Unbreak Me

Chapter 10

                      Avery Adley

No one was home thankfully.
I passed Alissa who seemed to be quite concerned by the fact I was home early. Apparently mother and Leah were having lunch with Russell.
No doubt he'll be quite busy for awhile. With the new project and work from his extended business trip in London, he'll have less time to spend around here.

I opened my laptop on my desk and got working. I worked until the sun started to go down and I finally finished and submitted all my work.

A gentle knock on the door caught my attention.
"Come in." I answered.

"Avery, I brought you some dinner." Alissa entered with a tray. She sat on the seat adjacent to me while I ate. She knows I don't like eating alone, so would accompany if she could and I wasn't eating with the family.
We chatted for awhile, I almost forgot the problem looming heavily over me.

Alissa said that her son Louis was studying in France at the moment while her daughter Delilah was travelling and working as a photographer.
Apparently at the moment Delilah is travelling outback Australia and is at Uluru this week. Before that, she had gone through most of Europe.
Her adventures sound amazing. I was envious of her freedom and spirit.
Louis was studying law at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and should be graduating this year. Alissa is excited to see both of her children again.
I had a crush on Louis when i was younger. Both Delilah and Louis were my only friends until they left for their own adventures. I miss them dearly.

When I finished my food Alissa took my dishes back down to the kitchen.
I stretched and cracked my aching bones and muscles.
I walked into the closet and pulled out panties, sweat pants and a t-shirt to change into after showering.
I undressed and studied my old and new bruises in the mirror.

I had never been comfortable with my body.
I was short at 5'1" with legs to match, making the slightest amount of weight gain noticeable.
I always thought I had curves in the wrong places, but with the addition of marks and bruises I began to hate it all the more.
I felt ugly, plain and worst of all... weak.
The bruises told a tale about how I was too weak to defend myself. I couldn't save my parents and I couldn't save myself.

The only thing I liked about myself is the hair I inherited from Maman.
Bright red and vivid. The kind of red that was rare and held a uniqueness.

I sighed. My cheek was bruising slightly under the makeup. The bruise around my neck had just begun to fade.
My abdomen adorned multiple bruises at different stages of healing.

Who would want to marry this?

I brushed it off and decided not to look in the mirror anymore. I didn't want to see the broken girl staring back at me.

My shower relaxed me a little bit. The Jasmine scented shampoo calmed me and the soothing body wash helped loosen my muscles.
When I was all washed and clean I stepped out, dried myself and my hair and dressed.
When I got back to my room it was 9pm.
Feeling worn out I climbed into bed and turned out the light.
I tossed and turned for a while before finally getting comfortable and falling asleep.

I screamed when I was dragged out of bed by my tangled hair. I landed on the carpeted floor painfully.
The room was dark, but I didn't need to be able to see to know who it was.
A hard kick found its way to my gut and ribs.
Any effort I made to shield or protect any areas were in vein. I yelped and cried when pain followed each repeated hit.
My thighs, arms, head, abdomen, back was all hit mercilessly. He at least had half a mind to not hit my face.

"You... bitch.." Mr. Adley's hisses came out slurred. "You took my Leahs happiness... My opportunity."

He grunted when he sent a hard punch to the side of my head.

"S-stop!" I cried. "Please!"

He bent down to my level and I could smell the alcohol on his breath.
"Don you fuckin' tell me what to do." He growled. "What'd ya do? Fuck 'em? Suck 'em off? You're a filthy slut." Mr. Adley's insults shot through my ears. "You shoulda died with your good for nothin' father and French bitch of a mother. You waste of space. Fat piece o' shit."

His large hand grabbed my arm and twisted it around behind me. He pulled me and easily pinned me to the bed.

"Should I show ya how they treat whores like you?" He grunted in my ear. Mr. Adley's drunken hand harshly slid down my waist and reached the waistband of my sweats.
My eyes widened and I started struggling painfully against his hold.

"N-no! Please! No!" I screamed. My terrified voice echoed back at me in the room.

"Shut the fuck up!"
Using his strength and large form, Mr Adley sent me flying over the bed and across the room. My back hit the wall and I landed on the floor, possibly cracking a few ribs.

Mr. Adley stomped to the door where he muttered "not worth the fuckin' trouble." And slammed the door behind him.

My whole body hurt.
Pain shot through me whenever I moved or even breathed.
I laid on the floor hugging my battered self and cried until I fell asleep.

My alarm screeched at me to wake up. I groaned and my eyes fluttered open. I didn't realise how much of a mess my room was.
My bedding was scattered across the floor and my desk had it's contents all knocked off.
My lamp had been knocked off the bed side table, thankfully nothing seemed to be broken.
I sat up from my spot on the floor.
Every movement hurt.
I crawled over to my phone that sat next to the messed up bed and turned the alarm off.

Momentarily I closed my eyes. Hoping that when I opened them again I would be back to being an 8 year old. I had no worries and Maman and Papa were still alive.
If only I could go back. Drag them out of the house before the fire even started or stop it altogether.

I knew that could never happen. But a girl could only dream.