Page 7 of Traces of Her

Four

MAGGIE

Sixteen Years Old

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR MAGGIE; happy birthday to you!” Janet and Phil start clapping as they finish singing, holding the cake out for me to blow out the ugly purple sparkly candles. The candles, carved out of wax, sit in the center of the purple cake, with the flame illuminating the number sixteen.

“Go ahead, sweetie.” Janet beams at me. “Make a wish and blow out the candles!”

I flash her the sweetest, fakest smile that my lips have grown so accustomed to over the years. A small cloud of smoke sweeps through the air as I blow out the candles without making a wish. What an idiotic belief; that wishes would come true. I’ve wished every day since I brought those damn flowers here, to be anywhere other than this house.

Janet takes the cake over to the counter, preparing to cut it. My eyes follow her until I can feel his gaze on me. I glance over at him and instantly regret it. Phil looks me up and down, taking in my blossoming body tucked away in a purple sundress. A sinister smile slowly creeps onto his face and he winks at me.

“Maggie.” Janet grabs my attention. “Would you be a good girl and get some plates down?”

“Sure Mom,” I say sweetly. Unfazed by Phil, I slowly walk into the kitchen in search of the plates. Reaching up into the cabinets, I have to stand on my tiptoes and stretch my arms out high above me. My long white hair falls around my torso as I finally feel the cool porcelain. As I come back down to my flat feet, I set the dishes in front of me to close the cabinet door.

I feel a pair of hands wrap around my hair, dragging it slowly across my back and over my shoulder. “Such a good girl,” Phil breathes into my ear, smoothing my hair over my breast. My body goes completely still to the point that I can’t tell if I’m breathing. He comes to my bedroom most nights, with his sausage fingers and his needle dick, but this is something totally different. He’s never come this close, with his hands on me anywhere but in my room.

“Are you two coming to the table?” Janet calls behind her, walking out of the kitchen.

“We’re coming,” Phil answers her, running his hands over my exposed back and squeezes my shoulders. “I have a special surprise for the birthday girl tonight,” he says, nipping at my earlobe.

The cake that I haven’t even eaten yet threatens to come back up. I feel the bile rising in my throat but try to swallow it down. I take a step away from him, away from his grasp and walk into the dining room with the plates. Janet smiles as I sit down and puts a piece of cake on my plate. I smile back at her and take a bite of the cake that I know I’ll be throwing up later.

ROWENA

After we finished eating, I helped Janet in the kitchen the rest of the evening cleaning up. She retired for the night with a kiss on my forehead and leaving Phil to be the one to secure me in my room. They don’t leave me out of my room much, so it’s weird to have this freedom. The house is completely locked down, so there’s no way for me to get out. But nonetheless, it’s freedom compared to what I’m used to.

After wandering around a bit, I make my way into the hallway to go upstairs and shower before bed. I know Phil will be coming no matter what, so I continue my night like I would any other. As I reach the bottom of the stairs, I notice the door to Phil’s office is slightly ajar.

“Rowena,” he slurs, hearing me in the hall. I cringe as he says my real name--one that he doesn’t deserve to use. “Rowena, come in here.” Quietly, I tiptoe toward the door and lightly push it open. He’s sitting on the chair at his desk, leaning back with a bottle of scotch in his hand. I can smell the liquor as soon as I enter the room.

“Come here,” he demands as I stand awkwardly at the door. I know better now so I walk over to the desk toward him. He leans forward, grabbing my hips and directing me to stand in front of him. He stands up, wobbling back and forth and lifts my petite body up onto the desk. He sways backward, staring at me with lust filled eyes laced with anger. “Today was supposed to be a special day for Maggie. Sixteen years old.” He narrows his eyes at me. “It should have been you.” His words cut into me.

I wish it would have been me.

“I’ve watched you grow and the way you tease me with that body of yours,” he pauses, running a hand down my cheek. “I have a special present for you even though you’ve been such a bad little girl.”

Suddenly he grabs hold of me and flips me over so I’m lying on my stomach across his desk. He’s so drunk and it happened so fast, but I can’t fight him off of me.

“Bad little girls must be punished,” he growls, hiking up my skirt and ripping down my panties. He holds me down with one hand and I hear him fumbling with the zipper of his pants with the other. He presses all his weight on me, leaning forward to my ear. “Don’t make a fucking sound or you’ll be punished for that too.”

I don’t make a sound, I don’t move a muscle. There’s nothing I can do to stop this but get lost in my head. I feel something pressing against my entrance and my mind slowly drifts to the empty space that it’s grown all too familiar with. He grunts, slamming into me as he shoves his cock inside me. My body screams in protest, but where I’m at in my mind, pain doesn’t exist. He pulls back and pauses and then he’s suddenly gone. I come back into my mind and the sound of Janet screaming fills my ears. I jerk my head up and see her staring at me like I’m the devil himself.

“What are you doing?!” she screeches at me. She rushes over, grabbing hold of my arm and dragging me to my feet. I look at Phil, who’s zipping up his pants with a worrisome look on his face.

“Janet.” Phil’s chin starts to quiver while Janet’s nails dig into my biceps. “I’m so sorry, you know how today is. I was drinking and she came in here.”

I start shaking my head. “No, he called me in here.”

Janet’s hand meets the side of my face in a rush, leaving a sting behind. “You be quiet while he is speaking.” She looks back to her husband, carefully nodding her head. “She came in here knowing you were drunk and threw herself at you, didn’t she?” Her voice cracks.

Phil looks between the two of us before focusing his bloodshot eyes on Janet and tears start to fall freely. He nods at her. “She came in here, throwing herself at me, trying to coerce me into having sex with her.”

No. No. No.

What the fuck is this?

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