out of my window.I looked at it the window again and tears welled up in my eyes. I still couldn't stop blaming my mother for all this. This was all her fault. Why didn't she want to let go of him? Why was she still with him?Dad never treated her like th
Hannah's POV“Hannah? Hannah, wake up?”I felt something soft under my head. The floor wasn't cold and I felt warm. I tried to say something, but a soft hand covered my mouth.“No. Don't say anything. You'll just make it worse. Here.”I felt something being popped into my mouth and I began to suck it. It tasted strongly of ginger and lemon.My eyes fluttered open a little more and I looked around the room. I was still in my room but the sun had gone down.I looked at the side and saw my mother staring at me with sad eyes and stroking my hair gently.Seeing her filled me with renewed anger and hate and I slapped her hand away.I wanted to say something to her. I wanted to tell her how much I hated her but I felt the pain in my throat.The ginger and lemon throat lozenge she had given me was spicy but soothing nonetheless.“Hannah, I understand that you are angry with me. But please, hear me out. And if you talk, it will but make the scalding worse."I gave her a dirty look and turned a
Hannah's POVI was up early on Monday morning and I was instructed to hide behind the door and wait for Simon.Just like my mother had said, Simon was gone the entire Sunday, and we were waiting for him to return.“He's coming," my mother whispered to me as she stepped away from the window and stood near the front door.I crouched tighter in the corner and tried as much as I could to hide in the shadows.My mother told me that as soon as I left, I should make a run for it and go to Olivia's place.She told me that she was now convinced that Simon was after my life and if he succeeded, all that she had done to keep my father's promise would have been for nothing.If only she could tell me what the promise was.My heart stopped for a while as I heard the key being slotted into the keyhole and the lock clicking as the key was turned.I braced myself, ready to fly out of the front door as soon as I saw the opportunity.The door flung open loudly and I flinched in fear. Simon staggered in,
Hannah's POVThe howl erupted from my voice box and shook the building. Olivia and Mrs. Ryker looked at me in shock.Finally, I stopped and it felt like all the energy in my body had been drained for that single noise.I remained on my knees and fed enough air into my body so that I could stand.I looked at Mrs. Ryker and she had a big smile on her face.I opened my mouth.“Why are you smiling?"My eyes opened wide and I held my throat in shock.I could talk! Well, sort of. My voice was raspy and deep. I sounded like a troll.I looked at Mrs. Ryker.“What was in that liquid?"“Oh. Just some Indian herbs and spices. Nothing special,” she explained with a smile and a shrug.“Then why did I howl? Forgive me if I heard wrong, but I sounded like a dog.”None of this made any sense."Ohhh. That. Well, it's simple. The liquid engaged your voice box and caused some vibrations and they came out as a howl. It is kind of like a mechanism to reset your voice. Nothing serious. It happened to me wh
Hannah's POVNothing seemed to have changed at school. Amirah was still being a bitch and spreading gossip while Olivia looked more restless than usual. It's made me wonder what her mother told her while I was in the bathroom in my room.“Guess who decided to show her face.”Amirah walked up to me with her goons and gave me a dirty look. I rolled my eyes and I adjusted my bag on my back. I wasn't going to waste a single breath on her.I stole a glance at Olivia and saw her fist tightly clenched, ready to sucker punch Amirah in the face and cause her stupid nose job to cave in.I grabbed Olivia's hand and squeezed it tightly and gave her a ‘calm-down look’ with my eyes.“Aren't you bitches going to say something?” Amirah asked, glaring acidly at Olivia and me. “Don't think that I didn't know what you two bitches did over the weekend with Carlos.”Olivia's face was burning red; she was fighting to keep her anger inside.Amirah and her goons began to laugh. Was it just me, or did anybody
