Warning: 

This episode contact physical violence and sexual assault

Before I could process all that was said, I found myself shoved out of the room.  Arkon stayed with a few of the men.  Over half escorted us upstairs.  At the top of the stairs, they released us but barred the way downstairs.  I huddled next to Summer and Peter; my arms wrapped around both of them.

“So, which one is your room, cutie?” Ruben purred at Summer, touching on her long curls. 

Flinching, Summer said nothing.  I wanted to say something but didn’t know what.  I was too scared to speak.

“Don’t frighten the girl,” Tiger snapped, giving Summer a reassuring smile.

“I’m not.  I was just asking a question,” Ruben frowned.

“Eri, Summer, where would you like to go? Whose room is best for us to wait in?” Tiger asked us, ignoring Ruben.

None of us spoke.  Finally, I took a deep breath.

“My room is the biggest, next to my parents.  We could go there,” I squeaked, looking at the floor. 

“Sounds good.  Lead the way.”

Turning I walked slowly to my room, dreading it.  Once inside, the soldiers made themselves at home.  Some studied my room, picking up my books and knick-knacks.  Others lay on my bed as if tired or bored.  Summer, Peter, and I stood until Tiger convinced us to sit.  We sat on the floor; our backs pressed against the bed.  Ruben, who had been lying on the bed, rolled to his belly and played with Summer’s curls.  Her face became ghostly white and I wanted to stop him; yet, how could I? 

“Why don’t you tell us about yourselves?” Tiger suggested, trying to break the ice.

“Why?  You already know everything it seems,” I scowled.

“Only the technical stuff.  Tell us about your likes and dislikes.  How was your school day?  Anything interesting coming up?”

Blinking, I thought that Tiger surely had to be joking.  At this moment, he wanted to talk to us like we were friends.  Was he crazy? Summer mumbled something and Tiger asked her to repeat herself.  She did, talking about the French class she was in.  Tiger asked questions and soon Summer and Peter were talking about school and friends.  It seemed that Tiger was a person who was very easy to get along with.  I couldn’t relax though.  I watched as many of the men as I could at once.  Eventually, Bryan came for his men.  They excused themselves for the night and left us. We were told it was bedtime and then the men went downstairs.  Unsure what to do, Summer and I stayed up a bit longer, hoping my parents would come and explain things.  They didn’t.  So, eventually, we went to sleep, Summer and Peter lying in my bed with me. 

For a few days, everything was tense, but nothing happened.  The men and my family adjusted to the new living arrangements.  My dad always appeared as if he was biting his tongue, but I was sure he remembered how close Summer and I had been to being shot.  My mother on the other hand always seemed like she was about to cry.  Peter was old enough to understand what was going on, but not old enough to comprehend the magnitude of it.  Summer and I were just old enough.  It led us to a restless night and fevered dreams.  I imagined all the women dramas I had ever seen where militant soldiers and house invaders killed, tortured, and raped people.  It made me scared and mad.  After seeing how Ruben had toyed with Summer that first night, I made the decision that I wouldn’t let anyone lay a finger on her or Peter.  They would have to go through me.  Unfortunately, my new resolve was tested four days into the new arrangement. 

Climbing the stairs to my room, my mind was preoccupied with thoughts about school.  David had been oddly cool and pleasant with me since our conflict.  Ramiro stared the same as always and my friends appeared to be normal.  They asked me repeatedly if everything was okay because I appeared stressed, but I brushed it off.  As I reached the second-floor landing, I heard Summer’s voice.

“Please,” she said meekly.  “I just want to go to my sister’s room and read for school.”

“What’s your rush, pretty?  I just want to talk to you a little more,” a masculine voice replied teasingly.  “We are going to be together a long time.  We should get to know each other better.”

“Please…”

Peering around the corner of the hallway, I saw Ruben leaning over Summer. He had his left arm posted above her head, leaning against the wall on his forearm.  His right hand was wrapped around Summer’s left wrist.  Cockiness and sexual humor oozed off him as he watched her with laughter in his eyes.  Summer, focusing on the ground, reeked of submission and fear.  Her lips trembled and I could see small pink patches on her cheeks. 

“Don’t be so shy,” Ruben continued, rubbing his thumb against the back of her left hand. “I don’t bite…much.”

Grinning, he lapped up her fear.

“Please, sir…I…I really just want to go to my sister’s room.”

“Okay…okay…I’ll let you go for a toll.”

“A what?”

