Tangled Souls

Chapter 1

In the hushed embrace of the night, under the gentle luminescence of the moon, a dream unfolded, bearing the weight of a soul yearning for solace. Upon the dream's landscape, a young girl wandered, her spirit burdened by the harsh echoes of a reality she dared not share.

Her gaze was captured by the moonlit meadow stretched endlessly outward, its tender dew-kissed grass glistening slightly under the silvery glow from above. A gentle breeze caressed her cheeks, carrying with it the fragrance of blossoms that bloomed in radiant hues surrounding her. And there, amidst the celestial beauty, stood a figure so familiar, yet so distant, a face she'd only known through tales spun by her nan and faded photographs in her many albums that she'd viewed countless times for fear of the memory fading from her mind. It was her mother, long departed from the world the moment Cassidy had drawn her first breath, leaving her to face a heartless world bereft of a mother's love.

Her mother's face glowed with an otherworldly light, and her eyes, filled with boundless tenderness, locked onto Cassidy's. In that single, profound gaze, every wound of her tormented heart was bared, and yet, she felt no judgment, no reproach. Only love.

"My precious girl," her soft voice, like a gentle lullaby, reached out to embrace her soul. 

Hearing her mother's voice for the first time had tears welling in Cassidy's eyes, both of sadness and of healing. In this dream, she found the comfort she had always yearned for, a sanctuary where her heart was held tenderly, where the echoes of her pain were soothed just by the presence of the one person she'd longed for her whole life. She didn't care that this was probably her mind conjuring up something of solace after the harsh beating she was still recovering from, all she cared about was the woman standing before her.

The apparition of her mother walked forwards and reached out a hand to gently caress her cheek and Cassidy immediately stepped forwards reaching towards her only to find emptiness as the cruel reality of her mother's absence crashed upon her with all the subtlety of a tidal wave, plunging her back into the abyss of her tormented existence.

"This is the last time I'm calling you girl so get your fucking ass down here right now!" The familiar wake-up call had Cassidy groaning as she put a pillow over her head to block out his voice. She cursed her father internally, resentment burning within her. Despite knowing the dream had been a mere mirage, it felt achingly tangible, an illusion that had drawn her so close to the warmth of her mother's touch before her father's cold voice reminded her of the harsh truth that she remained confined to this living hell.

The resounding slam of her bedroom door jolted Cassidy from her reverie, causing her to tense up with fear immediately grimacing at the pain that coursed through her body from the action. Her heart pounded in her chest as he forcefully grabbed her arm, yanking her none-too-gently out of the bed and she had to hold in a cry of pain as he jostled the many bruises covering her form. Stumbling, she recoiled when he flung her arm away from him, as if she were a disease he refused to catch. Well then who the hell told him to touch her?

"When I tell you to do something, I expect you to do it girl. You're lucky that I haven't dumped your ungrateful ass in an orphanage where you rightfully belong," He said his face twisted in malice.

"Maybe you should," she blurted out her anger getting the better of her and she internally winced at that bracing herself for what was coming.

He looked at her angrily and just as she'd thought his hand lashed out and grabbed her throat slamming her into the wall behind her. She gritted her teeth her hand automatically coming up to grab his wrist as his hand tightened squeezing her throat harshly. She tried in vain to pull his hand off of her but as usual it was hopeless, he was too strong. "What have I said about talking back to me," he said his face twisted in malice as he looked down at her before slamming her head back against the wall again. She clenched her jaw shut to stop the groan from escaping her lips as black spots danced in front of her vision before a backhand to her face had her sprawling against the floor.