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❛ Cause if she doesn't do it to me, she'll do it to them ❜
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MANY MANY YEARS EARLIER in east london.
At the age of fourteen, Vanessa sat between her four younger siblings on the couch, staring up at her mother and step-father in horror. Beside her, her youngest sister, Callie, cried quietly, sniffing into her pyjama sleeves while keeping her teddy squished to her chest.
"You took him away?" Vanessa was the first to speak, surprised that the only emotion radiating from her voice was anger.
Her mother nodded her head, "We needed to, V. He's no good for this family."
Vanessa tilted her head, "James hasn't got a single bad bone in his body. I'm the one who needs to be taken away, not him," Her voice raised, "He's done nothing wrong! You're constantly complaining about how I'm the problem child. How I'm the one who's ruined your fucking life because you decided to have sex when you were fucking fourteen!"
Her mum, Josie, jabbed a warning finger towards her eldest daughter, "I thought I told you not to mention that in front of Cain."
Cain was her mum's boyfriend, who had only been around for three months and was already acting as if he ran the household; screaming at the children to do the smallest tasks for him because he seemed to find joy in watching them work.
"I don't give two flying fucks about Cain!" Vanessa stood up from the sofa after squeezing Callie's hand, "I know that he's the one who's convinced you to send James away. He's a fucking cunt, and you were the one to tell me that after your first fucking date! You're—"
"Vanessa!" Josie screeched, before diverting her gaze to her other children, "Get out, kids. Go on, go! Get out!"
None of the children moved an inch, their eyes glued to the back of their big sister.
Vanessa turned, smiling down at them as soft as she could, "I'm just talking to mum. I'll be fine."
Hesitantly, her four siblings jumped off the sofa and rushed upstairs, though Callie walked slowly, her bottom lip quivering as she peered through the doorway once last time before Nessa waved her away.
Vanessa turned back to her raging mother, throwing her arms in the air, "Go on, then. Do it. Hit me. I can tell you want to. Nothing's ever stopped you before."
