‹ Prequel: Wanderlust
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Rendering Flames
Eleven
I hid up in my room, hearing my father and his work partners and boss talking down stairs. I could smell the cigar smoke that wafted upstairs. They roared with laughter every so often and I flinched when they did. I never wanted to know what they were laughing about. All of them, including my father, were dark and sadistic. My father though, I remember when he wasn’t like that. I didn’t take long for him to be sucked in though.
“Evanna,” my mother’s voice offered some comfort as she came into my room. “Come here, my darling.”
I got up off my bed and went over to her and she took my face in her hands. She plucked a hair from my head and I tried not to jump at the sudden pinch. She smiled with apology and led me over to my vanity. She stood behind me and started brushing my hair.
“What is wrong, mama?” She smiled but her eyes were blank.
“You’re father’s work friends are over, as well as his boss, and they wanted to meet you.” The lack of excitement and the chip in her voice made me frown.
“I’ve never met them before,” I responded nervously.
“Well, I guess you’re old enough now.” She set the brush down and turned me around, kneeling down to my eye level. “Now, lets go introduce ourselves, shall we? Remember to smile big.”
I offered her a genuine one as she took my head and led me down stairs. The chattering grew louder and more boisterous. My mother knocked on the den door and my father gave a brief response to enter. She opened the door and the room was hazy, the fireplace roaring probably too much with fire. All of them sat in the red velvet chairs with a glass of alcohol in their hands.
“Tabitha, have you brought Evanna to meet my associates?” My father looked over to us and his eyes spoke murder to anyone who embarrassed him.
“Yes, she’s very eager to meet them.” My cue was said and I stepped forward shyly, all of their gazes weirdly uninviting.
“Nice to me all of you. My father speaks of nothing but good things.” He’s never mentioned them once to me.
“Oh, you’ve taught her to lie? I like her already.” The eldest out of all them spoke up loudly and the laughter seemed forced and automatic. He had to be the boss.
“She is my pride and joy.” My father smiled over to me and for a second it seemed real and proud. “Evanna, these men to your right are Gus, Newt, and Xavier. And then there is Bruce, my boss.”
I nodded politely to all of them, unaware of what to do next but my mother spoke up for me. “You men have been in here quite a while. Would any of you care for something to eat?”
“I’d say so,” Newt spoke up, standing. “It’s getting a little stuffy in here anyways.”
All the others but Bruce, the eldest, were making a move to leave. I ignored Gus’s grope to my mother’s backside as they all filed out. I was held back by my father with a hard grip and he looked down at me with authority.
“Evanna,” his eyes turned to slits. “How about you stay behind and get to know Bruce better? He does provide for the food on our table.”
“O-of course, father.” My voice stuttered nervously.
He smiled and patted my back as he left, closing the doors behind him. I stood frozen, looking at the doors with panic. “How about you come over here and join me, Evanna?”
I turned to his voice and he patted his lap. I walked over, unwillingly climbing up onto his thick and old frame. He rested an arm around my shoulders, the cigar smoke stinging my nostrils and he took a sip from his glass.
“Have you enjoyed your visit here?” I knew the questions to ask, I just didn’t want to out of fear I would say something to embarrass myself and my parents.
“Quite well.” He smiled a cigar stained smile, “tell me, how old are you?”
I looked down at my hands at the questions but looked back up when I remembered that eye contact was important. “I’m twelve.”
“Twelve?” He mustered a small laugh, “those were the best years. Discovering who you are and what you like.”
“I suppose I have much to look forward to.” I smiled, trying to relax a little.
He set down his glass and I watched his hand rest on my thigh and I tensed up. His thumb rubbed circles and I sat shocked and without words. He continued to smile then and his words turned from innocent to stinging.
“Are you comfortable, Evanna?” He asked lowly.
“No.” My voice shook and I ripped from his grasp, running over to the doors.
I tugged on them but I stopped when I noticed they were locked. My eyes started to water and I gave one more tug, hoping that they’d magically open. They didn’t. I shook them, starting weep opening.
“Evanna,” Bruce’s voice stopped my frenzy. “Now come back over here like the good girl you are. You don’t want to disappoint your father, do you?”
I wiped my tears, realizing that the doors were locked for a reason. I never thought my father would stoop this low, go this far. I had no choice though. The implications would go beyond my father and I would suffer the most because of my refusal.
“I’m sorry.” My feet dragged back over to him and I returned to his lap.
“There,” his hand rested back on my thigh. “Now tell me, is this so bad?”
I looked up to meet his eyes and forced a smile. “No, I’m sorry for my rudeness.”
For an hour, he did unspeakable things to me. And when a knock came on the door, I was ready to sprint out of there. I was sitting far away from him and my mother unlocked the door, walking in. “Did you two have a nice talk?”
I felt robotic. “Yes, it was pleasant.”
“Very good.” Her smile looked real and I started to shake.
I turned back to Bruce, “It was very nice to meet you.”
My mother led me out and stopped me before we rounded the corner to run into my father and his associates. “Understand that what you did was for all of us. You did very well, sweetheart.”
My mother’s ability to let this happen to me was almost as painful as the act itself. She was supposed to be my safety blanket against my father but I realized that she had become exactly what he wanted her to be.
Her embrace was not returned and she left me to do what I willed. I calmly walked up to the stairs and to my room. I shut my door and stood in front of my vanity. My hair was messy, red marks on my throat and cheeks. I lifted my dress and saw the scratches and reddening bruises on my thighs. I looked away with fear, wondering how many more times I was to endure that hell again.
