Chapter three

I woke up trembling. I could feel the pain of my cervix and the dampness beneath me. Every month was like this, and I had tried desperately to track my cycle with no success. I let out a long sigh thinking about my embarrassing trip down to the laundry in the morning. I turned over to my side so I was facing the wall. My depression started to kick in again at full speed. Who the hell was that woman? Who the fuck was she running from? And why did I only have this dream the night before my period?
None of it made any sense to me, but then again nothing ever did. Maybe the doctors were right and I am just a fucking whack job. I tried falling back to sleep, and I had almost gotten there when suddenly I heard a floor board creak eerily. I shut my eyes tightly and began convincing myself that it was one of the other girls, but my heart knew differently. No one had gotten out of their bed. The creaking shifted closer and closer to my bed side. I lay there with my face towards the wall, unable to move, unable to defend myself from whatever was now hovering over me. I felt the foot of my bed sink in and a warmth rise up from my feet. I was now beyond terrified and closely falling into a state of panic. My heart pounded like a drum and my blood went racing through my body like never before. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly and waited to see what this phantom would do next.
"Relax.." said a heavily accented male voice. It was more beautiful than anything I had ever heard. It sounded like a mix of Italian, Spanish, and Lebanese all rolled into one beautiful combination. I felt a large hand resting on my blanketed hip and ironically I found myself relaxing.
The man laid next to me on my small twin bed. His smell was absolutely intoxicating. A mix of red wine, vanilla and tobacco washed over me. My mouth watered and I had to fight to keep my eyes from rolling back. He held his arm tightly around my waist and pressed his face into the back of my neck. At that moment I felt my body ignite in a flame of lust. Even more blood went rushing between my legs, and the fear I still felt was the only thing keeping me from ripping my clothes off. I had absolutely no regard for the other girls in my room who slept soundly, or the consequences I would face if any of the to stumble upon this.
"Happy birthday my love... Are you ready to come home now?"
I had never known my birthday. Which was a major thorn in my side due to my love and interest for astrology. I knew it was passed midnight, so it had to be September 7th. I was a virgo. The realization of that came as such a relief. For many years I was certain of being a Capricorn.
"Home?" I whispered.
"Who....Who are you?" I asked, disgusted at how meek and timid I sounded.
He took another deep breath into my neck and collarbone. I absolutely melted.
" All of this I can explain. But I know you do not wish to stay here any longer. We've been watching you all this time Ivana"
Ivana? Was that my real name?
"Come with me. Its almost daylight and I'm not in the mood to kill anymore people trying to get you out of here."
I shivered at the realization of what he just said and my eyes snapped open. After all these years, my savior had come.
I sprang up from the bed paying no attention to the man or my blood soaked night gown. As quietly as I could I hoisted a pair of black leggings up my thick trunks. I pulled the nightgown off and slipped into a long sleeve orange shirt. I struggled to get on my boots, quickly wrapped a scarf around my neck and grabbed my coat off the back of the door. I turned around to look at the man but the moon was in harvest. Casting a sweet potato color across the landscape outside. I couldn't make out any of his features, but I did see my bloody sheet, held up to his face as he inhaled it deeply. After every large breath, he let out a guttural growling noise. At first this repulsed me, but quickly I told myself that I had to be calm about whatever was going on here. At the end of the day I wanted nothing more than to leave this place.
I grabbed my purse and threw my sketch book and rosary in it. I also gabbed my hair brush and a small bottle of christian dior Hypnotic poison that was my most prized posses ion. I slowly opened the closet door and threw in some clean pairs of underwear, my leopard print bra and the black strapless dress I wore to communions. I cleared my throat but before the words could leave my mouth he said "Ready?" And I dumbly shook my head in agreeance. He stood up swiftly and opened the door. It was pitch black on the stair case and he grabbed my hand in his and led me down. My heart was fluttering so much I was afraid I would die of shock. You wish for something your whole life and when you finally get it you dont know what to do with yourself. As we reached the main floor he started to quicken his pace. I scurried behind him in my ugg boots down the main hallway when something caught my eye. A large crucifix that lay in between two windows outside the cafeteria door. I had passed this crucifix my entire life and never gave it a second glance. But when I turned my head I was unprepared to witness the spectical in which I saw.
Hanging of the crucifix was Father Rossi. Nails in his hands and all. His eyes had been plucked out and replaced with some kind of nuts and a crown of barbed wire was crudely embedded into his bleeding head. His jaw hung slack and suddenly a large spider crawled out of one of his flared nostrils. I stood there and stared. I had never seen something so beautiful in all my life. The man leaned into me and said "This is nothing compared to the lengths I am willing to go for you" And with that he tugged at my arm and led me out the front doors.