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Chapter 1

This story contains scenes of child abuse and graphic detail, you have been warned.

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Rain dripped elegantly down the rusted windowpane while Emily - an eleven year old girl - sat upon a rugged, antique sofa. The house was quiet and dark - no life had occurred in the small building since her parents died years ago. She glared out into the eerie weather with much disapproval before slumping off the couch. The small, cottage like house that her grandmother lived in was very old dating back to before that old lady was even born. The floor boards creaked as Emily moved across the living room into the kitchen. The little girl brushed the deep brown bangs from her eyes and stepped up onto the counter, it was time for grandma's tea.

Emily was used to doing things on her own, grandma never came downstairs... unless Emily was to make a noise. Grandma liked quiet, she stayed up in her room at the top of the rickety staircase. Emily sometimes heard little, strange noises but she didn't question it. She wasn't aloud in that room. The little girl continue to prepare the hot drink, her brown bob swinging just over her shoulders as she scrunched her face. Two sugars, one milk... get it right or stay out of sight.  A little rhyme she chanted in her head, grandma didn't like mistakes - quite frankly, grandma didn't like many things. Emily tried to make her a flower crown from little daisies in the front lawn but grandma didn't like that either, she wasn't allowed outside anymore because of that. If Emily made a sound, she would have to hide or grandma would hurt her.

The ratty old nightgown Emily wore was about two sizes too small, but grandma never left the house for anyone but herself. "Whoever said kids are to be seen and not heard was half drunk." Emily remembered grandma mutter, that was when Emily made her first mistake. "I don't want that rat anywhere near my line of vision." Standing on her toes to reach the counter, she made the beverage and walked ever so quietly up the stairs. The clock read 12:55pm, five minutes until the tea was expected. Standing on the last step, she carefully slid the tea cup and saucer across the hall to the room in front of her. As she did, the took off down the stairs as quietly as she could. A few minutes later was when she hear the subtle sound of a door creaking open, then shutting with a snap. Emily did good today.

The young girl blinked her curious green eyes in the direction of the old, musty living room corner. There was where the only thing she loved was, a small porcelain doll who bore the name "Lily". Emily walked over, her bare feet touching the cold wooden floor in approaching her friend. She picked up her playmate and stroked her long blonde hair, it looked like her mother. The little girl felt tears drip from her frigid, malnourished face and she wiped them away quickly. She mustn't cry, grandma would hit her for it. Grandma doesn't like it when she does anything.

As the little girl played with her doll, the time seemed to fly. As the antique grandfather clock shook the room with its' sound, Emily froze. It struck 9:00pm, too late for little girls to be up. The little girl placed the doll back in its corner and spun around to head to her cabinet, that's when she caught sight of the dead, pasty face of her grandmother. "You vermin... disobeying my rules." the old woman spat at the girl, her worn down yellow teeth grimaced at the young child be fore her. She smelled of dust and mildew, her hair falling out at the roots and god have mercy on whoever caught sight of her complexion. Emily got to her knees, the normal routine when she disobeyed. While she waited for her beating, she heard the cracking knuckles of grandmother unfold from her cane. Silence came upon the two, nothing was heard but the dripping rain. Emily jolted up when boney, rough fingers tugged through her hair. Grandmother dragged her up off her knees and continuously whipped the rugged, wooden cane upon her thin torso. 

The little girl let out the smallest of cries then it all stopped. She was dropped, looking up at the dead face of her grandmother she breathed deeply. "What did I tell you," the lady spoke slowly, threatening the girl "about crying." Emily dropped her head, this made grandma worse. She pulled her up by her bangs so that the little girl was inches from her hollow face. Emily spoke softly, "It hurt grandma." The old lady laughed, a flehm-filled throat stirred up and the grandmother spat upon the floor. "There's only so much one can do." Before Emily could ask, she was being dragged up the stairs. Struggling to walk along, each stumble created a new bruise upon her thin, paper skin. 

The woman threw the little girl into her cave, slamming the heavy oak door behind her. It was pitch black, Emily strained her eyes to see what was in front of her. Nothing, only dark, darkness and sounds. These sounds rung through her ears; subtle creaks upon the old hardwood, high-pitched squeals matched to those of old metal hinges, and rats... lots of rats. "It's scary up here grandmother." her plead was only met with a howl of laughter. "There are rats everywhere..." a thump crushed the thin bones of her foot, created by the grandmother's cane. The little girl yelped as pain scorched her limb only causing the grandmother to lean onto her cane. The crisp, crunch of bone crept up the walls. Wallpaper peeled from the roach infested walls surrounding the scene. Grandmother twisted against her cane digging it into her granddaughters tiny foot, a grim smile across her face. "You really must shut up, your pain is my pleasure, but must you do it so loudly?" this was followed by a raspy groan, as the cane was pulled back the little girl cried on. She was so good, what happened? Why couldn't she stop crying? Grandmother was mad, she couldn't be mad! Emily was in trouble, she knew it.

A flickering light was switched on and Emily fulfilled her eyes wishes to see. The tiny room was filled with a rocking chair propped up right beside the door, a rickety table sat in front of it and a sewing kit was placed neatly upon it. Needles spilled over the sides while thread trickled like a stream from over the edge. In the furthest corner, an armoire stood looming over the room like a hawk on watch. The lack of colour created a sullen aura, nothing moved but grandmother - whose moves were more twitching than walking. "You know," grandmother added to the sound of paining tears "I've been needing something to help me with this...mess." she gestured a boney, sand paper finger towards the spilling needles. Her head jolted around with such force nearly every bone in her neck cracked and creaked along with the old floor boards, grandma sneered - lifting her cracked, bleeding top lip above her rotting teeth, the bag snarled. "Here." she pointed at her feet, a dagger-like fingernail cut the air in motion. Emily did her best to slide her way towards the leering figure, wincing at any pressure to her shattered foot. "Aw, why must you look so sad! You finally being useful... help ol' granny out with her things." Grandmother stepped on the back of Emily's head, pushing it to the ground. The little girl squealed as a small pin forced its way into her cheek. The sound of punctured flesh made grandmother very, very pleased...

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Sorry for the short first chapter, I wanted to test and see if it worked. Hopefully, it wasn't too awful.