13

ASTRID

Pain hurts. It is excruciating and it burns but the pain is good.

It had only been a few minutes since Justin's mother let me go after burning the flesh on my back. While the pain remained but my tears had started lessening, the memory of that first sizzle of my skin remained fresh.

I sat on the floor, my back opened, and I could feel blood running down my back from the part that got burnt. Every little breeze made it sting and I sat there, wincing every second.

After she had left, the maids trooped in, wanting to get a closer look at me. There was no doubt that they had all heard me screaming from where they were, wondering what I must have done this time to earn such a treatment. It was one mistake.

No one made any moves to come to me. They all instead stood from afar, occasionally peeking to get a good look of what must seem like a burnt platter of meat to them.

They gossipped amongst themselves, paying me no heed.

“Poor thing. She must have really angere Luna…” One sai