"Carmelita Spats, please report to Vice Principle Nero's office at once." After that short announcement, the loudspeaker clicked off, and the students sitting in the cafeteria all turned to stare at Carmelita. That had been the 4th time that week that she had been called to Nero's office. It seemed strange, but most simply shrugged it off. But, oh, how Carmelita wished they didn't.
Without hesitation, Carmelita shakily stood up from the long dinner table. She had learned to follow Nero's orders at a young age. Nero was boss. Nero was the leader. Nero was... god, in a way. He had control over all the students, but more than any of the rest of them, he had control over her. And there was little that she could do to stop that.
As she stepped out of the building, she was blinded by the sudden brightness of the outside world. She had expected it to be night, or very late evening. He rarely called her to him when the sun was still up, the brightness exposing him. Carmelita shivered. The glow of the sun in the late afternoon caused the tomb stone-shaped classrom structures cast odd, ominous shadows on her.
She took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly as she pushed the door of the administration building open. She climbed up the stone steps to the third floor, and walked to the fifth door. The door was large, as imposing and sinister as the secrets hiding behind it. The door that penetrated Carmelita's nightmares. She closed her eyes and turned the knob.
Just like she had expected, Nero was waiting eagerly behind the door. "Hello, Carmelita." He said in a sickly sweet and smooth voice. His voice seemed to smother her with it's fake charm. There was no use for him to lie or pretend anymore. It wasn't a secret anymore, what her kept her around for.
His hand closed upon her small shoulder, and she flinched, and bit her bottom lip. If she could make it thought today, like she had other nights, she would be fine. But the condescending light of bright day only added to her fear. Her fear of him, and her fear of being caught. The fear was immense, and so real that she prayed it wouldn't envelop her, like the way he did.
Nero began to caress her, and as Carmelita had done all other times, she shut down her senses. Her mind flitted off to another world, as she tried to ignore the harsh and cold reality. She tried to tell herself that it wasn't that bad, that it wasn't as bad as it could be. But in her heart, she knew she was wrong. What was happening to her now, and what had happened to her so many time in the past was horrifying, and inexcusable.
Carmelita was brought quickly back to reality, as Nero spoke. "You can go now." He said smugly, his voice dripping with confidence. He acted as though he had done something worth applauding, instead of violating a young girl. It made her sick, the fact that he could act like this after what he had done.
Without a backwards look, Carmelita fled from the office, running down the stairs. When she reached the bottom steps, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was over with. And even if it was only for now, for today, she felt proud of herself. She had survived one more time. It wouldn't be long before she found a way to stop him, she thought to herself.
Carmelita was grateful for the dimming light of the sun. Usually, when she came back from his office, the dark night seemed to egg on her guilt. She felt it was her fault that this had happened to her. She did nothing to stop it. Though she knew that there was likely no way to stop his wretched acts, she still blamed herself daily for not trying. But she was scared, scared and frightened. The walks to her dormitory from his office always seemed to last hours.
When she reached her room, which she shared with two other girls, she went straight to bed, even though the last rays of sunlight were still shining. She needed to sleep, to rest. Her mind never seemed to worry itself to death in her sleep. Except for when she had dreams. But more commonly, they were nightmares.
She woke up fairly happily the next morning. She was glad that she had no dreams last night, only peaceful, thoughtless rest. Her satisfaction was immense. As she dressed in her school uniform, she got ready for what she hoped would be a routine day. She would go to classes, eat, and then sleep again. She hoped Nero would not need her. She hoped he would not disrupt the cycle. The cycle she lived for.
She made it through a day without any of his selfish demands. As she lay in bed that night, she counted herself lucky, and told her self what she often hoped was true. Maybe it's over. Maybe he doesn't need me anymore. She knew it was absurd, but she prayed that there was a sliver of chance it was true. Maybe his violent lust had calmed, and she could be free. It was doubtful, but she clung tightly to that small scrap of hope.
She sat at dinner the next day, amazed that it had been two days since an attack. She smiled, and her outer shell discussed what normal little girls talk about with their friends. She joked, giggled and gossiped, as though she was a normal little girl. But on the inside, she knew that she was not a normal girl. The fact that Nero had taken her innocence was what she despised most about him... and herself.
Her hopes came to a crashing halt, however, when she heard the ever-familiar voice on the loudspeaker. "Will Carmelita Spats please come to the office of Vice Principal Nero, it is urgent." Carmelita just bet that it was urgent. She got up, and took the same route to his office as she had two days before.
Today, the sun was almost completely down, a sign that Nero was feeling more confidential, more private, sneaky and secretive today. These kind of days were the worst. As she approached his office, beads of sweat ran down her neck, today she knew that something was oddly different, and she had a feeling of slight apprehension. She tried to shake the feeling away, but it clung to her tightly. She walked in the door, and saw him waiting for her impatiently. There was no difference there.
