GIRL GENIUS
Chapter 8: Cruel Moment Bryce was doing her research via Theora's home terminal the next day when there was a knock on the door. She ignored it at first. But the knocking grew louder and more insistent. Finally, she went to the door. "Mark," she said through the windowpane of the closed door. "I'm sorry. I don't want to see you anymore." "Is that so?" Mark asked. "Or is it something Theora told you to say?" "Mark, you kissed me on our first date," Bryce said still keeping the window closed. "And I said I was sorry," Mark pointed out. "You said you were sorry for the inappropriate conversation," Bryce pointed out. "Then you negated that apology by kissing me afterward." "Open the door, Bryce," Mark insisted. "We need to talk." "We are talking," Bryce told him. "We're saying goodbye." "No we're not," Mark shook his head. "It can't be over already. I won't let it be!" "It's not your choice," Bryce said. "Goodbye." Bryce turned and walked away from the door. A second later there was a crash of breaking glass as Mark broke the windowpane nearest to the doorknob. Bryce tried to run for the side door, but Mark caught her and dragged her over to the bed, forcing her down onto it and pushing up her skirt. Bryce cursed herself inwardly for not wearing jeans that day. She felt him rip her panties away, realizing the level of anger he must have toward her to give him that kind of strength (they were cotton, not silk). She held her legs closed squirming and trying to bite him, him him… anything to cause him pain and make him leave. "Please…" she tried. Mark covered her mouth and nose with his hand. Bryce struggled more frantically, unable to breathe. She couldn't believe that this boy who had yesterday spoken of family with her was now killing her. "I'll let you breathe if you open your legs," Mark told her. "That's all you have to do." Bryce shook her head, pleading for both her life and her purity. Mark added pressure and she felt herself start to black out. "Open your legs." Tears ran down Bryce's face as she complied. The hand moved away from her nose but remained in place otherwise as she felt his weight settle upon her. She felt a tearing pain between her legs, then a brutal pounding as he went at her. She looked at the nightstand, hoping that Theora had left something there she could use to end this. The nightstand was bare. Their earlier struggle had knocked the alarm clock to the floor. And even if she could reach it, she couldn't set it to go off as a distraction with only one hand. Mark's fingers closed around her throat as the pounding went on. As they squeezed, the room went dark and blurry around her. Then everything went dark. Theora and Edison saw the broken door hanging open when they got to Theora's house after work. Not even bothering to close the doors of her car, they ran inside. Bryce was lying on the bed, her skirt hiked up, and her eyes closed. There was a look of pain etched on her face and Theora could see the bruises on her throat. "No!" Theora ran over to Bryce, Edison starting to follow. "She doesn't need you seeing her like this," Theora said, defensively. "Go over to the desk and call the metros." Edison made the call while Theora pulled the sheets up to give Bryce some privacy. Bryce whimpered as the sheets touched her throat, eliciting a sob of relief from Theora who pulled them back to the top of her chest. "Mark… stop… " Bryce sobbed still only half-conscious. "He's gone, Bryce," Theora told her. "He's gone." Bryce kept her eyes closed for a moment, fearing that she might be having a pain-induced hallucination. Or maybe one caused by oxygen deprivation. Fearing that when she opened them Mark would be still ramming himself into her. But there was no pounding now. No thrusting. Only the throbbing sharp pain that stung her inside and the feel of disgusting dampness between her legs. Finally, she opened her eyes just a bit. When she saw Theora they flew open and she sat upright, pain shooting through her. Theora was instantly hugging her, stroking Bryce's hair as the girl cried into her shoulder.
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