𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊

1

Life had never been easy for Diana. From the moment of her birth this world had always been cruel to her. Her mother had been completely absent from her life since she was four years old, leaving her alone with her father. The man would leave her for days on end to fend for herself whilst he picked up the odd job and hung out at the local bar, wasting what little money they had on alcohol and drugs. The occasional moments he did spend at home he would never acknowledge her, drowning out her begging cries for him to love her.

No one cared about the little girl who would take herself to school with matted hair and clothes two sizes too small for her. Nor did anyone take note of how thin and frail she had become due to malnutrition. However, day after day Diana continues doing what she always does. Surviving.

It was the day of her thirteenth birthday that her situation changed. Her father had returned home drunk, as he always does, with a sour expression on his face. After a few drinks he had been persuading into gambling, which resulted in him losing a lot of money. This time he didn't ignore the young girl, trembling by the fridge as she went to fetch him his beer.

He glares at her as she slowly approaches him. "Walk faster." He demands, causing her to speed up her pace. She doesn't respond, which irritates him even more, as she hands over the bottle. He harshly snatches it out of her hands, causing her to flinch back in fear, knocking over the small table next to him. "Pick it up." The girl doesn't move, she's too afraid to. "I said pick it up!" He roars, slapping her cheek aggressively.

Diana falls to the ground, clutching her face, but still doesn't move to set the table upright. "No." She whispers, so quietly that he almost misses it.

"Excuse me?" Her father asks her, standing up from his relaxed position on the recliner. His wide, hulking frame looms over her small, shivering one. Not liking her response, he grabs her long, tangled hair and lifts her head up on the ground. "When I tell you to do something, you do it. Do you hear me?" Her head smashes onto the floor as he releases her.

Something inside of the girl clicks. Like something that has been holding her back for all these years and the chains that had shackled her wrists had broken. Diana's eyes harden as quietly stands up from the ground, sending death glares into the man's retreating figure. Her whole body is still shaking, but now it is out of anger rather than fear. A ferocious battle cry erupts from her small mouth, causing him to spin back around to face her.

Diana's small figure dashes over and tackles the man to the ground despite their enormous height difference. Her fist retreats backwards before she slams it into his face, repeating the action over and over again as he pleads for her to stop. Blood pours from every crevice of his face as she continues beating into him. "I said no!" She screams at his lifeless body, lifting herself off from on top of him when she realises that there is nothing left of his head for her to hit.

Emotionlessly, she stares at the body. The man's head had been beaten into nothing but a few scattered pieces of skull and the blood staining her hands. Her only thought now is what she is going to do with the body, not feeling even the slightest sliver of remorse. The door to their house rattles as a strong knock connects with it.

Diana peers through the peephole, seeing two women waiting impatiently outside her front door. "We're not here to hurt you, kid. Just open up." The taller of the two says.

The girl scoffs, looking over to the headless body on the floor. She moves away from the door and runs into her room, quickly packing what few items she needs. A large smashing sound coming from the living room causes her to abandon everything in her hands and jump out of her window. The blonde doesn't know how she does it, but she lands on her feet even after jumping from the fourth floor. Deciding to leave all questions about her new found agility and strength for later, Diana rushes down the quiet street.