Chapter 3
Warning, This story contains dark scenes with graphic detail that some readers may find distressing.
I woke up to the glaring sunlight that washed over my face. Blinking slowly, I opened my eyes and saw that I was in a plain, white room with nothing but a small drawer and a single bed where I had slept. As I tried to push myself up against the headboard, a sharp pain shot through my arm and I winced, looking down it hit me.
The screams, the heavy pain that gnawed on my belly and wrist, and the angry, dark eyes that glared at me with so much hatred and loathing. I lifted my wrist and saw that it has been bandaged and the spot where the cut was deepest had made the blood seep through, forming a red circle on the white cloth. I trailed my eyes down to the rest of my body for any signs of injury or bruises, and I found not one, not two, but a couple of purple and yellow bruises imprinted on my arms and my stomach where Uncle Robert had kicked me. I could only cry at the sight of myself, gasping and trying to soften my cries because if I breathed deeply, the bruises on my stomach would prick my skin.
My thoughts were disrupted when three loud knocks came from the door and I jumped at the sudden sound.
“Lilly, breakfast!”
It was Aunt Peggy. I wondered if she was the one who cleaned my wounds and took me to bed. There is no way in hell Uncle Robert or Victoria would have done that. If anything, they had left me to bleed to death last night and still wouldn’t bother.
I pushed myself off the bed and was thankful enough that Uncle Robert didn’t touch my legs or feet. It was hard enough to move with bruised and cut-up's arms, how much more trouble would I be with injured legs.
I quietly made my way downstairs, careful not to touch anything with my injured arm. I found a clock that hung on the wall just before the staircase, and it read 8:07 am. The sweet smell of bacon and eggs wafted through the air and my stomach grumbled angrily, now only realizing that I haven’t had anything in me since yesterday’s lunch at the institution.
I went into the dining room where the three of them had just finished eating breakfast and I couldn’t help but go over what was left on the table: two and a half-eaten piece of bacon and half of a sunny side up egg. A pitcher of orange juice was drained to the very last drop.
“Come, eat. You’re going to be busy for the rest of the day.” Aunt Peggy simply stated as she
wiped her mouth with a table napkin before standing up and leaving the table, followed by
Victoria. Uncle Robert still sat there, staring at me with his brows furrowed. I looked away from him and proceeded to grab a clean plate and sat at the seat farthest from him and took their leftovers, my stomach willing to eat anything because of hunger.
“You’re going to help your Aunt Peggy and Victoria pack up. You’re going to clean the storage
house, carry a shitload of boxes and you’re not getting any lunch until this house is empty and everything is inboxes. You got it??”
I chanced a glance at him and he continued to stare at me, waiting for a reply.
“Where are we going?
“We’re moving to Goldpeak. I’m being transferred there as the new sheriff. We’re leaving in the afternoon.” He replied as he stood from his seat. “Now eat faster. Your cousin’s got a whole lot of stuff for you to carry.”
I could only close my eyes and heave a sigh. How long will this kind of life last? Don’t I deserve to live peacefully and happily? What did I ever do to deserve this??
I opened my eyes again and began eating what was left of their breakfast. The cold glass of water helped the hunger dissipate from my stomach, hoping I could eat soon again and on time. I cleared the table and stuffed everything in the dishwasher. As if on cue, Victoria’s annoying voice echoed in the house, calling me to help her with her stuff in her room. I rolled my eyes as I made my way upstairs and into her room where she stood in the middle, all her clothes messily sprawled out on the floor and her bed. She could only smirk at me when I continued to stare at the mess of what she calls a room.
“Get to work, loser.”
“Is everything ready?”
Aunt Peggy questioned as she approached me. I was sitting underneath the shade of an oak tree, catching my breath after I struggled to carry at least ten boxes of clothes, books, and shoes, all packed and ready for the move. I even spent at least an hour cleaning up their storage house which consisted of dust and garbage. I did all this all while struggling to keep my wounded wrist safe but sometimes the casual unintentional hit it endured couldn’t be avoided. It was already three in the afternoon and according to Uncle Robert, we were supposed to be leaving at four.
Here I am finally getting the rest I deserve and hoping they remember to feed me lunch.
“Yes, Aunt Peggy.”
She continued to stare at me with a neutral look. “Have you eaten?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Head into the kitchen. I saved your lunch in the refrigerator. And take a shower before we leave, you smell like a pig. I left your clothes in your room.”
And just like that, she turned around and returned to the garage where Victoria was stuffing the last of the smaller boxes in their car. I couldn’t help but wonder if Aunt Peggy had a slight change in her demeanour towards me, or she was at least the less evil one in their family. She could be the one who took care of me last night when I blacked out from my injury.
I shook my head and decided to shrug it off before heading to the kitchen for my very late lunch. After a quick meal and a very refreshing shower, I put on the clothes Aunt Peggy had lent me — an oversized cream sweater, a pair of tattered jeans and some worn-out black chucks. They must be Victoria’s old clothes. I also couldn’t help but notice that she left a black, leather bracelet on the bed and I could only assume it was for me to keep my fresh cut hidden.
Once I was ready, I headed down the stairs. I made my way to the front porch where Uncle Robert and Aunt Peggy already waited in the car. In a few minutes, Victoria ran out of the house wearing a thick trench coat and some dark skinny jeans. She quickly entered the car with heavy breaths and grinning. “Alright, Goldpeak, here we come!!”
