Shattered to Pieces |Percabeth Story |

10

The Next Day

Annabeth

It's as if yesterday never happened. Rachel hasn't been mean to me but she hasn't talked to me since yesterday either. We- Rachel, Rachel's dad, Ben and I- are standing in the hallway by the front door. William Dare has an arm around his daughter' shoulders as he talks to Ben and thanks him for letting her stay with us.

"Anytime," Ben grins. "I'm sure Annabeth and Rachel enjoyed spending time together. Isn't that right, girls?"

Rachel and I glance at each other.

She's the first to look away.

"Yeah," I finally reply, turning to look at Mr. Dare. "I discovered things about her that I never would've guessed took place in her life." My eyes meet William's and his snake-like orbs narrow at me suspiciously as I lift one side of my mouth upwards in a smirk. He smiles uneasily at me.

"Well, we better get going," Mr. Dare says, raising a hand to ruffle Rachel's hair. I notice Rachel flinch. I wouldn't have seen the reaction if I wasn't looking so closely.

My discovery still hasn't sunk in. I just can't believe it. Rachel's father always seemed so sweet. It's like I'm finding a missing piece to a puzzle that I gave up finding a long time ago. All those times I wondered why Rachel hated me. Rachel doesn't hate me; it was an act to get the attention off her. It may seem selfish but I'd probably do the same thing.

Ben and I stay by the door and watch as Rachel and her dad climb into their car and drive away. As soon as they're out of sight Ben slams the door shut and stamps down the hall and into the kitchen. I hear the refrigerator door open and Ben grab something from inside it before he closes it.

"Get in here!" he yells and I bite the inside of my cheek, remembering all the threats he has given me when Rachel wasn't in the same room. I slowly walk towards the kitchen and find him gulping down a beer.

The back door is open and I hug myself to warm my shivering body. I glance outside and see that the sky is a miserable grey colour and the branches on the trees sway wildly in the wind.

It looks like a storm is coming.

He takes the bottle from his lips and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. "A month! A whole month of that brat in my house!"

He's angry yet I still don't expect him to throw the glass beer bottle at me, but he does. I don't expect it to rip into the skin on the right side of my face. I'm so shocked that I don't even scream. I bring a shaky hand up to my cheek and feel a trail of blood swim down my face.

"I know why you asked for her to stay! You're not as stupid as I thought you were. You thought having someone stay with us would stop you from getting punished for all the bad you've done. And you knew I wouldn't say no because her dad works with me," Ben growls, his face as red as the blood covering my hand.

"I-I'm sorry," I stutter.

"I-I'm s-sorry," Ben mimics. "Oh, you will be."

He lifts the top of his shirt and starts unbuckling his belt. For a second, I think he's going to undress and do something I never expected even him to do. I step backwards and Ben looks at me. "Ha, don't worry about that. Why would I want to touch you?" I suddenly realise what he's really going to do.

"No," I whimper. "Please."

"Come here," he snaps. "Take your punishment! You deserve it."

"Ben, I'm sorry."

"A bit too late for that!" Ben yells and walks towards me.

He grabs me by the front of my shirt and drags me over to the table. He pushes me forward so I'm bending over it and grabs a knife from the knife block on the kitchen counter. I hear him drag the knife through the material of my top and drop the sharp object onto the table. My eyes pool with tears as I wait for the pain I'm sure I will soon feel.