On Trial

Beyond Repair

This is a little chapter, just to show you Cassandra's violent-filled life in the attic, and to start a buildup to a later chapter.

I'm not particularly happy with this chapter, but it's a necessary one, which will impact a later one.

Cassandra took a sharp intake of breath, as she heard her captor open the attic hatch. She backed up against the wall and wrapped her arms around herself.

She'd only been in the attic a day, and already she had been denied food and medicine, and even beaten, for daring to ask for such things. The only thing her captor has given her was a lantern for light.

"Where are you, girlie?!"

Cassandra whimpered a little as she heard his footsteps coming closer and closer. The moonlight shone into the attic, illuminating his face.

"There you are."

He seized her arm and yanked her to her feet.

"L-let go!" Cassandra protested, trying to pull away.

Her stomach sprouted with pain as his fist met it, at full force.

The next thing she knew, she was on the floor, being kicked. Hard.

Cassandra felt her body growing warmer, her fever getting worse. She wheezed out a cough.

"Still sick?" Her captor taunted.

"I-it's b-bronchitis...it doesn't g-go away...by m-magic..."' Cassandra replied, weakly, "t-that's w-why I need the medicine...p-please?"

"I've already told you, I can't afford your bloody meds! If the person who buys you wants to pay for them, then that's up to them!"

"B-but w-what if t-they won't? W-what if I-I die?"

Me Trellis smirked, picking up a small piece of wood from the other side of the room. The attic was full of all kinds of junk like that, but unfortunately, there wasn't anything that Cassandra could use for an escape. She couldn't knock him out, because there'd be no way for her to get back down the ladder, she was so sick, that she'd stumble on her weak legs, fall and break her neck.

"Doesn't matter to me, they would've already paid for you by then, I'll have a big wad of cash in my pocket," the man chuckled, showing off his disgusting yellow teeth, "now, where were we?"

He raised the wood above her and proceeded to hit her with it. She tried to fight back, but she was just too weak.

By the time he was finally done, and had left the room, Cassandra was lying on the floor, forcing ragged breaths, in through her bloodied nose and out through her bloodied mouth. Tears stung her eyes and her head throbbed.

She was already broken. But he was trying to break her, beyond repair.