oh but if i hated her softness, the trust in her eyes, how weak she is... if i needed to break her, to train her, to ruin her life... i think i'd start by making her confess her feelings for me, telling her i just needed to know if she loved me, acting gentle and surprised and almost tortured by it all. maybe then i'd make her spend more and more time on me. i'd enable her obsession, let it spiral out of control until she's always by my side, or on the phone, or texting me non-stop. i wouldn't let her sleep. i'd convince her i wouldn't be safe without her, without knowing she's there and mine, that she needed to let me watch her every move. i'd tell her i need all of her, and if she can't give me that, she can't have me at all. i'd make sure she never makes another friend, i'd punish her for talking to anyone else, for falling asleep without permission, for letting her phone die. i'd hold her down and cut us both, making her see and feel how badly she hurt me, or worse- i wouldn't talk to her at all. i'd strip away every aspect of her identity, make fun of her interests until she abandons them, turning her into a blank slate, and then i'd mark her up. at first it would be little things, only letting her listen to songs i like, painting her nails my favorite color, putting a collar on her. the first time making her hurt would be soft. i'd bite a little, maybe carve hearts with our initials into her, but shallow- they'd barely sting, heal quick. then i'd make her get a tattoo for me, legally change her name to something i pick, make my ownership of her brain and body impossible to ignore. i'd start hurting her more and more, then. kicking, then moving on to a baseball bat, putting her in a shock collar. hurting her worse and worse until she'd thank me for putting my cigarettes out on her because she knew how bad it could get. i'd have her move in with me. one day, her bed would be gone, there would be a cage at the foot of my bed to sleep in instead. she'll only spend the night in there, of course, unless she misbehaves. i'll keep her in there for days, then. if she's extra good, i'll let her sleep in my bed, curled up beside me. i'll slowly start enacting the fantasies she shared in confidence so long ago, showing her gentleness she forgot i had. petting her soft hair as she eats out of a dog bowl, calling her my sweet girl, putting her in pretty dresses and praising her for taking her abuse so well, only hurting her when she speaks out of turn or breaks a rule. i'll break her. i'll ruin her. i'll make her perfect.