Aleah found herself unable to speak for a moment before shaking her head and trying again. “I...um, yeah. I’m fine. I’m a bit bruised, but...” she shrugged. “I’m used to bruises. I get them almost every day at work.”
As the young woman kept walking, the same paralyzing effect happened to the man holding her and her. Aleah fell out of the man’s arms and to the ground with a small whimper of pain.
She watched in fear at the sight of it, freezing in place as she heard another man drop in behind her. Before she could dart away, she felt arms tighten around her midsection, and she yelled out for help. Aleah kicked and screamed, hoping the man would let her go.
At the sight of the man, Aleah slunk back. Her eyes darted around, looking for any way of escape. While she didn’t want to leave this boy alone with him, she also wanted to keep herself safe. Aleah has gotten herself into a fair amount of trouble throughout the years, and she didn’t want more.