The Hanging Tree

Chapter 16

(WARNING. Don't read this chapter if you don't like violence. Is quite mild but please remember I warned you.)

"Aww," a mocking, female voice says, "look at her, sobbing her heart out."

I'm just able to make out the smirk the other person makes. "Good," a breezy, male voice says.

"Please, stop," I beg. Except this isn't my voice. Why is it so familiar though?

"Please, Charles, Helen, please stop."

"Oh the irony," said Charles, leaning in and taking my chin in his hands, "didn't we ask the same thing of you, Pearl?"

I remembered now that I was Pearl, not Alison.

"Ali, I need to get you to a doctors'!" I heard. Again I was Alison, laying down by James. Yet I could feel myself slipping away from reality back into the vision. In a desperate attempt I made James promise to not let anyone see me like this. Then I exited the present.

I could see that Charles had the same brown hair than me. He had brown eyes and a young face. His face to me was repugnant.

"Oh please," I sobbed, "I promise not to miss behave again."

"That's what you always say," Charles said, stroking my face, "yet you always brake that promise," he said in a voice full of venom, scratching my face harshly with his nails. I screamed.

"Ok, stop," my sister, Helen says, "you know we must not harm the face."

She stepped next to me and began ripping my clothes off.

Helen had long, blonde hair and my blue eyes. She was considered one of the most beautiful ladies in the county.

"Now you will pay for stealing away my man," she growled at me.

"I never wanted to marry Robert- I mean Mr Richardson," I sobbed.

"Well, by the time we are over with you, you won't want to even know him. Charles?"

He smiled and took something from behind his eyes. He moved it and it slapped the ground, making a smacking noise.

My eyes widened as I realised what it was.

"A whip?" I gasped.

Charles and Alison had always abused me and tortured me ever since I was little, but never with a whip!

"Oh yes it is, little sister," Helen whispered at me, "time to have some fun."

My heart began to beat furiously.

"You know what's sad?" Charles said, stepping closer to me, "is such a shame you are my sister. I could totally imagine us having some fun," he said, running his hands down my body. I yelped. "Or maybe just me having the fun."

"Enough talk," Helen said, "begin with the main act."

Charles sighed, ran his hands through me for a final time, and stood up. He took a central position in front of me. As he began to raise the whip, I screamed, "please no! Alright, you've scared me! I've learnt my lesson."

Helen didn't even as much as give me a glance. "Begin," she said in a bored tone.

I closed my eyes as the whip descended towards me. It hit me on the chest and I screamed. I felt blinding pain.

Even though I knew it was useless, I began screaming, "help! Somebody please help me!" at the top of my lungs.

Charles and Helen both laughed.

"Oh Pearl," Helen said, "when will you learn that nobody can hear your pleas!"

That was true. This part of the house was hidden and so far away that it was impossible to hear anything from the main part of the house.

If only I hadn't been so stupid as to go to sleep! I should have know that Charles would use some type of chemical to make me dizzy and sleepy, so that he could bring me to the torture room!

"Ok, keep going," Helen said.

Charles smirked and lashed me, again and again.

After a while, when I had lost count of how many whippings I had received, Helen came over.

She looked at the pulsing blood pouring out from everywhere in my body and laughed. She reached out to touch the skin on my stomach, which was beginning to fall off. I flinched at the touch. It burned.

She got a calculating look on her face, then smiled.

"Now is my turn," she said.

Suddenly, she punched me in the stomach. Hard.

I screamed my head off. I was chained up, so I couldn't move my arms and legs. Instead I leaned forward my head and bit as hard as possible.

Helen screamed. She looked at the wound in her hand. Her eyes were filled with fury.

"Why stop now? We can still have so much fun!" She snarled, punching and kicking me.

My body felt so broken right now. Each tiny movement caused unbearable pain.

Charles came over and joined Helen on the punching and kicking.

I began to feel blackness engulf my eyes. Was I dying? Did I want to die?

All I wanted was to end this pain and misery. Everyone always told me how lucky I was, but I really wasn't.

I thought of Finch. Yes, I was partly lucky. I had met the love of my life. I couldn't leave him now, yet I was slipping away from consciousness.

I'm sorry Finch, I thought, I'm so sorry.

I began to let go off everything.

The last thing I hear was my siblings' laughter.