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ʟɪꜱᴛᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ᴍʏ ꜱᴘᴏᴛɪꜰʏ ᴘʟᴀʏʟɪꜱᴛ
ʙʏ ᴋɪʀꜱxᴛʏ. ʟɪɴᴋ ɪꜱ ɪɴ ʙɪᴏ.
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Vienna walked down the stairs of her large lonely home. Memories and laughs bouncing off the walls, making the silence a little less silent. The walls had become darker due to to the lack of light. Spider webs in almost every corner of the house and on old photo frames. Vienna looks at them, she sees her bright happy smile from when she was four. She sees her mum's bright contagious smile and her father's arms wrapped lovingly around her.
Her father now doesn't work. Doesn't love her. Doesn't take care of her. Ever since Vienna was four, she has had to take care of herself and hide from her father's punches. She had to clean up the glass when she would get a bottle of Bourbon frown at her. She would have to make her own dinner, or find anything in the house to eat which was very little.
But it's okay because he still loves her?
This is what love is right?
It's the alcohol that makes him like this?
Right?
As Vienna nears the bottom of the stairs she feels a knot grow tighter in her belly. Her hand grips the handle of her suitcase tighter and her other hand clenches in a fist to stop herself from shaking.
She wouldn't usually go and talk to her father. She would avoid him at all costs. She would stay locked up and hidden in her room, where she is safe. If she wanted to go out, luckily her room had a balcony so she could escape that way. She wouldn't willingly be seen or go talk to her father, because she knew how it would end. Another bruise added to her body. Another cut to turn into a scar. Another excuse to tell.
But today she had to go talk to him. She had to tell him she was leaving now and that she needed him to drive her to the train station.
She had left asking him till last minute. Mainly because she was scared.
She turned the corner and walked down the long corridor. At the end of the corridor was his office. Where he always was.
First, Vienna knocked on the door. She had to force her hand to do so.
Second, she heard his voice.
"What?" he yelled.
Third, she pushed the handle of the door down and then pushed it open. Taking a step inside of the large office.
"Ah—I see you are all packed to go back to school?" he said and then laughed which turned into a cough.
"Yes—" she had to speak over his loud uncontrollable coughing, "—I need—"
He stopped coughing. He stood up straight and looked at her. Venom in his dark eyes.
"You need what?" he yelled again.
"I need you to drive me to the train station, please?" Vienna said and a long silence came after.
"When?" he asked and Vienna felt hopeful.
Is he going to take her?
Is she not going to get hit?
No bottles have been thrown yet?
Maybe, he will willingly to drive her?
A nice car ride? No shouting?
"I need to be there in 40 minutes," Vienna responded. Foolish hope in her eyes.
"And you decide to tell me now? It takes 20 minutes to get there! You should have told me sooner, you stupid little girl," He yelled.
The hope disappeared from her eyes.
"You are such a selfish brat! Always expecting me to do things for you! I give you everything and you always expect more," his yells got louder.
"I'm sorry," Vienna murmured, her voice quiet and shaky, like a weak little butterfly.
As he continued to shout he stepped closer to her. She should have ran and left. Found her own way to the train station. But she couldn't move. She stood with her eyes looking at her feet. Too scared to look up.
"Look at me when I fucking talk to you!" he yelled as he grabbed her neck and squeezed his hand tight.
Her hands instinctively wrapped around his wrist which was getting tighter and tighter around her neck.
"I'm not fucking taking you," he said in a deep raspy whisper.
"—please, dad?" she struggled to breathe, "I'm sorry"
He ignored her. He enjoyed seeing her in pain. And the tighter he squeezed the more pain she was in. The more the life from her eyes faded away.
"Dad—?" she tried her best to try and get him to stop but it was no use. So she gave up. Stropped fighting against his grip. Just allowed him to slowly take her life.
His phone started to ring. Vienna couldn't hear it but be did. He tried to squeeze harder, but his phone kept ringing.
"Fuck!" he yelled and let go of her neck. She fell to the floor, coughing and gasping for air.
She's not dead yet!
Her father turned around and walked to his desk and picked it up and answered it.