At once, he began to undress her. She shivered, and tried to tune her mind out, away from what was happening. But her mind stayed stubbornly attached to reality. All at once, as though her vocal chords were acting independently, she whispered "Get off me." to him, quietly in the darkness.
At once, his head whipped up, and his cold, dark eyes stared into hers. "Did you just tell me to get off of you?!" he asked, the tone of his voice rising in anger. Carmelita nodded slightly, cowering back to the corner. "I-I," she stuttered, with a newfound sense of courage, a burst of strength against him. "I w-will tell someone, i-i-if you don't stop." She knew she had handled it perfectly, the way she had always imagined it.
Nero stared at her, and she could instantly tell that he was getting furious. He stood up, and grabbed a large letter-opener from his desk, and sat back down on the ground. He wrenched her arm over, and, poised with the letter-opener, shoved the instrument into her delicate skin. Once it was firmly in, he dragged it along her flesh, until there was a large slash down her lower arm.
The pain was indescribable. For, not only had he torn her skin, her had torn her apart, from the inside, too. She bit her tongue, willing herself not to cry, or even scream. But she couldn't help it. Silent tears flooded her face. Her face was soon as wet with tears as her arm was with blood, as the blood rose out of the wound, and seeped down her arm. It hurt so badly.
"Do you feel that?" he asked her cruelly. "That pain, and so much worse is what will happen to you if you tell someone. Is that absolutely clear to you?!" Carmelita wiped her tears, and nodded slowly. She had no idea that Nero could be so vicious. But, so are all people, when they have the notion that they may get in serious trouble for something. But most didn't act as he did, not thinking a thing of wounding others, both mentally and physically.
With that, Nero continued on with the awful deed he was doing. Carmelita was to pained to try to escape to another place or time. She faced the grim present, and hated it. The phone outside his office rang suddenly, causing them both to jump. "Stay where you are," he said to her, as her speedily pulled on his clothes. "I'll be back for you in a minute." And he walked out of the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
She sat there, in the darkness of Nero's office. Night had completely fallen, as she could the from the view of his small, high window. She sat there, naked and alone. That last of her hope had been shattered, just now. She hugged her knees to her bare chest, and sobbed quietly. She had crossed the line of no return. She kept crying, dreading the minute that he would return. She knew now, that at this moment, and possibly forever more... there was no escape.
Without hesitation, Carmelita shakily stood up from the long dinner table. She had learned to follow Nero's orders at a young age. Nero was boss. Nero was the leader. Nero was... god, in a way. He had control over all the students, but more than any of the rest of them, he had control over her. And there was little that she could do to stop that.
As she stepped out of the building, she was blinded by the sudden brightness of the outside world. She had expected it to be night, or very late evening. He rarely called her to him when the sun was still up, the brightness exposing him. Carmelita shivered. The glow of the sun in the late afternoon caused the tomb stone-shaped classrom structures cast odd, ominous shadows on her.
She took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly as she pushed the door of the administration building open. She climbed up the stone steps to the third floor, and walked to the fifth door. The door was large, as imposing and sinister as the secrets hiding behind it. The door that penetrated Carmelita's nightmares. She closed her eyes and turned the knob.
Just like she had expected, Nero was waiting eagerly behind the door. "Hello, Carmelita." He said in a sickly sweet and smooth voice. His voice seemed to smother her with it's fake charm. There was no use for him to lie or pretend anymore. It wasn't a secret anymore, what her kept her around for.
His hand closed upon her small shoulder, and she flinched, and bit her bottom lip. If she could make it thought today, like she had other nights, she would be fine. But the condescending light of bright day only added to her fear. Her fear of him, and her fear of being caught. The fear was immense, and so real that she prayed it wouldn't envelop her, like the way he did.
Nero began to caress her, and as Carmelita had done all other times, she shut down her senses. Her mind flitted off to another world, as she tried to ignore the harsh and cold reality. She tried to tell herself that it wasn't that bad, that it wasn't as bad as it could be. But in her heart, she knew she was wrong. What was happening to her now, and what had happened to her so many time in the past was horrifying, and inexcusable.
Carmelita was brought quickly back to reality, as Nero spoke. "You can go now." He said smugly, his voice dripping with confidence. He acted as though he had done something worth applauding, instead of violating a young girl. It made her sick, the fact that he could act like this after what he had done.
Without a backwards look, Carmelita fled from the office, running down the stairs. When she reached the bottom steps, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was over with. And even if it was only for now, for today, she felt proud of herself. She had survived one more time. It wouldn't be long before she found a way to stop him, she thought to herself.
