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Anne always walked to school alone. When she decided to eat lunch, she sat by herself, but most days she buried her nose in a book, in a nook, tucked away in some forgotten corner of the library. When someone asked her if they could borrow a chair from her table, she gave them a genuine smile and nodded her head, but she never invited the person to sit with her, nor did she start up a conversation.
When the last bell rang for the day, she was usually among the first out of the building, walking in a hurried pace to get home. Once she was home, she would cook dinner for her and her cousin and then finish her homework. At six p.m. everyday her cousin would sit down to dinner with her. He hardly ever looked at her while they ate. In fact, he hardly ever looked at her regardless of their surroundings. Anne knew he didn’t want her there. She knew he looked at her as one more thing to worry about and take responsibility for. Moreover, she was the reason why neither of them were living with their parents. Lately, his moods had been growing fouler with the passing weeks. Winter was setting in and the snow was starting to fall. The sky was perpetually grey. Maybe he was going through the winter blues. Yet, Anne felt that there was something more brewing behind his demeanor.
Today had been an uncharacteristically warm day, though still grey. The students had been allowed to lunch outside. Anne decided to take advantage of the weather and sat outside, eating a sandwich while switching back and forth from her latest book to watching her fellow class mates. She caught a stray ball from one of the football players and threw it back to him. As she did this, she saw snow flurries fluttering down. People started groaning and whining. For some reason the snow caught her in a daze. She concentrated on it, watching individual flakes dropping down. She didn’t realize that one of the football players was trying to start a conversation with her. She didn’t realize still, that a tall young man was standing in front of her, until he spoke.
“Hello.” He said. He made it sound almost like a command and it snapped her out of her daze.
“Hi.” She said, forgetting her smile. He was very slight in stature. His face was pale and almost matched the snow that was sticking to the ground. His eyes were dark, but she thought she caught a glimpse of green light in them. His hair was black and went down to his chin. All his features were very angular and he reminded her of a picture she had seen in one of her books of an old Hungarian musician renowned both for his compositions as well as his performance.
Before she could register it, he was sitting across from her, staring intently at her face. He looked a bit menacing as though he were leering at her and trying to study her all at the same time.
“What’s your name?” he asked her. Again, he made it seem like a command, though it was only a question.
“Anne.” For some reason she didn’t dare to ask his name.
“I’m Peter. I’m new.”
“I see.”
“I just moved into West Evergreen Drive”
Anne thought that was peculiar. That was in the next town. Furthermore, there were two parts to West Evergreen Drive: the part that one could see, which made up some of the main road. There were no houses on this road. And the second part that one could not see, which was a long forgotten road buried somewhere in the woods.
“Where on Evergreen? I’ve never seen any houses on that road.” She said defiantly. Maybe he didn’t understand the lay of the land just yet.
“Well, it’s in the woods. There aren’t many houses there. I’d like to show you after school.”
“I can’t. I have plans.” She said and got up to go inside without looking back. She knew it was rude, but she couldn’t be alone with a boy and frankly she had been caught off guard with his proposition. It was just an invite to his house. Maybe other people were going and she was just over reacting, but she found herself wishing that he hadn’t invited anyone else.
After school, she was once again walking briskly to her house. Part of it was that she wanted to get home and do her chores to distract herself from the random and frequent thoughts she was having of Peter since meeting him at lunch. The other part of it was that in thinking that the day would be nice and relishing the warm temperatures in the morning, Anne had worn a miniskirt and a jean jacket top as her outer layer. Now, she was shivering, and crossing her arms as she walked.
A car pulled up beside her. It was a red pick up truck. It gave a playful honk at her and she saw that it was Peter. She would never have guessed that he drove a red pick-up, but there he was with his black hair and black leather jacket. It seemed like an anomaly. He was smiling at her, but his eyes had the same expression as before when they met for the first time and she didn’t know if she trusted him.
“Anne, you look like you need a ride.”
“No thanks, I’m almost home.”
“I could use the company. I still get lost sometimes trying to get home and it looks like it’s going to get dark soon. I’ll tell you what, why don’t you keep me company and I’ll drive you back later? I really don’t want to be alone.”
Anne sighed. “I really need to get home.” She said.
