Side note- this contains violent/ distressing scenes. I apologise for this. I promise the next one will be nicer but this kind of needs to happen for my sorry arc to work. Sorry again
We ran hand in hand. Zigzagging down the maze of backstreets each one becoming more dimly lit than the next. Our hair flowing and becoming entangled in the wind, our eyes streaming. My heart was pumping so fast I feared it might burst, but each best pushed me further and faster forward. The adrenaline swirling around in my blood spurring me on. She turned to me and laughed, her laugh floating above us, disappearing on the wind until it had evaporated into a mere chime. I felt so free and alive. It was like when you were a child, running through a meadow you never knew why you did it or what kept you going but you felt so free as though you could fly. As though in that exact moment you would take off and soar above the world leaving you worries behind. I felt like I could keep running forever like it would never end.
We came to halt near a night club. The blaring lights and brash music cutting through, bringing us back down to reality. Cosima had her hands on her knees and was bending over. I placed my hand on her back to make sure she was alright. We both stood there drinking in the oxygen until we could breathe well enough to talk.
"Well that was something" Cosima laughed between breaths.
"The most exercise I have done all year" I joked.
"Get away, your like the skinniest person I know you must exercise all the time"
"Non, I'm just naturally skinny I guess" I shrugged.
"Bitch" I heard Cosima fake cough into her hand.
"Hey" I acted hurt before playfully shoving her over. I must have been more powerful than I thought as she toppled backwards.
"I am so sorry" I apologised quickly.
"Don't worry about it, it will take more than a French fry to know me over" she laughed. I helped her up, making sure she was alright despite the protests from her.
She linked her arm in mine and we continued down the street. We walked up closer to the club, a few guys wolf whistled at us. This made me feel self conscious especially as I was wearing very little. But just laughed and winked at them. The guy cheered and high fives his mates. Yep, definitely a flirt I smiled to myself.
"OI, DO YOU LOT WANT TO KEEP IT DOWN, SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO HAVE A GOOD TIME." A brash English accent cut through, voice spitting, words slightly slurred.
I stopped in my tracks. My blood froze. I could feel my heart begin to beat again. But this time in fear. My heart was pumping blood at such a rate I could hear it drumming in my ears. I began to feel sick. As my heart beated faster my body began to go into over drive, my, digestive system was shutting down to protect me, making me feel nauseous. I could feel my breathing begin to quicken, I was gasping for air but it felt like nothing was coming through. I was hyperventilating. My head began to spin and I felt trapped. Trapped in my own thoughts, my own fears. I felt like I was being pulled down. Drowning in my thoughts. With no way out but for me to pull myself out. But I couldn't, I kept on falling deeper and deeper into the darkest and most terrifying depths of my mind. The world around me becoming a blur of shapes, nothing seemed to matter at that moment. I felt like I would faint but my body wouldn't give me the relief of letting me out of this. I was made to stay awake through every moment. Silently, internally, screaming .
"Delph, delph can you hear me? I think your having a panic attack" Cosima's voice cut through. My life raft. She took me by the hand and lead me into a darkened ally way away from the buzz and bright lights.
I slumped against the wall, tears streaming down my face. I slid down the wall making my shorts ride up in the process revealing the scars I had spent long trying to hide.
"Shit, Delphine what happened?" Cosima dragged her hands through her dreads, her face pale.
"He's found me" I whispered tears falling down my cheeks, each one giving me some relief.
"Who's found you" Cosima crouched down and held my hands in hers.
"I tried so hard to run away, to fight him, I thought I had won. But I should've know I could never win" I whimpered.
"Look at me" she brought my chin up until we were eye to eye. "I promise you, no one will hurt you, I won't let them hurt you"
"Promise?" I whispered.
"Promise" she smiled at me as a single tear rolled down her face.
She came and sat next to me and wrapped me in her cardigan. I snuggled into it and rested my head on her shoulder whilst she stroked my hair.
"DELPH? IS THAT YOU I COULD HAVE SWORN I SAW YOU" the drunken yelling was advancing on us. He was clinging on to the wall so he could find his way in the dark. Cursing when he lost his footing. I became rigid with fear and tensed my grip on Cosima. She stood up and put her fingers to her lips, gesturing for me to be quite.
"Why hello there" his nicest most kindly voice spun out like silk. Like a spider luring you into her trap. The silk which first trapped me.
"It's not often you see such lovely looking ladies round this part" he mock bowed and winked at Cosima. She didn't flinch. He came up and put his hand on her face. She merely reached up to brush his hands away, that's all it took. All it took for him to snap. He grabbed her wrist and twisted it back. She yelped in pain and retraced her wrist back with such force it sent her tumbling backwards. She put her hands out to stop her and met the ground with a sickening crack. I screamed and rushed towards her to help her, her eyes looked at me pleading for me to have stayed there, to not make a move. I had to see if she was ok and hat was my mistake. A hand came down and jolted my up by my hair. My hair was clinging onto my scalp, scratching away at it, screaming. He moved quickly pinning me up against the wall by my neck, his finger nails digging in.
"WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?" He yelled in my ear, his voice echoing through out the alley way. Cosima had gotten up and was running at him. I shook my head hoping shed get that it wasn't worth it, I wasn't worth it. Hoping she'd just leave me and run. She rand at him with such force it stunned him. For a second he loosened my grip on me. Without turning around he kicked her square in he stomach. I tried to scream out. Scrabbling around to try and see if she was ok, no noise came from her.
"WHY" he smacked me against the wall, my head bashed against the cool bricks send a cloud of dust spiralling upwards,
"DID" he smacked me again, my body becoming limp. There was no use trying to fight.
"YOU"
"LEAVE"
"ME?"
The final three smacks of my head against a wall. The warm blood trickled down my forehead and dripped down my chin. Falling to the floor and staining where I stood. Everything was becoming so dark I could feel my eyes begin to roll into the back of my head.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" a whisper came through. At first I thought it was him. He was usually so apologetic after a fight. That's why I always forgave him. I thought he cared. But this whisper was softer and kinder, mark must have just sauntered off like nothing had happened. "I promised I would keep you safe but I didn't I'm so sorry" Cosima wrapped her arms and hugged my limp body tight.
"You can't leave me, you and me yeah, we could go the distance?" Her voice was becoming more frantic. "YOU CANNOT LEAVE ME" she was sobbing now "YOU CANT LEAVE ME NOW, YOU CANT LEAVE ME WHEN I LOVE YOU"
Everything went black.