50Bella Slowly crept around the house, barely making any noise as she tip toed to her brothers room. Her heart was beating loudly in her ears and she only hoped that it wouldn't wake the slumbering man down the hall. Entering the small room she shoved her fist in her mouth to stop the scream that threatened to escape her at the sight. Shaking she removed it to furiously wipe away the tears in her eyes. Her elder brother laid on the floor, silent. His eyes were still open but glazed over in death, a small content smile was on his face. His hulking frame was contorted in ways that wasn't natural and she sobbed into the darkness, reliving how it had happened. He was protecting her, from their father. She knelt down next to his body on the blood soaked floor, closing his eyes and stroking his short curly brown hair, knotted in blood.
"Why did you do it brother?" she whispered looking down. She hugged herself around her waist with bruised arms, shivering.
"I wasn't worth it." she said.
Flash Back.
"I'm sorry farther. Please, please let me go." sobbed the long haired brunette, Her hands grasping her hair to prevent it from being ripped out of her scalp. Another, much larger, hand was buried in the long locks, tugging and pulling at them.
"Shut up you stupid bitch." the figure growled at her releasing the hair and throwing her into the wall. Bella looked up frightfully into her fathers eyes, glowing in the dark room. It was her elder brothers room, Jack. She had been cleaning it to be ready for his return from the war when she heard her father stagger into the room drunk. That's how it always started. Ever since her mother died when she had turned fifteen, the man before her had turned to drinking. He would spend hours at the local tavern drinking alone only to return home and hurt her. She was too much like her mother he had said. At first it had only been physical abuse, hits and cuts and such, but recently it was becoming much worse and she feared for her own safety. Her fathers mind was slowly deteriorating and he now only saw his wife where she stood.
"WHY DID YOU FUCKING LEAVE ME!" he shouted at Bella's form that was slumped against the wall. Said figure merely whimpered.
"Father, it is just me, Isabella, your daughter. I'm not Katherine. Please stop. Please don't hurt me." she tried reasoning but it had never worked before so she didn't expect much. When he came storming over to her however she couldn't stop the scream. Quickly moving onto all fours she quickly rushed to the door.
"O' no. your not leaving me again Kathy." he growled, grabbing onto her foot and yanking her towards him.
"I'm not her!" the young teen shouted frantically. Flinching when his mouth silenced her sobbing. She repeatedly hit his frame with her small limbs, he didn't even seem to feel it. He grabbed one of her arms firmly in his grip, strong enough to leave a row of bruises and threw her to the floor. She struggled with eyes wide open and scared. He had her pinned beneath him and was fumbling with his trousers with they other hand.
"NO! STOP FATHER! I'm YOUR DAUGHTER! STOP!" she screeched in hysterics, her mind constantly repeating how wrong this was. He grunted and removed his hand from his trousers, they were proving difficult to manage in his drunken haze and 'Kathy' was giving him a headache. Grabbing her fringe with his newly freed hand he smashed her head into the floor. He grinned when the noise quietened and resumed his efforts with his pants, uncaring that the person beneath him was silently sobbing and shivering. He grinned in success and reached for Bella's skirts, hiking them up to her waist. She didn't even feel it through the haze that fogged her mind, trying to recover from her harsh meeting with the floor. However she was abruptly bought back to reality by the rough palming of her breast through the fabric of her bodice.
"You like that you stupid whore." he whispered in her ear, looking at a spot on the wooden floor next to her head. She whimpered in fear at his touch, It was foreign and painful. She flinched feeling his shaft poking at her untouched womanhood. Her fear doubled. He really wasn't going to stop this time. He couldn't take this from her, he couldn't. If he did how was she to ever get a husband, or pass on to heaven when she died. She would be dirty and impure, she would be considered a slut and a whore before the whole town. Regardless if her virginity was taken by force or not. No one would believe her anyway, hell, half the time it seemed like the town forgot she even existed in the first place. She just seemed to blend in to the background, unimportant.
She saw the determination in his eyes as he made to thrust in and break her untouched barrier but was startled by the loud shout above her and the sudden removal of the weight upon her.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!" the figure roared. Bella slumped in relief, her tears coming faster and more uncontrollable then before, and curled into a ball on her side.
I'm safe. Brother Jack has finally come home.
She thought, still shivering when she heard the heavy thud of what could only be her father when he hit the wall.
"Belly?" the figure called softly, slowly walking over to her with a distraught look on his face. He couldn't believe what he had just walked in on. His father had just tried to rape his sister, he couldn't believe it. When he went off to war his only thoughts were to protect his family, it seemed he had failed on unimaginable proportions. He shuddered to think what could have happened had he not arrived when he did. Reaching over he slowly placed his hand on her shoulder and growled lowly at the slumped over figure of his fathers body behind him when she flinched.
"Belly, look at me. Your safe now. I'll protect you, I'm home." he said quietly, giving her a small smile when she looked at him. He was taken by surprise when she jumped at him and wound her arms around his neck tightly, burrowing her face into his neck.
"I was so scared brother." she cried, uncaring of the unladylike noises escaping her mouth. She didn't care anyway, she knew her brother loved her, faults and all. His big hulking presence was a relief in her own personal hell.
"I know, hush now darlin'." he said, his arms wrapped just as tightly around her slim form.
"Thank you." she said quietly. He just laughed lowly and nodded.
" I know bell... Ooof!"
CRACK!
