Celeste

“Miss, are you okay?” I heard someone asking. My eyelids felt incredibly heavy as I tried to open them. “Can you hear me?” The familiar voice asked again.

I slowly opened my eyes and saw Mary looking down at me with concern. My hand immediately went to my head—it was pounding like someone was hitting it with a hammer.

Mary helped me sit up properly against the headboard of my bed.

“What happened to me?” I asked, still holding my aching head. “Why does it hurt so much?”

“Miss,” Mary said gently, “you were brought home last night by a young man. Do you remember?”

I tried to piece...