Tempting Darkness

Chapter 13

Isabelle

"What the hell do you want?" I turned around and said.

"Well, you, of course. Just like I always did," Michael said, smirking and stepping closer to me.

"Remember?" He kept coming closer to me while I stepped backwards. He suddenly caged me between his arms and my back hit the lockers. I gasped at the close proximity. I wanted to push him away, I wanted to scream, I wanted to run away but I felt like my entire body just went numb. My breath heightened. Memories flashed in my head and tears rushed down my eyes at the thought of my past. All the times he tried to do things like these to me. I looked around but the corridor was awfully quiet and empty. There was no one here to help me out, not that anyone- except Lucy- ever had. Tears started falling out of my eyes, but my voice could still not be heard by anyone. No matter how much I tried to scream and yell, my voice didn't came out.

His lips came closer to mine but before he could kiss me, someone banged his head against the lockers. Danielle. Oh thank god!

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked and I hugged her without saying anything.

"My PTSD acted up again. I felt so helpless when he cornered me like that. I-," I sobbed.

"Hey, it's okay. I got you, okay. You're safe. You're perfectly fine. Nothing and no one's gonna hurt you, I promise." Lucy pulled me into her embrace trying to help me calm down.

My past was all I could see. All the pain I went through, all the harassment, all the trauma, all the abuse flashed before my eyes.

"Pl-please stop. I'm sorry, I'll never do it again. I won't talk back and I'll listen to whatever you say, I'll do whatever you want, no questions, I swear." I sobbed and whimperer but they didn't care at all. My uncle kept whooping me with his belt. No matter what I said, he didn't- wouldn't- stop.

They enjoyed doing all this to me. Aunt said it was like payback for the ways mom made her suffer by stealing her spotlight and being the better twin. How mom stole her inheritance. How she was the one who was supposed to be the heir to the family- although mom never spoke of the business, whatever it was- but wasn't. Instead mom got the inheritance. 'Always the golden child,' aunt would say.

"How dare you try and listen to my conversations, you little shit," Uncle said as he kept abusing me, while aunt and Ivy laughed looking at my state.

"I'm sorry. Please. I won't do it again. I swear. Please, just stop. It hurts," I whimpered and sobbed in pain but it didn't stop him.

After- I don't know how long- he finally stopped. They left me alone in my room finally. I lock the door and take off my T-shirt and look at back in the mirror. It was slightly bleeding and all red due to the bruises. Hurt like a bitch. The pain was so overwhelming, I wanted to cry, but my eyes shed no water. They were absolutely dry. It was like after shedding so many tears, they couldn't do it anymore.

I wish I had never wanted to go to that amusement park. If I didn't, the accident would've never happened. Mom and Dad and Ellie would still be here with me. I wouldn't be living with Aunt and Uncle and I could've had a better life.

I thought I had lost it, but my PTSD never went away, did it now? It was still torturing me like this. I kept crying on Lucy's shoulder and after a while, my sobs finally faded away. She was rubbing my back to calm and soothe me. And it worked, like always. I wiped the tears off my face with the back of my hand.

"Come on, let's get you home now." Danielle said and we nodded in response.

"You sure you're fine?" Lucy asked with concern in her voice. I nodded. She sat next to me and Dani sat in the front passenger seat. She looked at Danielle. "Can I stay with her for the night. Please?"

"Of course," She replied with a small smile.

"You really don't have to do that, Luce."

"I know, but I want to. There's no way I'm leaving you alone tonight. Not after what happened."

I hummed and started staring out the window with a blank expression. My cheeks were wet with slightly dried tears stuck to them. I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, I wanted to knock something down just so that I'd feel something- even if it's pain. But all I felt was numbness and emptiness.

"Isabelle!" Lucy yelled, startling me and I flinched and turned to look at her over my shoulder.

"What?"

"I have called you like five times. What kind of trance were you in that you couldn't even hear me. It was a little scary you know. All you did was look out the window. You said nothing, you couldn't hear me, you haven't even moved an inch since we sat in the car, Izzy."

"Isa, you okay?" Dani looked at me through the rearview mirror. Her eyes filled with worry.

"I'm okay. I just... I was a bit lost in my own world, I guess. I'm sorry I worried you guys." I give them a small smile and rest my head on Lucy's shoulder, shutting my eyes to fall asleep. The ride from school to the hotel is long as they're both on opposite ends of the town, so I could sleep for a while.

I didn't realize when I fell asleep but I think it was almost immediately. I felt a lot more better and my tiredness was gone. I walked into my room with Lucy blabbering about some bitchy cousin of hers who was staying with her for a while and how she acted like the entire world revolved around her and shit. I wish I could pay more attention to what my best friend was saying to me but my mind was too occupied by my past. What happened today, I thought I was free of it, but Michael did it all over again. It's like I can just never escape and I am bound to be stuck here and break down again and again.

"Tonight is going to be amazing!" Lucy sang in a high pitched tone and we sat on the bed. I chuckled.

"It's been soooooo long since we've done like."

"I know right. Feels like forever," I reply.

Lucy's gaze softened and she ran her hand over my shoulder. "You know you can talk to me, right?"

"Of course," I shrug.

"Luce, I'm fineee. Promise." I tell her.