"JACK!" Bella's eyes widened again in fear. Tears didn't come this time as her shock was to great.
Her eyes raised the the shadowy figure towering over her and her brothers fallen form. Her father was grinning like the devil himself, his brown teeth and eyes glinting in the faint moonlight that cascaded from the only small window in the room. She watched in horror as he raised the wooden plank in his hand and swung it down on her brothers fallen form again. Another loud crack and Jacks eyes widened, letting out a loud scream of pain as it connected with his leg.
"Jack..." she whispered quietly, frozen in horror on the floor. This was far worse, far more painful to watch then what she had just gone through. His hazel eyes locked with hers.
"Belly..." he grunted in pain as the plank once again descended upon him in his fathers rage driven state of mind. So consumed in his rage he didn't even register the communication that was happening.
"Run. Promise me you'll run..." he managed to grunt out. Bella could only nod vigorously, watching has he gave a taught smile, regardless of the pain he was in.
"JACCCKKKKKK!" she screamed again as the now bloodied plank hit his head, just above the ear. She shrieked in horror and held her hands up to her throat as she saw blood gush out from his mouth and nose. Bile was rising as he hit the floor in slow motion.
"Jack, JACK!" she shouted hoping for a response but his dead eyes stared at her lifelessly.
"NO! don't GO! don't LEAVE ME JACK!" she screamed, shuffling to her feet and running clumsily to his fallen side. She reached out with her blood stained hand to shake him but she was suddenly falling sideways, the world fading to black. The last thing she saw was the fading image of her fathers unfocused eyes tossing away the plank of wood and a striking pain in her head.
End Flash Back.
She had awoken on the floor in her own room at what she assumed to be the next night. She was unceremoniously thrown on the floor and ached all over. The previous night seemed to be like a horrendous nightmare. But the blood on her person pointed out other wise. At the sight of her beloved brother sprawled out on the floor she couldn't help the guilt that consumed her thoughts.
"It should have been me you big lug." she said softly, closing her eyes and letting the tears fall more slowly now.
She grimaced as she reached over and pulled out a thin silver chain from around his cold and stiff body. It was simple and had an oval locket attached to it. She opened the clasp and smiled at the picture of her beloved mother in it. Reaching into her pocket she placed a small folded photo on top of it before closing the clasp once more. It was a picture of her brother. She was going to do as he asked. She was going to run, but she never wanted to forget their faces. Closing her eyes once more she wiped her eyes free of the last remaining tears and walked over to the desk in the corner of the room. Reaching for the small and slightly blunt pocket knife she grimaced before grabbing a handful of her thick waves of hair. Shearing them as close to her head as she dared, wincing when she encountered a bloody gash that had crusted over into a scab. She watched unfazed as the brown curls fell to the ground around her, feeling slightly vulnerable due to the lack of weight they provided. With a determined face she reached for her brothers pack that was slung to the ground at the door frame due to the previous incidents he had never even had the chance to unpack. She removed all his identification from the pack and put on one of his uniforms. It was miles to big for her but with a bit of adjustments and carefully place knots it hung on her frame loosely. The trousers felt unfamiliar around her legs, and she could only imagine the shock the ladies in town would have if they had any idea what she was doing. But it was necessary she decided. She would get nowhere if she remained as she was. Women had no rights, they were to stay home and get married and have kids. That was it. Shouldering the pack she sighed quietly and looked at her brothers body for the last time.
"I'm sorry I cannot give you the proper burial brother, but if I am to leave it would have to be now." she told his lifeless form.
"I hope you find peace in the afterlife dear brother. God knows you deserve it. Farewell." she said, kissing his fore head softly before leaving the room. She closed the door quietly, hoping in her mind that he will be give a proper burial. Once she left the house she finally let herself breath.
She ran down the dirt path through the town swiftly, eagerly wanting to leave the horrendous place as soon as possible. She would join the army she decided, she would fight for what her brother wanted and would win.
Once the town was but a mere speck in the distance she finally slowed down panting. She had done it. She was finally free to live her life, to fight for her country, for her brother.
SNAP.
Bella froze, looking to the trees to her right in fear. It was dark and she was all alone, she loathed to admit she was afraid.
"Who's there." she yelled with confidence that belayed her fear. It was silent and the hairs on the back of Bella's neck prickled.
"I Know you out there, show yourself." She said again and tensed as she heard giggling.
"Oh my. You are so demanding Mr. Soldier." the voice said, obviously a girls voice. Bella couldn't help it as she gasped at the newly revealed figure. She was beautiful. Long straight dark hair and procilin features. She looked like and angel in the floating white dress she wore but her malicious grin said other wise.
Bella couldn't from a response, there was just something not right about the girl in front of her. Her instincts were yelling at her to flee.
"Ohh yes. You will do quite nicely." she continued grinning, showing perfect razor sharp teeth and glowing red eyes.
Bella frowned.
"Wha..." she started but was cut off at the burning pain in her throat. She looked frantically at where the girl was standing before and gasped, she was gone. Instead she was latched onto her throat, pulling at the blood that pumped through her veins. Just as Bella was loosing conciousness she felt the girl move away gracefully, as if she was dancing. She truly looked like the devil now. Coated in blood and a look of joy on her face. That was the last thing she remembered before the pain came. A deep scorching burn that spread throughout her whole body. She screamed in pain, all conciousness of the outside world gone from her mind.
She had gone straight from one hell to another.