Samantha still pays me no mind. I often see her sitting outside alone in the evenings, usually with a gloomy expression spread across her pretty face.
I can’t sleep at night. Even the hours of exhausting training aren’t enough to wear me down. I lie beneath the blanket, my mind restless. I can’t stop thinking about Gabriel strangling me. I imagine countless things I could have done to defend myself. I could have clawed at his eyes and face. I could have kicked or punched him. Yet I did nothing. I feel weak and humiliated. I hate myself for being who I am.
I finally crawl out of bed, dress and exit the room on tip-toes. Outside, I stroll around the building, breathing the cool night air. My thoughts are toxic. I think of Samantha and her friends throwing stones at me back in my village. I remember Gabriel’s fingers clutching my throat and his hot breath on my face. I imagine my mother standing in front of me, her head lowered, her expression full of pain.
I’m becoming sick.
I close my eyes and just stand still for a moment. Somebody suddenly grabs my arm and covers my mouth from behind. I grip his hand, trying to pull it away from my face. He places his other hand on my throat and I freeze, feeling like I’m still in Gabriel’s quarters. Something inside me died during the assault.
“Be quiet, rat,” the attacker whispers. I recognize Logan’s voice.
He presses me against a wall, pinning my arms to my sides. I stand unmoving.
“I hate you,” Logan growls, squeezing my arms. “You got my friend killed. He took your bullet. You should’ve died back there instead of him.”
Maybe so. I find thinking of death somewhat relieving.
“Look at me!” He shakes me violently. “I’m sick of you. You’re gonna leave this place, understand? I want you out of here now. If I still see you here in the morning, I’ll kill you. Do you understand me?”
I don’t say anything, staring right back into his hateful eyes. I imagine Trent coming to rescue me. But nobody comes to help. I’m all alone.
“Do you hear me?” Logan smacks my head with an open palm. “Get out of here. Go! I don’t want to ever see you again.”
“Hey you! Don’t touch her!”
Amy comes out of nowhere and shoves Logan away from me. He releases me and grabs Amy, holding her in a bear hug. She jerks her head forward, smashing Logan’s mouth and nose. She simultaneously stomps on his foot. Logan lets out a painful groan, releasing her. She grips his shirt and the back of his head tightly and steps to the side, throwing him off balance. As Logan falls on his hands and knees, Amy adds a hard kick to his rear end.
“Let’s go!” she yells, gripping my wrist and pulling me toward the entrance of the building.
“I’ll kill you both!” Logan shouts from behind.
Back in our room, Amy and I lie on my bed together, chuckling quietly. I no longer think of dying. We feel safe because Logan wouldn’t dare attack us inside our room, besides, Amy just beat him down.
“Darn,” I whisper. “Where did you learn to fight like that?”
“Well,” Amy snickers. “Back in my village the girls often fought with guys. Nothing too serious really. We were just playing around.”
I look at her in genuine admiration. I so wish to be like her.
“We have to take care of one another,” Amy states. “There’s nobody else to help us.”
***
The next evening, I find Trent outside and tell him about our incident with Logan. I’m not sure why I want him to know. Maybe because I need somebody to be sympathetic and protective toward me, somebody I love.
“Wait a minute,” Trent frowns. “Are you sure it was Logan?”
“Of course I’m sure,” I say.
“But it was dark, wasn’t it? You could be mistaken.”
Anger burns through me. “We were standing face to face! How can I be mistaken?”
“Why would Logan attack you? He doesn’t seem like a bad guy.”
“He hates me!” I exclaim, my eyes stinging. “He blames me for killing his friend. And Logan is a jerk.”
Trent doesn’t speak for a few moments. His eyes darken. I so wish he’d comfort me and be more understanding, but he seems angry.
“What the hell were you doing outside at night anyway?” he growls.
I shrug. I don’t want him to know how devastated I feel.
“Damn it, Kora,” he sighs. “You can’t just walk around alone after dark. It’s dangerous. You should stop being so careless.”
“I walked around whenever I wanted back in our village.”
“We’re not in our village anymore. You have to be smarter.”
I bite the inside of my cheek so hard I taste my own blood. My hands tremble. I don’t know what I can say. It’s not my fault that Logan is a jerk who happens to hate me.
“All right,” Trent finally says. “I’ll talk to him.”
“No!” I exclaim. “Please, don’t.”
I’m scared that Trent may only make things worse.
“What do you expect me to do then?” he groans.
I want you to hold me, I think. I need your support, your friendship and love.
“Do you think
