After changing, I decided to explore the place I'd be forced to stay for god knows how long. I couldn't seem to spot the men who brought me here anywhere, so I took hold of the opportunity. I slowly exited the room in which I was and made my way back down the hallways from which I had come. I went to the opposite side, which led to a vast room that looked like a cafeteria. There were already two people sitting down at one of the tables in the far back by a door that seemed to lead outside somehow.
They were both beautiful girls; one had a sour look, as if nothing could excite her. The other seemed cheerful, a little too cheerful considering the situation. The seemingly nice one waved me over.
"Hey, you are?.."
"Noa."
"Nice to meet you, Noa. I'm Amber, and this is Akira."
"Hey." I say, turning to Akira, her face still sour as she looks me up and down.
"...So, what're you in for?" Amber asks.
"What do you mean by 'in for '?" I ask in return.
"Do you know why you're here?"
"No."
"You're a woman of few words, I see. Guess we have another Akira here, although she does talk a lot. A lot of shit."
Akira stomps on Amber's foot as a sign to stop talking, not so subtly, with a tight smile enveloping her face.
"I just don't see the need to share personal info or make friends." I say.
"Well, too bad, because now you have some."
"Who said I was her friend? I'm barely even yours." Akira pipes up.
"Oh, shush, angry bird." Amber retorts, sarcastically.
"I guess I'll go first then!" Amber says, breaking the silence that fell over the table as I sat. "When my father came back into my life, he was very abusive toward my mother and me. He wasn't the kind of guy everyone in my small town thought he was. They thought he was wealthy and quite the awesome guy, but he was far from it behind closed doors. He knew how to act and pretend well, how to paint a pretty picture and make everyone see what he wanted them to see. His mask was perfected." Amber began.
"Here we go with this story again." Akira remarks under her breath.
Amber ignores her and continues.
"He would abuse us multiple times a day, but he was really good at covering his tracks. I mean, he had all the resources to do so. Sometimes he was drunk, sometimes he wasn't. I don't really know which one is worse, honestly. Being aware or purposefully 'unaware'. He even tried to.. touch me.. once. He did it to my mother often, but that day, she put up one hell of a fight. I guess she was sick of his bullshit. But since he couldn't have her, I supposed I was the next best option. After that, however, she gave in, so I wouldn't fall victim again."
"Wait, you never told me this. I knew about the physical abuse and the guy, but.. not about that." Akira interrupted. "And why would you tell her first, of all people, and not me, when you've just met her?!"
"Can you not make this about you right now?" Amber sharply turned to question Akira.
Akira rolled her eyes.
What guy? I thought to myself.
"Anyways, before I was rudely interrupted---by that point, there was only one right option in my mind, to run away. So I did. I left my mother with that manic in hopes of finding a better life for myself. I know, how selfish of me. But I was young, really young. A couple of years later, I met this guy, and I thought we were so in love that I would've done anything for him. And I did. He whispered sweet nothings to me, telling me exactly what I wanted to hear and exactly what he wanted me to know, all in the same breath. Molding me exactly how he wanted."
Amber took a shaky breath.
"Along with the sweethearts, and I love yous, he told me that both my father and mother never loved me. He said, 'Think about it, if your mom had loved you, why did she let your father do all of those terrible things to you?' At the time, it made sense to me. I was young, hurt, and angry, and I thought I had found a person I could trust. Someone who I loved and finally loved me back. I thought that if my mom truly did love me, she would've left, at least for my sake. But she didn't, she stayed. I thought that somehow, he must've been more important to her, more than me, if all he was doing to us wasn't enough for her to leave."
Her eyes began to well.
"He told me that it was time for revenge. Payback. He said that I could never get my innocence back and that they were both to blame. Negligence and Abuse. One night, I went back, knife in hand, hidden behind my back. My mother was still there, living with my father. That alone was enough proof in my mind that all of our suspicions were true. My mother looked at me, so pale and weak, battered and bruised. She wobbled over to hug me, swaying with each step, but I could tell she was excited to see me. She was just too beaten to express it. I was so blinded by obsessive love and overwhelming hate that I hugged with one hand, and plunged the knife once hidden into her back with the other. I felt the jerking of her body as it entered and exited. She coughed, leaving fresh metallic on my shoulder as she slowly backed away, until she slumped to the ground. Dead."
A tear fell. Slowly, it rolled down her cheek.
"The rage was still bubbling; I wasn't yet satiated. My father walked in the room after hearing the loud thud of her lifeless body flopping onto the floor. In a panic, I threw the knife, and it coincidentally pierced right between his eyes, on his forehead. A couple of days later, I went to inherit my father's money. My boyfriend stayed with me inside the Mansion where I had slaughtered my parents. A couple of days later, however, he and all the money were gone. I soon found out that he knew who my father was, and he knew what he had been doing to my mother and me. He had planned all of this out, just for the money. I meant nothing to him, while he meant everything to me. Unbeknownst to me, he even had a girlfriend and a baby."
Wow. I thought to myself. People are loco. And here I thought she was overly nice and too cheery.
"I did that for nothing. I had to let that register. I murdered my mother for nothing. Nothing. I always stayed to myself after that. Luckily, my dad bought the mansion straight out, and everything was paid off. I never went out unless it was absolutely necessary. I hardly even left my room at that. One year later, I am seventeen, and I'm here." She concluded, while in tears.
"Don't think I'm goin' next." Akira says, looking back and forth between us.
"Well, that was something, huh." I say after a moment of awkward silence. Not really knowing how to respond.
Akira begins to comfort Amber.
I get up to walk around and process everything.
Clearly, this is some weird place for traumatized kids.
I find my way to the bathroom, staring at myself in the mirror. My long black hair falls over my shoulders, my piercing green eyes staring back at me. My expression remains sharp and unreadable, while inside, scenes of my past flash before my eyes, as well as visualisations of Amber's. I turn on the sink, splashing some cold water onto my face, staring down the drain.
Get ahold of yourself, Noa.
I splash some water onto my burning skin and turn off the water, running my hands through my hair.
"It's okay," I tell myself aloud in a whisper. "You'll be okay. You have to be okay. For your siblings." "Be okay." I demand.
I breathe in and out, pacing the bathroom floor, counting to and from 10.
"It's okay. I'm okay. I'll be okay. Just breathe."
...
I can't dothis. I gotta get outta here. But how?