World is Broken

Chapter III

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It's amazing how quickly times may change. Five minutes ago, Juana was running away, her discovery heavy at heart, and now she had hidding in the very place she had promised herself never to return to...

...The forest.

But she had a good excuse, for that day, her uncle would come to visit. And she wasn't in the greatest terms with him.

The only reason she was still in the village was him. He was a foraigner, meaning he lived outside and then returned. And, well, he wasn't that great when he return. The outer world must be cruel if it made him like that. 

When her mother called her, she knew she could not hide any longer. So, bitting her lip, she made it back home. Home, the place she should feel safer, was now battleground, and she was on the loosing team.

"Hello, uncle" She saluted, her eyes fixed on the ground.

"How's my favourite niece doing today?"

Liar, liar. She wanted to scream.

"I'm fine, it's a wonderful day" She forced a smile.

She went to the kitchen and got started on lunch, cooking some salad for starters that she knew he liked, just to play safe. She held her breath when she heard footsteps enter the room, and prayed that it was her mother.

Her prayers were not answered.

"Hello, darling" His voice turned sweeter when they were alone. Juana saw that the door was closed. She had no way out now.

"Hi... I'm just... cooking..." She stuttered.

He walked over to the place she was in, and the blood in her veins froze. He slowly paced the place until he found the thing he did not like.

"The bread is cut in pieces way too big"

Sweat rivuleted down her neck. She'd done it.

"S-sorry. I'll fix it" She excused herself, but before she knew it, he slammed her against the cupboards.

"How I want my bread cut?" He asked, in a low tone.

"In thin slices" She replied, her voice coated in fear.

"And how are this slices?" He asked, pushing her harder.

"Big..." She tried not to cry.

"Exactly. Big. And who's fault is it?"

She looked down and sighted. She had no way around it.

"Mine."

He grabbed the plate and slammed it against a wall. It broke into a million pieces, some even piercing her arms.

"You've been a bad girl. And you know what I do to bad girls?"

"No... No!" Her heart raced, pumping against her chest "I'll do it better, I swear, just let me-"

"Bad girls do not get second chances, or talk back." He sighted, as if he was to so something he did not like. Liar, liar "You know what I have to do"

"Let me just try again, I'll fix it!" She cried, desperate.

A sharp blow made her shut up.

Juana shut down her mind, as she always did whenever it happened. She prefered not to know, not to see. Maybe it was some kind of response to trauma, but she wasn't sure. She lost counciousness of what was happening until about half an hour later.

"Bad girls deserve punishment. It's your fault" He told her "Go change before your parents see"

So she rushed to her room as fast as she could and took off her clothes. She put on a long skirt and a sweater, not wanting to even take a look, and went to the bathroom.

In the sink, she scrubbed her blue shirt and skirt. Blood ran down the sink and dissapeared, as if it had never even happeneed. She looked in the window and applied some concealer in her cheeks.

She wiped the tears and smiled. Nothing had happened. And, if it had, it was her fault.

Her sister Zara saw her on her way out.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

Juana smiled. Because, she was fine with him punishing her, as it kept him from touching her sister.

"Sure! Stay in your room until lunch, will you? How about you finish that design you were telling me about?"

"The vertical house made of glass?" The little girl's eyes shone "It'll be plated with gold!"

"Sure will. I'll come to get you later"

When lucnh was cooked, she want to fetch her sister and made sure she sat in the seat further away from her uncle.

They ate in silence, him not once saying anything about what had happened before, her parents not asking any question about the broken plate or why there was no bread at the table. Some things were just better not discussed out loud.

When he finally leaved, she ran to her bedroom and hid inside, crying in her knees. She tried to feel safe, but no matter how hard she tried, she just felt fear. She bit the end of her braid while she sobbed in silence so no one would see.

She calmed down for a while and took a look at her body. She ignored the wounds that everyday she took care of in other people. She ignored her own advice of washing the wounds and bandaging them with care. She scrubbed them with water and put on her skirt once more.

Why did she take care of other people and ignored her own wounds? Her scars would accompany her forevermore, impossible to erase, an eternal reminder. She had once heard the expression 'to draw starts around scars'. She didn't know what it meant, and wasn't sure she'd ever find it out.

She tried to smile, but failed misserably. She broke, completely alone in her room, until she caught the image of his uncle leaving from her window.

"Bye, niece!" He yelled, smiling as if everything was normal "Love you!"

She placed herself against the wall and slid down until she was sitting in the floor, still bitting her braid so the sobs would die down.

Maybe, the wolves were there for a reason. Because, as long as she was aware, the only person who had ever leaved the village was him. And he was the best example of why she should stay.

Afraid, she realized that the world might not have any kindess left. Maybe, that was the reason they were kept there. 

But it couldn't be... could it?

Could the world trully be broken?