❝𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭
𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥.❞
𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐇. . . Arriving as the first and only girl in the Glade, Madelyn is forced to...
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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑
─────── 𝐀 𝐁𝐑𝐔𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 lay curled up in an older boys lap as his fingers traced absent minded patterns along her back. They were tucked up in a dark corner of a basement, lying on a thin, worn mattress that barely offered comfort. But none of that mattered to them. They had each other, and that was all that counted.
The boy's heavy-lidded gaze rested upon the sleeping girl. She looked so small, so fragile, arms wrapped around a stuffed bear that had long since lost an eye. She was all he had left. The only good thing left in his miserable world. He wondered if she knew how much she meant to him — if she knew she gave him a reason to keep going. He loved her so much it made his heart hurt.
His thoughts shifted to their father — the man who had once been their protector, but had since become something unrecognizable. The madness had taken him, twisted him into something cruel and broken. Every night, the boy silently swore to himself he would never let that happen to his little sister. He would protect her. No matter what.
Suddenly, the temporary peace was shattered. The basement trembled with the force of fits slamming against the wooden door above, each thud echoing through the concrete walls. The boy's heart lurched, his half asleep eyes snapping wide open, adrenaline pulsing through him. His mother had already risen, her face pale and ridgid, drained of colour.
"Bella." He whispered urgently, gently shaking her. "Wake up."
Arabella's eyes fluttered open, a tiny yawn escaping her lips. She blinked up at him, then at their mother, confusion flickering across her delicate features. "Stephen?" She murmured, rubbing at her tired eyes. "What's wrong?"
Their mother sucked in a breath, forcing an unsteady smile. "It's nothing, sweetheart." She said, her voice trembling despite her effort to sound calm. "I just need to check something. Stay here, okay?"
Stephen abruptly shot to his feet, alarm rising in his chest. "What? No — mom you can't!" His voice broke. "You know what's out there. You remember what happened to dad?"
His mother opened her mouth to respond, but her words died in her throat as a guttural scream echoed through the small space. She flinched, her face tightening as the memories crashed over her like a tidal wave. After the incident just days ago, she couldn't bear the thought of killing her own husband. So she'd locked him away instead.
She briefly closed her eyes, fighting back tears. Then, she looked down at her children. "Please, just stay here." She ordered quietly. "I'll be back."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and hurried toward the stairs.
Then silence.
Arabella reached out and grabbed her brother's hand. "I'm scared." She whispered, pressing herself against him.
