Dormant

She laid awake in bed staring at the ceiling and the little lights that clung to it. Green, she thought, wishing they were red, what a happy color green is. At least red would then match how she felt inside. Why were they so happy but she wasn't? She slowly turned her head to the side... "oh" she said to herself, because of the troll that lay beside her, oblivious to her need for more, oblivious to how unhappy she really was. He had no feelings...most people like him didn't, he didn't care.

She carefully rolled to her side, so as not to wake him. He stirred for a moment and once more he was sound asleep.

It had been years that she had gone without. The animal inside her lay dormant and she no longer needed to fight the urge. She is used to normal life now. Walking among the people as if she was just like them. She was 28 now and forever changed at 18 by a cruel monster with the face of a man. She didn't have a say in the matter, wasn't given a choice and never saw her change coming.

“Hey Wednesday, do you have any plans for the weekend?" asked a coworker. Carlos was a sweet man with 2 kids and a loving wife, the perfect picture of the picket fence life she wanted, but knew she would never have. “Umm….yea, my boyfriend and I are picking up his daughter from her mothers once I get off work and we are keeping her over the weekend”.

“You do that every weekend though, don't you ever take time for yourself, it's not like she's YOUR daughter”

She fidgeted for a second, “yea” she laughed uncomfortably “I know, but you know how he is”.

He was controlling, never letting her do anything except what he deemed satisfying to him. If she wasn't working she was taking care of the house and his kid. Freedom was a thing of the past and this was her life. She always did what she was told or else he would scream, yell and belittle her. Nothing she did was ever good enough for him. So after a while it was the norm.

Wednesday worked a full time job in an office by day and a few nights a week bartending from 6 to 2 am. She held 2 jobs because he didn't work and that's the only way she was able to pay a mortgage and provide for a child.

“Well okay, but if you ever get out of that dungeon of yours, my wife and I would love to have you over for dinner sometime” said Carlos.

“I know, thank you, I'll try and figure something out soon” she smiled “have a good night!”

She got in her car, sat for a moment and her face fell into her hands.

“I can't do this anymore, what am I going to do, how do I get away?”

She looked up at the time and realized she was late for her other job.

“Shit!”

As quickly as the thought came, it was fleeting just the same.

It was a long day and an even longer night, she was exhausted and did not make very good tips. The night was slow, which was unusual for a Thursday.

“He's going to be so pissed I didn't make enough tonight” she said aloud to herself as she sat in the car with her head in her hands for the second time today. “It's not like I’m not working though, it should be alright”

It was far from alright. When she got home, she placed the cash on the counter and headed towards the couch. Raspberry her cat came to greet her with purrs and sweet tiny meows.

“Hello little one” she smiled, “I missed you too”.

“Thunk, thunk thunk”

“Fuck, he's up….”

She sees him round the corner and starts to descend the staircase, she reaches for the remote, quickly flips on the TV and then reaches for her phone. Her one and only lifeline.

Raspberry scurries underneath the couch at the sound of his massive footsteps. He was 6 foot tall and 320 pounds, long black hair, black beard and cold pitch black beady eyes. Not a literal troll but to her, he was a troll, a monster with no heart. He walks to the counter, picks up the cash and starts to count it…

A moment of cold silence fills the air.

“What is this? Where is the rest of it?! Did you go out to eat with your so-called friends again!”

She was silent

“Answer me!” his voice boomed through the house and the walls echoed with his disdain.

“It was a slow night” she squeaked out

“Slow or not, this is no excuse! If you can't make enough go get another job and don't come home until you find a way to make what I ask of you! It's not that hard!”

Something... something was building inside her...she was tired, broken, exhausted. He had taken everything away from her, but still something inside her was filling with hatred. Her blood was starting to heat. “I need to get out of this”, she thought to herself, “and I need to get out of this now”.

She ignored his glaring eyes and headed upstairs away from him, she needed to take inventory on what exactly she was about to leave behind. As she entered the bedroom she heard his footsteps ascend the stairs and come up behind her.

He pushed her aside and started towards the bed. He plopped down and laid back.

“He always follows me and watches me! I can't stand it anymore!” she screamed internally at herself. “How much more of this can I take?” and as her blood started to boil and pure rage filled her heart, she knew the answer.

She couldn't anymore and wasn't going to.

A long forgotten part of her was awakened and she knew this was her only chance. It was now or never!

Enough was enough, she was done! She couldn't take it anymore and will not stand for this kind of abuse any longer! He didn't love her, he only wanted her to take care of his kid and work so that he didn't have to. She lunged forward and jumped on top of him, eyes white and fangs revealed. For the first time ever, he finally saw who she really was. The look on his face was exactly what she wanted. Scared, terrified and the tables were finally turned. She soaked in her moment of satisfaction. Once and for all she took back what was rightfully hers after all these years, she claimed her power back.

He was going to be fine after a while, he would regain his strength and find someone else to terrorize and belittle, but it was no longer going to be her.

She packed a bag, put the money in her purse and Raspberry in her crate.

She sighed a breath of relief as she collapsed on the bed next to the speechless troll and stared at the ceiling once last time.

“Finally”, she thought to herself, staring at the green little lights she once hated so much.

“Such a happy color.”