Carmelita was grateful for the dimming light of the sun. Usually, when she came back from his office, the dark night seemed to egg on her guilt. She felt it was her fault that this had happened to her. She did nothing to stop it. Though she knew that there was likely no way to stop his wretched acts, she still blamed herself daily for not trying. But she was scared, scared and frightened. The walks to her dormitory from his office always seemed to last hours.
When she reached her room, which she shared with two other girls, she went straight to bed, even though the last rays of sunlight were still shining. She needed to sleep, to rest. Her mind never seemed to worry itself to death in her sleep. Except for when she had dreams. But more commonly, they were nightmares.
She woke up fairly happily the next morning. She was glad that she had no dreams last night, only peaceful, thoughtless rest. Her satisfaction was immense. As she dressed in her school uniform, she got ready for what she hoped would be a routine day. She would go to classes, eat, and then sleep again. She hoped Nero would not need her. She hoped he would not disrupt the cycle. The cycle she lived for.
She made it through a day without any of his selfish demands. As she lay in bed that night, she counted herself lucky, and told her self what she often hoped was true. Maybe it's over. Maybe he doesn't need me anymore. She knew it was absurd, but she prayed that there was a sliver of chance it was true. Maybe his violent lust had calmed, and she could be free. It was doubtful, but she clung tightly to that small scrap of hope.
She sat at dinner the next day, amazed that it had been two days since an attack. She smiled, and her outer shell discussed what normal little girls talk about with their friends. She joked, giggled and gossiped, as though she was a normal little girl. But on the inside, she knew that she was not a normal girl. The fact that Nero had taken her innocence was what she despised most about him... and herself.
Her hopes came to a crashing halt, however, when she heard the ever-familiar voice on the loudspeaker. "Will Carmelita Spats please come to the office of Vice Principal Nero, it is urgent." Carmelita just bet that it was urgent. She got up, and took the same route to his office as she had two days before.
Today, the sun was almost completely down, a sign that Nero was feeling more confidential, more private, sneaky and secretive today. These kind of days were the worst. As she approached his office, beads of sweat ran down her neck, today she knew that something was oddly different, and she had a feeling of slight apprehension. She tried to shake the feeling away, but it clung to her tightly. She walked in the door, and saw him waiting for her impatiently. There was no difference there.
At once, he began to undress her. She shivered, and tried to tune her mind out, away from what was happening. But her mind stayed stubbornly attached to reality. All at once, as though her vocal chords were acting independently, she whispered "Get off me." to him, quietly in the darkness.
At once, his head whipped up, and his cold, dark eyes stared into hers. "Did you just tell me to get off of you?!" he asked, the tone of his voice rising in anger. Carmelita nodded slightly, cowering back to the corner. "I-I," she stuttered, with a newfound sense of courage, a burst of strength against him. "I w-will tell someone, i-i-if you don't stop." She knew she had handled it perfectly, the way she had always imagined it.
Nero stared at her, and she could instantly tell that he was getting furious. He stood up, and grabbed a large letter-opener from his desk, and sat back down on the ground. He wrenched her arm over, and, poised with the letter-opener, shoved the instrument into her delicate skin. Once it was firmly in, he dragged it along her flesh, until there was a large slash down her lower arm.
The pain was indescribable. For, not only had he torn her skin, her had torn her apart, from the inside, too. She bit her tongue, willing herself not to cry, or even scream. But she couldn't help it. Silent tears flooded her face. Her face was soon as wet with tears as her arm was with blood, as the blood rose out of the wound, and seeped down her arm. It hurt so badly.
"Do you feel that?" he asked her cruelly. "That pain, and so much worse is what will happen to you if you tell someone. Is that absolutely clear to you?!" Carmelita wiped her tears, and nodded slowly. She had no idea that Nero could be so vicious. But, so are all people, when they have the notion that they may get in serious trouble for something. But most didn't act as he did, not thinking a thing of wounding others, both mentally and physically.
With that, Nero continued on with the awful deed he was doing. Carmelita was to pained to try to escape to another place or time. She faced the grim present, and hated it. The phone outside his office rang suddenly, causing them both to jump. "Stay where you are," he said to her, as her speedily pulled on his clothes. "I'll be back for you in a minute." And he walked out of the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
She sat there, in the darkness of Nero's office. Night had completely fallen, as she could the from the view of his small, high window. She sat there, naked and alone. That last of her hope had been shattered, just now. She hugged her knees to her bare chest, and sobbed quietly. She had crossed the line of no return. She kept crying, dreading the minute that he would return. She knew now, that at this moment, and possibly forever more... there was no escape.