Smile Again

Chapter 25

FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER OR TWO WILL BE SLIGHTLY TRIGGERING, SO I WILL WRITE SUMMARIES AT THE BOTTOM OF EACH PAGE FOR YOU!

I lay on the mattress in the basement trying to think of a way to get out of here, a way someone can come help me. I hear someone walk down the basement stairs and brace myself for who ever it may be. It's my mother calling me for dinner, I'm not hungry but I go anyway, afraid that if I something bad will happen to me again. Dean and Daryll are seated at the table in the kitchen with a plate in front of them. I sit nervously at the empty chair my mother gestures to me and start eating small bitefuls of my food. 

"I want you to do the dishes after we're done here, Delia." She states. 

"Okay," I answer. 

We finish our meal in peace and I begin to wash the dishes. There's a window above the sink and I look out at the sky that's still really light out. I didn't realize how bright it was out still since I've been in the basement for so long. I finish up and start downstairs when Daryll grabs my arm and leads me to the living room to watch TV with them. On the way over there, I notice someone's cell phone on the counter and grab it secretly. I watch a couple shows with them and then say that I'm tired so I'm going to go to bed. They say goodnight and I head downstairs.

"Okay, okay, okay. Please let there not be a password!" I whisper to myself as I pull out the phone. With my luck, there isn't a password and I can get right on. I find the phone app and dial in Nathan's number and desperately wait for him to pick up. 

"Hello?"

"Nathan! It's me, Delia! Can you hear me?" 

"Delia! Oh my god, where are you? Are you alright?"

"I'm in a run down building on the out skirts of town. The house looks like its going to fall apart sometime soon. Please hurry! Please!" 

"We're gonna find you, Delia, I promise. I'm gonna let your dad know, alright? Stay right here."

"Nathan, wait! They don't know I have this phone, so if they see me with it, I don't know what will happen. So please don't call or text unless I do it first, okay?" 

"Okay, I told your dad. We'll find you, I promise. We also told the police okay, hang on for me." 

"I will. Oh no, I here them coming. Bye Nathan!" I don't wait for him to say it back and hide the phone before they come into the room. My mother is leading the way looking angrier than the devil himself. 

"Hi," I say, trying to not act suspicious.

"Do you know why we came down here?" She asks.

"No, why did you?" I gotta be brave now.

"My phone is missing, do you know where it went?" 

"I don't so I don't know why you came down here. God, you think I took it don't you? I'm not that bad, am I."

She steps closer to me. "Hush your little mouth. I heard you talking to someone down here."

"I think you should see a doctor. That's not healthy, you know? Hearing voices." 

She slaps me across the face to shut me up. "Dean, look in her bed, see if its there. Delia, if it's on your bed, you're gonna be in a world of hurt." She threats. 

"Oh yeah? Try me," I have to stand my ground. 

"Look what we have here," Dean holds up the phone in my mattress bed. Shit, shit, SHIT.

"I warned you," She grabs me and I try to resist but she just grabs on tighter. She takes me into a different part of the basement I haven't seen yet and shoves me against the wall. I see ropes hanging from the ceiling and she grabs them to tie around my wrists. She ties the remaining against the ceiling so I can't get off. She then goes and grabs a whip, leather style.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me. Why are you doing this to me?" I ask.

"To get back at your father." 

"Oh stop with the 'to get back at your father' bullshit. What's the real reason?" She hits me with the whip in the stomach region and I wince in pain. 'Be strong' I tell myself.

"I hate your father. He made me go away to a hospital when I did nothing wrong. Then he made it so I can never see you again. This is revenge."

"He loves me unlike you! You just use me and are physically hurting me to get back at him! You sick, sick, bitch!" I yell at her. This makes her angry, more than she already was. She repeatedly  swings the whip at me, leaving red gashes almost every time. By the time she's finished, blood is starting to seep through my shirt and I'm almost in tears. She lets me go back to my mattress and that's where I stay for the rest of the night. 

I couldn't sleep at all last night, I was to worried about them coming down and hurting me. Every time I moved, I winced in pain from the marks on my stomach and lower body. I eventually head upstairs and I hear them talking. 

"She's on the news, Melanie. Everyone is looking for her. We have to find a new spot."  I hear Daryll say.

"Okay, okay. You and I will go in a little bit to find a new spot, and leave her here with Dean." Daryll nods in agreement and goes to tell Dean the news. I go and use the bathroom and examine my gashes. I throw my hands into my face as I look myself and all I've been through the past couple of days. 

"Please, Nathan, find me soon." I whisper. 

I walk out of the bathroom and my mother tells me that she's going out for a bit and Dean will be here with me. I nod at her and she leaves with Daryll. 

SUMMARY: Whilst watching TV with them, she notices a phone and grabs it to call Nathan. Her mother realizes her phone is missing and questions Delia about it. Daryll finds the phone and her mother punishes her. The next morning, she overhears Daryll and her mother talking about how they need to find a new spot. Her mother leaves with Daryll and Delia is left at the house with Dean.