Hey, guys! This may be the last chapter for a few weeks, because I still have to paint my family their Christmas gifts, and that's going to take up most of my time. Sorry about that. Well, I hope everyone has an amazing Christmas, and if you don't celebrate Christmas, then have fun celebrating whatever holiday you do celebrate.
Chapter 15
I stood, shocked, staring into the window for a few seconds. Then I turned around and bolted back into the forest. I heard the car door open, and I ran faster. I heard the car door close, and I knew I was screwed.
I looked behind me while I was running, and ran into something. I fell to the ground and looked up. Jareth was glaring down at me.
"You are in so much trouble, now," he said, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder.
"Let me go!" I yelled, pounding on his back. Tears of disappointment started to form in my eyes. I was so close to freedom.
"I think I need to break you," he commented.
"Break me? What the fuck does that mean?" I said, my voice wavering from me trying to control my tears.
"I need to break your spirit. It'll make you easier to control."
"You'll never break my spirit! I'll always hate you, and that's a reason why my spirit isn't going to be broken!"
"They always say that before I break them."
"Who's they?" I questioned.
"My prior pets," Jareth replied.
"Prior pets!? What kind of sick freak are you?!" I yelled.
"I'm not a sick freak, Misery," he said. I could tell that we were getting closer to the car, and an idea popped into my head.
I sucked in a deep breath of air, and let out a blood-curdling scream. Jareth dropped me to cover his ears, and I ran as fast as I could deeper into the forest.
I only got about thirty feet when I ran into Jareth again.
"You're only making it worse for yourself. Now sleep," he commanded.
"Sleep? I can't just fall asleep on the…" I broke off and fell asleep in Jareth's arms.
I awoke in the same torture chamber, lying face down on one of the metal beds with my shirt and bra off. My legs and wrists were tied to the ends of the beds.
I groggily tried to get my wrists out of the ropes, and as soon as I moved, a blinding light turned on above me. I quickly squeezed my eyes shut, the light hurting them.
"Misery, I don't want to do this to you, but you leave me no choice," I heard Jareth's voice say from above me.
I slowly opened my eyes again to see Jareth standing above me with a knife.
"I feel as if I'm in a very vulnerable position, and I don't like it," I mumbled.
"You're not supposed to like it. It's your punishment."
"What is with that knife?" I knew what he was going to do to me, but I asked anyway.
"Maybe a bit of torture will break you," Jareth said sadistically.
"No. I've already been tortured," I protested.
"I've heard enough of you. Now let's get started." He pulled up a chair and sat beside me.
I felt the cool edge of the blade press against the top of my shoulder. He pressed it into my skin and a bead of blood sprung out onto my back. I bit my lip to keep from crying out. He drug the blade in a spiral pattern across my shoulders. Tears started pooling in my eyes, and I tried to keep them in, but I failed. Jareth continued to drag the knife across my back in intricate, swirly patterns.
My lip started bleeding because I bit down on it so hard. After that I couldn't take it anymore, and I started screaming like somebody was killing me.
Another five minutes of me screaming and Jareth carving into me passed. It was the worst pain I've ever felt. It was worse then when Blake carved into me. Before he started, I told myself I wasn't going to beg him to stop like I did with Blake. Jareth wasn't going to break me, and I had more dignity than that.
"Misery, when are you going to give up? It pains me to hear your screams. All you have to do is say please, and I'll stop," he said gently after another two minutes.
"I would never stoop so low as to beg for you!" I shrieked.
"It's your choice then," he said, and he kept on torturing me. I screamed again.
Finally, after ten minutes, Jareth reached the bottom of my back, and stopped. I cut off my scream, and cried quietly in pain and in relief.
"I'll be right back," he said quietly. He stood up and left. About a minute later, he returned with a box of medical supplies. He sat back down and took out a rag and a bottle of disinfectant.
"My blood can heal you, but I want you to heal the old-fashioned way," he said while dabbing the disinfectant on my back and shoulders. I whimpered when he touched me, but didn't say anything.
He finished cleaning my wounds and pulled out a needle and medical thread. My eyes widened when I saw them. Jareth threaded the needle and began stitching me up. I whimpered again.
After about twenty minutes, he was done, and I was somehow still conscious.
"Come on, let's get you into the bedroom," he said soothingly, and he untied me from the bed. He helped me stand, and picked me up, my chest still naked. I buried my head into his shirt and sobbed. I hope I ruined it.
We ascended the stairs and entered the hallway. He opened the door to the bedroom and gently laid me on my stomach. He sat next to me, and softly stroked my hair.
"Stop touching me," I commanded weakly.
Jareth sighed in frustration and said, "I guess I haven't broken you, yet."
"Yet? You never will," I replied and fell asleep.