Ten years ago, Lizzy Blake, Ivana Sinclair and I were the closest of friends. However, after Lizzy was assaulted and took her own life in the woods near my home, our friendship fell apart.
In her suicide note, she wrote that I saw the man who raped her. From that moment on, everyone believed I was protecting the rapist.
And the truth was… I did protect him.
Ivana stepped in front of me, her voice cold and sharp. “Selina, I’ll give you one last chance.”
“Tell me who the rapist is, then turn yourself in to the police. It’s not too late yet.”
“But once I start the machine, the high-frequency pulses will crush every bone in your body again and again. You won’t even have a chance to defend yourself.”
My face went pale in an instant. I struggled and screamed in panic, “Iva, no. You can’t look into my memory!”
She grabbed my wrist tightly, her teeth clenched. “Scared now? It’s too late for that. I’m getting justice for Lizzy.”
Tears ran down my face as I begged, “Iva, please… don’t do this. If you show my memories, you’ll regret everything.”
She gave a bitter laugh, her eyes red with fury. “Regret? The only thing I regret is ever calling you my best friend.”
Two guards forced me into a metal chair. Cold cuffs locked my hands and feet in place. I struggled, but they pressed a heavy helmet over my head.
A thousand tiny needles stabbed into my scalp, digging deep into my mind.
I screamed as my body shook violently. In that moment, it felt like my soul was being torn apart.
Even so, the crowd beneath the platform stayed furious. Rotten vegetables and spoiled eggs flew through the air, hitting the stage as they screamed insults at me.
“Fake friend! Rapist’s protector! Go to hell, you witch!”
On the big screen, my memories began to play in reverse. The first one appeared for everyone to see.
It was three days after Lizzy’s death.
They had dragged me to her wake. Everyone demanded that I tell them who the rapist was. Some spat on me, others threw stones.
One person yanked my arm so hard and then another pulled my hair until it was a tangled mess. Fists hit my body over and over until my whole body turned black and blue.
I ran away in fear, with the villagers chasing after me like I was the criminal. When I turned back, I saw smoke rising in the distance. My house was burning. Those people had set my home on fire.
I just stood there, helpless.