Broken (A Niall Horan Fan Fiction)

Chapter One

I remember running up the stairs as fast as my body would let me. It was like time was going in slow motion, though, because it seemed like I wasn’t really running at all. I did a very stupid thing; I looked back. I knew I wasn’t supposed to, but I did anyway. So, I tripped over nothing. That was the biggest mistake I made, because that gave him the time he needed to catch up to me, and kill me.

I didn’t even scream as he grabbed me by my hair. This was expected. Once I was up on my feet again, he just knocked me down again with a forceful punch to the face. Ouch.

“Get up, you weak, pathetic child!” His voice boomed.

I pushed up against the wall to stand, and then he grabbed me by the hair, once again, and dragged me down the hallway. He literally dragged me. My step-father delivered to me a kick to the ribs. I winced, because they still hadn’t healed from the last time. But I did not dare cry, because crying meant you were weak, according to my step-father.

“That’s right, you better not cry. Stupid girl, you will never accomplish anything. You’ll live here for the rest of your life with your mother and I, even though you’re not even worthy of that!” He screamed.

I knew I had heard worse words from him before, but these really stung. I knew they were true, though. I was worthless to my step-father, to the world, to myself, and sadly even to my own mother.

I heard the door open, and I knew my mother was home. I also knew that she wasn’t going to stop the abuse, and that hurt worse than the beatings themselves.

My step-father only laughed as my mother closed the front door.

“She doesn’t care about you, you know. She doesn’t care if you die.” He snarled.

The saddest part of this was that I actually believed it. I just stared at him as he looked down at me.

“I don’t like the look you’re giving me!” He shouted. With that said, he slapped me across the face. He then took me to the bathroom and forced me to look at myself in the mirror.

“I am going to kill you, Ariella.” He said, calmly.

He grabbed the back of my hair and smashed my face into the mirror with force. I heard shattering glass and felt numb all over my body. Except my face, oh, my face, it ached. After that, I didn’t feel so scared anymore. I slipped into a comfortable state of blackness.

I heard a familiar tune, but I couldn’t see anything. I didn’t see where it was coming from, and that frightened me. The sound was getting louder, and I couldn’t help but notice sobs in between each note of the tune. It all of a sudden became sad, and soon stopped. I only heard sobbing and hiccupping. ‘What a weird song,’ I thought.

“Oh, Ariella, please be okay. I know I haven’t acted like a mother to you since Steve and I got married, but I hope one day you can forgive me.” I heard my mother’s voice.