Vienna still struggled to breathe and her vision was still blurry but she knew she had to get out of there now, otherwise, she never would.
As her father back was facing away from her she took her chance and grabbed her suitcase and bag and ran out of the house. She had begun crying due to fear. She knew she had about 5 seconds before her father would start chasing after her.
Four, she ran down the corridor. She spotted the door and ran as fast as she could, dragging her heavy suitcase.
Three, she got closer. She could hear her father yelling through the phone.
Two, she reached the door. Pushed the handle down. It was locked.
One, she reached up to the lock at the top of the door and unlocked it.
"VIENNA!" she heard his yell from down the corridor, her name echoing off the walls.
She swung the door open and ran out, struggling to bring her suitcase down the stairs, but she did.
"GET BACK HERE!" he yelled louder and she ran faster.
She ran down the long driveway and didn't stop. She was too afraid to look back. Too afraid that he was chasing after her. She couldn't hear him anymore but she was still afraid.
Once she reached the end of the driveway, she quickly unlocked the gate and closed it quickly after she stepped out.
She looked down the long driveway and at the large house at the end of it. Her father wasn't chasing her. She let out a breath of relief.
It would take almost forty minutes to walk to the train station and she had 30 minutes to get there in.
She had to get there in time. If she didn't she had nowhere else to go.
Vienna pulled her hood up and with her backpack on her back and her suitcase in her hand, she began walking through the streets of London. As she gradually got into the busier part of London she felt safer. If her father did follow her or find her, he wouldn't hurt her in front of all these people. She could scream and yell if he tried to take her, so it looked as though she was being abducted.
She now had 10 minutes until the train left and she was fifteen minutes away.
So she called Natalie.
"Hey, where are you?" Natalie asked from the other side of the phone.
"I'm 10 minutes away. Try and stop the train from leaving." Vienna pleaded.
"How I'm I supposed to do that?" Natalie chuckled.
"I don't know," Vienna sighed, waving a hand, "Go flirt with the driver or something."
She scoffed through the phone, "Hurry!"
Vienna hung up the phone and placed it in her pocket before walking faster down the streets.
she would have been running if she didn't have a large suitcase, she had to drag with her.
She finally reached the train station and she had a minute to get to the train before it left. She searched for the platform and when she saw it she sped towards it.
"Another second and you would be left here," the train conductor said as he took Vienna's suitcase and started to place it on the train.
"Thank you," Vienna sighed and then stepped on the train.
She began walking down the train where everyone was already sat down and waiting for the train to leave. A few of the student's eyes kept darting to her. Giving her an odd look but she didn't care enough to realise what they were staring at.
She found where Natalie was sat and sat in front of her, besides Blaise. Theo, Draco and Pansy were also sat in the compartment.
"Finally," Theo said as she walked in and sat down.
"I had to walk five hundred miles to get here," Vienna sighed.
She noticed Draco looking at her, she thought nothing of it, until she looked at Natalie who was looking at her with wide eyes.
"Vie—" Natalie murmured and she pointed at her own neck.
Shit! Vienna cursed to herself.
How stupid could she have been? She was in such a rush she forgot to check her neck for bruises. Now everyone was looking at her worriedly. Draco however, kind of just stared at her. No emotion on his face as per usual.
"What are you all looking at?" Vienna spat. Trying her best to act like she didn't know what they were looking at.
"Your neck?" said Theo.
"Oh—" Vienna acted like she had only just realised, "This boy I was with liked to get freaky in bed."
Another lie. Another excuse.
"You have a boyfriend?" Pansy asked excitedly.
"No—no! Just a summer link-up," Vienna lied. Again.
"It looks like whoever did that wanted you dead," Theo said.
"Does it hurt?" asked Blaise.
"Don't be silly," Vienna chuckled, "I'm fucking fine!"
"Jesus," she sighed.
They all went quiet. Thinking nothing more of it. Believing her lie once again.
All apart from Natalie who knew she was lying. She gave her an assuring smile to tell her she was fine. She wasn't but she had to make Natalie think she was.
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Copyright © Kirsten Enn