7:00 AM at Heart Mansion

  Sky's POV-

  "Mom, can we talk?" I bit down hard on my lip, trying to keep my nerves in check as I stood before her, the cool floor beneath my feet a stark contrast to the tension in the air.

  She rolled her eyes as she picked up the TV remote and hit pause. The sudden silence was deafening, only broken by the ticking clock on the wall behind her.

  "Don't you see I'm busy and didn't I tell you to stop calling me that?"

  I ignored her cold and harsh words as I was somewhat used to them.

  "Sorry, I... I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."

  "It's not important," She snapped.

  "Mom, last night, Gerald...

  "Oh my God, you are seriously one of those girls, and again, I don't care if I did push you out. Do not call me mom," She scoffed as she stood from the maroon sofa. Her outburst cut deep. Well, the first part. What does she mean by one of those girls?

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean, I can't believe you are going to stand there, and say out of your mouth that my husband. The one man who put more effort into raising you than your pathetic father ever did has done you any wrong. Opening your legs for him was the least you could do, yet you dared to fight back," She spat.

  I stumbled back in disbelief. My legs felt like they would give out any minute. My vision blurred into a mess as tears obscured its path. I thought I was telling her something she was in the dark about. I thought she was gone when it happened since she didn't come to my rescue when I yelled out for her help.

  "You knew?"

  She laughed. "What are you upset that I didn't stop him? Don't get me wrong —it disgusts me to share my man with the likes of you —but he takes care of us. He's a king, for Christ's sake. So whatever he wants. He shall get"

  "Sharing?" I scoffed in utter confusion.

  Is she serious?

  "I wouldn't want him if he were the last man on Earth!" I spat. My voice was shaking as I had never raised it at her before. I mean, she's never shown me the love a normal mother would show her child, but still, I expected her to at least protect me or care about me being hurt.

  "How could you let him do it?" I questioned. My blood boiled in my veins.

  "I needed you to stop him!" I yelled. The tears seemed to fall even faster down my cheeks. My heart felt as if it had been ripped from my chest. Without second thought, I turned to the TV.

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  "What do you think you're...

  -CRASH!

  And just like that, the TV that was paused on her favorite show hit with a loud crash. My mother stood frozen with her mouth agape, staring at the 85-inch now in two on the porcelain tiles. I couldn't tell if I was in shock or relieved to finally let my anger out.

  "You little wench!" She yelled as she rushed over to me.

  -SLAP!

  Her hand landed right across my cheek, leaving behind a stinging sensation.

  "You listen to me, you ungrateful wench," She yelled as she wrapped her hands around my throat tightly.

  "I could have aborted you, but I was nice enough to give you a chance at life, and you waltz your skanky ass in here and...

  "What's going on in here?" Gerald's voice suddenly came in from behind me, making the hairs on my neck stand. My mother released her hold on me and rushed past me.

  "Oh, honey, look at what this ungrateful brat has done. I can't even watch my show," she whined. I couldn't bring myself to look in their direction. I stood frozen in place, wishing some hole would open beneath me and pull me in.

  "Go to your room!" Gerald's menacing voice echoed. Bouncing off the walls like a stereo.

  I quickly ran past them to my room. I had no door to shut and lock since they took it off three days ago, saying I don't need privacy. I see now that they really removed it just to give him easier access to me.

  I climbed onto my bed and pulled the small pink diary from under my pillow. Quickly wiping my face in an attempt to stop more tears from falling onto the crisp paper.

  DIARY ENTRY

  I feel like a canvas painted with brushstrokes of pain. Every shade is a different color of sorrow. There’s no beauty in the piece, just ugliness. The hope that maybe my mother cared about me in her own way has completely left me at this point. Even I can’t say I care about my existence now. The thought of death feels like a shimmer of light in a dark tunnel. The colors keep bleeding, mixing into a mess of depression, anger, and suffocation. I scribbled down. Not caring that I wasn’t writing neatly. Just pouring myself into the paper that had begun to fill with more of my salty tears.

  -Sky

  I had closed the book just in time, I thought as I looked up to see the lady I can’t even call mom and her perverse husband standing in the doorway. I held the diary close to my chest protectively. Hoping they wouldn’t try to take and read it.

  “What are you doing?” My mom’s cold tone matched perfectly with her intense glare.

  “I…

  “Actually, I don’t care,” She snapped.

  Then why’d she ask? I thought as I stared at her in confusion.

  “Pack your things!” Gerald demanded. I can’t ever get over how he talked. He sounded like his breath never met a toothbrush or toothpaste.

  “Pack?” I questioned. I have never even set foot outside, like ever. They wouldn’t even let me go to school in person. I did everything online.

  “Honey, will you give us a minute?” She questioned in her facade of sweetness as she ran her hands across the buttons on his shirt. I turned my head in disgust.

  “Do you want him to give you a minute or give you his clothes?” I hadn’t meant to say that aloud, but there was nothing I could do as the words had already left my mouth. I turned to see that my mom’s glare had intensified.

  “I’ll get the car ready,” Gerald stated before walking away. His absence made the room feel lighter somehow.

  I shifted as I watched my mom move closer. Preparing myself to be hit yet again. She bent down to match my height, causing me to flinch.

  “Finally, I can get rid of you,” She laughed as if she had just said the funniest thing ever. The strong scent of alcohol on her breath hit my nose with an uppercut. I shivered. Get rid of me? Usually, when she tries to sell me off, she has the customer come to the house. However, she’s never had luck with that since none of the customers were like her husband. They didn’t want a child.

  Then… are they planning to kill me?

  Even though the thought had crossed my mind, I didn’t really want to die. I quickly stood up from my bed and was about to make a run for it, but then I realized Gerald had said 'pack'. So they aren’t trying to kill me. I guess they found a buyer this time.

  “Now pack!” she barked before leaving me alone in the room.

  My body shook as more tears fell from my eyes. I felt overwhelmed with fear. I would love to be away from these two, but there’s no way of knowing that where they are taking me is any safer.

  There are bodyguards everywhere. I had no way to escape. Never have. I had no choice but to go wherever they were taking me.