The Ramirez Clan

In the beginning...

That familiar feeling thumped in her head, it beat in time with her heart. Her eyes throbbed, too swollen to open. She felt as if she'd been hit by a freight train. She'd been here too many times before, however, this time it felt different. Her heart didn't feel so heavy but she couldn't recall why.
Flashbacks played on through her tired mind, Maxim's angry face and the searing pain that each blow sent through her exhausted body. She recalled him straddling her, pinning her with his body weight whilst he reigned down each carefully placed hit. Confusion clouded her mind, there had been someone else there. A woman. It had been enough to distract him from his torrent of abuse. Emily recalled the shock on the women's face looking between the two of them, distress clear in the way she'd held herself like she was ready to run at any moment. The woman hadn't liked what she saw before her. The way she said his name and how her eyes pleaded to him, told Emily that this woman knew him, she knew him well.

Emily's breath had rushed back into her lungs, she'd gasped aloud as Maxim released her neck and scrabbled away from her to get to the woman. Emily watched in satisfaction as the woman took a step away from him, shaking her head in disgust. Her long blond hair had fallen around her slender shoulders and tears had fallen from her eyes.

Emily had felt pleased, Maxim's dirty secret was out there and after years of being his secret punch bag there was a witness, one he wouldn't be able to silence because she was important to him, it was clear by the way he'd pleaded with her to let him explain.

The memories had tired her again and she drifted back into a restless sleep.

****

She woke much later, darkness had fallen outside and the few hours that had passed since her arrival here had caused distress to the two women that now stood over where Emily lay resting.

The eldest of the two placed her hands on her hips in that condescending way that only older siblings or parents did. "What the hell were you thinking," she hissed angrily.

The younger of the two hung her head, she hadn't meant to bring the injured girl here but there was no way she could leave her by the road. At first, she'd thought an animal had run out and she tried hard to swerve the vehicle away but somehow she'd clipped it anyway. When she'd looked back in her rear-view mirror she'd been horrified to see a human form lying curled up in a ball by the roadside.

"She just ran out in front of me Annyeta. I had Marvin in the car chained up and I panicked. If someone saw or they got my registration details and the police had've pulled me over..." Annyeta cut her off which she often did, unable to stand her sister's ramblings.

"If they smell her she'll be dead anyway. It was a stupid move Annabella, really stupid."

"I'm sorry, it was an in the moment decision, what was I supposed to do, just leave her in the road?" It wasn't in Anna's nature to kill living things, the family had many arguments over her unwillingness to kill, even if it meant her suffering because of it. Annyeta sighed heavily, looking down at the female.

"Yes Anna, yes you should have if it meant keeping her away from here."

Annabella watched her sister leave the room, she hated that she'd upset her and maybe disappointed her but there was no way she could have just left her in the road. It was obvious from the many bruises that this girl had needed help way before she'd been hit by Anna's car.

The light shining brightly through the large double window disturbed Emily's peaceful slumber. She winced as she prized her swollen eyes open, it hurt too much but she had to make the effort. She'd overheard the conversation from the two women. She wasn't wanted here, wherever here was, and so she needed to get up, get moving and then she could leave, god knows that Maxim would be searching for her now and who knew how he'd react when he'd finally find her.