No Limits

by Knox, Elizabeth

  I looked down at my body and nodded at the doctor. My mind raced with questions, but I couldn’t get my mouth to say anything. Instead I took in my surroundings. White walls, floral paintings, and another bed occupied next to me, the man awake and staring at me.

  “Who is that?” I asked the doctor.

  “That is John Doe. We fished him out of the Delaware River a few weeks ago. He’s being transferred out of here in a few weeks, but he won’t bother you.”

  “Why is that?” I asked.

  “He doesn’t talk, except for one word,” the nurse answered.

  I looked over at the bed, the man still staring at me. His inkly black hair framed his face and there were visible tattoos on his chest and arms.

  “Who are you?” I asked him, unsure why I found myself so interested.

  “Water,” he replied.

  “That’s all he ever says,” the nurse sighed. “Now, why don’t you get some rest, and hopefully after a good sleep, your memory will return.

  As the nurse exited our room, I took one last peak at the man next to me. He hadn’t looked away and once again, the one word resonated around my ears.

  “Water.”

  I looked away and closed my eyes, willing my memory to return. I didn’t want to end up like the man next to me. I wanted to be---whoever I was.

  Several days later with still no clue as to who I was, or the man next to me found myself being shook awake quite violently in the middle of the night. A strange man had a hold of my shoulders.

  “You fucking bitch, you tried to fucking kill me,” he screamed.

  “Get off of me!” I yelled, trying to push the man away.

  Within seconds of my yelling, the man was forcibly pulled back, falling on his ass, his hospital gown flying up around his shoulders. I looked around the dark room to find out who had done it, and gasped as I saw my roommate standing over him, an angry look in his eyes.

  “Get. Out,” the man, yelled, pointing at the door, surprising me, and the nurse who had just walked in.

  “What the hell is going on here?” she screamed, security running in just behind her.

  “That man,” I squeaked, pointing at the unknown assailant on the floor, “That man was shaking me! John Doe saved me!”

  No one said anything as John got back into bed and security escorted the other man out. The nurse eyed me up and took my vitals making sure I was ok.

  “Do you not recognize the man who was shaking you?” She asked.

  “No. Should I?”

  “That man claims to be your husband,” she replied.

  My mouth dropped open in shock. “No. No way,” I shouted.

  “We are waiting for more information, but it seems to be true.”

  I turned away from the nurse, a tear in my eye, but I wasn’t sure why. As soon as my eyes hit his bed, they traveled up and looked into John’s eyes.

  “Are you ok?” he asked me, surprising me yet again.

  I nodded at him and looked back at the nurse. “I don’t ever want to see that man again.”

  I didn’t know why I was saying that, but something down in my gut told me to stay as far away from him as I could. His eyes as he shook me spoke to my soul, and not in a good way. I couldn’t trust my mind or my memories at the moment, but I could trust my instincts.

  Closing my eyes, blocking out everything, I laid my head back, the pounding starting behind my temples. I needed a nap, but something was tickling my brain and I couldn’t fall asleep.

  Suddenly, a flash happened behind my eyes, and information flooded in. Years and years of my life came flooding in. It was like an invisible switch had been flipped and my memories woke up from a slumber. My headache intensified tenfold as my clutched my head in pain.

  “Jane? Are you ok?” John asked from beside me, his hands on my shoulder.

  “Hayley,” I whispered.

  “What?”

  “My name is Hayley,” I winced, my own voice causing my head to pound.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” he said, climbing back into his own bed. “You should get some sleep.”

  I couldn’t respond, but I couldn’t sleep. There were too many thoughts spiraling in my head. Keeping my eyes closed, I remembered every piece of my life and put them together like a puzzle.

  My rape, my seclusion, my reintroduction into society, Gregory, my wedding, and finally my attempt at freedom all circled around in my brain. The tears on my face were not happy tears. I hadn’t succeeded. Gregory was alive, and so was I.

