A Beginning To Her Ending

16. Punished

"Max" I was sleeping peacefully when a loud voice came and I felt like my head is flying in air and then it hits the hard bench. I groaned in pain and sat up rubbing my head with one hand and my head with other. Then I looked around me max was standing, Asher and John were infront of us. Asher looked angry but then he is angry all the time. I glared at max for standing up so abruptly but he just shrugged silently and mouthed 'I got startled'.

"Asher we were just..." Max started but Asher stops him with his hand.

"Go with John he will drive your car. I will wait for you at home" he said with a serious face.

Max nods and then went towards John, I was about to follow him but Asher spoke up.

"Where do you think you are going?" He said looking at me with his usual blank face.

"Uhmm home" I said as a matter of fact but he sighed and then pointed towards his car. Max and John were already gone, Max left me with him alone. Huh! We were friends. I scoffed but sat in the front seat as he sat on the driver seat. I was still drunk and my head felt heavy.

"Are you mad at us?" I asked him but kept looking ahead.

"No" he said.

"But you looked angry" I said looking at his face which looked blank. He is so good at hiding his emotions?

"I was worried, I promised you that I would protect you and..." He paused and then looked in my eyes.

"And I don't break promises" he said and then looked ahead on the road.

"I am lying with you all" I said out of nowhere but my eyes were closing because of all the tiredness.

"I am not who I seems to be, I am not Vincent.... I am Vien..." I said but then I felt my eyes closed and I was in another world. A world where I am free, where I don't have to lie, where I don't have to hide.

"I know.." I heard a voice from far away but I couldn't put a face to that voice. It was so so far away....in the distance...!
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I heard loud knocks and I opened my eyes, I had a vert nice dream, I was in a garden, there was my mother, my father, my brother and me. I was a baby, merely three years old. It seems so real but now when I open my eyes I don't recall their faces, my father's and my brother's face. May be I haven't seen them for a while so I don't remember them.

But it's not a dream, it's a memory a very beautiful memory from the past. When we were together, when I had a family. I have seen this view in my dreams so many times but when I am awake I don't remember their faces. It always make me sad, I had a brother. I hate my father because he left my mother and she was tortured her whole life, I was tortured by that man whom I once I called father. What if our father hasn't thrown my mother out, she would have been alive and ...

"Wake up" a voice said, it was Asher. I sat up with a start and looked around me, I was in my room but who brought me here. I touched my head, it was still covered with cap. I sighed in relief, they still don't know! But my head was heavy and aching pretty badly. Hangover!

"Are you coming out or I make you come out?" He warned in his threatening voice and I found my voice.

"I am coming, don't come in" I yelled and then I heard his footsteps going away.

I stood up and went to lock the door, I then removed my cap and my hood. Then I went to my closet and fished out some clean clothes. A large hoodie, too many sizes big on me and baggy jeans. I went straight to the bathroom and took a long relaxing bath. Asher can wait! Right? I huffed. Then I stood infront of mirror after changing my clothes, my hair are grown some more. They reach below my hips now, I looked at them sadly. Another reminder of my mother, a daily reminder of what I lost.

I took a hair brush and tried to brush my hair, keyword 'tried' but it's a difficult task. I tried some more to free the knots but then I have up and dried my hairs with a hair dryer and then made a messy bun, hiding it with a cap and then I pulled the hood over it. My head was still aching, I am not going to drink ever again.

I went downstairs and I saw all the boys sitting around on the dinning table for breakfast. I sat with max who was having his breakfast. Its always like this on one head chair it's asher and on opposite chair Elliott sits, max and I sat together on one side whereas John and Tyler sta infront of us. My place was already filled with pancakes with maple syrup. I smiled at John who was looking at me expectantly. I mouthed 'thank you' at which he nods his head and went back to eating.

"He is angry" Max whispered near me and I looked at him as he pointed towards Asher who was busy murdering his pancakes. I sighed and peacefully ate my pancakes. I am not afraid of him.

After breakfast as I was about to stand up asher stopped me.

"Max and you are going to wash all the dishes today, then you are going to do the laundry and then your cleaning duties" Asher said peacefully, max also stood up and cried out.

"You can't do this with us"

"Elliot, Tyler and John meet me in the office in 5 minutes" he said and stood up then he gave both of us a look and went towards his office.

"He can't do this with us" I screamed out in annoyance.

John and Tyler gave both of us a look of pity but then they were also gone, Elliot stood up and left without even looking at us.

"Now I know why they are best friends because they are similar to each other! Rude, arrogant and cruel" I said and Max also hummed in approval.

"We can escape" I offered but Max shakes his head.

"Then he will give us more difficult punishment, it's better if we start now" he said and then picked all the plates from the table, I sighed and followed him after picking rest of the plates.

It was 5 in the evening when we were done with all the chores, we both fell on the couch with tiredness.

"I am never listening to you ever again" I said and groaned.

"Hey you are my best friend now, don't forget that" he told me and I huffed.

"What do you wanted to tell me yesterday?" He asked out of nowhere and I stilled in my place.

"Uhmmm I don't remember " I shrugged but then I remembered something I was about to tell Asher everything but thank God I didn't! I sighed in relief and cursed myself.

"Let's play a game" he said as he gave me game controller. He has taught me how to okay few days ago and I had even made him lost plenty of times but I think he likes to lose. Is shrugged and then we both start playing. As I was continuously winning he was getting irritated, he tried to snatch the controller from my hand and with other hand he was using his controller.

"Maxwell stop... cheating" I barked at him and then he won because he had spoilt my game and I huffed pushing him away from me.

"Yay I won" he shouted with happiness.

"Wait a minute" he said in a loud voice then he stood infront of me, he held my hands and twisted it left to right, pressed it. I looked at him confuse, what is he even doing.

"Umm Maxwell... are you alright?" I asked trying to pull my hands but then he looked at me with wide eyes.

"Why your hands are like girls?" He said and my eye widen, I pulled my hands away from his grip.

"Are you a girl?" He asked with a gasp and I looked at him as if I have seen a ghost.