“Please.” Again, it sounded like a command more than a plea, and this time it frightened Anne. She stumbled on the pavement and fell into some snow. In a flash Peter was by her side, helping her up and almost carrying her.
“I think it would be safer for you and me if you got in the car.”
“No really, I’m fine.” She tried to pull away but that particular area was covered in black ice and Anne was slipping. She had platforms on which didn’t help her cause and she was trying not to flash any passers-by while trying to regain her balance. Before she knew it, she was sitting next to Peter in his pick-up, fastening her seat belt.
“So, what do you say? My house or yours?” Anne didn’t know whether she would have to invite him in if she opted for her own house. She was not allowed to have boys over. But then again, she wasn’t allowed to go over boys’ houses. However, she saw her cousin getting angrier if the transgression were to take place in his own home.
“Yours, I guess.” She relented.
Peter must have been driving for a while because Anne woke up with her head pressed against the window of the pick-up. They were just arriving at what seemed like a large cabin.
“You look well rested. Now you can stay up all night if you need to.” He laughed.
Anne thought the comment was a little left field, but didn’t think too much on it. She got out of the car and looked around. There were trees and leaves everywhere. Here, it still looked like late fall. You couldn’t really see the ground, because it was carpeted with leaves.
“This is where you live?” Anne asked Peter as he handed her a cup of hot cocoa. The steam from the cup was warming her face and the cup was doing a good job on her hands. Peter’s cup wasn’t emitting any steam which she found curious, but didn’t want to dwell on.
“This is where I live while I’m going to school. My family owns an apartment in the city and I go there from time to time as well.”
“I see. That’s convenient.”
“It is, but it’s already getting lonely out here.”
“Yeah, well, it’s in the middle of nowhere.”
Anne and Peter were both sitting on the bed, and they inched closer and closer with each sentence they spoke. There was the fireplace in the background and to top off the cliché there was a bear – skin rug at the foot of the bed. It wasn’t exactly what Anne had imagined when she saw Peter earlier at lunch, but she was sitting beside him now while he took the cup from her hand and placed it on the table next to the bed. He then took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply and passionately. It completely unleashed something in her she couldn’t remember ever feeling before. It was hunger, and it made her press her lips hard against his. She moved to straddle him, throwing her arms around his neck as he cradled her.
Anne felt something bite down on her lip and then she felt blood trickling down her chin. It came out of nowhere and she barely registered Peter licking the trail back up to her lips. But then it started throbbing, as though it were a pulse.
“Ugh. I’m bleeding.” She said, pulling away.
“What time is it anyway? I have to get home. My cousin will eat me alive if he knows I’ve been here with you all day.”
“I’ll take you home.” said Peter. His voice was icy as though he were disappointed in her.
“Thanks.” She murmured.
Neither of them said anything as they drove to her house. When she got out, he leaned over and kissed her forehead. “See you tomorrow.” He said and waved as he pulled out of the driveway.
Anne was in a state of elation that she could not describe. She went inside, noticing that her cousins shoes were on the shoe rack, indicating that he was already home.
“Hello?” She called out and like clockwork, he appeared in the door way. Her cousin, Luke, was twenty four, eight years older than she was. He was crossing his right arm in front of his left and holding a glass of red wine.
“Where were you?” He was fuming. She hadn’t expected his reaction to be so intense.
“I was with a friend.” She reasoned.
“Were you with a boy?” He asked.
“Yes.”
“You’re not allowed to see boys.”
“I know.” She said. In an instant he was in front of her, throwing his glass of wine in her face.
Anne was completely stupefied.
“If you knew that you weren’t allowed to see boys, why then, did you see a boy?”
“I’m sorry.” Was all she could say.
“On top of that you didn’t make dinner. I had to cook for myself today, after working twelve hours.
“Go upstairs and wait for me.” He threatened.
Anne gulped and did what he asked. She was terrified. She had always been terrified of him. They weren’t really cousins, but they grew up that way. He might as well have been. His parents were good family friends of hers and they had grown up near each other as babies. His parents were her god parents and vice versa. Since both were gone, he was in charge of her now since she did not have any other family.
