In A Dark Mirror

Eight

“Get up, you first!”.

Sister Agatha thundered and pointed to Heather. Aifric didn’t know what was coming, but she new it was something horrific. Heather did not flinch. She knew too well what it meant. Their desperate attempt for a little freedom had been an act of disobedience Agatha could not let pass. Agatha hung a rope through a hook at the ceiling and commanded:

“Undress!” Heather didn’t argue, she unbuttoned her blouse and removed it.

When she turned to open her bra, Aifric saw her hands shake a little, but beyond that, Heather was cool as ice. She did not protest or plea. All she did was stare. It was this silent stare that drove Agatha mad all the time; Heathers private little war against the old nun. Obviously, she didn’t break yet. Aifric noted the scars along the redheads back. When Heather had removed her blouse and bra, Agatha tied her hands tightly to the rope that dangled from the ceiling. Heather turned towards Aifric as far as she could in this position.

Agatha reached into her drawer and produced a long black whip. Aifric gasped. “She’s not gonna hit Heather with that thing!”, she thought. On the other hand: It would explain for the scars on the girl’s back. Agatha swung the whip testing, and the swirling noise made Aifric sick. Heather searched for her eyes, and their gazes locked.

“The heart is more deceitful than anything else”, Agatha quoted the book of Jeremiah before placing her first blow on Heathers bare back.

Heather drew in air sharply on the blow, but no sound escaped her lips. She held her gaze firmly at level with Aifric. Aifric however, let out a sharp cry.

“It is incurably bad!” Agatha continued, blowing the second strike.

Aifric covered her mouth with her hands. She felt sick already.

“I, the LORD, probe into peoples minds!”

SMACK!

“I examine peoples hearts!”

WHACK!

“I deal with each person according to how he has behaved!” Agatha’s voice was shrieking with fury now.

Heather was fighting back tears, as the blow hit her.

“I give them what they deserve based on what they have done!” The last blow was so vicious, that it drove the air out Heathers lungs.

Still, her gaze was fixed on Aifric, and her lips were sealed shut.

Agatha put away the whip, and loosened the knots around Heather’s wrists, and Heather slumped to the floor. Her back was covered with red streaks, and blood slowly ran over it, where the whip had torn her flesh.

Agatha grabbed Aifric’s arm and pulled her from her seat:

“Your turn.” She said coldly.

Aifric’s insides turned to water. Her hands where shaking uncontrollably, as she tried to unbutton her blouse. She managed somehow, not without tearing off two buttons, and she felt hot tears streaming from her eyes, as Agatha lifted her arms up. Heather, who still sat on the floor smiled at her encouragingly. On their way to Agatha’s study, Aifric had sworn to herself, that she wanted to be like Heather. She would return anything the old nun threw at her, with the ice cold stare, that Heather always used. This was their war against Agatha. A war that Agatha could not win, if she, Aifric, stayed strong.

Now all of this was easier said then done. Right now she was trembling with fear, and she had lost the fight against her tears. She did not understand what Agatha said, her words were a mere background noise. Instead she tried to find Heathers eyes through her blurred vision.

Then the first blow slashed down on her bare back. The pain was even more intense then she had imagined. It stung through her whole body, and made her see stars. Hot tears welled up, and she could not see Heather anymore. The second blow was more than she could bear: She heard herself scream out loud.

“Stop, please!”, she screamed, but Agatha was unforgiving.

Her begs for mercy were cut by the blows of the whip, and it seemed an eternity until she was finally released. She dropped to the floor sobbing, hardly hearing what Agatha commanded next. Heather, although herself barely able to walk, helped her to put on her blouse and led her out of the study.

On their way to the bathroom, Aifric managed to stop crying, but she couldn’t bear to look at Heather, who was limping, but still with her head high. Back in the girl’s lavatory, Heather got some fresh towels and began, to clean Aifric’s wounds. Her back cleaned and with some bandages on, the pain was bearable; it was easier to stand than the humiliation. She didn’t speak a word, while she cleaned Heathers back, and when she was finished, she turned and went to bed without a word.

It wasn’t until the next evening, Heather got a chance to talk to Aifric. The girl had been avoiding her, and was obviously upset. Heather was afraid Aifric blamed her for being beaten, and didn’t dare to ask.

After supper, she entered the lavatories, to take a look at her wounds, when she heard sobbing from one of the toilets. It was not uncommon that one of the girls came here to cry, and cry they did often in this place, and Heather knew it was best most of the time, to leave them their privacy; but the familiar voice made her look more closely this time.

She found Aifric weeping in one of the toilet booths. She went over to her, taking the girl’s skinny hands in hers.

“I’m sorry, my sweet!”, she whispered. Aifric sobbed, and looked away.

Heather felt tears dwelling in her own eyes too, but decided that they had to wait.

“Look at me, please!”, she pleaded.

“I can’t.” Aifric managed to say between sobs. “You must hate me!”

