“Ashley!” I heard the yell of my father and my body jolted awake, I stared up at my father with fear in my eyes. The room we were in was dark a small light bulb hanging from the ceiling, flickering as it was either the bad electricity connection or something had broken in the light.
Panic set in and my chest started heaving as I tried moving my hands only to find that my hands had been cuffed behind me and the metal was cuffed around my wrists so tight that I could feel the moisture from my skin. I shut my eyes tightly trying to fight the fact that the metal had dug into my skin and drawn blood. My mouth was taped and I was sat on a wooden chair.
“Ashley, listen to me” I looked over at my father, he wasn’t the man I knew, his face that always wore a smile was stripped from his friendly features, bruises and cuts covered his body, his clothes soiled in blood, it made me feel sick knowing that it could be no other then his own blood. His eyes were swollen and bruised as it looked like he was fighting his body to stay awake. Blood was all over the floor and I had push down the vomit I could feel rising in my throat. My eyes flickered over to the walls that I could faintly make out were also stained with blood.
“Ashley I can get you out of here but you have to listen to me,” I stopped observing my surroundings and listened to my father,” there’s is a pin in my back pocket, come here and pull it out of my pocket, there will only be time to free one of us, once you are free,” he nodded his head in the direction of a small window that I failed to see when I looked around the room,” you need to open it and crawl out, get help as fast as you can ok?” I nodded my head, I hated the fact that I would have to leave my father but if I was fast enough then I could get help fast and save him.
Not bothering to ask my father what was going on or why I was here I quickly walked over to him and took the pin from his pocket. He picked the cuffs and in seconds they were falling to the floor. I rubbed my wrists and pulled the tape from my mouth.
“everything will be ok, go Ashley,” quickly I sprinted over to the window but came to a halt as I heard someone else enter the room, I panicked and threw myself into the dark corner out of the room watching with wide eyes as there the scene unfolded before me.
” I’m sorry Ashley, I love you,” I heard my father yell as a man advanced towards my father menacingly and held up a knife and swung his arm down at my father’s chest. I turned my face, burying it into my hands as I fought back the tears.
“DAD!” I yelled as my body shot up. I was covered in sweat as sobs were uncontrollably ripping from my throat.
I heard multiple footsteps approaching the room in a hurry and I was in and I started to panic, fear raised within me that the same thing was happening all over again and I was going to be taken away again.
I screamed and ran over to the corner of the room but it wasn’t dark enough, it wasn’t dark enough! I let my body fall to the floor as I cried even harder, bringing my legs to my chest.
“Ashley!” Evan was the first one in the room and without hesitation he ran over to me and pulled me into his chest, holding me tight. The same feeling from the other night overwhelmed me and I found myself leaning even further into his hold letting my tears soak his shirt.
Gently he picked me up and walked back over to the couch as I desperately held onto him like the worthless person I was. He sat down not letting me go but instead tightening his hold, pulling me even closer making my head rest on his chest.
“Everything is going to be ok, I’m here now,” he whispered rubbing the small of my back as if to comfort me. Completely forgetting about the fact I was upset with him I buried my face further into his chest as I tried to calm down.
I heard voices speak but I drowned them out as I let my body relax and my sobs calm down to only hiccups,” Ashley?,” I looked up at Evan as he spoke, his eyes searched mine before looking up to my forehead as if something was written on it. I watched as his eyes softened and then looked back down at me with concerned gaze before he looked away to speak to someone.
“Her body still feels really hot, I think you need to get the cloth again,” I looked over to see my mother nod and walk over to the coffee table grabbing the cloth and handing to Evan who took it from her before moving closer to me and gently pressing the cool material against my burning forehead.
I looked over as Blake walked in the room talking on the phone; he talked heatedly over the phone, using his hands to make gestures the person was unable to see. His eyes seemed to be deep in thought as his forehead was furrowed and his eyes were set hard looking at the floor.
“Ashley?” I tore my gaze from Blake and looked over at Sebastian as he squatted down holding tablets and a glass of water. I pushed away from Evan and moved to the other side of the couch and took the tablets from Sebastian and the glass of water.