“Evanna,” my mother’s voice offered some comfort as she came into my room. “Come here, my darling.”
I got up off my bed and went over to her and she took my face in her hands. She plucked a hair from my head and I tried not to jump at the sudden pinch. She smiled with apology and led me over to my vanity. She stood behind me and started brushing my hair.
“What is wrong, mama?” She smiled but her eyes were blank.
“You’re father’s work friends are over, as well as his boss, and they wanted to meet you.” The lack of excitement and the chip in her voice made me frown.
“I’ve never met them before,” I responded nervously.
“Well, I guess you’re old enough now.” She set the brush down and turned me around, kneeling down to my eye level. “Now, lets go introduce ourselves, shall we? Remember to smile big.”
I offered her a genuine one as she took my head and led me down stairs. The chattering grew louder and more boisterous. My mother knocked on the den door and my father gave a brief response to enter. She opened the door and the room was hazy, the fireplace roaring probably too much with fire. All of them sat in the red velvet chairs with a glass of alcohol in their hands.
“Tabitha, have you brought Evanna to meet my associates?” My father looked over to us and his eyes spoke murder to anyone who embarrassed him.
“Yes, she’s very eager to meet them.” My cue was said and I stepped forward shyly, all of their gazes weirdly uninviting.
“Nice to me all of you. My father speaks of nothing but good things.” He’s never mentioned them once to me.
“Oh, you’ve taught her to lie? I like her already.” The eldest out of all them spoke up loudly and the laughter seemed forced and automatic. He had to be the boss.
“She is my pride and joy.” My father smiled over to me and for a second it seemed real and proud. “Evanna, these men to your right are Gus, Newt, and Xavier. And then there is Bruce, my boss.”
I nodded politely to all of them, unaware of what to do next but my mother spoke up for me. “You men have been in here quite a while. Would any of you care for something to eat?”
“I’d say so,” Newt spoke up, standing. “It’s getting a little stuffy in here anyways.”
All the others but Bruce, the eldest, were making a move to leave. I ignored Gus’s grope to my mother’s backside as they all filed out. I was held back by my father with a hard grip and he looked down at me with authority.
“Evanna,” his eyes turned to slits. “How about you stay behind and get to know Bruce better? He does provide for the food on our table.”
“O-of course, father.” My voice stuttered nervously.
He smiled and patted my back as he left, closing the doors behind him. I stood frozen, looking at the doors with panic. “How about you come over here and join me, Evanna?”
I turned to his voice and he patted his lap. I walked over, unwillingly climbing up onto his thick and old frame. He rested an arm around my shoulders, the cigar smoke stinging my nostrils and he took a sip from his glass.
“Have you enjoyed your visit here?” I knew the questions to ask, I just didn’t want to out of fear I would say something to embarrass myself and my parents.
“Quite well.” He smiled a cigar stained smile, “tell me, how old are you?”
I looked down at my hands at the questions but looked back up when I remembered that eye contact was important. “I’m twelve.”
“Twelve?” He mustered a small laugh, “those were the best years. Discovering who you are and what you like.”
“I suppose I have much to look forward to.” I smiled, trying to relax a little.
He set down his glass and I watched his hand rest on my thigh and I tensed up. His thumb rubbed circles and I sat shocked and without words. He continued to smile then and his words turned from innocent to stinging.
“Are you comfortable, Evanna?” He asked lowly.
“No.” My voice shook and I ripped from his grasp, running over to the doors.
I tugged on them but I stopped when I noticed they were locked. My eyes started to water and I gave one more tug, hoping that they’d magically open. They didn’t. I shook them, starting weep opening.
“Evanna,” Bruce’s voice stopped my frenzy. “Now come back over here like the good girl you are. You don’t want to disappoint your father, do you?”
I wiped my tears, realizing that the doors were locked for a reason. I never thought my father would stoop this low, go this far. I had no choice though. The implications would go beyond my father and I would suffer the most because of my refusal.
“I’m sorry.” My feet dragged back over to him and I returned to his lap.
“There,” his hand rested back on my thigh. “Now tell me, is this so bad?”
I looked up to meet his eyes and forced a smile. “No, I’m sorry for my rudeness.”
For an hour, he did unspeakable things to me. And when a knock came on the door, I was ready to sprint out of there. I was sitting far away from him and my mother unlocked the door, walking in. “Did you two have a nice talk?”
I felt robotic. “Yes, it was pleasant.”
“Very good.” Her smile looked real and I started to shake.
I turned back to Bruce, “It was very nice to meet you.”
My mother led me out and stopped me before we rounded the corner to run into my father and his associates. “Understand that what you did was for all of us. You did very well, sweetheart.”
My mother’s ability to let this happen to me was almost as painful as the act itself. She was supposed to be my safety blanket against my father but I realized that she had become exactly what he wanted her to be.
Her embrace was not returned and she left me to do what I willed. I calmly walked up to the stairs and to my room. I shut my door and stood in front of my vanity. My hair was messy, red marks on my throat and cheeks. I lifted my dress and saw the scratches and reddening bruises on my thighs. I looked away with fear, wondering how many more times I was to endure that hell again.
♠ ♠ ♠
This was going to be much longer but I decided that this was going to be a stand alone chapter. I know that it was pretty dark as well so I apologize to those who may have found it uncomfortable and it's why I didn't go into greater detail. I put a trigger warning though so you weren't blind sided. This will all be explained in the next chapter. This wasn't just some random thing.But I'm still writing the next chapter but will post later tonight!
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Avec l'amour
Mel