***NEED WORK

Her maniac laughter echoed through the kitchen.
I struggled to pull myself up from the ground, shattered beer glass scattered on the ground around me and in my hair. Dammit, that bitch is totally wasted...
She was never like this; this was out of control. Sure, she's gotten drunk before, but every single one of those times, I was able to take care of her, keep her at bay.
This couldn't be covered as 'drunk'. This time, it seems to be an excuse.
This time, she seems to actually trying to kill...

My head was screaming angrily with pain as I tried to get back on my feet. I pressed my hand against the side of my head, as if it was going to smother the pain away. I felt something warm trickle on the side of my face. I pulled my hand away and saw it was covered with crimson blood.
Is this really happening?
I was surprised that I wasn't panicked; I don't think I was registering what was happening. I tried to apply pressure against my head, to stop the flow of blood. But instead of the blood stopping, there was more blood as the shards of glass clinging in my hair cut into my palm. I staggered up to my feet as my mother went on with her slurred, drunken fit.
"What did I tell you? Clean this shit up." She started laughing all over again, swaying on her feet.

She made her way toward the sink, swaying as she went. She disposed of the broken neck of the shattered bottle and grabbed up another empty bottle. She tilted it up over her open mouth, trying to get more to drink. But then, seeing that it was empty, she became angry. Without a warning to me, she threw the bottle in my direction. I ducked down to the ground just in time. The bottle flew over my head and crashed against the wall, making a loud noise.
Oh god...Liana, don't come now!!
I prayed silently that Liana's curiosity wouldn't take over.

"Where's my beer?" my mother demanded, returning me into the raging hell.
I turned and saw my mother glaring at me with bloodshot eyes.
"You drank my beer?" she said accusingly.
I was shocked.
"N...no, I didn't," I said, fighting the pulsing pain in my skull.
Another bottle crashed on the floor right next to me, making me cringe.
"Stop lying!!" she shrieked, snatching up all the glass bottles on the counter.
"You know what? I was thinking today, and I thought I should apologize to you, for a lot of things,"

I sat on the ground, shocked at what I was hearing. Was this a guilt trip, or was it an actual confession?
"And you know something? I am sorry...I'm sorry I had you as a daughter!"
Another bottle shattered against the wall.
"I cared for you, gave you what you wanted, I practically sacrificed my life for you, and is this how you pay me back? By stealing from me?"
Another bottle sailed through the air, just missing my head.
"I feel bad for Liana, my poor Liana, to have an older sister like you. You stole from her too,"

My heart grew tight and my throat twisted into a knot. All the words came back now.
You're pathetic...she could have walked...you took them all away from her...
I didn't notice my mother coming over to where I was kneeling. Suddenly, I found myself completely on the ground, landing painfully on the glass. Air was knocked out of me, and pain grew from me abdomen. I watched my blood drip from my cut face, smearing in an angry red streak on the floor. I heard her crackle.
"You know, Liana hates you for all you have done to her. She would never forgive you. She wishes you were dead,"
She lifted another beer bottle over her head...

"Mommy?" came a quiet voice.
We both turn around. Liana was at the kitchen door, standing there with a pale face. She was crying.

"Liana...you're standing...you can stand?"
My mother looked at her, bewilderment clear in her expression.
All the sudden, she seemed sober. Liana wasn't paying attention to her, though. She was looking right at me. "Cella..." Liana stepped towards me, but our mother rushed over to her side.
"Oh, my baby. It's okay; she can't hurt you now," she crooned, pulling her into her arms.
A part of me wanted to scream "Don't touch her!!", but another part of me was shocked.
I can't hurt her now...
"Cella...hurt me?" Liana looked bewildered at me.
"Yes baby, she was going to go hurt you just now and I stopped her. She's been tricking you the whole time. She doesn't care about us," she slurred.
Liana looked at me, her eyes wide.
"Cella won't---"
"No. She tricked us both."

Liana looked back at me with wide eyes, obviously confused. Suddenly, she started to wiggle out of her mother's grasp.
"Cella's hurt!!" Liana kept on shrieking, fighting against the arms that held her.
She held on, crying over Liana's high pitched screams.
"Shhh... Liana, darling, please! It's hard for me too; she hurt me just like she had hurt you!!" I snapped my head up, ignoring the panging pain of my skull.
Everything went quiet, anything moving freezing in its place.
I...hurt my MOTHER?

That was when I fully realized what she was doing. She wasn't acting that everything was alright for Liana. She wasn't just making me seem like a bad guy....She was trying to convince her I was hurting them both.
Brainwashing her that I hated her. And that she was the victim.
Funny, I'm the one covered in blood.

