My Dark Prince

Chap 3

I sobbed face down on the ice cold stone drowning in the cruel ocean of my own hopelessness. Will it ever end? The coldness was like acid burning my skin. It was dark. I could hear crickets. I could hear the whispering wind rustling the leaves. Suddenly something growled. No wait that was my stomach. I am so hungry.

Yeah Karen gave me hell alright. But that wasn't why I was here. I could handle her yelling. I was used to it. The real horror was when my drunken step father came home. Walter Greenleaves. A terrible man he was. No concern for feelings or emotions or even human life for that matter. My school principal had called home informing about the fight and basically just screwing my case like shit! Walter had a terrible temper. He hit me hard. Like he always did. After a few blows my left jaw was swollen. Then Lucy came skipping down the stairs, clearly enjoying the scene. She gave her fucking dad an exaggerated description of what happened that morning. And those lies. Those sick white lies.

"Daddy! She even tried to break my leg!", she squealed putting on a disgusting 'poor beaten up girl' act. I felt nauseated and furious at the same time.

"Why don't you just shut up and go work on your acting skills bitch?!", I screamed. It caused my jaw agony.

"Mind your language you little brat!", yelled Walter giving me a slap that sent me stumbling backwards. "You have been a menace ever since you entered this house. You are the cause of all our troubles! Getting onto fights at school and disgracing us! What will the neighbours say?"

"FUCK YOUR'RE NEIGHBOURS!", I yelled out half screaming half crying. I hated to cry. Especially in front of them. But the pain in my jaw was too much to bear. I guess that wasn't the best thing to say at that moment.

That was the first night he used his belt on me. As if his hands didn't cause enough damage. Now this. I tried to run upstairs. But his monstrous hand clutched a bundle of my hair and he yanked me back down. My back was bleeding when I finally ran out screaming. I didn't care who saw me. I just kept running. Vowing never to return to that hellhole.

"Alice why did you leave me? Why?!", I demanded sobbing even harder into the stone as if it would answer me.

I lifted my head up and stared at her grave. The place that I had rested my head on was bloodstained. That's when I realized that my head was also bleeding. I wondered in how many damn places I was wounded. I squeezed my eyes shut and just thought about my life. About how my real parents died right before my own eyes. How Alice, my sweet whimsical Alice breathed her last in my own arms. How Ray left me, leaving unhealing wounds in my heart that I gave him once. About how I was treated worse that dirt in my own house. And about how I was inhumanely abused not a very long while ago.

And I sincerely thought to myself. Is this the life I want? Did I have any future? Even if I did, will it be like this forever? What if things never got better? What if I did hope only to have it crushed in the end? I made my decision. I stood up and wiped my tears. I did NOT want this life. I began to feel my black jeans for the pocket knife I always carried around. Once I found it I just stared at the silvery blade. It reflected my bloody swollen face, as if the blood was what it wanted. Well then I was gonna give it what it wants! I very slowly started to cut my wrist wincing at the sudden sting. But I have faced greater pain. Much greater.

But then something struck me. Peter! I dropped the knife immediately. What would he say? If I disappeared this would be the first place he would look. And how would he feel? Seeing my bloody body lying next to Alice? He would probably lose it. And even try to kill Walter or something, getting himself into more trouble. Peter stayed with his granny who was gonna kick the bucket any minute. He had been hospitalized once due to a severe case of depression for loss of his parents. Not many people liked him in school. I had to admit it. As much as I needed him, he needed me too. Maybe once he's settled down with a girl I could slowly detach myself. But killing myself now, that would be pure selfishness. I could not leave him alone.