Ray and Thoma looked at each other with shocked expressions.
The scene changed.
The two little boys were now happily looking at a sketchbook together.
"That's amazing, big bro!" Young Ray compliments his older brother.
"You think so? Do you think Mum will like it?" You Thoma asked hopefully.
"Of course!" Young Ray assured him.
The figure of a woman came into view. There was a piece of paper in her hands, crumpled by the force she was clutching it with.
"Mum!" Young Thoma called out excitedly as he ran towards his mother, waving the sketchbook in his hands. "Mum, I drew you for art class today, and my teachers his gave me an award for it. Look!"
The boy proudly showed his mother the artwork, but the woman passed him going straight for his younger brother.
"M-Mum?"
'Poor Thoma...' Leila thought.
Thoma held onto his sketchbook tightly.
"Ray." The woman spoke.
All at once, the blood drained from the younger boy's face, his pallor ghostly white.
'He looks terrified.' Mina thought.
Leila turned her head to look at Ray and Thoma. Both them had gone pale looking at the apparition.
"Come here, Ray." The woman said.
"I-I'm sorry!" Young Ray immediately apologised as he shrunk into a corner, shielding himself, as if something bad was coming for him.
'He's so scared. Why?' Leila thought.
She remembered young Ray locked up in the room, crying.
"What did I tell you about being sorry?" His mother scolded him. "If you have the time to be sorry, you have the time to do better!"
The mother threw the paper she was holding.
It fell to the ground without a sound, but by the horrified expression on the younger boy's face, the weight it carried was a heavy burden.
The paper showed a number of red marks. It happened to be a report card, bleeding with unfavorable grades.
'That's what she's so angry about? Her son's poor grades?' Mina thought.
The mother reached for young Ray and the boy struggled in her hold.
"No, Mum, please!" The boy pleaded. "No owies! Please..! I'll study! I'll study hard. I promise!"
Leila felt her heart cracking to pieces as she watched the tears stream down the little boy's face.
'How could this happen?!' She thought.
SMACK!
"You insolent child!" The mother yelled.
Young Ray fell to the floor from a hard slap to the face.
"Mum, stop!" Young Thoma yelled.
The older brother threw away his sketchbook and grabbed onto his mother's hips. He did his best to pull her away, but what could a mere child do?
Young Ray continued to cry as he took his mother's beatings, and young Thoma lamented his helplessness.
'What kind of mother would do such a thing?'
YOU ARE READING
Nocturne of Nightmares (Fanfic)
Fanfiction**** IF YOU HAVE YET TO PLAY THE GAME AND ARE PLANNING TO OR YOU HAVE YET TO FINISH PLAYING, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK AS IT HAS MAJOR SPOILERS **** Leila is a young woman whose childhood was always a blur. No matter how hard she tried, she could never...
