Haunted

The noise of Xander slamming the front door echoed coldly around me, bringing on a sudden migraine. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, terrified of what was sure to follow. I could hear slow, steady footsteps coming towards me and my who body shook uncontrollably with fear.
“Did I not make it clear enough when I told you to keep your filthy little mouth shut?” asked a solemn voice. I breathed in deeply and looked up to see Liam’s face just inches from mine.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, tears spilling from the corners of my eyes.
“Get up,” he said bluntly. I stayed frozen still, not sure I was completely capable of standing for long since I could barely keep my eyes open due to the dizziness and the fear and the hurt.
“Get up!” he screamed furiously. I held onto the handle of the kitchen cupboard and hoisted myself up, leaning on the counter for support.
“Please Liam, let me explain,” I begged, tears falling quickly down my cheeks.
“No, there’s no explanations, only consequences,” he said, his lips twisting into a menacing smirk. My heart racing, I ran from the kitchen, up the stairs and locked myself safely in the bathroom. Liam rushed after me, pounding his fists angrily on the door.
“Get the fuck out of there, you stupid bitch,” he screamed. It was impossible to keep calm with him going on like that. Tears streamed down my cheeks mercilessly. For each one I wiped away, another one formed. My eyes fell on a sharp razor blade resting on the shelf above the sink. Hands shaking, I picked it up and carefully ran my fingers over the sharp blade. I’d never cut myself before. Why not start now? The pain would be nothing compared to that of Liam’s ‘consequences’ that were sure to follow. As I steadied my breath, I raised the blade to my arm. Strangely, with each cut, came not just a searing pain, but relief. I felt powerful and strong and capable. I didn’t feel like so much of a failure. The pain from my wrists somehow subdued the pain in my mind that had been threatening to suffocate me.

I was disappointed to find the blinding pain returned after a just few minutes. With it came feelings of shame and disgust at what I had just done to myself. My cheeks were stained with tears and Liam was still pounding furiously at the door. Of course, I had to face him at some point or another and by hiding here, I was probably just infuriating him more and more but I needed to think and I couldn’t do that in his presence. I got in the shower, hoping the noise of the water falling would drown out his voice and wash away the pain. I was hugely disappointed to find that all it washed away was the blood. I couldn’t be bothered to do anything with my hair, so I was soon showered, dried and dressed. Taking a deep breath, I reached for the lock and cautiously opened the door. Next thing I knew I was pinned up against the wall, Liam’s hands clasped tightly around my throat.
“Let me go,” I choked, trying to free myself from his suffocating grasp. It had the opposite effect as he simply tightened his grip, causing me to find it even harder to breathe. His tall figure towered over mine and all of a sudden I wished I had stayed hidden safely in the bathroom instead of coming out to face this torture.
“Don’t ignore me when I tell you what to do,” he said menacingly. I searched his eyes for any sign of sympathy or affection but all I saw were to bloodshot, anger-filled eyes, staring coldly into mine.
“I’m sorry,” was all I managed to choke out. His grip tightened some more and I tried to pull his hands off mine but my strength was nothing compared to his. It was hopeless. His gaze fell to my wrists and his smirk, which I had now grown used to, once again tugged at his lips.
“Oh look, here I was getting ready to punish you but you beat me to it. You know that’s a shame, I was looking forward to seeing you suffer. You must let me know next time, and I’ll be sure to come and watch.” A lump formed in my throat. The thought made me feel sick, although I felt somewhat relieved that he may let me off this time. “And about that,” he paused, looking deep in thought, “thing that was here earlier. He’s the one from before, isn’t he?” I nodded slowly.
“For a minute there, I thought you’d proved me wrong. He seemed to really care about you.” I frowned, not quite sure what Liam was getting at. He remained silent for a few seconds, enjoying seeing my exhausted, twisted brain, puzzle it over. There was nothing he enjoyed more than seeing me suffer.
“I wonder what he’ll think once he finds out about your little secret,” he laughed, squeezing my wrists slightly, causing me to cry out in pain.
“You were given a chance and you blew it. He’s rich. He’s famous. He could have anyone he wanted. Why would he choose a disgusting freak like you?” I gave up trying holding back the tears. It was true – as much as it hurt to admit it.
“Aww, don’t cry. You still have me,” he laughed to himself. Digging his fingers sharply into my wrists, he smiled in satisfaction, then turned and walked downstairs. I dragged myself to my room, pulled the covers tightly round my shoulders and cried myself into a nightmare-filled sleep.