Quiet Whispers- a Valgrace story

Leo - 1 -

It was a warm night in Indiana, and quiet too. The sky was clear, and hundreds of stars glittered brightly. Crickets chirped in the bushes, making a soothing lullaby. To any on-looker, it would seem a perfectly tranquil night. But inside the small ranch house where a certain Demigod lived, the night was anything but tranquil.

Leo sobbed as she dragged him into the basement. The cement stairs were rough on his skin, and he felt the flesh being rubbed away into a raw, bloody mess.
" I tell you to do one thing. One, simple thing- and you mess that up. You're such a no-good, worthless fuck-up!" She shoved him down the last few stairs. He landed with a thud. " God, you're not even worth that check I get every month. You can't clean, you can't even stand on your own. " the boy was coughing and spluttering, trying to catch his breath. "I should just kill you and get it over with. " He cried out in distress, and quickly tried to haul himself to his feet.
" L-Lo siento! Lo siento!" The boy wailed, trying to stand. He managed to stumble to his feet. " Por favor, Teresa-"
The woman- Teresa- now stood over him. She shoved him back to the ground, and kept him there by planting a high-heeled foot on his chest. The boy wheezed, and tried to squirm away.
" Stay still, you annoying bug..." The boy obeyed, going limp, his eyes wide with terror. Teresa smirked, though her eyes still held anger. " See, that wasn't so bad. You always throw such a fit when I bring you down here. I wonder why..." She toyed with her blonde hair, twirling it around her finger.
The boy trembled as he thought of the nights previous, where she had held him down and brought a scalpel down on his skin, and when she had pulled out one of his wisdom teeth with a pair of pliers, and when she'd brought that man in and stripped him down and-
" Stop shaking like that, you freak. I'm not going to hurt you like I did before." Leo looked at her in confusion. His breathing slowed a little, and his chest stopped rising and falling at such an alarming rate. "No... I'm not going no to hurt you like before..." Teresa mused, muttering to herself more than Leo. " That wasn't all that fun anyways. You always pass out so quickly."
Leo winced as Teresa dug her high heel deeper into his chest.
" W-What are you going to?-"
" Did I give you permission to speak?!" Teresa snapped. Leo closed his mouth, and gulped.
Teresa sighed, looking tired. She stepped back, and Leo breathed in relief. To his surprise, she began to walk back up the basement stairs. Leo quickly began to shuffle towards her, rising up to stand. Teresa turned back, scowling.
" Who said you could leave?" She said, a strange expression on her face. Leo remembered that she'd had the same look on her face when she had poisoned his food with ammonia.
Leo began to stutter-
" I-Uh, I thought you wanted me to clean up the mess I made-" Teresa held up her hand in a ' stop talking ' gesture. Leo halted, wobbling where he stood. What was she planning? Surely, it couldn't be too bad-
Teresa crossed her arms, shaking her head in disgust.
" I'm sick of having you around. You're always under my feet, tripping me, messing up everything. Tonight, I just wanted to have some friends over. And you just had to trip, and spill the drink I told you to bring over..." She stepped closer to Leo, grabbing his wrist. "And, of course, your sleeve trailed up, and your scars started to show... I bet you did that on purpose, you little brat." Tears were flowing down Leo's face as she squeezed his cut-up wrist. A few drops of blood started to trickle down his arm. He started to mumble something, but she cut him off quickly. " None of that. I'm tired of you. Im done." With that, she shoved him back a final time, sending him to the floor. Leo landed on his rear, still looking confused. Teresa stepped up the stairs, heels tapping on the cement. At the top, she glanced back over her shoulder. Her blue eyes gleamed. "Goodbye, Leo Valdez. You filthy Diablo." With that, she slammed the door shut, sealing him in darkness. The doorknob clicked. She had locked him in from the outside.
Leo whimpered.
He remained in that basement for about 2 weeks.
~~~