  “He did that to you?” John said next to me.

  “Did what?” I asked, confused.

  “He raped you and then married you?”

  “How do you know that?” I asked perplexed.

  “You’ve been talking for the last hour, Hayley,” he whispered. “What are you going to do?”

  “Right now I’m going to sleep, and tomorrow, I’m going to finish what I started. Are you in?” I asked the stranger next to me.

  “I’m in. Just tell me what I need to do.”

  “You’re going to help me get my freedom. Grab that pillow and follow me.”

  The End

  This is a TABOO STORY!

  There is sex with a minor in this story. The age of consent is sixteen in Michigan. Please be advised that all sexual acts are consensual and this story is a work of fiction.

  Chapter One

  Isaac

  She flies off the bike in slow motion, but it all is happening so fast. I watch as her body, the body that I loved and cherished the night before hits the gravel and catches a rock. Kennedy’s skin scraps and blood splatters all over the ground, as far as I can tell… no one cares.

  I rush out of my car, almost neglecting to put it in park, and I race over to her. Before I could even try to get my hands on her, her brother, Nixon, pushes me out of the way. “You fucking bastard! This is all your fault!” His fist swings and he hits me square in the jaw causing my head to whiplash in the opposite direction.

  Blood floods my mouth and I spit it out on the asphalt. “Get out of my way, Nixon!”

  His tall and lanky body blocks me. I look at his spikey hair that is all over the place and I want to kill him. Hell, I’m a teacher. I don’t think about killing others. But… in this moment, I want to kill him for blocking my way from Kennedy.

  Kennedy’s short brown hair’s covering her face and I can see her chest rises and falls quickly, but not enough to me know she’s going to be okay. “That’s my fucking sister and you’re going to fuck off. Right. Now.”

  I push him out of the way and drop to my knees in front of her. Instantly, I’m taken back to when we first met. Only five months ago, she walked into my life… it’s too soon to have her walk out of it.

  We got into a fight and the blame lay solely on me. It was my fault. All of it. I’m the one who went snooping, I’m the one who needed to know everything about her, all the things that she was hiding… that included him. Yes, him. He’s the catalyst of our fight, and it resulted in her running out of my house and hopping on his bike just to escape me.

  Chasing her didn’t work because that led to this. It’s all my fault because I couldn’t stop my anger, stop myself from yelling at her. How does one react when they find out everything that they have thought was the truth, was actually a lie? One would feel murderous, right? Well… that is exactly how I felt.

  Now that I’m staring at her still body, I know that I should have let her explain instead of calling her all of those bad names.

  A rumble of motorcycles shake the pavement and I know it’s only a matter of time before everyone finds out what happened to Kennedy.

  Chapter Two

  Isaac

  Where It Began

  Ever just have one of those mornings that you know is just going to be awful? Well, that is how mine started... I forgot to turn on my coffee maker’s alarm clock last night and I’m going to have to deal with a bunch of kids that are crazy off of Halloween candy today.
/>   Pulling into the teacher’s lot at Fitzgerald Elementary School, I drive the first three rows until I get to the row that I normally park in. Yeah, my morning officially goes to shit. There’s a nice BMW convertible parked in my normal spot and now I have to go search for a new one.

  By the time I have parked in a new spot, I have ten minutes to get to my classroom before the morning bell rings. I like to be in my classroom and have everything situated for my students well before hand. For instance, my second graders are about to read a new book.

  I walk through the school and get stopped by all of the single moms waiting to kick their kids through the school doors. I’m not saying I’m attractive or anything, but I’m certainly not ugly. At 6’ foot, I’m muscular but not overly and I dress like a teacher. There’s nothing remarkable about me, I’ve always been a geek.

  “Mr. Emerson! Hello!” I hear Shana call and I wave. She approaches me and lines her skinny body against mine. The school board has strict rules about teachers dating other teachers, so I’ve ignored all her advances.

