Their Mockingbird- Complete

22

Thursday

Nancy pov

"No please. Im sorry" I screamed as he walked closer towards me. Viktors eyes were dark and his walk like a drunkards. Lucia held my shaking body tightly as his pace quickened. Her body was being used as my personal shield as my awful horrific husband beat her

"You're my wife" he slurred stumbling about. He grabbed Lucia by the hair and through he a few metres. Her head hit the corner of the table and just like that, she was lay on the floor, passed out cold

Viktor looked smug. He turned to me after checking she was definitely unconscious and grabbed my upper arm roughly

"You'll regret ever disobeying me" he screamed down my ear as I sobbed. Lucia had warned me that once i turn 12, the violence in our relationship will turn sexual. And i must be prepared for him to violate me. He wasted no time on my twelfth birthday to get his hands on me

"I'm sorry. Please.....please" I screamed over and over again. But nothing could stop him. His hands tightly wrapped around my neck and before I knew it, i was out cold under his body

I awoke with a gasp and subconsciously reached for me neck. His touch lingered even after all these years. My breathing was ragged and painful as the tears fell from my eyes. I dragged myself from the bed, not wanting to be there a moment more. I've never slept well in beds. Not since my 12th birthday. For I always get brought back to that night, the sheets below my body and the way he through me onto the mattress like a doll

I made my way to the bathroom, hoping I would remember from Arthur's house tour late last night. Once I had found the desired room, I stood infront of the mirror and looked at my reflection. Dark circles under my red blotchy eyes. My lips chapped and my hair sticking to my forehead from the pure sweat of my nightmares.

Tears blurred my vision as I tried my best to stay silent, not wanting to awaken the house. I quickly wiped my eyes using the sleeve of my night gown. When i looked back up from the mirror, I saw something that made my chest drop and a blood curdling scream escape my dry mouth

Arthur pov

I was awake all night, worried, relieved, angry and delighted. I didn't know how to feel. I had my baby sister back. My little mocking bird. After all these years, she was safe, she was home. But I can't help think of what she must have been through whilst in Russia.

Its no secret that stalin is turning the country into a dictatorship, and I know that religion is being banned. Nancy is religious. She has always believed in God but never have I seen her care as much as now. I suppose it is the only thing that kept her going, God

As I was deep in thought, I heard a scream that I recognised too well. One that haunted my sleep every night since the day she went missing. The scream of fear that Nancy releases when finn would jump out on her, or when she would get scared of crowds. But this seemed so much worse. I ran out of my room and immediately saw the bathroom door was open and the light was on

"Nancy" I yelled as I rushed to the end of the hall where the bathroom was. She ran out and bumped into me, her little hands shaking as she pushed herself away from me

"Hey hey. Its me. Nancy it's Arthur. Your brother. You're home. Safe. Sshh. I know darling. You're ok" I said to her but to no avail.

"He's here. He's here" she kept repeating. Lucia had come out of her room and we met in the hall

"Nancy, it wasn't real" she said

"On ne mozhet tebya dostat'. On nikogda ne naydet nas. obeshchayu" Lucia said as she walked closer to my sister. She touched Nancy's hand and stroked her face

"Eto bylo ne po-nastoyashchemu, moy rebenok. On ne mozhet prichinit' tebe bol" Lucia said. Nancy nodded and her breathing calmed down back to normal. With shaky hands, she hugged the woman close to her and didn't let go for some time

"Go back to bed. I'll be with you in a moments time" Lucia said wiping away away Nancy's tears

"Promise?"

"I promise my child" she said giving Nancy a kiss on the forehead. My sister went back to her room but not before saying

"I'm sorry brother. I didn't mean to wake you" I didn't have time to respond before she had closed her door and left me in on the landing with Lucia

"What was that?" I asked from shock

"Viktor follows her everywhere she goes. Not physically but mentally. In Russia, viktor wouldn't be home for months. And during that time, nightmares would occur of the man. She would often see him in mirrors or windows. When in reality, there is no one there" Lucia explained

"Then....how can i help? What was it you said?" I asked her anxious

"I spoke to her in Russian, telling her that he's not real and that he can't hurt her. But it won't work unless it's Russian. She knows Russian better than she does English. She was so young when she left England and Russian is the only language allowed to be spoken in our household. Its the rules. So when Nancy is having a panick attack, she needs something easy for her to understand. She isn't able to translate the English words when she is in a state of distress." She explained

"So, the only way I can help is by learning Russian?" I asked

"I believe so" she said

"Not happening. Why would I want to learn a language controlled by a fucking dictator?" I whisper yelled to the woman. That resulted in a slap across the cheek

"How dare you? Russian is a beautiful language. But its meaning has been twisted by horrid men who just so happen to be russia. But I promise you, we hate them even more than you do. So don't you categorise those men with the Russian language. For they are not beautiful and powerful, but weak and ugly. That girl in there, she's your sister. And if you loved her even a little bit, you would do everything in your power to comfort her even if that means learning a few words from her language"

"It's not her language. She's english. I'm her brother, her guardian. The man of the house. I know my little sister and she is an English girl" I argued

"The man of the house you say? Well she has been Lady of the house for many years now. She is Lady Nancy of Moscow and me Lady Lucia of Kazan. We will bow to no man" Lucia says to me before going into Nancy's room, leaving me feeling like a fool.

How could I be so stupid? It's not like things were going to get back to normal. But it's weird. Nancy sounds different. She looks different and acts different. She apologised for waking me up. The Nancy I know would never do that. But I have to learn to adapt. She has been through hell and all these changes were for survival. So now it's my turn to change. I have to be a better man for my sister and some how, I have to make it up to Lucia