White Roses Fade to Black
Hearts and Wrists In Tact...?
David walked in Lucie’s front door. There were screams coming from upstairs, and deep, adult voices yelling insults doused in spite.
“You little evil bitch! How dare you get a boyfriend!? Don’t you think you give us enough shit to deal with without you fucking some boy and getting pregnant!?” a woman’s voice screamed.
“If I get my hands on who ever he is, I’ll rip his head off. And it’ll be all your fault, you selfish little whore!” a mans voice spat.
David’s blood ran cold. But what he heard next made him want to kill himself there and then.
“No! Please, don’t hurt him! Do what you want to me, but please, oh God please, don’t hurt him! David’s the sweetest person I’ve ever met, he wouldn’t use me! Please, don’t hurt him!” Lucie’s voice cried.
David’s tears splashed down his face and rolled onto his System Of a Down tee-shirt. They were killing her. Killing her, and there was nothing he could do about it. His feet were rooted to the ground and his throat felt like it was closing up. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t scream; he could barely think.
“Don’t beg, you pathetic freak. We’ll do what we want to you anyways, and we’ll get him. He thinks he can touch what isn’t his. Don’t know why he would anyways, you sickly toad,” Lucie’s mom hissed, venom seeping from every word.
More cries of pain. Her parents grunted as they threw their punches and kicks, describing to David how much effort and energy they put into hurting their eldest child. He wondered whether it happened to Ellie or thirteen year old Tony.
“I think you’ve learned your lesson for now. We’re going to go downstairs and eat. Fuck off for a couple hours, don’t bother coming back at all if you want. It ain’t like we care,” her dad cackled evilly.
Then came the footsteps. David’s heart started beating like a drum, hard and fast against the inside of his chest. He pulled his pack over his shoulder and ran out the front door, slamming it behind him. His ears were ringing with their evil cat calls.
“Who’s there!?” he heard.
Oh no, he thought. He’d walked himself into it, sure, but what had he done to Lucie? If they found him, they’d beat him to a pulp and kill her. David tried to steady his breathing, slow it down. But his throat was closing up and he was growing dizzier by the second.
“Who is it!?” the voice yelled.
David was seeing spots. The door opened next to him and an out of control and battered Lucie ran out. She spotted him choking and ran over to him, forgetting her own injuries and concentrating on her reason to live.
“David? David talk to me!?” she screamed, fresh tears melting her beautiful features.
All David could do was wheeze. His body was growing numb and he couldn’t think. The spots grew bigger and brighter, until they were all he could see, until he was blinded by them. He tried to reach out and touch Lucie, but his hands couldn’t find her.
“C-can’t… breathe…” he choked.
And he collapsed. Lucie looked at his barely breathing form and sobbed uncontrollably, bending down and shaking him, trying to make him regain consciousness.
“David? Please wake up…” she whispered.
*
The pain felt so good. Blood dripped onto the lynol floor; staining it red. The hospital toilet cubical was painted in a sickening girly pink, but the red of the blood contrasted, yet matched it perfectly.
Lucie groaned as the pain ripped through her arm. If only her beatings could feel this relieving. Tucking the razorblade into her pants pocket, she checked her bloodstained watch. It had been three hours since the ambulance had finally got her and David to the hospital.
“What will I do if he’s died?” Lucie asked herself.
Her eyes were so dry. She’d cried so many tears over the last eleven years, that there were none to cry for her beloved. She decided to see how David was doing.
Her footsteps echoed down the empty A&E corridor, as she trailed down to the room where David had been admitted. She knocked and the nurse looked up, smiling slightly and trying hard to look past Lucie’s many injures. Despite her many efforts, the nurse had to ask.
“What happened to you, child?” she asked, genuine concern in her voice.
Lucie was shocked. She pointed to herself silently and looked behind her, mouthing “Me?” The nurse nodded.
“I was beaten up by some people wearing balaclavas in the park. I have no idea what they look like,” she lied.
The nurse half looked like she didn’t believe her, and half looked like she wanted to believe her but couldn’t.
“Okay. Well, the young man who you brought in is seriously ill, but it’s good you brought him in when you did. He could have died if it was any later,” she smiled.
Lucie felt the tears prickle the back of her eyes. Her worst fears were awakened. David had heard everything her and her parents had said, and he’d panicked. Lucie thought about her first panic attack…
**FLASHBACK**
It was the third time Lucie had been beaten, and the worst time yet. But she’d run away before she’d blacked out. She couldn’t go back to hospital and lie. She was only five years old; she shouldn’t have to deal with all this.
She ran the way to Lesley’s house, praying to whoever was up in heaven to have her parents out. Lucie knocked on the door, and was met by her best friends piercing blue gaze.
“Lucie? What’s wrong?” Lesley asked.
She was so innocent. Lucie, being so young, should have been innocent too. But her innocence had been cruelly stripped away; all because she’d misbehaved at school one time.
“Nothing. I’m just tired,” she smiled weakly.
Lesley smiled that cheerful smile and let Lucie in. The comfy blue sofa looked so inviting, and Lucie’s tiny frame collapsed on it, her undeveloped mind trying to comprehend everything. Her body shook from pain and exhaustion, and Lesley watched anxiously as her best friend began to make strange wheezing noises.
“Lucie? You okay?” Lesley asked.
Lucie shook her head, her face full of worry. What was happening? She couldn’t see, she couldn’t feel her body. Her heart and head started to pound, throbbing painfully. Her throat closed up and she put her hands on it, trying to breathe. The last thing she saw and remembered was Lesley picking up the phone and dialling the only number she knew. 999.