  Shana is a newly divorced woman with a decent enough body but she’s always trying way too hard. The students don’t need to see her tits hanging out. “Miss Ferguson. Hello.”

  I peel her body off of mine and give her a slight head nod before walking to my class room in order to start getting everything set up for the day. I boot my computer up and turn on Pandora so I can listen to some music before the kids come in. I walk to my cabinet by the coat rack, pulling out the neatly stack of books I wanted my students to read. Once a book is on each of the desks, my classroom door opens, and excited children begin to flood in.

  “Mr. Emerson! My mommy is going to have another baby!” Tony says to me as he thrusts a sonogram photo in my face. His smile is lacking a couple of teeth, but his dimples make up for it. I’m not supposed to pick favorites, but he’s one of them. I liked his energy and excitement.

  I clap him on the shoulder and smile at him. “That’s great!” I fight the pang of loss in my stomach and focus on the rest of the class. “All right, everyone! Take your seats and we will begin!”

  My class of twenty-five follows directions and I walk through the rows of desks and begin my lecture. “This month we are reading a new book and are going to learn about history. Who has heard of Pocahontas?”

  I pause and watch the hands fly in the air. “Ashley, go ahead,” I address the curly brown haired girl who sits at the table with Tony.

  “She is an Indian!” Her excited voice has everyone raising their hands and swinging them in the air.

  I laugh and pick out five more hands who say outrageous things. I hear about how she could sing and speak to trees. One even says she saves John Smith and they fall in love. After about five minutes of listening, I tell them to open their books.

  When the bell rings for lunch, I gather my class and have them line up. “Single file and clasp your hands together. Remember, when we walk through the hallways we are-”

  “Quiet!” Everyone says at the same time and a whisper voice.

  “Good, let’s go to the cafeteria. Who has some cookies in their lunch?” I say to them and they laugh. “No trades?” Every day I try to trade with them so they can eat healthier, but no one wants to trade. I know, a kid giving up cookies was never going to happen.

  We walk into the cafeteria and the kids who have a packed lunch run over to our table. Every teacher has their own table for their class and it makes it easier to keep everyone in line. The only thing I don’t like is that I don’t get the half hour to decompress. Dealing with twenty-five students is trying.

  Megan and Ashton have a “boyfriend-girlfriend” relationship which means they don’t talk to each other because that’s gross. I lean over to talk to Sarah. “Hey, Sarah, what’s going on?” I adjust my head in the direction of Megan and Ashton.

  “They are in love, Mr. Emerson. They are getting married,” her blonde head nods frantically and I fight my laugh.

  “Okay. Hopefully I get a wedding invite.”

  She looks at me with her brown eyes and gives me a wide smile. “No invites! They are getting married on the playground. Duh! Don’t you pay attention?”

  Before I can answer, a finger taps my shoulder and I look up at a beautiful woman with short brown hair. “Hi, I’m sorry to bother you,” her voice is soft and nervous. I stand up out of the picnic bench style seat and look at her. She’s tall and close to my height. I love her slightly rounded body with some child-bearing hips and round breasts.

  “There’s no bother. What can I help you with?” I stare in her gray eyes and fight the urge to get closer.

  “I’m looking for Miss Ferguson. I’m her substitute teacher.”

  I thrust my hand out and she grabs a hold of it. Her fingers are dainty and painted a deep red. “I’m Isaac Emerson. Her across the hall partner. I teach second grade.”

  “K-I-S-S-I…”

  “Hey, guys! Eat your lunch so we can have a pop quiz in math!” I say just to get them riled up. They squeal and eat their lunches in hopes of not having the pop quiz.

  “How long have you been teaching here?” The mystery woman asks as she gets closer to me and looks over at my lunch table.

  I shrug and take inventory of my kids eating. “A few weeks. I’m a sub as well. Their actual teacher is on maternity leave.”