“And why would I do that?” Heather replied in a soft voice.

It took Aifric a while to speak again.

“I betrayed you”, she breathed.

“Why would you say that?”

Aifric finally turned towards Heather, but without meeting her gaze.

“I shouldn’t have screamed, like you”, she whispered, “and after two blows, I begged for mercy. I would have done anything for her to stop, anything!”

“I know how that feels honey, I know. It’s no reason to be ashamed.”, Heather hushed.

“I’m not worthy of your friendship”, Aifric blurted out, before sobbing uncontrollably again.

These words stung Heather deeper than the old penguins whip. She felt tears run over her own cheeks now. She held Aifric’s face with both hands, and made her face her directly.

“She wants you to think that. But it’s a lie. All she tells are lies. You will never be unworthy to anything and anyone. Least of all me.”

“I’m proud of you, Aifric. You faced her, and you survived. No one will ever know how many tears or screams it took, but you are here, still alive. I’m proud of you!”

She pulled Aifric’s head into her lap, and stroked her hair tenderly, until the tears dried up. When Aifric finally looked up to her, the auburn girl had stopped crying.

“Want me to have a look at your back?”, she asked cautiously.

“That would be a relief”, Heather agreed.

They went over to the showers, and Heather began to undress. Aifric helped her to remove the bandages. When she was naked, she stepped into the showers, wincing at first, when the hot water ran over the cuts and bruises on her back. After a few seconds the pain went away, and the hot streaming water was a relief to her aching muscles.

As she watched Aifric undress. As her brown hair fell over her shoulders in the long curls that Heather sometimes envied her for, Heather almost smiled. But her loving gaze was interrupted by the sight of Aifric’s wounds Her back looked a mess, with blue-black streaks all over it. It gave Heather a sting in the heart to see her friend so bruised and torn. Although she knew she looked no better, the sight was harder to stand than the pain.

Aifric looked at her questioningly.

“It will hurt, won’t it?”, she asked.

“What will hurt, sweetheart?” Heather returned.

“The water.”

“Only for a second. Come here.”

Aifric carefully stepped into the shower. She held her arms under the water, which was comfortingly warm. “Turn.” Heather said. She picked up her facecloth, and watched while her friend turned around. Instead of pulling her into the shower jet, Heather soaked the facecloth with water and wrenched it over her friends back.

“Ow!”, Aifric cried as the water ran over a deep cut between her shoulders.

“I’m sorry.” Heather muttered, and began to softly stroke around the cuts with the facecloth.

Getting more comfortable with the water, Aifric leaned back until she stood in the shower jet, having the water running through her hair and over her face. She was so close to Heather now, that she could feel the steam rising from her skin. Heather stroked the wet strands of hair from Aifric’s face and shoulders. She felt a strange tingling in her stomach, like butterflies swirling, while she moved the facecloth from Aifric’s back to her shoulders.

“Better?”, she whispered in the girl’s ear.

“Yes.” Aifric had her eyes closed, and enjoyed the warm water as well as the gentle touch of the fabric. Heather’s heart raced, when she drew closer, closing the gap between them. Aifric’s body felt soft and warm against her and the tingling in her stomach spread below her waistline. In slow circular motions, she moved the facecloth over Aifric’s shoulders, and gently along her back, washing away dried blood.

For a second, she could feel the girl tense up, but when when she gently put her arm around Aifric’s waist, she let go, and leaned into Heather’s embrace.

Heather got bolder, and began stroking the cloth across Aifric’s chest.

Aifric opened her eyes. “What are you doing?” She whispered hastily.

“Want me to stop?” Heather asked.

Aifric opened her mouth to speak, but didn’t bring out a word. Instead she shook her head. Heather leaned over the girls shoulder and kissed her cheeks. The sensation in her belly was now urging. This was new. Heather had had wet dreams before, and she had known what she was because these dreams had never involved any boys. But being here in the shower with Aifric was uncharted territory. Aifric had her eyes closed again, and she could feel the girl’s body shiver with an excitement that reflected her own. As desire took over, she leaned herself into the embrace the feeling of skin on skin sent chilling notions of pleasure through her spine. She let go of the facecloth and grabbed the Aifric’s shoulders, turning her around. Aifric’s huge eyes were fixed on her’s in surprise and excitement as Heather pulled her close and kissed her.

Both of them sank to the floor, hands touching, lips kissing, tongues exploring. It went on for a long time and pleasure was growing as was the excitement. She didn’t even notice that she was lying flat on her aching back in the end.

Heather couldn’t say how long it they had spend under the shower. When they unlocked their embrace, both of them were breathing heavily, and all their pain was forgotten for the moment.

“I love you.” Heather whispered. Aifric could not answer. There was a lump in her throat, and she was still shaking from the excitement. She just brushed a copper-coloured strand of wet hair from her friends face and smiled.

This was the first time after the fatal accident she truly felt herself again.

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