•Ⓢⓣⓞⓝⓔ•

•Gifts Of Emptyness•

"Now, may I be excused?" I ask no one in particular.

"Of course, querido" Michael replies.

I thank him and quickly excuse myself from the table, eager to leave their presence. but Jasper stops me in my tracks, making me curse to myself.

"Wait, Nickólas," Jasper says. I turn around and look at him expectantly.

"Yes?" I said trying to hide the annoyance in my voice.

"I left something for you on your bed."

I feel a creeping sense of apprehension. When did Jasper have time to enter my bedroom? 

"Alright, thanks?" I didn't even try to hide the confusion in my voice as I spoke.

I slowly walk up the stairs and then into my room, once again locking my door. I walk to my bed and see a white box with golden-colored thread on it lying in the middle. Trembling slightly, I carefully open the box to reveal a brand-new phone. I stare at it blankly, trying to comprehend why I was given such an expensive gift.

-Why would they spend so much money on me?

But then the doubts begin to creep in.

"Does it have a tracker on it?" I ask myself, my mind racing with questions.

I unlock the phone and begin to scroll through it, searching for any signs of surveillance or monitoring. Yet, everything seems normal. But why give me such an expensive gift if there isn't a catch?

As I pull out my old phone, the cracks across the screen and chipped edges staring back at me, I realize that's probably the reason. My "brothers" must have bought me the new phone as a replacement for my old one. But still, I can't help feeling unworthy of such generosity.

-You don't deserve it,' the voice in my head whispers.

-You're spending their money. Joseph was right about you.

I try to push aside those thoughts and distract myself by setting up the new phone. I download my favorite apps and add Hannah's number, but the guilt lingers. By the time I'm finished, an hour has passed, but the weight of my self-doubt doesn't seem to be lifting anytime soon.

It was soon to get dark so I decided to take a shower before going to sleep. 

I hesitantly walked into the bathroom, not quite sure what to do with the luxury. 

-I don't deserve this either.

I quickly threw off the clothes I was currently wearing and put them on the toilet lid. But before I jumped into the shower I caught a quick glimpse of myself in the mirror and felt a pang of disgust. My body was covered in bumps and bruises, each one telling a story of the abuse and neglect I had suffered.

I shook my head sadly and jumped into the shower, trying to drown out the memories of the past wounds and scars. But the hot water couldn't wash away the pain that lived deep within me.

I couldn't believe my luck when I got assigned to the McAllister family. They had a beautiful home, and they seemed like genuinely nice people. For the first time in years, I felt like I could finally settle in and find some peace.

But that all changed after a week when Mr. McAllister started getting angry at everything I did. He yelled at me if I spilled a drink or didn't put the dishes away quite right. Then, he started hitting me, leaving black and blue marks all over my body.

I didn't know what to do. I was too scared to tell anyone about the abuse, scared of what Mr. McAllister might do to me.

Then they sent me to the Wilsons. They seemed kind, but soon I realized that they were no different than the McAllisters. Mrs. Wilson would scream at me for hours, and Mr. Wilson would hit me. The bruises from my previous family overlapped with the new ones.

I have bounced around from family to family, some treating me like their own child only to throw me away a couple of months later. While others abused me more than any child deserved. Each move hurt a little more, but I had become so used to the pain that it was my normal.

The circle never stopped. It just kept going and I'm sure that this time won't be any different. Especially now that I know their "little" secret.

Despite my best efforts, I began to cry like the big child I am. My tears mixed with the water cascading down my face. I wished I could forget the horrors of my past, but they seemed to haunt me at every turn I took and every corridor I passed. 

They are always there.

When the water turned cold, I jumped out of the shower and dried myself off with a towel hanging on a hook next to the door. I then tied the towel around my waist before walking out of the bathroom and into the closet and picking out a pair of fresh clothes that I could sleep in.

*sigh

I tried to push the memories away, but they still haunted me every single day. As I crawled into bed, tired from the emotional turmoil, I wished that I could forget it all. That I could start over and have a family who would care for me, who would never hurt me. But for now, I was just Nick, a kid who bounced around from place to place, feeling utterly worthless.

I hated how I had to feel like this. So lonely and so-

Empty.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello friends!

I am finally done with this chapter. I really wanted to get it done today for you guys.

Hope you like it.