  Mystery woman lifts her shoulders up and then drops them. “Well, I need to find my class. Thank you so much, Mr. Emerson.”

  I watch as she walks away and I shit you not, she turned around and looked at me. Many teachers here hook up with each other and I’ve been smart enough not to do that. So why do I feel the urge to do so now?

  Chapter Three

  Kennedy

  With only a few friends that would actually hang out with me at my parents’ house, Katie and Briana and I sat crossed legged while painting each other’s nails. There’s a party going on tonight at the lake and I’m excited to go. I haven’t been invited to many parties throughout the years because honestly, everyone was afraid of my Dad. To me, he’s just Dad.

  “I think I should paint my toes purple and nails pink,” Katie states as she digs through my nail polish container. “Oh god, you have so many colors!”

  Briana smiles and digs through the bottles that have been casted aside by our friend. “I know. You have to have at least a hundred.”

  “Eh, probably,” I retort and reach behind my back to under my bed. I keep one color away from everyone because it’s my favorite. One night, I got bored and decided to mix some polishes together and I created a sparkly sky-blue color. My brother likes to comb through my room and I have to hide certain things from him.

  “You’re so lucky,” Briana gushes as she slides her legs up so she’s resting her head on her knees. She smiles and sticks out her newly developed chest.

  I look down at my own and snarl. Lucky for Briana and Katie, they developed over the school year and I still haven’t. According to Mom, we are a family of late bloomers. Which sucks for me since I’m sixteen and feel as if I’m flat chested. I’ve bought a ton of Bombshell bras from Victoria’s Secret in order to feel better about myself. I adjust my bra to pump up my boobs.

  There’s a rumble of bikes outside of my house and I know that Dad is home with his friends. Nixon, my brother, had started hanging around with Dad and his friends which made him feel cool. We both got bikes for our sixteenth birthday, the only difference between Nixon and I is he gets to ride freely.

  “Your house is so much fun!” Katie says as she jumps off my floor and runs towards the window.

  I’ve lived in the same house my whole life but every year, there’s always improvements that are being made. Last year, Dad expanded my room over the garage, so now my room is as big as the master. I like it because I get to look over the driveway and see who’s coming and going.

  “Do your neighbors get pissed off at the noise?” Briana asks as gets off the floor and looks out the window.

  “
Eh, I don’t know really. We don’t see them much.” Yeah, we don’t see them because they call Dad and his friends “savages” which is unfair. They’re not savages. They are some of the nicest people out there. “All right! It’s time to get dressed so we can go!”

  My friends walk across the expanse of my floor and help themselves into my closet. My closet is huge with a circular bench in the middle. This was the improvement from two years ago and this is my favorite place. Dad had installed racks of organization tools throughout my closet and installed a few shoe racks for me.

  Since I already picked out my outfit, I slide into the sun dress/ maxi and put on my gladiator sandals. I decided to go for chic and sophisticated for this beach party that the seniors are throwing in South Beach.

  “All right! I’m ready to go!” I say loud enough to get their attention out of my closet. It makes me nervous that they are in there for so long. What could possibly take that long?

  “K!” They both yell from deep within my closet.

  Quietly, I creep in behind them and watch them try to stuff their big feet into my heels. “What are you doing?” I demand, leaning against the door frame.

  Briana giggles and kicks them off while walking out of my closet. “Why do your freaking feet have to be so small?”

  “Why do your freaking feet have to be so big?” I counter offer and wrap my arm around Katie who is still trying to stuff her foot in my shoe. “Give it up, love. It ain’t gonna happen,” I croon and walk her out. “You two are dangerous in my closet!”

  “Whatever! Come on, small one!”

  We walk out of my room holding hands. What a sight we must be! I’m average height but my friends are tall! Like basketball players tall. I’m about 5’6” and 100% average in everything. Well, besides my boobs. But we have discussed my problem-solving ways, and how the push-up bra gives me the oomph I needed.