Page 10 of You’re Mine

Herb’s sneering at me, and I can’t take it anymore. It’s been years of bad treatment, and something boils up inside, a hot white rage that’s new and powerful and overwhelming.

“I never wanted any of those things!” I scream back. “You only bought me those fancy clothes, so you could parade me and mom around town like we’re the perfect family. It’s all to maintain your image! And for whom, may I ask? You’re a horrible father and a horrible person.” I can’t stop all the hate from falling out because it’s been building inside for years. I thought I could last a couple more weeks until graduation, but evidently, I can’t hold it in any longer.

Herb glares at me, his eyes shooting daggers.

“You don’t speak to your father like that young lady.”

But this time, I’m the one who’s on a roll.

“If you want my respect, you have to earn it,” I spit back.

It happens so fast that I don’t have time to prepare. My father’s fist raises and suddenly, there’s pain radiating down the left side of my face. I stumble back, grabbing onto my cheek. Then a second blow comes and soon, I’m on the floor and my dad is on top of me, pummeling me over and over again.

“Ow!” is my cry. “Stop, stop!”

My whole body is throbbing and every part of me is in pain. It doesn’t take long for me to black out, but before everything goes dark, the last thing I see my dad’s face contorted in rage.

I wake up in a room that’s not my own, but I know I’m still in the mansion. That’s not really a comfort, but at least it’s familiar territory. Wait, there’s another problem: I have no idea when it is. Sunlight is peeping through the curtains, so it must be the next day. Was I out for an entire twelve hours? Herb must have done a number on me.

A sharp pain runs through my head and I feel it lance through my entire being, making my whole body throb. My dad has never hurt me this bad before, but I guess it was inevitable. He’s always taken small swats at me, but it was never full-on punching. I guess everything that’s been going on led to this escalation.

I sit up, still groggy. I need to find out what time it is and get myself out of here. I look around for my phone, but it’s missing. Shit! My dad must have taken it. I need to call Jace as soon as possible, so that he can get me out of here before my dad kills me or worse.

My body twists slightly and it’s incredibly stiff. It’s so out of whack that I’m finding breathing kind of hard. There’s a small hand mirror on the night table, and I’m able to shakily pick it up. I gasp when I see my face. Holy cow, I have a massive black eye. It’s like twice the size of my actual eye, and ringed in an ugly bluish-green.

There are also some other bruises spotted all over my face. I let my fingers lightly brush over my cheek while wincing from the pain. I barely look like myself. My face is just a swollen, discolored mess. The swelling will go down, but in the meantime, I look horrible.

There’s more pain around my torso, so I pull up my shirt and use the mirror to inspect the area. The bruising is even worse down here. I touch my ribs and wince as pain lances through me. I’m sure they’re cracked. This wouldn’t be the first time my dad has messed up my ribs, but it feels like he’s done a real number on them this time. He must have done more than just punch me. Did he beat me with something? A broomstick? A rolling pin? It wouldn’t be the first time.

I put the mirror down and close my eyes, trying not to cry. I’m in pain, I look horrendous, I’m all alone, and there’s no way for me to call Jace right now. It’s just the pits. Maybe when my dad goes to work, I can get to a phone and confess everything. I’ve never told him how bad my dad really is. Admittedly, I’m kind of scared of what would happen because Jace is definitely protective and would go berserk. Don’t get me wrong, my dad deserves some kind of punishment, but I don’t want Jace to ruin his future because of Herb. He would take any chance to destroy Jace’s life.

I resign myself to lying in bed while waiting for my chance to get out of here. As I’m trying to keep myself calm, I hear a loud commotion downstairs. At first, I assume it’s my mom and dad. When he’s not turning his wrath on me, she gets her turn. He’s probably yelling at her for ‘not raising me right’ or ‘failing in her duties as a parent.’ Nothing new. But then I hear what I think is Jace’s voice.

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