My eyes were clouded with tears because I already knew what was coming. I would take being put back in the isolation room over getting hit.
"I didn't mean to make anyone worry. I was just going to leave quietly," I whispered, stalling so I could prepare my mind for what was coming. "Everyone kept mistaking me for the dead Mary." I looked at her then. "Even you. I just could not take it anymore."
"Why didn't you talk to me about it?" she asked quietly.
"Because you don't care. You didn't even say anything when I told you her ghost was haunting me." I braced my hands on the hard wood. "And you didn't call me back when I tried to leave. My disappearance wouldn't mean anything to you."
"Mary…" I could tell she was contemplating her next words. "You shouldn't have tried to leave. Now, you've made yourself a target for them."
I wiped furiously at the tears that slid down my cheeks. "What do you mean?"
"The school will never let you go. You sealed your fate the second you walked through those gates all on your own."
"Is this a prison? A student can choose to leave whenever they want to leave. That's how schools work."
There was a strange coldness in her eyes when she looked at me again. "Nobody ever leaves."
"But, I don't even belong here. I was trying to go back to my world but it didn't work, that's why I tried to leave the school."
Ms. Duval cleared her throat. "Let's get this over with. Bend over and lift your skirt."
"Wait! Can't I be punished another way? I don't even mind going back to that room…but, please…don't hit me."
Her demeanor cracked, "I have to follow orders. I can have another teacher do this if I make you feel uncomfortable."
She turned to leave but I grabbed her hand out of instinct. "Don't leave…I can endure it if it's you."
I bent over the desk and lifted my skirt, baring my ass to her. "I'm sorry you have to do this because of me," I whispered, burying my face into the crook of my hands. "I'm sorry."
A shrilling scream tore through me when the first hit landed. The sound of wood against skin filling the air.
I cursed under my breath, the pain spreading like wildfire through me. Then came another, and another, and another…until I lost count.
I was a crying mess, begging between tears until she was done. I couldn't even move, my entire body was hurting and my ass was sore. There was no way I'd be able to sit after this.
I laid there, face down and ass up. Frozen.
It was Ms. Duval that pulled my skirt down. She pushed the strands of hair that had glued themselves to my tears and sweat away.
"You can go back to your dorm now. I'll report back to the headmistress." She left after that, not even sparing me a glance.
I'd never felt so alone and humiliated in my entire life. No one was coming to help me. Not even the woman I thought cared about me.
I don't know how long I stayed there for before I stood up, pain shooting up my skin. I had to hold the desk to keep myself steady.
With the last strength in me I left the detention room, using the wall for support as I walked out of the administration building.
Everywhere was eerily quiet, not even a sister in sight. There was no one to ask for help. I braced myself to walk the long distance back to the dorm.
Each step sent a flare of pain down my legs. My skin burned beneath my skirt. I was a trembling mess by the time I got to the door. I was about to go in when my legs gave way and I fell.
Instead of the hard ground I'm met with cold arms that caught me. I didn't need to turn to know that it was Ms. Duval.
"You came back for me," I whispered, managing a small smile.
There was no response.
"You're always so cold," I added when she pulled me completely into her hands, carrying me like a child.
"Where are we going?" I asked when she turned away from the dorm. "What if the headmistress goes to check on me and I'm not there. I don't want you to get into trouble because of me."
I yelped when her hand grazed my ass.
"Does it hurt?" she asked, her voice soft against the night breeze.
I nodded, burying my face in the crook of her neck.
"I'm going to put you down for a bit so I can unlock the door," she said, looking down at me. I nodded.
She put me down on my feet, but kept her other hand on my back, pressing me into her. She carried me again after she opened the door and took me inside. I didn't think I'd be back to her apartment so soon.
She carried me straight to her room and put me down on the bed with my face down.
"Stay like that, so there's no pressure on your ass. I'll be right back." She went into the bathroom, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I had so many questions but my head hurt too much to think. I was about to drift to sleep when Ms. Duval walked back in.
She put a bowl on the floor before rolling up the sleeves of her shirt. My eyes followed every movement like a moth to a flame. Everything about this woman was captivating.
With a delicateness that I've never seen before, she raised my skirt. Then proceeded to massage it with the warm water and towel.
I bit down on my lower lip to keep myself from crying, but that didn't stop the stream of tears that rolled down my face.
"My sweet girl," I heard her whisper. "I'm so sorry."
She brought out an ointment after, rubbing it in with her fingers. She took the bowl away when she was done and came back to my side.
She knelt beside the bed, stroking the side of my face. "It's going to hurt for a while, but it'll be better in the morning. Do you need anything?"
I shook my head. "Unless you have pain killers."
She stood up and came back with a syrup. "Can you sit up?"
I shook my head.
I watched with round eyes as she drank some of the syrup then pulled my head close and kissed me.
I felt the warm liquid sip into my mouth, her lips moulded perfectly against mine. A whimper slipped out when she deepened the kiss, her tongue carefully invading my mouth. It was safe to say I was getting drunk on Ms. Duval herself.
She pulled away, leaving me a bit lightheaded. "Anything else I can do to help?" she asked, her eyes hooded.
"If it's not too much trouble, can you help me take off my shirt," I mumbled. "It's tight and uncomfortable in this position."
She stood up, then knelt on the bed with each leg on either side of me. She put her hands under me, my breath seizing when her hands grazed my boobs.
With careful precision she undid my buttons and pulled off my shirt. But, I still didn't feel relieved.
"Can you take off my bra too?"
She removed the hook before the words were even out of my mouth. I sighed in relief, that was much better.
She rolled off me. "Get some sleep. I'll crash in the living room."
But that was the last thing I wanted.
"Ms. Duval?"
She stopped in the doorway.
"I want to sleep with you tonight." I gripped the sheets tight. "Please…"