Hannah's POVMy blood curdled and I looked at him in shock. I wanted to refuse, but that cold, expressionless stare of his drove me to the edge, and I felt powerless against him.He smiled at Olivia, and she left, and I was left with no choice but to go along with him.Our walk through the corridors was quiet. It terrified me. I didn't know what to say. My tongue was tied and my throat felt even more painful.I reached into my pocket and took out a lozenge.He watched Mr pop it into my mouth curiously and I threw the wrapping into the waste bin.“What flavor is that?"I wanted to say something, but fear, as well as what he would think of my raspy voice, kept me silent.He didn't say anything more and my head dropped.I stared at the ground as we continued. The walk to his office felt longer than expected but as soon as we got there, I knew.The familiar cold draft tickled my feet and I wiggled my toes in my sandals.He unlocked the door and ushered me in.I walked in, fear oozing from
Hannah's POV. A few minutes after I had settled beside Carlos at the back of the bus, the car was kicked into ignition and we left the parking lots. Carlos's demeanor was a sharp contrast to Dalton's and I couldn't resist the only feeling I got from him. Was that too much to ask now? To be pampered, to be treated like a human, to be cared for in a way that suggests desire and endearment. As I leaned on the headrest, my eyes caught a glint of the sun dancing on Carlos's face and for a moment there I thought he looked like a piece of art.This thought brought a smile to my face, and I wasn’t quick enough to hide it before he noticed."What are you smiling about?" He asked. "Do you see us winning the competition already?"Reflexively, my cheeks shifted farther, until I had to place my hand over my mouth to cover my smile. "No," I said. "It's something entirely different. And speaking of the contest. How did you manage to get in? I have been meaning to ask." Carlos raised his broad s
Hannah's POV. As the moon rays broke through the window to land on my face, the sharp light shot into my brain and forced me to open my eyes. Slowly, my eyes began to adjust to the darkness and the shape of the objects in the room. The window was opened, and the breeze gushing inside was cold enough to freeze me to stone. I wrapped my hands around my naked body but it was still not enough to grant me the warmth I desperately sought. In a split second, I threw the covers off my body, preparing to get off the bed, but as my body mistakenly bumped to the side I discovered that I was alone. Mr. Dalton was not in the room beside me on the bed. He had leftThe space beside me was now ruffled, my stomach tightening into a knot not only as a result of hunger but as an impact of the pain that now gripped my frail heart. I had been happy some hours ago, when Mr. Dalton had wrapped his arms around me, whispering sweet nothings into my ears.Was this all I to him? A playthings? A bed warming a
Dalton’s POVSweet moans of pleasure filled the room as I came into her wetness it felt so insanely good it was driving me crazy. “You feel so fucking good, Hannah,” I muttered under my breath, and her sexy eyes batted at me as she threw me a heart-striking smile.“I could say the same about you.” She managed to say through numerous gasps and eye rolls.I felt her tighten up around me, and I couldn't stop a moan from escaping.“Damn, Hannah!” I grunted; she had me in a stronghold and wouldn't let me go.I felt heat rise inside me as she ran her fingers into my hair, tossing and tugging at it uncontrollably.“Hannah, free up a little,” I said, but she did the exact opposite. She just tightened up even more around me, and I let out a husky moan. “Hannah…” At this point, there was no talking to her; she was already lost in the pleasure.And the fact that I was making her feel good only made me feel good. She looked beautiful under the dim lights of the room, and I couldn't help kissing
Hannah’s POV"Oh yes, I'm sure. I mean, I didn't quite pay much attention to it, but later on, I caught a whiff of authority lingering in the air, but I wasn't able to place my finger on it." I explained further, leaving no information out. Olivia placed a finger under her chin staring at me. "I understand that you probably read too many meanings into things, but this is quite perplexing. Do you think that he is hiding something?" She whispered. I rolled my eyes at her suggestions. "Of course not, what could he be hiding away from us?" I fired back at her, refusing to allow her to fill my head with doubts. She looked away and scrunched her eyebrows in some type of way making me feel weird. She had never been shy to speak about what she felt, and now I believe there was something more to what she was willing to share. "Do you have any suspicions, Olivia?" I inquired so that I knew my next step. Her response was a shake of the head which even meant more than I was willing to accept.
