Maladaptive

01

the relentless darkness that engulfed her as she shivered in the corner, just a small child, curled up into a ball to protect whatever innocence she had left...

the strong smell of iron consistently flowing through the air and wafting through her nose with each new bloodcurdling scream that reached her ears.

so.. much.. blood.

always the same nightmares.. the same loneliness.. the same feeling buried deep in her heart that she felt could never be replaced.

trauma.

she tossed and turned, stirring uncontrollably in her sleep until her tired eyes opened slowly to the orange sunrise leaking through the blinds, cascading through her room in a golden hue that made everything seem almost surreal.

her eyes wandered to her bedside table; which was riddled with various pill bottles scattered amongst other things.

she groaned to herself as she sat up,  sleepily reaching over to grab one of the bottles that held the pills that brought her a sense of relief, even if just for a short while.

"i always have that damn nightmare when i'm in this hellish place" she whispered to herself, grimacing before she slipped the pills in her mouth and washed them down with water.

she cautiously stepped out of her bed.. making as little noise as possible; and began to get ready, hoping she could sneak out before anyone would notice she was awake.

dealing with the people she not so secretly despised was not an ideal way to start her day.

opening her large closet.. she grabbed the first shirt she saw; a gray long sleeve, which she threw on along with a pair of black baggy jeans and combat boots to match.

she proceeded to complete her morning routine, finishing quickly, more than ready to leave the place she considered her prison.

just before she could reach the front door,
a grating voice called out to her..

"good morning darling, not gonna say goodbye?".

grinding her teeth together in annoyance, she growled underneath her breath

this is exactly what she wanted to avoid...

shortly after, she put a convincing fake smile on her face and sauntered into the dining room, her eyes meeting the figure of the man who called her, dino golzine.

she smiled sweetly as she fully made her way into the room, going to greet the man who made her life a living hell.

what an actress she was.

giving him a light peck on the cheek, she chirped back a cheery "good morning papa!"

she stared at the man intently, not allowing the smile on her face to falter even for a second although she was internally seething with hatred for the man before her.

"you really should start saying bye before you leave, i miss you when you're gone"
the older man blankly stated as he gave the girl a stern side eye...

"sorry, papa" she softly said, before pointing a finger in the air, preparing to make a point.

"but i am here at least twice a week, and i always have so much to do sooo early in the morning.. so i would never want to bother you."