Blood is thicker than water

Chapter 2

Adelina's POV:

Michael is my stepfather. One of the men who haunt my dreams. The reason I am the way I am, why I do the things I do. With him, I have a very tight schedule. I'm his maid , his punching bag and his toy. He's usually drunk, rarely high. 

He has a set of rules for me to follow, and if I slip up I get beat. I'll get hit a couple times if I do something he simply doesn't like but if I make a mistake with the rules ,I question whether I will wake up the next morning. I'm not scared of not waking up anymore, I've never been good at following rules.

There are many of these famous rules.Rule number one, have dinner on the table when he's home. Rule number two, don't look him in the eyes. Rule number three, speak when spoken to. Rule number four, no eating or drinking. At the house at least. Rule number five, I am to kneel in front of him when I've done something wrong and await his punishment. There's a specific way to kneel too. I must have both knees on the groundwith shins also touching the ground. I must sit on my heels with my chin down because of rule 2. Rule number six, don't run. Rule number seven, don't resist. Rule number eight, don't tell anyone about what happens within these walls. Rule number nine, cover the marks and bruises. Rule number ten, don't raise suspicions. Rule number eleven, don't refer to people of authority using their name, say sir. Rule number twelve, all rules apply to anyone of authority. 

Michael and my mom got married when I was seven years old, two years after she and I were kidnapped and released. I don't remember much about my life before, my mind locked those memories away long ago.

All I do recall is living quite the lavish lifestyle. A big house with a pretty pink room. I had a huge italien family and they were trying to teach me the language which I didn't grasp at the time. 

I had so many cousins. I can't remember any of them though, only the love I felt. And brothers. I had brothers! A lot of them too.

There's Domenico, Francesco, Angelo, Raffaele and the twins Valentino and Valerio. I don't remember anything but their names and the overwhelming feeling of joy and love I felt each day. 

I also have a father, but I rarely saw him. He was always busy but I know he loved me nonetheless. I was his little princess, the only girl.

Then that one day, I was playing with one of the younger  boys and I heard the bullets. Whoever it was pulled me up and into the closet murmuring something about a safe room. But then I remembered that bear that I loved so much.

I bursted back into the room searching for the bear I didn't want to leave behind. The boy shouted after me but his commands fell on deaf ears. I was frantically searching until I wasn't and the world around me turned into black nothing. 

I woke up later in a grimy, dirty room with my mother. We were then placed with a lower ranked member of our kidnappers but soon escaped. 

We hid in plain sight. My mom then found Michael and at first everything was great but he changed after the marriage. She tried leaving with me but soon realised he would never allow that. 

She's a ghost now. She leaves and doesn't say when she's coming back. The warmth behind her eyes is now extinguished. When she's home she takes the hits and doesn't let him touch me. But she isn't home often and when she is there is an undeniable smell of cigarette smoke following her. It's habit she picked up in the recent years. 

I know my brothers and father have money and ressources. I used to repeat to myself everyday that they would come for us. The hope that they would look for me was the only thing keeping me going. 

Then slowly the light faded from my eyes, a part of the hope dying everyday. Until there wasn't any left. Then realisation dawned on me slowly. They were never going to come. 

It was then that I realised that Michael's words were true.  Down to the last insult. He always said they weren't going to come, that they weren't even looking and once I realised that that was true, every other thing he said became true.

Everything I didn't want to believe. Whore. Slut. Worthless. Stupid. Good for nothing. It was true all along. My will to live slowly left me and I'm no longer scared of death, but I won't take matters into my own hands.

"Lina!"

That's my cue. I go downstairs to the dining room to see him already sitting down.

"Where's my fucking dinner?" he said.

I then quickly go fetch the plate of food and utensils and set it down infront of him.

"What drink would you like,sir?" I said hesitantly.

"Did I give you permission to talk!?" he roared while grabbing my hair.

I quicky shook my head and looked down. 

"You know what happens when you break the rules, darling." he said releasing my hair and pushing me back causing me to stumble.

I flinched at the nickname.

No, please.

"You know, I lost my job today,"

No, please.

"So I think I'll need the tequila."

My heart stopped.

Different types of alcohol affects people differently. Beer is the safest when it comes to Michael, it means just few hits. I'll be able to limp to school the next day. Vodka means I'll be unconscious. Beat into a oblivion, barely being able to open my eyes the next day. Tequila is the worst, it only happens a couple times a month. Tequila causes all of the above and his sexual "feelings" surface.

I felt my face pale. But like the little obediant puppy I am, I went to get the bottle. I hate myself for doing what he says. But I'm scared of him.

By the time I got back, he was practically falling out of his chair while babbling nonesense. This can't just be about his job. Something else happened, I know it did. But what could it be? He doesn't care about anything.

Placing it infront of him, I wait patiently to the side.

"You know..." he hiccuped.

Here it comes.

"Your mother committed suicide in a hotel room somewhere two months ago."

I froze, in shock. My mom? No she wouldn't. He's lying. She would never. My mom is strong. Sure she's been through shit and came out like a zombie but she wouldn't leave me.

"Useless whore,"

My mom.

"Thought she could leave me,"

The women who raised me.

"But gifts me my darling."

A person that was once so kind and caring.

"So that I could replace her."

Left me.

"I'm going to take extra good care of you now."

With  a monster.

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hi again!

This chapter goes into a little more detail about her past.

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