Sykes The 'Psycho'

Losing Faith: Day 392

Seventeenth of March, two thousand and sixteen.

I was eighteen.

I couldn't run.

He had me trapped.

When I had hit eighteen, I knew I couldn't run away immediately, that I had to wait it out, run when he least expected it.

But, somehow, he always expected it.

He had broken my leg when I had first tried to run away and had beaten me until I was barely conscious. He had woken me up, though. He had ... I couldn't even think it.

I'd long since ran out of my control pills. And with everything that had happened to me, my periods had gotten so irregular, and the pain in them themselves almost rivalled the pain Ivan gave me.

"JESSE!" he yelled and immediately, I ran down the stairs, careful to not make any noise.

"Yes, sir?"

"What?"

I tried not to grimace. "Yes, Daddy?" I always felt like being sick whenever I had to refer to him as 'daddy'. If I was strong enough, I would've lugged him.

"I need you to go shopping. Here is the list and the money. You're to be back by three o'clock. No later, or you'll be punished. I'll know if you try anything funny," he snarled before kissing my jawline. I squeezed my eyes shut, but opened them as he pulled away. "Now go!"

"OK, Daddy," I said and left. I walked quickly, knowing he wanted me back within half an hour.

I walked to the shop, a few carrier bags tucked into my pockets. He didn't want me to pay for more bags, so made me carry a few. When I got in, I looked at the list and rushed around the shop, ripping the names of the things on the side of the paper I had as I got them so I knew I had gotten them all and he would be pleased. With my luck, however, he would've forgotten to put something on the list and punish me for it.

"Excuse me?" I jumped violently at the sound of a girl's voice and looked over at her.

"H-hi?"

Her eyes widened. "Oh, my god, it's you!"

"Sorry?"

"You're Sjin's daughter!" she exclaimed. "Yognau(gh)t," she said, confirming my suspicion.

I looked at her, surprised. "How ... how did you realise?" I asked.

"Your streams. Sorry to ask, but why are you living in this town? Surely you should be living with Sjin?"

I shrugged a little. "Sjin adopted me. I'm back living with the biological dickhead," I said, feeling weird for saying my dad's nickname.

"Oh, no. He doesn't -?" she cut herself off when she saw my nod.

"The bastard wriggled his way out of prison and we had to go to court. I'm having to live with him and I can't run away. Fucking asshole took me away from my dad," I said and sniffed.

"OH!" I jumped back at her exclamation. "I'm going to a convention soon! I'll go and meet up with Sjin and tell him I met you - would he believe me?"

"If you have a photo with me, yeah. He knows I'm not - wasn't - allowed photos with people, but desperate times ..." I trailed off. She bit her lip before taking out her phone. She took the photo and sighed.

"He beats you, doesn't he?" I nodded, and shifted uncomfortably. I was going to be late, I knew it; I hadn't yet paid and there was a big queue. But this Yognau(gh)t could help. "I'll meet them and show them I met you. Sjin will believe me. He's been sounding so sad ever since you left. You left February last year, right?" I nodded, and she bit her lip. "He's been so sad without you."