I looked at Sebastian, silently asking what they were. He sighed and shook his head, “it’s nothing to worry about, it will just help with your fever,” I nodded and chugged the water down with the tablets.
Blake hung up on the phone and walked over to me,” are you ok?” he asked, his hand rising up to my forehead to feel my temperature. I nodded slightly as he pursed his lips and looked me in the eye,” you’ve still got a temperature, the paramedic said it will go down soon if you get rest,” he looked over at my mother as I froze in my spot, paramedic?
“Ashley?” Sebastian spoke looking at me with eyes that hoped I could understand,” you’ve cut the side of your head and broken two of your ribs,” he spoke slowly and as my heart dropped,” we had to call the paramedic, we didn’t have any other choice your head was bleeding,” I shook my head looking down, he could’ve just let me go, I would’ve been fine anyway,” Ashley I’m sorry,” he moved closer to me and lifted my chin to look at him,” I’m sorry but I was so worried.”
Sebastian grabbed my hand and squeezed it in a way that was sympathetic but I snatched it away and pushed myself further into the couch. If I have broken ribs that would mean they’ve seen my stomach, they’ve seen the scars that covered almost every inch of my stomach. I gulped suddenly feeling sick as the memory of how those scars found their way onto my body. How many of them had seen my scars? I looked at my mother who was staring at me confused, the same as Evan, however Blake held a look that told me he knew, just like Sebastian, however Blake didn’t know the reason why.
“Hey it’s ok,” Evan cut in looking at my hands that I didn’t realise were now shaking. My eyes shot over to him as I watched his every move cautiously as he moved closer to me. Obviously he got the drift that I didn’t want to be touched so he stopped just inches from me,” whatever happened is in the past, we are all here now.”
I stared at Evan shocked, he understood nothing and yet he had the guts to say that. I stared at him confused, how could he say something so sincere when he knew absolutely nothing?
My mother nodded also chipping in,” were all family so we will all protect one another,” she paused and looked at Sebastian,” besides you, you’re not family.”
Evan chuckled punching Sebastian in the arm as Sebastian feigned a dramatic look of hurt. My mother didn’t really liked Sebastian once she found out from Blake that the way Evan and Sebastian became best friends was by Sebastian breaking his arm in a school fight over the stupid glue that Evan was taking too long using.
Blake rose his eyebrow at my mother before speaking,” in some way, even though we are not all blood related we are family and we will stick up for one another and protect one another, even you Sebastian,” Blake chuckled and smacked him in the back of the head making Sebastian pout.
“Stop hurting me” he grumbled, earning a smirk from both Evan and Blake.
Blake looked back at me, his smirk gone and a serious look on his face, “but Ashley we have tried everything, we’ve sent you to get help, it worked for a little but your back to your old self, we want to help but you need to let us in and I’m not saying you have to do that immediately but it would be wonderful if slowly you begin to open up and let people in, we want to help and we will do everything we can to do so, but we can do anything until you tell us how you feel” he spoke seriously, looking me straight in the eye as he spoke.
I felt my eyes fill with tears as I got up and walked out of the room, leaving everyone to stare after me as I made my way to my room.
For so long I had been strong and now I was breaking but I couldn’t drag people down with me. I couldn’t let so many people know about me because that would do no good for me or for them. If I let people in what use is that doing for me? It’s only making me talk about the past and remember all the memories that I’ve wanted so long to forget.
I opened my bedroom door and threw myself on my bed, I better start shaping up or the future relationship with me and my ‘family’ will only crush me. I closed my eyes and inhaled a deep breath, tomorrow, I thought, tomorrow I will return to my old self and things will go back to normal, tomorrow will be the last day that I will think of my past and just like I had it drilled into my head at that place, I will shut off all thoughts and memories about my horrible childhood and feel nothing but numb.
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this took me so long to write, and then forever to re read.
i think this story is losing its humor now :( i promise the next chapter will be funny tho.
ummm could you leave a comment and please vote? i feel pushy asking this but yeah please?
and please dont be affraid to leave a comment telling me idk what the hell you are doing, and or your story makes no bloody sense coz i honestly need some opinions right now coz i feel so lost :(
but yeah thanks for reading :)