Anne lay in bed thinking of what had just happened. When they were younger he always picked on her and played mean tricks on her. When they were kids he was still mean to her, purposefully forgetting to include her in activities during family vacations, cornering her out of the sight of their parents just to pinch her or pull her hair. As they grew older he stopped doing those things, but she still found him glaring at her from time to time. It all made her more on edge given what had just transpired.
The door opened to her bedroom and Luke marched in, slamming it shut. He paced back and forth, looking at her all the while. She sat up and crossed her legs, trying to sit up straight.
“You know, I’ve been thinking,” he said finally, sitting down on the chair in front of Anne’s vanity table. “You’re not a little girl anymore.” He crossed his legs.
“I guess I’m not.” said Anne, leaning back on her headboard.
“I think you should start earning your keep here.”
“I forgot about cooking today. I’m really sorry.” Anne started, but Luke held up his hand.
“No. I mean you’re a young woman now, and I have needs.”
Anne looked scared, widening her eyes at him.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m your guardian. You have to live with me until you turn eighteen.”
“That’s in two years.”
“Right. So until then, you’re all mine. You have to do what I say.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“What do you think I want you to do?”
Anne started shaking and crying. “No, please don’t do this.” She was speaking in a low frantic tone.
“Anne, Anne, Anne. Shh. Think about it. You have no where to go. Even when you go to college, all the money is with me. See, even your parents didn’t trust you, so they left all the money to me. Sure, I have to use it according to their stipulations, which includes paying for your college, but, if you remember, they made it clear that you would get your college money only if I felt that your behavior merited my paying for your college.”
“So you’ll only pay if I do what you say.”
“Exactly.”
Anne hugged her knees and buried her face in them rocking back and forth, sobbing. She felt Luke’s hands trying to untangle her arms to which she started protesting. She tried to plead through her tears.
“Luke, I’m sorry about today.” she sobbed. “Nothing like that will happen again. I promise.”
He shook his head as if to say, nice try.
At this point Anne almost squealed as she backed up against her headboard, trying to inch away from Luke. “Please!” but he did not let up.
“Don’t get any ideas. No one will believe you if you tell them. I have friends everywhere.” He emphasized the last word. Anne couldn’t tell if he was telling the truth or not, but even if he wasn’t what was she going to say? She would need a sample of his semen inside her and she saw him pulling out a condom as she thought this. Now she was panicking and it was hard for her to think clearly.
She saw that it was futile to get out of this scenario. Luke did actually have friends at the police department, and they would just bring her back if she tried to run. Anne tried to appeal to him a last time.
“Luke,” she whispered.
“I know you’re angry, but could you please be gentle? I’ve never…I mean I…”
She trailed off. Luke was watching her.
“Spread your legs.” He was emotionless. She was so scared that she complied quickly. He reached under her skirt and stroked her through her panties. It made her jump and yelp all together.
“I’m sorry.” She murmured.
Luke rubbed harder and harder. Anne was silent, gripping the sheets, but there were tears streaming down her face and she was red.
Without warning Luke shoved the panty material to the side and jammed two fingers inside Anne. He started working them in and out vigorously. Anne was still quite dry and it was quit painful. She reached out and grabbed his arm, trying to push him away, but he did it harder.
“Let go of my arm.” He told her sternly, so she did.
“Lie down.” He said.
“On my back?” she asked innocently.
“Yes.”
She did as she was told and without being asked, she spread her legs.
He jammed his fingers inside her again, burying them this time. Sometimes he would find her clit and dig his nail into her. Other times he would just slap her pussy. She had started whimpering, not having the energy to do much else.
“Had enough?” he finally asked her, pulling out his fingers from inside her. He put them in front of her face to show her. They were covered in blood and her fluid. He had broken her hymen.
Anne closed her eyes and rolled onto her side holding her stomach.
She felt Luke get up from her bed and shut off the light to her room.
“Tomorrow, be home by six-thirty with dinner ready.”
The door clicked shut as he left as though he had just left after a conversation or something.
Anne couldn’t sleep. She was too afraid. But then exhaustion took over and she had no choice but to give in.
Outside her window, there was a tree and sitting on a branch of that tree was Peter. He had been watching her since she came upstairs. He had seen everything unfold. Part of him was enraged at what had just happened. Part of him was lustful and guilty. However, regardless of how he felt, he could not draw himself away from Anne and he knew he had to do something.
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