Her body trembled at Max' feet, one hand cut and bloody where it had been torn apart by the shards, the other reaching up to her head, to learn if he'd ripped the hair from her scalp. Sobs disabled her, and pain kept her from finding the strength to do as he'd instructed.
Kneeling down, Max stared at Alice, his palm touching her back as if his contact could comfort her. "I try to be civilized, Alice, I do. But there are rules, basic fucking rules that you need to learn and follow."
His palm stroked over her back, eventually smoothing down the mess he'd made of her long, blonde hair. "You make me do these things. You make things worse for yourself when you don't behave. I can control it, if you can."
"Let me go and I'll control myself just fine, you sick bastard!" Daring to look up at him, she glared into his eyes. "How about that? You sick fuck! Have I surprised you now?"
His hand left her back and she shrunk over herself waiting for him to strike. If she could push him to a point where he lost himself entirely, perhaps he would end this all - right here and right now. Hurt her so badly that she'd escape into the ether and away from the torment and crippling pain.
But Max didn't lift his hand against her a third time, didn't dare release his bottled rage against her. He wouldn't give her the thing she wanted most: escape from the nightmare he'd created for her.
Instead, he stood above her, pausing for a few tense seconds before slowly walking away. Alice forced herself up, following the path he made with her eyes swollen and tired from the salty, hot tears she'd cried.
"Where are you going?" she screamed.
Max stopped before walking through a doorway, his face staring down at his shoes, refusal to react to anything she'd said apparent in the set of his broad shoulders. Without answering her, he pulled a phone from his pocket, his thumb running across the screen she couldn't see just before a small beep sounded in the distance. Metal slid against metal, a lock releasing in a room adjoining the one where Alice lay crumpled like an abandoned doll.
He sighed, his shoulders rolling back as his head pulled up to cast his eyes on the ceiling. With a voice as soft as satin, he answered, "Watch for yourself. I warned you, Alice. You only have yourself to blame.”
It was all the response he’d given her before his large body disappeared into another room, the weight of his words left hovering behind him to strike panic into the woman he’d left crumpled on the floor.
Clarity suddenly thundering through her rampant mind, Alice knew who would suffer now that she'd dared to misbehave.
“No,” she shook her head, understanding lighting a fire inside her that had her scrambling to her feet.
“NO!” she screamed, tearing across the room to follow him, to stop him from what she knew he would do.
12:30
Gray walls.
Black table.
"Alice? ... Ms. Beaumont? ... Alice Beaumont ..."
"Yes, Doctor."
Five steps across the room.
...drip...
Still the same, but nothing was safe.
Not anymore.
Taking her usual seat on the sofa, Alice didn't bother with pleasantries before curling her lean body into a ball.
Something had happened that frightened her so thoroughly that she couldn't gain control of her pounding heart, couldn't control the way air froze in her lungs with every unsteady breath. Her limbs trembled in response to any noise she heard, her muscles cramped from the constant fear that held them tight across her aching bones. However, when she tried to pinpoint the cause, her thoughts scattered across a violent wind that continued to knock her back.
"Alice? Is everything okay? You haven't looked at me once since you've been here."
She shook her head, as if the small movement would answer every question he could possible ask her. Beneath her arms, her stomach churned, the bitter taste of her terror bubbling up into her throat until she could barely keep from retching.
Concerned, the doctor leaned forward, his hand extending the space between them until his fingertips touched softly upon her shoulder. "Alice?"
"He hurt her."
She didn't know from what part of her the words came. All she knew is that they hurt so badly she had to say them out loud simply to find a release from their agony. As if sharing the words would take away at least a small part of the pain they caused.
The doctor didn't immediately answer her. His hand maintained the contact between them, his body remained perfectly still so as not to startle the woman crumbling in front of him. Only when Alice let out a hard sigh did he finally speak again.
"I didn't let you finish that part, Alice. I don't know that you're ready for it. Not yet."
A bark of laughter rattled her chest. "I dreamed it. It's not like I don't know what he did to her."
"Yes, but is it real to you when you haven't told anyone about it? I didn't notice until our last session..." He paused, a sigh blowing over his lips before admitting, "I had to restrain you, Alice."
Her eyes opened at his words, the sudden rush of soft light surprising her because she hadn't realized they'd been clenched shut before.