Self-Seeker

Fourteen Years Prior

Scared would be an understatement - Genesis was petrified. The sobbing wouldn't stop, she tried so hard to keep quiet, to tone down the volume of her shrieks as she felt herself being forced down and torn open. The pain had reached such heights that curses left her pre-teenage lips. It only angered him more and fueled him further.

"Shut up!" He bellowed and beat her down again. Saliva frothed at his lips, as he spoke it shot down onto her face. Her face. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. She could feel the mixture of his sweat and spit, running down her skin in a stream-like manner.

Her eyes squeezed shut as she winced from the impact, the metallic taste of blood slid over her tongue. As if the blows weren't enough, he continued to madly thrust himself into her frail body. The moans that escaped his mouth caused her to cringe. What he was doing to her was sickening.

For hours she had been his rag doll, until last night became this morning. Sunday turned into Monday. The day of her mother's funeral was soon the day of Genesis' own death.

Unwittingly, it was the day Harmonie was truly formed.

After what seemed like a lifetime, he pulled himself out of her shivering body. Starved, battered and broken, Genesis curled up into a petite ball, crying silently into her own embrace. His footsteps grew further away, it was only when he was out of sight did she attempt to stand. Her efforts were feeble - the soreness prevented her from any gross motor movement. Genesis let out a sob again, feeling sorry for herself.

Tears fell until they could fall no more. Never had she felt more violated, used and abused. Her skin crawled at the mere thought of what he had done to her; fear grew within her at the notion that he might do it again.

In the midst of her agony, Genesis had called out to one person - but they never came. They had left her to be tortured, to receive a punishment she did not deserve for a crime she never committed. Everyone respected her father, he had a good business and brought up two well-mannered, young girls. Nobody knew how much one event could change someone. The death of his wife twisted him into the antagonist of a horror story. He had become someone she didn't recognize, a monster. Her sister had turned a blind eye, she was a traitor. And she had been the subject of his wrath, a helpless victim.

Genesis was snapped out of her thoughts by the door to her bedroom slowly creeping open. Terrified, she shuffled back onto her bed and buried herself under the duvets. A presence grew near and her barrier was intruded. She lashed out like a crazed animal, kicking and thrashing with all her might. Every single movement was excruciating, but Genesis couldn't take any more that night, it was too much to bear and she would be damned if she didn't try to put up a fight.

However, her actions came to a halt at the sound of her sister's voice speaking in hushed tones.

"Ouch. Genesis stop! It's me." Jazmine whispered, pinning down her little sister's legs to stop her from attacking her any further.

"Jazzy?" Genesis said, squinting into the darkness of the room. Realization soon took its rightful place as she remembered how Jazmine walked out of the room to allow her father to 'take care of her'. "Why didn't you help me? Didn't you hear me calling?" She asked in confusion.

Jazmine sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed with a shameful expression. "I did hear you, Gen, but I couldn't come. I was afraid he might hurt me too."

"You know he wouldn't hurt you. It was me who killed Mum. You could have called someone, anyone."

"I promise I wanted to call the police but I was too scared to do anything. All I could do was try and block out the sound of your screaming." Jazmine responded.