Just when I finally went completely numb, it started all over again, from the beginning, when I first realized, everything was going to go so terribly wrong.

“Please, Mina, you have to listen. You’re safe. I promise, you’re safe.”

“Maybe we should call an ambulance. Are you sure we shouldn’t take her to the hospital? Do something?”

“She wouldn’t want that,” the female said, but they didn’t belong here. Those voices weren’t the ones who had tormented me that day. “Mina, please, it’s Luna. I’m here. You’re safe. I promise you that you’re okay.” Wetness splashed on my face as the room came back into focus. It took a minute for me to realize the wetness was from tears that Luna was crying.

“Luna?” I asked, my voice hoarse. Shit. Had I been screaming?

“Yep, welcome back. Take a minute, and maybe breathe slowly or something. I’m not a hundred percent sure what to do in cases like this but breathing seems important.” Her voice was whisper quiet. “Did you have a flashback?”

I started shaking as she asked that question. It wasn’t the first time, but it had been a long time since it had happened. I thought I had finally conquered my past, but apparently, all that had been managed was for it to be buried in a shallow grave. I hid my face away in the crook of my arm as the tears started falling again. I couldn’t stop my body from trembling, the tears from falling, or the ache from spreading everywhere.

“Shh, you’re okay,” Luna whispered into my hair as she rubbed her hands up and down my arms. “You just need to take a minute and let it all out, okay?”

“I c-c-can’t go through that again,” I managed to stutter out. “Please, don’t do that to me,” I begged. “Please, don’t let it happen again. Please, please, please,” I begged. As strong as I wanted to be, I knew I’d never survive something like that happening again.

“What the hell is going on?” I stiffened when I realized that it was not just Luna and me in that room. “What happened here?” That voice did not belong there.

“She freaked out. We were talking and then the next thing I knew she was crying and packing her things and talking about how it couldn’t happen again. Then she just sort of crumpled to the floor and started crying and mumbling some pretty fucked up shit,” Wes explained. “Luna? Do you know what that’s all about?”

“The two of you need to get out,” Luna told them in a quiet voice, but a serious tone. “She doesn’t want this. Mina didn’t want anyone to know, so you need to leave and forget what you saw or heard.”

“How the hell do you forget something like that?” Wes yelled at her. “Jesus, Luna, I didn’t know what to do.” I glanced up for a moment and watched through blurry eyes as he pointed at me. “I made that happen. Things I said,” he was the one sounding panicky now. “We were talking, and she kept accusing me of playing a game with her. She didn’t believe the things I was saying and then…” He pointed at me once more. “Then she just. Fuck!” The last word was hissed out as he turned his back and tried to get himself together.