Stone

Callie skimmed her hand through the water. She was so content here. It was peaceful and no one ever came here. She didn't think anyone even knew this little pool existed. It was hidden deep within the forest and very few people wanted to hike this far off the trails. She'd always had a good sense of direction, so she knew the trail was basically a straight line from the giant oak tree across the pond. Of course, in a forest this old nothing was ever a straight line, but she still always knew where the trail was. People were amazed at her sense of direction.

It was only here that she could truly think. It was only here that she could get away. She shifted slightly and winced. She should probably undo the bindings on her ribs and rebind them. She was fairly certain at least one of her ribs was cracked. Hopefully it would heal quickly, but then, that was never her experience. Double checking that she was alone, Callie began to unbutton her dress, doubling her hands up behind her to do so. She let the tattered garment fall to the ground and then began unbinding her ribs. 

Bruises of all colors covered her body: legs, belly, chest, butt, everywhere. Well, everywhere that was easily covered. He never touched her face or arms. Some were old and some were brand new, only hours old.

She heard a gasp. Eyes wide, she raised her head to see a man staring at her. He had come from the direction of the trail. Hastily, she tried to cover herself and grab for her dress at the same time when she suddenly slipped on a wet stone and fell into the pool, legs tangling with her dress. 

The pool was deep, how deep she did not know. She could not swim. She began thrashing and felt herself being pulled downward. 

Then suddenly her head was breaking the surface. A strong arm was wrapped around her waist, pulling her towards the shore. She tried breaking free, tried thrashing, but the arm clasped around her would not relent. Finally she gave in and just let him drag her to safety. 

Where she had fallen in was much deeper than the side where the man dragged her out. He was soaked to the skin, having just dropped his pack in order to go in after her. He brought her to shore and ignoring his wet clothes or her naked body, he dove back into the water. She frowned, wondering what he had lost. 

A few minutes later he was back with her dress. He carefully squeezed the excess water from it and set it down beside her.

"I have a blanket you can cover yourself in while your clothing dries. I'll start a fire, too. And then we'll talk about those bruises."

She pulled herself into a seated position, tucking her knees up to her chest on the wet stone as he draped a rough wool blanket around her shoulders, draping it for her. She had a feeling she could trust this man. Maybe...no, it was too much to hope that he would help her get away from her violent uncle. She could feel the soreness all over from the beatings. She knew it was only a matter of time before he finally got what he wanted. She watched as the man started a fire and placed her clothing beside it to dry, and finally rose from the stones beside the pool to move closer to the fire. He produced another blanket and, turning away, took his wet clothes off, wrapping himself in the blanket. After setting everything close to the fire, he sat down and looked at her expectantly.

She hesitated for a moment, then began to speak.