Love's Unwritten Contract

6

(Please be warned that this is a triggering chapter that dives a bit into Ophelia's past) 

"Why do I have to wear this again. Yeah, I get Bella is getting married, but she is just 20- she hasn't even lived yet," I mumbled, staring back at the reflection of the tight-fitted dress, knowing from that day on I would never. Wear another dress like this as a fourteen-year-old. I shouldn't need to wear something like this. Especially at my sister's wedding. What Bella had said was that he was a few years older than her. As she was 18, he just turned 22. I found it odd, and I think my mother did as well, but she was always quiet from the beginning regarding what Dad wanted. I quickly shut my mouth about complaining about the deep blue dress and kept my eyes down. My father got all of us in the car. My mother took the front while I kept quiet in the back. * learn quickly. Don't try speaking unless spoken to while Dad is in the room...* Bella's voice echoed throughout the car as if she were there. I soon realized I would be in the house alone. With no one to be there for me. Nor to save me like she would if I had done something wrong; my stomach started to turn and twist. I could feel the blood rushing from my face. "Mom.. I'm not feeling well.." I would speak lightly as the car slowly stopped while we pulled up to the venue; my dad would shoot me a nasty look as we all got out of the car, the fresh air not helping one bit. Standing there, I tried calming myself down, so I started counting one thing I know that helps clear my mind if I catch myself overthinking and worrying too much about a thing. 

One two three...

It took three strides for my father to get to the door and for him to place on his mask how he acted towards me and my sister while we were home.

Four five six...

my mother and I would reach his side, my dad wrapping his arm around my mother as we walked in. only to be pulled down the hall to where my sister would be found in a skin-tight dress * and I thought this dress was bad* I would think to my self even

 eight nine ten.

Ten strides for my father to reach my eldest sister from the car to here. My eyes scanned the room, counting each painting that could be found, which led to 25 paintings from when we turned to find Bella to when we found her. My father would disappear out and down the hall. I would hold back everything I could as my legs moved quicker as I jumped into Bella's arms. "No, please, you can't get married, you can't leave me cc-can't h- he-" my words slowly started jumbling together." hey... hey... Hey Opal, look at me. How many flowers do you see?" Izabella had her bouquet clutched as she placed it closer to me. I saw each flower that would fill her hands just right. "One.. Two..three... Four.. five.. Six... seven.." I would count each flower; all were lighter shades of roses, four light pink. Three pale blue.Seven white.Fourteen roses overall. " how many are there, opal.." her voice would soothe my thoughts quickly. No matter the pain she would be in or the fear she would be filled with as we both got thrown into the wet basement that would smell of mould and something rotting. "

 Fourteen roses... The same number as my age... Fourteen... The same amount of years that we have rotated the earth since I was brought into this world.." I would whisper, looking up at my sister with her emerald-like jewels set in ivory, peering back at me with a soft expression, "I promise that everything will be okay... I'll make sure I come to take you away with me..." I nodded softly, wrapping my arms around her tears, threatening to break free from their cages. I stepped back, hearing my mother mutter, wiping my face clear of any Escapees. I stepped back and left with my mother to find our seats. We were right up front. There stood about twenty-eight rows of chairs on either side of the aisle. As I walked down to my seat, each row was filled with a different number of chairs, making my skin crawl. We all took our seats. 

The groom or from mutters, I heard his name was Dominic, Ivangroski. I looked at my mother. "When is Bella coming... the music is playing, so where is she..." I would whisper softly as my mother looked back to see my fuming father standing at the door. " the bride is gone." those words made my stomach drop. The colour drained from my face, seeing the look on my father's face. He walked over and grabbed my arm along with my mothers, dragging us out of the church with everyone's eyes darting at us. When we got home, my arm already had blossoming yellows, blues, and greens in the form of a handrest just above my elbow. My father would grab my arm again. " NO! Dad! I did nothing, why! No! Please, DADDY, STOP!" the piercing cry caused him to wince. "Don't act like you are innocent. You are the reason she ran. You caused this with your sappy counting and stressing." he hissed, pulling me closer as he opened the basement door, unlocking the two deadbolts. Unchaining the three chains that could be found higher up on the door. With one quick swing, a thundering sound echoed throughout the kitchen before I was tossed down the stairs, falling down the few last steps, unable to catch myself. The side of my face stung. It wasn't like any sting I'd felt before. 

It wasn't just the pain from the contact with my father, but the stinging I felt was not just the outside. The inside stung more than anything. " I HATE YOU!" I would sob at the top of my lungs, getting up and yelling at the sky as tears would fall from their cages. She left and let me take the blame for it. *I promise... All empty lies... She knew what she was doing...* I would find the stop at the bottom of the stairs curling into a tight ball. Even if I was still in the dress. The walls closed around me as the air thinned. " I w-want o-out.." I sobbed into my knees before passing out shortly after. I was awoken, I'd say, two hours at most after I had passed out to a loud crack that echoed through the narrow stairwell. Followed by another, this one causing the walls to tremble. "D-dad... Please no.. don't.. I promise I didn't do anything!" I panicked, scrambling back away from the stairwell the best I could, but I was nowhere. My exposed back felt the tremble of the walls after the loud whip. A blood-curdling scream escaped me as I tried crawling away, my back in more pain than anything at that point. I clawed at the hard, cold Concrete floor, causing my fingers to split and crack. Another blood-curdling scream echoed around the four walls, bouncing back as if they were Taunting me. One last crack smacked the bare back. My vocal cords gave out after the fifth one. I was stone-frozen as if I had looked into Medusa's eyes; whatever my father used broke the skin. Something warm could be felt trickling down my back as the footsteps that I'd grown accustomed to the sound of left me as I was only wearing a dress and my back exposed to whatever had lived down here. Tears flooded down my cheeks. The sound of water dropping on concrete could be heard echoing throughout the room before everything went black...