Chris (narrating)

"I had never felt more terror, I thought I was going to die. I think I was actually accepting it, his hand was wrapped around my neck. He pressed me into the wall, I couldn't breath, he was choking me. I scrambled at him, scratching at him with my nails. I was fighting with everything I had but I could feel my limbs loosening, I was losing consciousness fast.

I can still see his eyes, his mouth was pressed together and he was filled with malice. He was going to kill me. I don't know how I managed to hold on but my hand reached up to him. Isratched at is face, his eye, he instinctively let go of me and smacked his hand over it. He howled in pain, pulling away from me for a moment. I took my chance then. I got up quickly, too quickly and grabbed him by the neck and slammed his head into the wall. He slumped to the ground from the force. I don't know where it came from, but had the strength to pick him up by his collar. I grabbed him and slammed him down into the floor." She laughed, breaking the silence. Everybody was listening without a word. I had a feeling this was something that she hadn't told any of them.

 "I think I got a bit carried away, I should have learned when to stop. I couldn't I felt so powerful and I was so angry. I punched him repeatedly, I think-I think-I bit him...I dug my nails into his face. I wanted him to feel the pain and fear he had caused me. I wanted him to suffer. I think he was on his way out of the world when I heard someone coming. I grabbed him by his shoes and dragged him behind my bed as I heard sets of footsteps come to my door. It was unlocked and my keeper's sons came in along with most of the house to see what was going on. James was the first to actually enter the room. He saw the tears running down my face, I must have looked a frightening creature. His nostrils were flared slightly, he almost looked angry.

"Where is he?" he asked as my keeper came in. I pointed to the other side of my bed and he went to see. He looked up at me with shock; he walked back over to me as his brothers came to lit him out of the room. He was still alive, barely. As his brothers left he turned to me,

"What happened?" he asked, I could barely speak. Instead I showed him the marks that should have been on my neck. He looked at me as though I was insane, I looked at him; confused. I went to the mirror and looked at myself, I was dishevelled but there wasn't a mark on me. I should have had bruising on my neck; he was holding me so hard." She rubbed her neck absentmindedly; maybe the memory was strong for her.

" I don't know what he thought, but I found myself being dragged from the room by him. He hid me in the kitchen and told me to wait for him here. I did, he came back for me, he had to look for me because I'd got scared and hid behind one of the tables. When he found me he pulled me up and handed me a bag with my things in it. He looked me over and  placed a purse in my hand, curling my fingers over it, enclosing it in my hand. He looked into my eyes and smoothed my hair behind my ears. I wanted to explain to him but my mouth wouldn't open. He put a warm coat over me and led me out the back door. There was a lot of noise from the house, I think they must have realised that I'd gotten away. He pushed my back, telling me to run. We ran to the dock where he paid for passage. He pushed me onto the boat before he pulled me back to steal a kiss. I wrapped my arms around him. He let me go and made his way down, back onto the dock. I cried out for him to join me. He shook his head and released his arm from my hand. As he walked away my arms were still pulling out towards him- I left that night, and the rest is history..." She jumped up onto the kitchen counter and perched herself on the end. She took an apple from the fruit bowl and twirled it in her palms. She took a deep breath before she spoke again, we could hear each other breathing it was so quiet.

"I've never told anybody else that. I think Alsyn suspected but she never said outright and I was too ashamed to talk about it."

"Are you telling me you almost beat a guy twice your age and size to death?" Anthony said, not quite believing that somebody as small and slight as Sarah was capable. She looked over at him, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I did" was all she would say, she looked at the floor. Anthony grabbed her down from the table by the arms and pulled her over to him.

"You should've hit him harder, he deserved it," He said as he pulled her close to him. She curled into his chest; her arm wound its way up to his shoulder like a vine. If I didn't know different I would have thought the two of them had something. He seemed protective of her, but at the same time it could have been a brotherly protection to a sister. It was going to be one of those talk and share moments like they have in films. It could have been a modern story if she hadn't already told me she was over one hundred years old...