“You little evil bitch! How dare you get a boyfriend!? Don’t you think you give us enough shit to deal with without you fucking some boy and getting pregnant!?” a woman’s voice screamed.
“If I get my hands on who ever he is, I’ll rip his head off. And it’ll be all your fault, you selfish little whore!” a mans voice spat.
David’s blood ran cold. But what he heard next made him want to kill himself there and then.
“No! Please, don’t hurt him! Do what you want to me, but please, oh God please, don’t hurt him! David’s the sweetest person I’ve ever met, he wouldn’t use me! Please, don’t hurt him!” Lucie’s voice cried.
David’s tears splashed down his face and rolled onto his System Of a Down tee-shirt. They were killing her. Killing her, and there was nothing he could do about it. His feet were rooted to the ground and his throat felt like it was closing up. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t scream; he could barely think.
“Don’t beg, you pathetic freak. We’ll do what we want to you anyways, and we’ll get him. He thinks he can touch what isn’t his. Don’t know why he would anyways, you sickly toad,” Lucie’s mom hissed, venom seeping from every word.
More cries of pain. Her parents grunted as they threw their punches and kicks, describing to David how much effort and energy they put into hurting their eldest child. He wondered whether it happened to Ellie or thirteen year old Tony.
“I think you’ve learned your lesson for now. We’re going to go downstairs and eat. Fuck off for a couple hours, don’t bother coming back at all if you want. It ain’t like we care,” her dad cackled evilly.
Then came the footsteps. David’s heart started beating like a drum, hard and fast against the inside of his chest. He pulled his pack over his shoulder and ran out the front door, slamming it behind him. His ears were ringing with their evil cat calls.
“Who’s there!?” he heard.
Oh no, he thought. He’d walked himself into it, sure, but what had he done to Lucie? If they found him, they’d beat him to a pulp and kill her. David tried to steady his breathing, slow it down. But his throat was closing up and he was growing dizzier by the second.
“Who is it!?” the voice yelled.
David was seeing spots. The door opened next to him and an out of control and battered Lucie ran out. She spotted him choking and ran over to him, forgetting her own injuries and concentrating on her reason to live.
“David? David talk to me!?” she screamed, fresh tears melting her beautiful features.
All David could do was wheeze. His body was growing numb and he couldn’t think. The spots grew bigger and brighter, until they were all he could see, until he was blinded by them. He tried to reach out and touch Lucie, but his hands couldn’t find her.
“C-can’t… breathe…” he choked.
And he collapsed. Lucie looked at his barely breathing form and sobbed uncontrollably, bending down and shaking him, trying to make him regain consciousness.
“David? Please wake up…” she whispered.
*
The pain felt so good. Blood dripped onto the lynol floor; staining it red. The hospital toilet cubical was painted in a sickening girly pink, but the red of the blood contrasted, yet matched it perfectly.
Lucie groaned as the pain ripped through her arm. If only her beatings could feel this relieving. Tucking the razorblade into her pants pocket, she checked her bloodstained watch. It had been three hours since the ambulance had finally got her and David to the hospital.
“What will I do if he’s died?” Lucie asked herself.
Her eyes were so dry. She’d cried so many tears over the last eleven years, that there were none to cry for her beloved. She decided to see how David was doing.
Her footsteps echoed down the empty A&E corridor, as she trailed down to the room where David had been admitted. She knocked and the nurse looked up, smiling slightly and trying hard to look past Lucie’s many injures. Despite her many efforts, the nurse had to ask.
“What happened to you, child?” she asked, genuine concern in her voice.
Lucie was shocked. She pointed to herself silently and looked behind her, mouthing “Me?” The nurse nodded.
“I was beaten up by some people wearing balaclavas in the park. I have no idea what they look like,” she lied.
The nurse half looked like she didn’t believe her, and half looked like she wanted to believe her but couldn’t.
“Okay. Well, the young man who you brought in is seriously ill, but it’s good you brought him in when you did. He could have died if it was any later,” she smiled.
Lucie felt the tears prickle the back of her eyes. Her worst fears were awakened. David had heard everything her and her parents had said, and he’d panicked. Lucie thought about her first panic attack…
**FLASHBACK**
It was the third time Lucie had been beaten, and the worst time yet. But she’d run away before she’d blacked out. She couldn’t go back to hospital and lie. She was only five years old; she shouldn’t have to deal with all this.
She ran the way to Lesley’s house, praying to whoever was up in heaven to have her parents out. Lucie knocked on the door, and was met by her best friends piercing blue gaze.
“Lucie? What’s wrong?” Lesley asked.
She was so innocent. Lucie, being so young, should have been innocent too. But her innocence had been cruelly stripped away; all because she’d misbehaved at school one time.
“Nothing. I’m just tired,” she smiled weakly.
Lesley smiled that cheerful smile and let Lucie in. The comfy blue sofa looked so inviting, and Lucie’s tiny frame collapsed on it, her undeveloped mind trying to comprehend everything. Her body shook from pain and exhaustion, and Lesley watched anxiously as her best friend began to make strange wheezing noises.
“Lucie? You okay?” Lesley asked.
Lucie shook her head, her face full of worry. What was happening? She couldn’t see, she couldn’t feel her body. Her heart and head started to pound, throbbing painfully. Her throat closed up and she put her hands on it, trying to breathe. The last thing she saw and remembered was Lesley picking up the phone and dialling the only number she knew. 999.