Their Violence, Your Silence.

On Saturday I was completely better again and Jared dropped me off at the hotel to work. I was very nervous about possibly seeing Caleb again. But if I just kept really busy I was sure he wouldn’t bother me.

Caleb was at the front desk again and as he saw me he looked as confused as I’d felt all week. It felt weird to see him so confused. He hadn’t really been a total jerk for the past two weeks. Although of course he hadn’t been in school all of last week and I hadn’t been in school this week.

Still he seemed different from the way he was at the start of this year and I couldn’t help but hope he was going to be nice to me from now on. It was a silly thought, one I immediately send back to the furthest corner in my mind.

Caleb hated me, and he hadn’t been jealous in the cinema, he’d just been his normal grumpy self as always. I could understand he was grumpy with a girlfriend like Marley I thought with a wry smile.

As I reached the desk Caleb handed me a locker key wordlessly and a master keycard. A list of rooms I’d have to clean followed on a black clipboard and then he said: ‘Start on the fifth floor, I’ll start checking those rooms round eleven okay?’

He sounded monotone, dull, but in such a way it made me think he was trying to keep his voice that way un purpose. Emotionless.



Just like last Sunday after the first few rooms I got into a rhythm and twirling and dancing to the songs stuck in my head I set a quick pace.

I was nearly done on the fifth floor and it was ten thirty so I was definitely ahead of schedule,
I hoped to finish the floor before Caleb came to check them. That way I wouldn’t have to see him. Although of course somewhere I sort of did want to see him.

I twirled around, still feeling happy and warm inside from my the wonderful Thursday evening when I’d been surrounded by all my friends. And later on my parents had joined. It had been so much fun.

Ripping the dirty sheets off the big king sized bed in the room was easy work, putting the clean ones back on that was tough. I stopped dancing momentarily as I smoothed the sheets over as neatly as I could.

When I was satisfied I turned around to pick up the pillow’s I’d already put in fresh pillowcases and put them back on the bed.

However, they weren’t where I’d left them. Surprised I looked around the room and realized I wasn’t alone.

‘Hard work ain’t it girl?’ said the man in front of me. He was dressed in a crisp dark blue business suit and shiny black leather shoes. His face looked young maybe thirty and his hair was a dull brown color.

He was rather close to me and holding the pillow’s I’d been looking for. I could smell alcohol on his breath. Sudden fear gripped me, this wasn’t good. This man was up to something and I was sure I wasn’t going to like it.

‘Working yourself into a sweat aren’t you? Huh? Let me help you,’ the man continued and he tossed the pillows he’d been holding behind me on the bed. This meant he came even closer to me.

I stepped back involuntarily. I did not want to let this man get any closer to me, and felt the edge of the bed hit the back of my legs.

‘Sir, I’m almost done and then you’ll have the room all to yourself again,’ I found myself saying. ‘If you’d move aside?’

The man threw his head back and laughed, it send shivers down my spine. ‘Oh I don’t want this room all to myself little girl,’ he said when he was done. He stepped even closer to me, so close that if he reached out his hand a little he’d be able to touch me.

I swallowed convulsively, suddenly wishing very hard that Caleb decided to check on me a little early. Or that another hotel guest happened to look into the room when walking past…

The door was still open, maybe if I screamed?

The man stepped closer still, ‘Please Sir I need to get back to work, step aside?’ I tried asking again. But already I knew it was futile. He wasn’t going to let me go before he had what he wanted and I was pretty sure it was my innocence he was after.

A strong heavy hand gripped my shoulder as he said: ‘Nonsense, first you’ll keep me company. With how expensive this room is, it’s the least you can do.’

And then he pushed me back hard.

I went sprawling backwards onto the bed behind me. The plaited skirt doing nothing to cover my legs as I kicked furiously to keep his hands off of me.

‘Don’t touch me! Let go,’ I yelled now, unable to keep the terror from my voice. No longer trying to preserve some sort of professional attitude. I hit him once squarely in the face with my foot, but since I was wearing soft black ballet flats instead of my usual sneakers it couldn’t have hurt him as much as I hoped.

He made an angry animalistic sound deep in his throat and launched himself on top of me. He was heavy and although I desperately tried to push him away he only managed to get a better hold of me.

With one hand he held both of my wrists above my head and he used his body weight to pin down my legs. His free hand fumbling with his own belt.

All I could think of to do was scream, scream as loud as I could and hope someone would hear me. Tears we’re forcing their way down my cheeks and my heart was pounding so hard that it sounded like drumbeats.

It was going to happen, right now. Was he going to kill me afterwards? How much was it going to hurt? Would I ever be the same again?

A triumphant look appeared on his face when he managed to undo his belt, laughter once again bubbling from his throat. ‘This is it little girl!’

‘Please no, let go! Don’t do this!’ It sounded pathetic even to my own ears and the whimper that followed even more.

I could feel his free hand pushing my skirt up now and I closed my eyes. Hoping it would be over soon.

‘She said let go!’

The weight on top of me disappeared suddenly. Followed shortly by a loud crash and cursing and then the unpleasant thud of flesh hitting flesh.

I opened my eyes and fumbled around looking desperately for my glasses which I’d lost somewhere during the struggle. Tugging my skirt down firmly when I couldn’t find them and focusing on the rest of the room.

I could make out the bright square that was the window and a tall figure towering in front of it. The figure obviously had his fist clenched and aimed. Ready to punch something I couldn’t see.

There was a moaning sound coming from the ground there though, the man in the business suit. Whoever had come to my rescue was going to punch him again even though he was already down on the ground.

Blinded even more by the tears I so unwillingly cried I stumbled from the bed and tried to grab my saviors fist. I missed but the fist I’d tried to grab quickly grabbed me instead.

‘Please don’t…’ I whimpered.

I was pulled into a hard strong chest and wrapped up tightly in warm strong arms. ‘Winter… Please tell me you’re fine! I should have been here sooner!’

The voice was unmistakable.

‘Caleb…’ I exhaled slowly.