I wanted so much to scream "DON'T TOUCH MY BABY SISTER!!" but the words never formed. Emotions seemed to get stuck at my throat, making it hard to think clearly. All I could do was watch.

Liana turned to her mother and looked at her with confusion.
"Cella hurt me and mommy?" Liana asked.
"Yes, my angel, she stole from both of us. Do you know what?" she said in a calm hushed tone.
Liana shook her head. She was pulled into a hug by her "mommy". Her head was now resting on her shoulders, facing away from me.
But instead of looking at her back, I glared right at the eyes of the woman I hated the most. She looked back at me at that moment, staring back blankly for a second. She closed her eyes as if she was afraid to look at me. Then, her expression changed, her sad, heart-broken act rapidly dropping.
She met my cold glare with a defiant smirk on her lips. She knew she was winning. Careful to keep my eye contact, she turned her head slightly and whispered in Liana's ear softly, but loud enough for me to hear.
"Liana, didn't you want to dance?"

I knew where this was going and I didn't like it a bit. I felt revealed. She went on, smirking still at my reaction.
"I know you always wanted to dance pretty."
Liana hadn't moved an inch. I couldn't even tell if she was breathing or not.
"Oh, baby, I'm so, so sorry."
The smirk was replaced by trembling lips, and her eyes lost its dark daggers. She kissed Liana's cheek, pulling her away from the hug and continued.
"My pretty little dancer...my poor little dancer...All you ever wanted was to dance."

Anger exploded through me as I watched that twisted witch weave her story. My hands were in a tight fist, the glass slicing at my knuckles.
"But all of that stolen away from you now... You were tricked, pushed around, played with, by the person you trusted with all your heart. Now, who did all that to you, Liana?"
"No one. I'm not hurt, mommy. I could walk now." Liana whispered, her voice barely audible.

Oh, god, no. No, no, NO...
Her resolve, her belief was crumbling. And it was hurting her. And that was the witch's plan...
"No Liana. Please, try to understand!! This was her plan all along!! Don't you see? She doesn't want you to be a dancer because she doesn't want you to have any attention. Celeste was trying to make you think she was your friend. A good sister!!!"
There was a heavy silence as Liana didn't answer.
I didn't dare make a sound.
I couldn't; I didn't believe this was happening.
I was losing my baby sister.
"Why do you think she's been dancing and not you? Why do you think you couldn't go to the dance school? Why?"
She set my sister down carefully, carefully avoiding any litter on the floor. She continued.
"Why is she always dancing? Why is she always away? ...Liana, why does she always have what you don't?"

I froze, the air suddenly seemed thick. The silence was deadly, unbearable. Before I knew it, I was standing up, fighting the screaming pain of my head.
"Lia, Lia please...you couldn't believe this. I'm always there for you, right?"
More silence. I felt myself slowly slipping away into an abyss of despair.
"Lia, Liana. Don't believe her; it's all a lie!! I couldn't even think about hurting you!!!" I croaked out, my voice starting to break.
Nothing. But I didn't want to let go, to give up.
"Remember the promise? Remember what I said?! That I'll always---"

"… Celeste…"

I stopped mid-sentence. I looked at my sister, her back facing towards me. I saw her tiny frame shaking slightly. I blinked, shocked at the tiny, voice that spoke out.
Did I hear that right?...
There was a longer pause that cut into me deeper. I could barely breathe. Slowly, Liana turned to face me. Her face was tear-stained, her cheeks were read. But there was something in her eyes, something I had never seen from her. The eyes of hurt, confusion, and blame. She turned fully towards me, holding herself up tall and strong. She glared at me with strong emotions that cut through me.
"Celeste, all I wanted... is to dance." She lost her composure and started to cry.
Instantly, my heart felt as if my world had come crashing down. The sanctuary I had built inside myself, the place I relied on to escape, was shattered. Her eyes seemed to be screaming at me. Lia. My little Liana.
"Why can't I dance, Celeste? Why?!" Lia sobbed.
Her mother swept her up and held her tight, rocking back and forth. She wasn't looking at me, but I saw her sick smile.
She won...

"No..." I heard myself whisper.

But they didn't hear. I backed away slowly; the pain seemed like nothing now. I felt myself starting to shake, rapidly losing control.
Suddenly, it was as if the walls were caving in on me, trying to suffocate me. I turned and ran out of the kitchen. I sped through the dining room, and into the main hall. I ran to the front doors and wrenched it open. Then I threw myself into the dark shadows of the night.

I ran and ran. But no matter how far I ran, the hollow feel inside me didn't cease. I had lost myself into darkness. It had torn me apart beyond repair.