Savior Soul

Two

Two 'Pay attention, because what your about to see is not what you just saw' "Do you love her?" Liliana looked at her father with tear-glossed eyes. Her father looked past her, focussing on the grey stone behind his daughter's sad expression. Liliana tilted her head at him in question. "She's destroying you," She whispered, looking intently at her father. He looked lost, broken. "She is your mother. That should be enough." He turned, looking at Liliana for the first time. There was a sadness in his eyes that Liliana had not seen before. A distance that she was not used to. Liliana took a short breath. "She hits me," She whispered it so quietly, it was almost nothing. Her father opened his mouth, but said nothing. Liliana began to lift her loose cloth blouse, exposing the dramatic bruises underneath. She held out one arm, turning it over to show her father the damage done to her arm, gone unnoticed before. She lifted her thick, dark hair from hair neck, turning to display the angry red bruising and fingernail marks her mother had violently created, all in a nights work. Her father put a hand to his mouth, bile rising in his throat. A lone tear trailed down Lilanas soft young cheek, down to her neck before being soaked up by her tattered blouse. Her father let out an unmistakeable sob, shielding his eyes with the bulkier part of his forearm, sculpted and worn from the laborious hours of building in the scorching heat. Liliana immediately felt an unbearable guilt hit her, a heartfelt ache that coursed through her like a gentle poison, slowly killing her. That's what they called her, Liliana, a pretty poison. A beautiful concept that ultimately turned evil. A way out that served more as standstill traffic for the whole of humanity. The guilt that hit her had been there since her birth, ravelled in a tight ball inside her chest, slowly becoming looser and looser until the ball fell apart entirely. Her existence had caused nothing but heartache and agony. Liliana felt something move behind her, her father brought his head from his arm, revealing bloodshot eyes, red from tears. The sadness soon drained from him, raw anger suddenly replacing it. Lilanas mother stood behind her, close to her back. An angered grown rippled from her, forcing Lilanas hair to stand on end. Fear spiked in her, and she tried to shuffle forwards on the small wooden stool, tipping forwards slightly. Her father began to scream, obscenities spewing from his mouth. Her mother lunged at him over the stool Liliana sat on, forcing her neck down between her legs as her parents fought above her, grabbing at each other above her back. Liliana let out a short, sharp scream and shut her eyes. She felt a rough hand grasp the collar of her shirt, pulling her up out of her seat, her badly healed wounds twinging as her head was forced up. Her father stood on the other side of the wall, a wide cut scaled the left side of his face, streaking blood around his mouth, which was also swollen and bloodied. Her mother sneered at the horror on Lilianas face, pulling something cold and strong from behind her back, pressing it against the flesh of her daughter's neck. Liliana let out a short whimper as the blade tore into her skin, searing pain rendering her silent following it. Warm blood trickled a path down her neck, staining her blouse and mixing with the tears that now fell freely from her eyes. One last scream ripped its way from Liliana's lungs. I heard screaming, loud and clear, ringing in my head. My eyes opened of their own accord, looking frantically around the dark dorm room. A thin layer of sweat had formed over my body, beading at my forehead and rolling down into the corner of my mouth. I tasted metallic blood, not the sweat I expected. My hand flew to my head, wiping at the surface. It came back clean, not a mark. The screaming continued, growing breathy and worn. I realised it was my own. Pain flared at my neck, I clutched at it, expecting the wound from my dream, but I found nothing. My fingers dug into my palms as I fought the sickening sensation, concentrating on the ceiling above me, focusing on anything but the blood I knew touched my taste buds. My body was unwounded as I ran my hands over it, clutching at my burning neck and aching ribs. I heard names, names I knew, names that were mine, but they seemed distant, far away. The voices became frantic, crazed. Colours and sounds dipped in and out of frequency, becoming hazy and dreamlike as the panic left me, an odd euphoria settling over my aching bones. My breathing became slow and lazy, replacing the rapid shallow panting that was tiring my lungs. My arms dropped from my body, hanging limply over the edge of the bed. I became conscious of movement around me, fast and furious stumbling about the room. "Father?" I whispered, my voice raw and hoarse. I blinked a few times as the room came into focus. "It's Thea, sweetie. Thea?" She said, her voice shrill and worried. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. Yes, Thea. Thea had pink hair and an attitude.

I stuttered, reaching out to her blurred figure. She shushed me, the way a mother does her baby, pushing me gently back onto my pillow. Anger burst inside of me. Never show weakness. Those nightmares were my biggest weakness. God, I must look like such a child, crying and screaming out to some unknown father. I didn't even have a father. I felt something cold press against my feverish forehead. My first instinct was to panic, and I flinched slightly, then realising that it was a cool cloth. I welcomed the chill, letting out a quiet whimper.