Alice 😭
The small house I've been forced to live in was okay at first, then Corrin polluted it with his cigarette smoke and whiskey breath. Every time he comes near me to hurt me or talk to me I just space out, I space so far and just go to my happy place, hoping he will just get it over with and kill me.
When I hear his footsteps echo on the cold tile of the kitchen and walk into the torn up living room where I am stationed I lift my head from the drooping positioned I had held it for the past week that I have been here.
"Well say it ain't so, the lard is awake." he snarls an insult at me
"I'm so hungry Daddy. Please, please get me some food. I haven't eaten all weak." I plea sadly
"Oh, darling maybe you have learned at least one lesson. I will bring you some food after I finish this one." He says, pulling out a jar of spiders from behind his back.
"Oh my," I say
"You want to know what these are, darling?" He says
"What might they be?" I ask
"Well, this here is a whole glass jar of Hobo spiders just for you. They are venomous but they shouldn't hurt too bad. All you gotta do is keep them happy and calm. Just answer some questions to keep em that way." He says "Why did you change your names?"
"Because we didn't want anything to do with you. We didn't want you to find us." I say
"Alisa, don't you know that I can find my blood anywhere? I had originally come here for your Momma but I found you instead and what a treat that was." He says with a psychotic grin "Why did you dye your hair?"
He comes towards me and picks up a strand of my hair, twirling it within his fingers.
"I didn't want anything to do with you." I say with a cold tone
"Wrong answer child." He says, shaking up the jar of spiders.
Before I realize what he is doing he has unscrewed the cap and is pouring them on me. I want to scream but I need to keep my mouth closed in case they decide it sure would be cool to get into my insides by my mouth. The spiders are angry and they start to bite me. Their gross hairy legs carry them all over my body and I can't help but feel disgusted.
"Well, while you are having fun with this. I'm going to give you a little trim and then I will go get you some food." He says taking out a pair of scissors.
I close my eyes so I don't have to look as he snips off uneven chunks of my hair.
"You look so much better now. Maybe that will teach you to keep your hair looking nicer. No one will ever love you. No one will ever find you. I hope you enjoy your time alone. I'm going to get you the food you so badly begged for earlier. See, aren't I a great father?" He says, grabbing his coat and walking out of the house.
I wait a few minutes to make sure he is gone before I start screaming for help. Most of the spiders are still on me but I would rather be saved with a spider in my mouth than suffer painfully with a mouth free of any spiders.
"HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME I'M IN HERE! HELP!" I wail over and over again, as loud as I can.
I scream for about ten minutes when I hear some pounding on the door. The pounding gets louder and I quiet down a little bit. The sound of splintering wood lets me know it isn't Corrin who is here.
"Help me I'm back here!" I cry and a familiar face rounds the corner.
"Oh my gosh, Ali! I was just on a run to clear my head and I hear your yells. I'm calling 9-1-1 now. What happened?
"He poured spiders on me! He poured freaking venomous spiders on me. Hurry, he just left to get me food. He will be back any minute." I say as Asher works towards untying me from the chair.
"It will be fine." He says as his hands shake "God, what did he do to your hair?" Asher asks
"He just cut it off. How bad is it?" I say
"No, don't worry you look beautiful anyway so it doesn't matter. I am sorry that I didn't find you earlier." He says with tears in his eyes.
I look at him deeply and put my hands on either side of his head. Gently I place my lips on his nose and say "I know this isn't the right time but I think I might love you in the future, Asher Letton."
"I think I might love you in the future as well, Alisa Seethe."
"Don't call me that."
"Why? It is part of who you are." He says
"Sweetie, I brought you food!" My father's psychotic voice booms, causing Asher's eyes to widen with terror.
"I won't let him hurt you." Asher whispers, turning around to face the man looming in the doorway
"Asher! Don't be irrational!" I scream as my father comes barreling down on him.
"I can't believe you would try to get my daughter without my consent! I am her father and I know that I should at least be asked for a blessing." Corrin booms in a loud and unreasonable manner. "I guess I'm going to have to teach you a lesson."
"NO! Asher!" I scream as Corrin pulls out a belt he had tucked away in his pocket.
Memories of the pain come back. Memories of wanting to just run away because there was no love in the world. Now, Asher has given me the opportunity to run away, but I have given myself a reason to stay and fight for myself.
Time seems to slow down as I jump out of my chair. Running and sliding like a maniac I jump in front of the belt as it comes down on my face. I stand right in front of Asher and even though he is taller than me he has never experienced a beating by my father and he is cowering on the ground. I can't say that I blame him.
My father takes a few more lashes and I can hear him saying "You fat ugly lard get out of the way so I can beat this little man coward."
"You, get out of the way." I say, staggering towards him "You are the man coward and I hate you. You are such a monster and you deserve to rot with the devil in his chamber."
With one swift move that my self defense classes taught me I snatch the belt out of his hand and whip it down on his face. "You are a disgrace to the family. Let me teach you a lesson."
Tears are rolling down at a regular pace and I am trying to keep myself from breaking down so I can finish my pay back. I whip him several times and when I am done I say "I hope you will learn for next time. Then, I drop the blood splattered thing on the ground and fall with it."
"Come on, baby." Asher says but I can barely hear him
"I can't move." I choke out
"I know, I've got you. The cops and ambulance are on the way. You were so brave in there." He says as the sirens get closer.
All I can hear are the sirens. All I can feel are Asher's arms around me, taking me away from this dump. All I can see is the blood splattered belt and the angry spiders.
