Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 242 Lisa: Waking in Comfort

LISA

Waking up in a bed is too comfortable.

My brain wants to wake, but my body wants to keep sleeping.

If this comfort is little more than an elaborate trap before I'm murdered, just take me away. At least I'll be going in bliss.

A sharp poke in my side jolts me from my half-asleep musings. I crack open an eye, squinting against the sudden brightness. A face swims into view, so close I can count every wrinkle etched into leathery skin.

"Up! Up, you lazy girl!"

The voice is shrill, grating against my eardrums. I blink, trying to focus on the owner of that voice. It's a woman, impossibly small, with a nose so red it could guide Santa's sleigh.

I open my mouth to speak, but my tongue feels like sandpaper. Before I can form words, a stinging slap lands on my calf. The pain is sharp, unexpected, and I jerk away, nearly tumbling off the bed.

"Ow! What the—"

"No time for your nonsense," the tiny woman interrupts, waving a hand in front of my face. Her fingers are gnarled, reminding me of tree roots. "You stink. Shower. Now."

I sit up, head spinning. The room tilts and sways around me. Where am I? How did I get here? The last thing I remember is... Darkness.

Cold. A strange man who brought me out of my personal hell.

The tiny woman's groan snaps me back to the present. "Look at this mess. Filthy! You've ruined the sheets."

I glance down at the bed. The once-white linens are stained with dirt and... is that blood? My stomach lurches at the sight of my wrists, raw and a little bloody.

waste." She tugs at my arm by

Ah. Clothes I don't recognize—a simple white night dress that is several

herds me across the room, muttering under her breath. I want to ask questions—so many questions—but they

spent so much time in fear that it almost feels comforting to be afraid

going to need some serious therapy, if this tiny person isn't dragging

it open, revealing a bathroom.

she shoves me inside and

pale, eyes wide with confusion and fear. Dark circles underneath them

And speaking of bones…

watched my fingers grow to little more than bony

God.

skeleton with

Horrible.

the hell is happening?"

in the mirror has no answers. She looks as lost

to march over and slam

of hot water, of washing away the grime I can feel coating my skin, and

a map of bruises and scrapes. Some look fresh, angry

Marisol didn't beat me.

a kidnapping victim, it

floor in various painful ways. And when it wasn't escape attempts, it was me trying to do basic stretches and exercises to keep up my muscle

my wrists and

the spray, whimpering as the hot water hits my battered skin. But the pain fades,

over me with a sense of peace

the ledge is the first thing I grab, rubbing it all over me until it turns in a dingy gray, scrubbing at my skin as if I could wash away the memories along with the dirt. By the time I'm done, my skin is pink and raw,

sure it's possible to brush it out. Still, I take my time washing it with shampoo and conditioner, leaving in a layer of conditioner in hopes it will help

fluffy towel. Steam clouds the mirror, and I wipe it away with my hand. The face that stares back at me is familiar,