I don't know what to do or where to go. I don't know what happened or how. I need help, but not from him. No. He'll just go crazy. I can't afford that. I can't tell anyone, not at all.

Brittany

It started when I wanted to give my mom a surprise visit. Usually I just call when I want to come over, but today is special. It's her birthday! Unfortunately, my surprise visits never come out as a surprise for my mom because she, like other Shifters in my world, has had her senses uncannily strenghthened. Up to the strength of a wolf's senses; the Shifters here in Tarrant, Washington shift into wolves. But since I'm the only human guardian that I know of, it's hard to stage surprises. For me, at least. All of my friends and my [i dont know what to call it so y'all would understand, but i'll say] boyfriend can just pop up out of nowhere and scare the hell out of me. They take pictures of my pissed off face, they show me the pictures, and then I laugh with them.

That's not the point. The point is, I should have been careful in a dark alleyway, I should have kept out of sight whenever drunk men stumbled into the tiny street, and I shouldn't have gone at night. But I had no choice. I severly didn't want to go during night, but I put the surprise party first. I had just parked my car and locked it when a small group of drunk men came out of a bar, laughing stupidly. there was no place to slip inside so I could hide, so my only choice was to get inside my car. I had barely unlocked the door when I heard them go quiet. Hell, I was scared stiff. But I was confident that I could handle myself. The only thought on my mind was to get in the car, lock it, and try to stay unseen. I was mentally yelling to myself, Get into the damn car! But I couldn't. I was frozen in place, hoping that I wouldn't be seen. This is only because ever since Connor and I have been ambushed by a crazy scientist, his son, and their helpers, I was starting to realize what non-Shifters [namely the normal humans] can do if they try really hard, just like me [just read the books and that will explain everything...]. The only problem was, I was seen. "Oh hell no!" I whispered to myself. I could hear the guys talking in whispers. They obviously thought that I couldn't hear them. Sure they were far off, but having a Shifter mom, friends, and boyfriend tended to make a human girl [me]notice small sounds and little details. The drunk men probably decided to surround me and my car. Hearing them was as easy as pie. I mean, when you get drunk, what else do you become that you haven't given any thought of? You become stupid. And that's exactly what they were. Stupid.

One of the idiots called out to me, "Hey, what's up, sugar? Wanna come hang out with us?" I call politely back, "No, thanks, I don't want to. I'm busy right now." I should've gotten into the car as soon as I said that. But no, I just had to start walking towards my mom's place. I have a lot of regrets, and that was one of them. Another drunken idiot one sneered, "Well, fellas, we're gonna have to make her respect us." At that moment I heard running footsteps behind me. I didn't go any faster because I hoped to judge my distance and timing correctly to give him one of my famous roundhouse kicks. The footsteps went quiet all of a sudden; the guy must have seen how stiff my body was. Well, I guess I showed him. Big mistake; again another one of my regrets. The man behind me threw his arms around my chest and waist and tried to drag me back. I tried to kick him by striking backwards with my legs into his knees, and hopefully, his legs. Fail. I am one of the few best kickers in Wolford and I can't kick backwards? As soon as I get home [and back to Connor]I have to learn to kick backwards. The guy dragged me back with a yell of triumph, causing his friends to run forward. They managed to put a blindfold over my mouth to prevent me from screaming for help, and they tied my hands and legs to prevent me from hitting or kicking them. Those men made me so mad that I couldn't move, out of waiting for them to let me go. I wish I could kick their butts right now. The tall guy [the leader, I think] strode over to me, shoved his hands up my shirt, and squeezed my breasts. I gritted my teeth as he lifted my shirt and kissed them; then he said in my ear, "Well, now, don't you have a swell pair of big, nice boobs, eh?" Everyone laughed and came forward to touch or kiss my breasts. A short guy pretended to suckle, and licked my breasts. Another guy planted big, slobbery kisses all over my chest. I cried out as the first one dragged me to a room inside an old building. He partially removed my shirt and jeans and clumsily threw me onto the old, hard bed. Then... ugghh, he took off his pants and lay down on top of me. I cried out as he grabbed my breasts and squeezed them hard. The worst part came. He thrust inside me, hard, and kept himself in as he kissed and licked my breasts.

The pain... it was just too hard and painful to believe... that I was easy enough to be "caught" by these drunken men. I swear, if I had not underestimated them, I would have kicked them so hard they would not remember anything at all.

He thrust in and out, pushing in deeper and deeper, until my throat was worn out from my cries and whimpers. He moaned as he continued to feel my chest and thrust inside me. Then my arms and legs were tied to the bedposts, so I couldn't move, and he felt all over me. My back, my thighs, my rear, my chest, my hips, my waist. He groaned when he cupped my breasts tightly and pushed deeper in me. It hurt when he pushed and thrust... it hurt so much that I think I was beginning to break down... and let go, hoping that it would end.

Ughh... my head was throbbing so hard, and the pain was grinding down there. Thank God they put my clothes back on me, or else I would've died of embarrassment. I noticed that a small sharp corner was poking my cheek, making my head throb even more. It was a note, of all things. Who knew that drunk rapists could leave notes? These must've been smartasses. Wise guys. The note read,

You say a word to the police, you will never say another word again.

We're gonna come back time after time, to make sure you're quiet.

My mind froze at the words "come back time after time". That scared me, the thought of them-especially him- coming back. The note and my thoughts were torture enough, let alone it actually happening again. The death threat made me snort. I've been threatened with death before. Wait, that was when Connor was with me when Bio-Chrome managed to capture us. Connor and I fell into the nightly routine of the Statics [what we Shifters call humans]. Had we stayed alert and cautious, we wouldn't have been caught.

I wanted to give myself up to Connor, so I was keeping it [y'all know what 'it' is, right? i hope so :P]until he and I decided the right time to do it. [in the shifter world, that wasn't until the couples said their vows or something, you know, like marriage, i swear]

But now? When these ruthless men stole it from me? I can't take it. I run to the car and start it up. Fighting back tears, I drive until I reach the edge of the forest where it begins. I run blindly -tree branches and twigs whipping my face and arms- until I reach it.

My -the- only place in the forest where I can calm down and just let my worries go.

The waterfall and its caves.