Thank you soo much for the reviews! Triscadecaphilia – you're right on the emotional thing. I hope this is better.

Here goes chapter 3!


Chapter 3: I don't want to remember

She didn't dare look at anybody. The faces in the room were all familiar, yet she still had trouble trusting them.

She knew they meant well. They only tried to help her. But they didn't understand. They didn't know. They hadn't lived the horror she had. Not even her father could understand.

It kept haunting her, in her dreams. She only saw a silhouette, but it was enough to let her feel all the fear and pain she had felt then. She remembered him hurting her, beating her. She had tried to scream, but there had been no one to help her.

If they hadn't been able to help her when she screamed, how could she trust them to help her afterwards?

She could hear their thoughts alright. Not even her father knew, but she could, and she had always managed to hide it. That's why she didn't like big crowds and probably was one of several reasons she had shied away in sickbay. She could sense their pity for her, and that scared her. For the man that had assaulted her had also pitied her. She remembered that much.

Why won't she talk to us? Why won't she tell us, or me at least, what scares her so much about us? So we can show her that she shouldn't be afraid of us. She heard her father's thoughts.

She knew it wasn't only their pity that scared her. It was that she couldn't be sure it hadn't been any of them. She didn't remember more than that this man had a combadge and had worn casual clothes.

And everyone wanted her to remember, but she didn't want to. She just wanted to forget.

Tears welled up in her eyes when she thought about the last few days. Everyone had tried to make her remember. But she wouldn't. She refused. She had blocked that part of her memory forever.

The tears started streaming down her cheeks. She could feel Counselor Troi's mind brush hers and sensed her worry. Do you want to talk about it? She just shook her head. Talking about it helps. She shook her head more violently, openly sobbing, then all of a sudden she screamed 'No!' and left the room at a run. Had she known who she'd run in to, she would've stayed.


Who do you think she'll run in to?