i n s c a p e. // one direction //

{ o n e }

A/N: THIS STORY IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REWRITTEN. The writing was a monstrosity, seeing as I was only around twelve or thirteen years old when I originally wrote this. I want to thank you all for putting up with it nonetheless. Here's to hoping this turns out a little better.

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O n e.

They say that one little action, one little insignificant little detail, can set off a chain reaction. Dannie had never agreed with that logic, though. It had been sixteen years and she'd done nothing but fight and wish for a change that never came. She was trapped, a prisoner in what was supposed to be her home by an abusive woman who was supposed to be her mother.

Dannie was learning how to handle her mother; after sixteen years, she'd figured out what she should and shouldn't say. Usually, her mother just preferred her to say nothing. It wasn't as if Dannie hadn't tried to fight back, hadn't fought to get away from her mother. Any attempts she had made had all been futile because who would believe the daughter of an incredibly rich beautiful woman who was known for her generosity? They had all just assumed Dannie had been lying in a poor attempt to get her mother's attention. They couldn't have been further from the truth.

"Danielle, you have ten seconds to open your door or so help me, I'll break it down."

Dannie opened her eyes and glared at the ceiling. Yep, that would be her lovely new stepfather, Phil. Daddy dearest himself had only known Dannie's mother for a few short weeks before they'd gotten married. Not only was Dannie suffering abuse from her mother, but now she was left to deal with it from two people who were supposed to be parental figures.

She quickly pushed herself off the bed and opened the door, half expecting Phil to smack her for not immediately letting him in. The door was unlocked, of course, and Phil could've easily let himself in, but it was as if he and his new wife enjoyed making up reasons to punish Dannie. Instead, Dannie was met by an ugly smile that didn't match the hard lines across Phil's face.

"Your mother's making dinner. We have some very special news."

He didn't bother to wait for her response, simply because he knew she wouldn't have one. Special news? What did that mean?

Dannie waited until she could hear the sound of Phil's steel-toe boots hitting one stair step after another before slowly following after him. When she reached their unnecessarily large kitchen, she caught a whiff of Alfredo strong enough to make her go weak in the knees. When was the last time her mother had made a meal like this?

She hesitantly took a seat and placed her hands in her lap. "What's the big news?"

Phil's shoulders tensed up and he shot an annoyed glance in her direction, but she ignored it. She was going to be seventeen in a few months, god dammit; she should be allowed to talk.

"Patience," Her mother snapped as she continued to stir. Dannie internally sighed; was she really expecting anything different?

It took what seemed like hours for the food to finally be done, and by this point, Dannie was growing anxious. Phil sat on her left, her mother on her right. They opened up a fresh bottle of wine, and Dannie felt her heart plummet. Drinking usually meant something bad was happening.

"Well, Danielle, it looks like you've made the paper," Her mother finally said, pushing a copy of a popular magazine into her daughter's arms. Dannie scanned the front page and winced. She quickly read over the article, her heart seeming to fall further with every word.

"So, it seems we have two options," Phil interjected, grabbing the magazine, "Both punishments, of course."

Dannie didn't expect anything less; of course she was going to get punished. It wasn't her fault the school had seen her bruises, wasn't her fault that people started to believe the rumors of abuse. It was just her luck that it had ended up in the paper again, though. It wasn't her fault that her mother was famous for her money.

"We could either remove you from school and keep you on house arrest the next few months," Phil suggested.

"Or," Her mother finished, "We could just give you the punishment you deserve here and now."

Dannie didn't bother to respond and instead ran through the house, headed for the door. A quick pull to her hair pushed her back a few steps, and she fell to the floor. A sharp kick in the ribs caused her to cry out in pain and her mother laughed.

"Oh, Danielle. Always so stupid."

When she would look back on this moment in the future, she would see this as the moment that seemed to change her, the moment that would forever shape Dannie as a person.

"Get off me!" She pushed hard against her mother's grip and managed to slip through the front door. Wearing nothing but a T-shirt and shorts in 30 degree weather, she wrapped her arms around herself and ran to the only person she knew could help her.

...

"Dannie? Oh my God, what happened?" Jess's shrill voice cut through the younger girl like a knife. She loved her cousin dearly, but damn did the girl have a set of lungs.

"You know what? Don't answer that; come inside first."

It took a total of ten minutes for Dannie to warm up. It took another twenty for her to explain what had happened.

"Your mom? And Phil?" Jess asked for the third time. "Are you positive you didn't just dream it all or something?"

"Jesus Christ, Jess, no I didn't bloody dream it. I know what happened. These cuts," She pointed to her face, "Are from my lovely mother. Those bruises on my legs? That's the work of Phil."

Jess covered her mouth and shook her head. "There's no way. It can't be true."

"It's all true! You trade places with me for a day and then you'll understand," Dannie shivered. Why did everyone have such trouble believing her? We're her mum and Phil really that great in public? So great that nobody would ever expect them to lay a hand on their beloved daughter?

"Alright, alright," Jess receded, holding her hands up in surrender. "You can stay here for tonight, then. Tomorrow we'll figure out more."

Dannie wrapped her fingers around the mug of hot chocolate her cousin had so hastily given her in an attempt to pull up her body temperature. She wasn't sure what would happen tomorrow, but at least tonight she'd have a safe haven at Jess's.