“A toll.  Give me a little kiss and I’ll let you go.”

“I…I…”

Summer became flustered and Ruben took his left hand and placed it under her chin.  He lifted her face, so she had to look at him.  The fear in her eyes made my heart break, then swell with anger.  Running, without thinking, I slammed my body into his.  Now I was only a hundred and thirty pounds to his two hundred, so I did as much good as a fly on a windshield, but he was caught off guard and stumbled.  Cursing, he twirled around to see me.  I pushed Summer behind me, thinking that I wasn’t going to let him rape her.

“What the hell!” Ruben growled.

“She said no,” I growled back.  “Don’t touch my sister.”

“Eri…” Summer gasped, touching my back.

“I don’t think it’s any of your damn business, bitch,” Ruben snapped, eyes flashing.

“She’s my sister, so it’s my business.  We may be forced to house you, but like I hell will I let you touch my sister and scare her.”

“Didn’t you hear Bryan?  We are your superiors. We can do whatever the hell we want.”

Ruben shoved me to the side and grabbed Summer by the wrists.  She winced as he roughly dragged her over to him.  Tackling him, I tried to scratch his eyes out.  Ruben backhanded me in defense, and I smashed to the floor.  Summer called out my name.  Yet my adrenaline was running, and I barely felt the hit.  Jumping to my feet, I came at him again, going for the arm that held Summer.  Using his free hand, Ruben grabbed one of my flailing arms, squeezing tight.  Again, I ignored the pain.  I kicked him in between the legs.  His expression went blank then tightened.  Finally, he released Summer to strike me across the face.  The taste of blood met my tongue.  Digging my nails into the wrist that held me, I glared at Ruben.

Ruben’s gaze was angry at first, but, as he stared at my stubborn, bitter expression, he began to laugh.

“You are a crazy bitch,” he laughed crazily, then he kissed me. 

Caught off guard, I didn’t react for a moment.  When I realized what was happening, I screamed and hit Ruben.  Breaking from the kiss, Ruben took a breath then kissed me again.  Reacting, I dug my nails into the flesh on his face, scratching deep.  He yelled in pain and broke away.  A small trickle of blood slid down his cheek. 

“What are you a freaking cat?” he roared, backhanding me again. 

Falling to the floor, I hit my head hard and was dazed.  Turning to my back, I tried to refocus.  Ruben landed on me, straddling me.  I began to scream, but he punched my stomach, winding me.  Gasping for air, I felt tears prick my eyes.

“You need to be taught a lesson, kitty,” Ruben growled, grabbing my hair and yanking it.  “I thought your sister would be the spunky one but look at you.”

He gave my hair a hard yank, his fingers locked in by the roots.  I gasped and hit his back with my knees. The harder I fought, the more invigorated Ruben became. His mouth found my neck and chest, ripping my shirt.

“No!” I screamed, hitting every part of him I could. 

“Should have thought about the consequences,” Ruben growled.  “I can punish you anyway I want, remember?”

“No!” I repeated.

I began bucking wildly as he sat on top of me. Another punch to the gut winded me again then Ruben backhanded me three times.  My lip busted wide and all I could taste was blood.  Pinning me with his weight, Ruben explored my body with his hands, his mouth encasing mine.  Biting his lip, I held on, clenching my teeth until I tasted his blood.  A fist to the side of my head ended my hold.  He slammed my head against the floor four times, knocking me silly.

“You’re a freaking animal,” he cursed, torn between excitement and rage. “I guess I’m going to have to tame your wild ass.”

His fingers played with the button of my jeans.  Realization as to what he meant roared into my head. 

“No!”  I thought. “I only intervene to stop this from happening to Summer!  I didn’t want it to happen to me.”

 I truly became crazed.  I bit scratched, punched, and kicked whatever I could of Ruben’s.  Losing his temper, he wailed on me until I was completely stunned.  Aside from self-defense classes my mother had insisted I take at the beginning of high school, no one had ever hit me before.  Sometimes people played rough in sports, but not like that.

The world spun around me as Ruben tore my shirt off completely, leaving my lace bra exposed. Holding my two wrists in one hand above my head, Ruben bit the base of my neck until I bleed.  I cried out in pain, but he only moved to a new spot. 

“Such a bad kitty,” he snarled in my ear.  “I think you like being hit…”

Body shaking, I couldn’t focus.  Everything was muddled.  Footsteps sounded somewhere, but I couldn’t tell the distance.

“Ready to be mine, kitty?” Ruben hissed in my ear.

