From the Lips of a Young

"She wouldn't say a word or do anything. She would just stand near her cousin's bed and watch her sleep. She would do that for hours. The next morning, I would ask her why. She would slowly look down at her own feet, never looks into my eyes. Never replies. One day, I asked her again. She looked into my eyes for the very first time. Then she softly said, "I don't remember the last time I slept." At that time, I knew something was wrong, but then again, she wouldn't tell me. I knew she was sleepless, restless and tired. I would always see sorrow and sadness in her eyes. My question was always, 'why?'"

 Sixteen years ago... 

"Oh, my god. Look at those beautiful eyes." She said as she cuddled her granddaughter who had just been born a little while ago. Her big, round eyes with big, black buttons, glowing inside had her grandmother's heart stolen. "She's gorgeous..." She said softly, playing with her little fingers. "Those eyes... So innocent." She said. Then she smiled. "Innocence..." Her heart filled with joy. "We'll name her Innocence." She looked at her daughter, who was lying still on the bed. "Don't you think Innocence is a wonderful name, dear?" She asked. Lilly Brown looked at her mother. "For a girl without a father..." She began. "Yes, that is a pretty good name." Her words were not with love. She was only seventeen and she had just given birth. That also, without marriage. She got incredibly drunk at a party one night and that is when it happened. No one knows who the father is. Her mother was shocked to know that her daughter was pregnant. However, she helped and supported her in every way, despite the fact that Lilly had tried to abort her baby. Rebecca Brown was furious and advised her not to do that. "I hate this baby!" Lilly had yelled at her mother. Rebecca calmly said, "Don't blame the baby." Now, she had little Innocence in her arms, and she was the spitting image of Lilly. "Did you even look at her?" Rebecca asked, sitting on the bed. "She looks just like you." She said. Lilly scoffed. "She looks like her father. Whoever that is." She rolled her eyes. "Glad that Venus has finally got someone to play with." Rebecca smiled. Venus Brown was her eldest son's daughter. She was only three. After her son and his wife met with a collateral damage, she started looking after their daughter. "Just let her come from school. She will be excited to meet her little cousin, Innocence Brown."

As Lilly was a young mother and had no idea about being a parent, Rebecca decided to stay with her until Innocence was a little older. Lilly was careless. She kept on living her normal teenage life, while her mother did everything. Little Venus adored her baby cousin. She loved watching her sleep, mostly. She would stand near Innocence's cradle and watch her sleep peacefully. As years passed by, Innocence grew and grew. She enjoyed playing with Venus and loved all her stuffed toys. Lilly slowly started taking responsibilities as well. She started giving her daughter relaxing showers, fed her and rocked her to sleep. In front of Rebecca's eyes, Lilly was admiring her daughter. She got a job and started spending for Innocence. She started being a parent. When Innocence turned six, Lilly got married to a man named Stewart Collins. He was tall, had blond hair and little, blue eyes. Rebecca saw that Lilly could take care of her child now, so she moved out, along with Venus. As soon as Rebecca left, Lilly changed. She became cruel and ill-treated her own daughter. She would usually yell at the six-year-old and beat her up badly.  At night, Innocence heard weird noises from her parents' room. Noises that a six-year-old was not supposed to hear. Her parents would usually cuddle in front of the little girl and she would always wonder, "Why is daddy hugging mommy?" Unanswered questions ran across her mind.

One night, Stewart came home late, drunk. She demanded Lilly to get him some food and when she disobeyed him, he beat her up. Innocence woke up to the noise of them fighting and yelling. She heard her mother scream. She slowly walked downstairs and poked her head out to the living room. She saw Stewart holding Lilly's hair and saying inappropriate words. Then she beat her up. Innocence ran up to her room, shaking with fear. "Why is daddy hurting mommy?" She asked herself. She buried herself under the sheets of her bed and tried to sleep, but the images kept on popping up in her head and the noises kept on ringing in her ears endlessly. Suddenly, she heard soft footsteps from outside her bedroom. She got out of the bed sheets and looked at the door. The door knob turned slowly. As she watched with her heart beating rapidly in her chest, the door opened wide. Standing in the doorway, was her step-father, Stewart Collins. He kept on looking at Innocence with fierce eyes, like a hungry beast, looking at its prey. He walked in and sat on her bed. Then he touched her head softly as she jumped in fear. "Shh..." He shushed. "I'm not going to hurt you." He whispered. Innocence lied back in her bed, trying to be calm. "You're a good girl..." He said. "Daddy?" She called. "Hmm?" He looked into her big eyes, playing with her soft, black hair with his finger tips. "Why did you hurt mommy?" She asked. "You see, little Innocence, mommy was disobeying me. She was being a very bad girl." He explained. "But you. You're a good girl, aren't you?" He asked. Innocence nodded. After a little while, he got into her bed and lay next to her. "You know what, Innocence?" He asked. "Mommy doesn't want me tonight." He said. "So why don't you let me sleep with you?" He touched her little belly. "Okay?" He asked. Innocence slowly nodded. She was confused of his actions. He hugged her. The only question in her mind was, "Why is daddy hugging me?" He never did that to her before. No one did. She felt his hand move along her body. She felt uncomfortable. She was scared stiff. She had no idea of what was going on, but she knew that whatever he was doing to her was wrong. "What are you doing, daddy?" She asked softly. "Helping you to sleep." He lay above her and whispered, "Close your eyes and sleep..." Not knowing what else to do, she obeyed him. She felt him touch here and there and she felt miserable. "What is he doing?" She asked herself in her mind. Soon, as tired as she was, she fell into a deep sleep.