𝐷𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 ✔️

#44

Aesira

My arms tightened around Athena's shaking body. I tried my best to keep her warm in the freezing vacant room. She was asleep for an hour, I was jealous that after everything she could still sleep. My eyes stayed open afraid of what might happen if I close them. But I couldn't hide from the inevitable.

Whines started to leave her mouth and her body shook even more. "No" I whispered running my hand along her arm. "Athena" I tried waking her up peacefully but she gasped loudly and latched onto my arm. "You're ok," I said feeling the need to cry. All my tears were gone.

"Aesira" she cried into me. I pulled up the thin sheet that covered us and tried to get comfortable on the poor excuse of a mattress that included blankets on top of each other. I could still feel the hard cold floor under us.

"It was just a nightmare, it's over." I petted her tangled hair. She shook her head and gripped onto my dirty shirt.

"No it's not..." she mumbled.

The door banged open which made us jump back against the cold wall. I watched as our disappointment of a father walked in with a glass which I knew to be some sort of alcoholic drink. He still hadn't stopped drinking. He smiled at us and chugged the remaining liquid inside the see-through cup.

"Hello beautiful daughters... happy birthday" he whispered walking towards us. He kneeled in front of us and rested his hand on Athena's bare thigh. She flinched and moved closer towards me. She wore a plain shirt and her pants were torn off and on the other side of the room.

I wore Damon's clothes as I did most of the time. I enjoyed everything about them. Mostly that they belonged to him. Had his scent. It was all I had left of him. He's gone, but I didn't want to believe it.

I never liked my birthday. There wasn't much to like. Another day to remind me that I'm living a nightmare -only this year I thought it would be different. But here I was. Here we were back in his arms again.

"You still drink..." I mumbled pushing his hand away. He sighed and gave me a bone-chilling smile.

"You think the two of you almost killing me would lead me to stop...foolish girls. A year older but not any smarter I see" I watched the open door and sighed when two men stood on the inside and outside of it.

"I have some plans for you Aesira, you my dear... are going to get married" he clapped his hands together and at the same time, Jace walked in alongside an older man.

"Which one" the man growled out. I looked at Athena to see her just as confused as I was.

"That one" Jace pointed to me. I shook my head frantically. I was marrying him?

"And then I will get my half" my dad stood up and looked at the serious man who stood in front of him. He nodded but kept his eyes trained on the both of us.

"And the other girl," he said staring at Athena.

"She won't be going anywhere without her sister. I'll take the both of them" Jace smiled and walked towards us. "I tried to do this the easy way you know -make you fall in love with me naturally. But you just had to fall for Damon Perez. Shame. But now he's dead" Jace shrugged and started to walk away.

"Son, a little more respect to your future wife," he-man said with still no emotion on his face. His dad. I started to see the small resemblance Jace had towards the older man. They both shared the same light hair and psychopathic eyes...

"Y- you started before us...That makes no sense..." I said mostly to myself. How would he have known Athena and I would take up a job there?

"At first I wasn't there for the both of you. Of course, I knew that I got to marry one of the Frey twins through" he winked at us which made me grow disgusted. "I was going to take down Damon Perez for my father so his companies would be ours...like they always should have been." He became frustrated with what he was sharing. The smile turned into a badly put-together glare.

"Son-"

"His family stole it all!-"Jace's father grabbed his hair before he could finish his sentence and slapped his face so hard it echoed through the empty room. His body was then thrown on the ground and still not one trace of emotion was exemplified. What the hell?

I was screaming on the instead and I started to understand slightly why Jace was the way he was. He got up slowly and placed his hand on his red cheek. I looked away the moment his eyes meet mine. I hadn't felt an ounce of pity for this man. The days I've spent here were worse than my whole childhood put together.

"Outside." those words from Jace's dad were enough to make him sprint out the door. Moments of silence pass and soon enough the man walked casually out the door. I had no clue where this place was located. How far we're we from the hotel?

"The wedding is in three days." my dad announced.

"I'm not getting married" I looked at him through my lashes. Anger flashed through his eyes faster than he could blink. For as long as I could remember the smallest things would set him off. At least when he was drunk. Which was almost every waking moment of his life...since mom died.

"You do not have a choice. I will get this money" of course that was all he cared about. Money. Money. Money. It was always top priority in his world. He never made money to live, he lived to make money. And that money he always kept to himself.

I shook my head slightly. I felt weak and broken. Each day it got worse. "I will not" I spoke again.

He walked towards me and grabbed my knotted hair. Athena grabbed my hand but being too weak it slipped through. Before I knew what was happening I was thrown onto the freezing grown and kicked roughly. "Think again before you disagree with me. Remember who is at the disadvantage here" he stared down at me in disgust. I looked at his eyes. Those eyes I once looked up to. I once loved it. Now, whenever I stare into those dead anger-filled eyes I see a stranger.

He walked out of the room leaving us alone. Again. One of the men at the door walked towards us slowly and smiled. I lay on the floor not finding any power to move. Athena had scooted over to me and wrapped her arms around my body. "It's my fault" I whispered.

"No it's not," she said. A bag was placed in front of us before the man outside of the door. After hearing the lock click grabbed the brown bag and opened it. Food.

The food we had been given was enough for a baby in a week. It hadn't crossed anyone's mind that we might be hungry. The bag was full of actual edible items. Things we would like. I hadn't recognized the guy that gave us these things. Was he new?

"What the hell?" Athena said looking through the bag. She handed me some food and grabbed some for herself. It was the first time I saw a little smile form on her face. And a little bit of hope flashed through her eyes. That was enough to keep me going. I was not going to marry anyone anytime soon.

There was only one person I wanted to be with more than anything. Damon. His scent started to leave the shirt I was wearing. I was losing him. I needed to touch, smell, hear him. I gripped my shirt tighter.

I love you.

"Happy birthday Sira..." Athena's voice cracked.

"Happy birthday Nina"