I managed to spit in his face.  Another ringing smack hit my face.  People were on the stairs.  I don’t think Ruben heard them in his rage.  Then voices were in the hall.

“What is going on here?” Bryan barked.

Halting, Ruben looked up, caught by surprise.  “Just giving this young woman a lesson,” he growled in response.

“I think she got the message, Soldier Ruben,” Bryan said coldly.  “Release her.”

Hesitating, Ruben glanced at me.

“Now.”

With a grunt he stood, his knee somehow catching my face.  Gasping, I rolled to my stomach, clutching my nose.  Gentle hands grabbed at me.  At first, I jerked away, but movement of any kind hurt.  Someone scooped me up.  Through blurry, hazy eyes, I saw Arkon holding me in the air like a child.  My mother and dad stood next to Bryan, who looked very angry.  Summer stood next to Arkon, her eyes red with tears.  Embarrassment flooded into me and I tried to cover my chest.  Running to me, my dad took me from Arkon’s arms, burying his face in my hair, crying.  I had never seen my dad cry before. Hugging Summer, my mother cried too. 

“Just what happened here?” Bryan ordered, staring at Ruben.

“I was talking to this one’s sister when she attacked me,” Ruben sneered in my direction.

“He…he...was forcing himself on her,” I stammered, biting back pain that radiated through my jaw.

“I was teasing her. It was innocent enough.”

“Who landed the first hit?”

“She did.”

Turning to me, Bryan asked if this was true.  My mind was foggy, but I believed I nodded. Technically, I had hit Ruben first, but….

“Very well.  Soldier Ruben, go wash up.  Eri, you will tend to his wounds when you are cleaned up.”

“What?  Why?” my dad asked, fury in his every syllable.

“Whether or not Soldier Ruben was flirting with Summer does not matter.  Eri attacked him and involved herself in something that was not her business.”

“She was protecting me!” Summer protested. “And you said on the first day you despise men who force themselves on women!”

“Was Soldier Ruben forcing himself on you? Or was he flirting with you?” Bryan asked stoically. “Did he touch or grab you inappropriately?”

“Well, no, but I thought he might….and…”

“Then it does not sound like he was forcing himself on you, but unwisely and inappropriately flirting with you,” Bryan said coldly. “And the reality is you serve these men.  Their desires are your desires.  Now I will not allow them to abuse you unfairly, but you should not provoke them. Eri threatened the safety of one of our top soldiers and she will make sure he heals.  His punishment for her actions was extreme, but hopefully you will all remember this for the future.”

“He was going to…” my dad began but he couldn’t finish.

The idea was too horrible to say aloud.

“But he didn’t.  The subject matter is closed.  Get her cleaned up.  Summer, clean this hallway immediately.”

Bryan turned and left, Ruben following behind him.  Shaking in anger and fear, my dad cradled me closer. How my father resisted going after Bryan or Ruben I honestly do not know.  I know he wanted to and letting it go hurt him in ways I will never understand. Carefully my mother led Summer away.  Arkon approached my dad and tried to take me from him.  Holding me so tight that I squeaked in pain, my dad was not going to let a soldier touch me.

“Mr. Lee, I understand that you are upset, but Eri must be cleaned up,” Arkon said calmly.

“She didn’t do anything to deserve this,” my dad said, voice thick with emotions. “She was just protecting her sister.”

“I know, sir.  I agree.  But you have to follow Bryan’s orders.  You know what the consequences will be if you don’t.  Let me have her.  I will get her cleaned up.  She is safe with me, I promise.”

Arkon’s soft, but strong, hands pulled me free of my dad.  Turning, Arkon walked to my bathroom and laid me on the floor.  I saw my dad standing in the hallway frozen.  I can only imagine what he was thinking.  Finally, my mother came and led him away.  Part of me was angry that they let Arkon take me.  How could they honestly trust him at that point?  But my body and mind hurt too much to process anything. 

The sound of rushing water met my ears.  Then I was in the air and then in the tub with hot water pouring on me, clothes and all.  Startled, I bolted into a sitting position, making my head spin. Clutching it, I gasped in pain.  Akron kneeled by the tub, soap in hand.  Carefully he rubbed the soap on my body as if I was a small child.  Spurting, I tried not to swallow more water as it poured over me from the showerhead. When Arkon began cleaning my hands, he stopped.  Studying my nails, he grinned broadly.

“I see kitty has claws,” he chuckled before scrubbing soap under my bloodstained nails.