S.O.S. Monsters Within

Entry 4: Reversed Titanium

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I ran as fast as this tiny feet could take me. I just yelled victory inside my head when I was able to pass my new nanna. I stopped when I reached the side walk, and yelled to her.

"Mum!!! Pwease!! Down't lweave!!!"" I yelled for her name again and again, my tears blurring the view of my mum's car.

"You! Stop fooling around!" I yelped when the new nanny suddenly lifted me. I objected, and plead for her to bring me to my mum, bit she didn't let me go until she locked the door and settle me in the couch.

"Listen. While your mom and dad's away, you'll follow what i'll say." she sternly said. "Because if you don't, I'll tell them that you're a bad girl." immediately, I nod, drying my tears with my sleeves.

"Stop crying. Your brother will be back later on." and at that, she left. I stayed there at the couch, sobbing, crying silently, till I fell asleep. Later on, I was awaked by my brother, who just cane back from school.

"What are you doing here? Your eyes are red. Where's Merci?" he asked, holding my face up, and wiping the drool on my face with his sleeves.

"I down't know... She weft eawier... went to kwitchen." He keeps frowning but he leave my face and patted my head.

"Come with me, I'm hungry. I thinks there's still some cookie left." he said as he leave his bag on the couch and walk me to the kitchen. There, he helped me to climb my seat, took some milk and cookies in the fridge, then put it in front of me. My stomach growled, as I remembered that I didn't have lunch, and it's already three in the afternoon.

"Wait here." my brother said as he put some milk on my cup, and left, calling our nanny's name. I grabbed a cookie and nibble it. After I finished a cookie, I grabbed my cup and drank it.

"Merci! Why did you leave my sister alone on the living room?! Do your job, would you." I could hear my brother, say.

"Don't talk to me like that, brat. You're left in my charge, and you don't get to talk to me like that!"

"Garri's the one who's left yo your charge, not me. You're here to take care of Margaret, and serve me."

"You...!"

"Go! Slap me. Just one call, and i'll make sure you're fired. I could make a lot of reasons, it could be true, and some could be not." Then there's silence. Later on, my brother's sitting beside me, eating his cookie while doing his homework.

"Bwodew..." then he look at me. "Would you plway with me aftew?" I asked him. He just ruffled my blonde short hair and smiled sympatheticaly.

"Sorry, Garrs, but I still have a lot to do. Sorry."

I looked down, then smiled at him. "No... It's okay." and at that, he's back to his homework.

Later that night, I had a really bad dream. There's a girl giggling, she sound a lot like me but she's not me, and she's not stopping no matter how loud I told her to stop. It's so dark, and she's the only one I could hear. I can't move, so I just cried and cried until I woke up. I stood up and get out of my bed, with my favorite bear with me.

I went to brother's door, but it's locked. So I knocked, but no matter how long I call for him, the door won't open. So I went to my nanny's room, but like earlier, she also won't open the door. I walk back at my room, sobbing, to much that my chest hurts.

Then I passed by mum and dad's room. Like the other rooms, it's locked. So I sat there, my back leaning on the door, and quietly cried. I fell asleep like that, and by the morning, brother and nanny's fighting again. It was about me again.

After a week, I came to a conclusion that brother hates my nanny.

Well, she's not that bad. She cooks for us, bathe me, and fix my hair. She's still intimidating, and she may push me around, or pinch me, and sometimes, whack me with her belt, at least now, she rarely do it after I helped her with opening mum and dad's room.

One day, I'm so bored, and nanny won't play with me. They won't let me play outside because mum said that it's not safe. So I went to my brother's room.

"Bwodew..." I peeked in his room and saw him playing his playstation.

"Hmm?" he replied.

"Lwet's pwlay?" I asked as I enter his room and sat beside him.

"I'm doing something, Garri. Go and ask Merci." he said focused on his gadget.

"Twistan...!" I kept repeating his name while pushing him, but he's still not looking away from his game. Then I got an idea. I snatched his console from him and looked at the screen. "Show me how to pwlay dis!!" I told him.

"Garri, give it back."

"No!" I said as I stretch my arm away from him.

"Garri!" I still kept him away from the gadget then all of the sudden, everything gone upside down, my back and head hurts, but I save the console from the fall.

My head hurts badly and I really want to cry, but if I did, Merci would tell Mum and Dad that I'm a bad girl.

"Oh god, Magaret! I'm so sorry! Are you alright?!" he said as he carry me back to the bed. He took my long sleeved shirt off, then I heard him gasp.

"W-what...?" he took my arm, and look at it and my back. I winced at everything he did, he's touching my violet spot on my body. "Who did this to you?" he asked.

I looked at him quizzically then he pointed at those violet spots on my arms. That got me scared. He frowned at me, and I could feel my tears start spilling. I hugged him and sobbed, trying so hard to not cry.

"I'm sowwy! I've bween a bwad giwrl, and nanny just gave me the pwubishment I deserve..." I sobbed.

"Punishment?" he asked but at that, I kept begging him to not tell mum and that.

After a week, mum and dad came back home from their own business trips. For something thar I don't really understand, nanny got fired and nowhere to found. Mum said that she took something from them and she's a bad dragon hurting their pretty princess.

But after a week, they left again. But this time, without nannies.

---

I sat up, and took a deep breath.

I look around and remembered that they had a sleep over here. I reached for my bag but heard Amber call.

"...Time?" she asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. I grabbed my phone and unlocked it.

"Twelve-fifty one..." I answered.

For a while, it stayed still, then she stood from the couch. She strode at my bed and sat near me.

"Am...Am I the reason... why?" she asked, looking at her fumbling hand.

"Not really..." i quietly said.

"But..." she went silent again. "I'm sorry." I ruffled her hair and smiled.

"Like what I have said. I do accept your apology. But that won't change anything now... It's too late." her tears spill, but I just laughed it off.

"Come on, stop it. That's in the past." at that, she finally looked at me.

"Come here, sleep beside me. I'm sure that the couch is not that comfy." I pulled her beside me and let her lay beside me.

She took my wrist, slip my sleeves up, and traced the cuts on my arms. She then hugged my so hard all of a sudden. "Please Margie, tell me, this won't happen again. Please, take care of yourself." it was muffled but I still heard her clearly.

"I'm doing my best... I'm doing my best." at that, I slept, but with the same nightmare I had when I was locked out.