Dalton:I parked two streets away from Hannah's house. How she ever expected me not to come after her was still a wonder. I didn't think that she was going to go alone but I needed to respect her wishes. She wasn't just a little girl whom I could command to do whatever I wanted. I had to show her that I respected has so much that she would also reciprocate that in return. My phone buzzed in my pockets as I strolled towards the front of her house. She didn't invite me but I was going to do so myself. I wouldn't take any chances that would make her land in a compromising position simply because I was trying to be the good guy. I would rather be the bad guy and save her than the good guy who lets her die. I shook my head. Who was calling again? I swiped across the phone screen without looking, "I hope you are calling for something important." I asked my beta."Yes sir, I have everything under control but still need to know if you are getting ready for the final phase of the plan." He s
Hannah's POV. I released a breath after I was able to pry her away from hurting Stephanie. That girl was going to be a pain in the ass, especially tomorrow. I could already envisage it, and trust me, it wasn't looking pretty. I would rather engage myself in something boring like a painting than talk to her, especially when I knew she was fishing for trouble. The bell rang, signaling the end of the day, and I quickly picked up my bag, threw it over my shoulder, and continued my journey to his office. I walked past the garage hoping that I saw Mr Dalton and was surprised that he, of all people, was not present. Whoa, he must have been really busy then because he had never failed to show up, especially when he wanted to speak to me, probably also to take me home. On cue, Mr Dalton opened the door with his bag in hand and stopped in front of me. "Let's go home for some preparations." He said with a wink, which vanished so quickly that I imagined that I thought about it. I squinted f
Hannah's POV. My eyes widened in shock as Carlos moved closer to me with a friendly smile on his face. My goodness did he even consider the implication of what he was doing? I tried to find expression to my surprise but realized that I was only wasting my time. Feeling a pair of eyes on me, I glanced at Stephanie, and true to my thoughts, she was gazing at me with intense hatred. I had never done anything to warrant such treatment from her but I guess, it was one of those things she wanted to settle with me I was not even in the mood for all of that "Is there anything you want me to do for you?" I whispered to Carlos, who smiled at me. "I think she wants to sit with you." I nodded in Stephanie's direction. Carlos doesn't look bothered by my announcements, "Oh, then she is highly welcome. I don't think I've ever stopped anyone from coming closer to me no matter what." How oblivious could a man be? Maybe because he didn't have any special interest in her? I pondered. I smirked
Hannah's POV. "Gring!" The sound of an alarm clock jolted me awake, making me massage my temples in worry. My core ached. It was a lovely reminder of the activities I had gotten engaged in the previous day.Scanning the room, I realized that I was alone and reached for my phone, which was on the bedside table. I stretched and let out a yawn, to help awaken my muscles. They didn't look like they were going to do so anytime soon. My eyes finally focused on a bottle of water and a glass in an empty tray with an after-morning pill beside it. I jumped up instantly, not allowing my weakness to make me lose my mind, and popped the pill into my mouth, washing it down with water. Just a few feet away, a bag lay on the ground and I fished for its contents. My clothes lay in there neatly folded. Hmm, Mr. Dalton– the ever-prepared man. I glanced at the clock again and jumped in shock. It was almost 7:00 a.m. I couldn't afford to be late to school. I needed the final brush-up before doing it f
Dalton's POV "How old do you think I am, Hannah?" I inquired from her, watching her fidget slowly as she tried to find her words to defend herself from me but I knew that she was obviously lying. She wasn't a liar I needed to try her best at doing this because it clearly wasn't working with me. "I..." She swallowed before looking away."You..." I asked in an amused tone, waiting to hear how creative she could get with her excuses. "I... Was thirsty and needed some water and decided to come to the kitchen! I mean the kitchen is where the water is, right?" She asked a rhetorical question making me laugh at her cuteness. She didn't even have to do much before getting me into a state of amusement which was quite a chore for many women. "I see," I responded, waiting for her to counter my words, but she kept on looking at me. "I'm sorry if I'm taking up your space. I mean I should be studying and not sitting on your counter." She apologized and tried to hide her face under her hair jus