Tali

UPDATE: Tali's vocal chords have healed enough that she has begun to speak, but with difficulty. She believes, given time and more healing, she will be able to speak normally.

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Tali suffered an accident. It was believed something struck her head with enough force to render her unconscious, but not much else was known, initially. Although it was not obvious from her appearance, her injuries left her suffering with massive memory loss and she was rendered mute. It is not yet known if she will recover her voice in the future. Luckily, her ability to see and hear remained intact. Over time, the therapy team caring for her discovered she could still read and write, albeit with some difficulty, which was considered miraculous.

When it was determined she was ready to be released and able to live independently, she was referred to, and taken in by, a middle-aged couple living on the outskirts of the city where the hospital that restored her health was located. Upon her arrival, the lady of the house showed her to her room, which was beautifully appointed with furniture pieces in a warm brown wood with curved edges, and an antique iron bed, made up with soft, pale blue and white floral bedding. Tali felt almost faint, thinking this would be her home for the next two years.

The husband and wife who opened their home to her were very kind, and, in addition to cooking for her, and inviting her to spend time in the living room and library, they gave her space and privacy, which she appreciated. Six months of her seemingly idyllic life passed in peace and comfort. One particular day, she was included on an outing to a gorgeous park near a fairly large, cornflower blue lake. With the sun shining, a light breeze lilting through her hair, people walking, couples sprawled on large blankets with picnic baskets, and an adorable blonde puppy jumping and playing nearby, Tali laughed silently, and exhaled a happy sigh. That night, as she laid her head on her smooth, cool pillow, replaying the lovely day in her mind, she drifted off to sleep, dreaming of tomorrow.

She awoke, prone, on hard ground, in a sea of wild grasses. She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut, and, feeling the dirt and grass on her skin, reopened them to find she was naked. As her heart jumped into her throat, she gasped—feeling heavy iron cuffs on her wrists and ankles. A chain was secured to the cuffs and linked to a long chain of other disheveled women, secured to the chain as she was.

Hearing male voices, she tried to lean up on her elbows slightly to look around, and there they were. Rough-looking, loud, cackling men, milling about, looking like… patrols…of some kind. Suddenly, her heart beating faster, breath becoming shallow and uneven, she felt a dread and panic she had never known in her life… this…this..my GOD, this had to be a nightmare. Nothing made any sense…