As we pulled out of the neighbourhood and away from their old house, I couldn’t help but wonder what awaits me in this new place. I suddenly felt hopeful, hoping that I could meet new people there and have a chance of making new friends. I could finally live in a place where I wasn’t branded as a murderer or a psychotic person.
The ride to the new town was filled with excited chatters from Victoria’s annoying voice and
Aunt Peggy casually chirping in saying how she wanted to grow a garden filled with flowers. Uncle Robert stayed silent, his eyes on the road and not even a hint of a smile on his lips. I only
stayed silent and looked out the window, watching as we passed by trees and cars until I fell asleep.
“Get up, loser. We’re here.” Victoria’s annoying voice woke me up from my deep slumber and I quickly looked around and saw that we were in front of a two-story white house with clean-cut grass and a sign that said SOLD just near the cobbled pathway that led to the front door. The moving truck pulled up just behind us and began taking out the boxes. It was getting darker by the minute and the movers were eager to go back to their headquarters, not wanting to drive for hours in the dark. Uncle Robert pushed me out of the car and told me to help them.
“No dinner until you’ve put all the boxes inside.” He simply stated.
I let out a sigh as I rubbed my tired eyes and neared the men who easily lifted the heavy boxes with ease and I decided to carry the smaller ones. I watched as the men only placed the boxes by the door, not bothering to put them inside, which meant I had to drag them all one by one.
“Could you guys maybe carry it inside?” I nervously asked in hopes of having them lessen my workload.
One of the men shook his head. “Sorry, kid. It’s getting late. We should be heading back. Ask your dad to help you, yeah?”
He then walked past me and proceeded to take out the last box from the van and put it on the ground with a slight thud. Uncle Robert neared them and gave them their cash, thanking them quickly as he entered their new home and joined Aunt Peggy in the living room.
I was then left all alone outside. The cool wind brushed past me and I shivered, tugging at the sleeves of my sweater and mentally thanking Aunt Peggy for letting me wear one. I looked around the neighbourhood. All the houses looked identical with white sidings, clean-cut grasses, and big windows. The neighbourhood seemed quiet, with no sign of any people lingering outside. It was getting late anyway. People must be having their dinner.
My stomach grumbled.
“Lilly.” Aunt Peggy called, and I turned around to look at her, and she was wearing a coat. Victoria was following behind her. “We’re going out for dinner.” I almost thought that they were taking me with them. Just when I was about to take a step towards the car, Uncle Robert blocked my way and stared me down.
“And by we, we mean only the three of us.” He stated darkly. “You’ll get your dinner when you’ve put the boxes inside, just like I told you to.”
And without another word, he turned around and made his way to their car. I watched as the car zoomed out until they were out of sight before I let out a groan and let my body fall to the small flight of stairs. I stared at the several boxes in front of me, seeming to be mocking me. I frowned.
“Need a hand?”
I flinched at the sudden, unfamiliar voice, and I looked up to see a beautiful girl about my age, standing by the front porch as she waved her hand.
“I-It’s fine. I can handle it.” I replied nervously. She proceeded to enter the porch and approach me with a warm and welcoming smile.
“These are a lot of boxes and I don’t think you’d be done with them until they get back.” She replied. Then she added, “Please let me help. I don’t want to see you struggling.”
I could only stare back at the girl. She had long, straight, brown hair, and she wore a pair of jeans and a brown sweater. She had light makeup on and even in the dark, I could still make out the light brown colour of her eyes illuminated by the house’s lights.
“I’m Taylor, Taylor Stevens.” She introduced herself as she brought her hand up for a handshake. “You must be my new neighbor.”
I stared at her hand, quickly processing my thoughts until I snapped out of it and completed the handshake. “Lilith Archfiend, but you can call me Lilly.”
I expected her to frown or grimace upon hearing my name. I waited for her to run away from me and tell me that I was a murderer or a psychotic freak. Instead, she grinned and gushed out, “I love your name!”
Then I realized that we were in a whole new, different town, which is far from the old one. In this town, I was a new person, and this was my chance to start again and redeem myself.
I wanted my past to be finally put behind and start in this new town with high hopes.
“Thank you,” I thanked her with a smile. “Do you live close?”
“Yeah, just two houses from yours.” She replied. “Anyway, do you think we should start putting them inside?”
“You don’t have to. These boxes are so heavy!” I exclaimed as I gestured at the many boxes waiting to be taken inside.
“Nah, they should be easy.” Taylor waved off with a disapproving look. “Come on, we’ll have dinner afterwards.” Before I could protest, she quickly stood up and took a box nearest to her and lifted it with one huff.
Taylor and I worked quietly as we carried every box inside until there was nothing left by the porch. Surprisingly, we finished it all in just half an hour, which meant I had extra time to rest for a while before the family could come back from dinner and give me more heavy tasks. Taylor and I sat back on the stairs, catching our breaths and wiping the sweat from our foreheads.
“Thank you, Taylor. That was thoughtful of you.” I thanked after a few moments of silence.
“It’s no problem.” She replied with a grin before it slowly faded and worry appeared on her lips. “I wasn’t trying to stalk you guys or anything, but I saw the way they were being awful to you.
"Are they always like that?”