I remember running up the stairs as fast as my body would let me. It was like time was going in slow motion, though, because it seemed like I wasn’t really running at all. I did a very stupid thing; I looked back. I knew I wasn’t supposed to, but I did anyway. So, I tripped over nothing. That was the biggest mistake I made, because that gave him the time he needed to catch up to me, and kill me.
I didn’t even scream as he grabbed me by my hair. This was expected. Once I was up on my feet again, he just knocked me down again with a forceful punch to the face. Ouch.
“Get up, you weak, pathetic child!” His voice boomed.
I pushed up against the wall to stand, and then he grabbed me by the hair, once again, and dragged me down the hallway. He literally dragged me. My step-father delivered to me a kick to the ribs. I winced, because they still hadn’t healed from the last time. But I did not dare cry, because crying meant you were weak, according to my step-father.
“That’s right, you better not cry. Stupid girl, you will never accomplish anything. You’ll live here for the rest of your life with your mother and I, even though you’re not even worthy of that!” He screamed.
I knew I had heard worse words from him before, but these really stung. I knew they were true, though. I was worthless to my step-father, to the world, to myself, and sadly even to my own mother.
I heard the door open, and I knew my mother was home. I also knew that she wasn’t going to stop the abuse, and that hurt worse than the beatings themselves.
My step-father only laughed as my mother closed the front door.
“She doesn’t care about you, you know. She doesn’t care if you die.” He snarled.
The saddest part of this was that I actually believed it. I just stared at him as he looked down at me.
“I don’t like the look you’re giving me!” He shouted. With that said, he slapped me across the face. He then took me to the bathroom and forced me to look at myself in the mirror.
“I am going to kill you, Ariella.” He said, calmly.
He grabbed the back of my hair and smashed my face into the mirror with force. I heard shattering glass and felt numb all over my body. Except my face, oh, my face, it ached. After that, I didn’t feel so scared anymore. I slipped into a comfortable state of blackness.
I heard a familiar tune, but I couldn’t see anything. I didn’t see where it was coming from, and that frightened me. The sound was getting louder, and I couldn’t help but notice sobs in between each note of the tune. It all of a sudden became sad, and soon stopped. I only heard sobbing and hiccupping. ‘What a weird song,’ I thought.
“Oh, Ariella, please be okay. I know I haven’t acted like a mother to you since Steve and I got married, but I hope one day you can forgive me.” I heard my mother’s voice.
Huh, I wonder why I’m hearing her voice if I’m dead. This is too weird.
Suddenly, my eyelids struggled to open. They were so heavy. I finally got them open, though. I saw my mother weeping as she sat beside me, looking down on me.
“Are you dead, too?” I asked my mother. I was surprised because my voice came out very odd-sounding and weak.
“Oh, Ariella, I was so worried! I’m not dead, sweetheart, and neither are you.” My mother cooed.
“Oh.” I simply said.
“Sweetie, your step-father was arrested for attempted murder… You know I love you, but I bailed him out…” She whispered.
I looked at this woman in disbelief. ‘You are not my mother.’ I thought.
“And where did you get this money, mother?” I asked, harshly.
“I had to use your college money that we’ve saved up, sweetie…” She whispered.
“WHAT? How could you?! I worked so hard for that money. I’ve worked for five years trying to get money for my education and you just blow it?!” I almost started crying, almost.
“I can’t survive without him, sweetie. I’m so sorry.” She said, putting her head in her hands.
“I can’t survive with him. I can’t believe you. Where are you going to get money, Lisa? Steve doesn’t have a job!” I spat, angrily. She looked taken aback that I’d used her first name.
“I-I didn’t t-think about that…” Lisa whimpered.
“You disgust me.” I said.
I pressed a button beside the bed I was strapped to, and a woman came in.
“Hello, I’m your nurse.” She said, smiling.
“I’m in the hospital?” I asked.
“Yes, you had quite a bad night last night, I’m afraid…” The nurse said, looking at my mother in disgust.
“When can I go home?” I asked.
“We can release you now, but I’m warning you, you have to take some medication and let your ribs heal on their own time. Also, you have to watch out for the wounds on your face. Another thing, be sure to keep your head away from sharp objects, and don’t let it get hit on anything. Your skull was almost fractured.” The nurse said.
I nodded, and she took all of the needles out of me.
“Please come back if you have any problems.” The nurse yelled as I was leaving.
I was pacing back and forth outside of the hospital room when I heard my mother on the phone. I decided to snoop and listen.
“Please, Edward. We don’t have any money and I can’t afford to provide for her any more… Please take her in. I know you ran away from this situation seventeen years ago, but you have to face the fact that you do have a daughter that you’ve ignored.
Yes, I know that your family is going to be mad, but just take her in.
No, you’ll see when she gets there. Have fun explaining to your family that you abandoned a child almost eighteen years ago, Edward!! Goodbye. I hope you make the right decision.” My mother hung up the phone.
Huh, so that was my birth father. Maybe if he’d stuck around, I wouldn’t be worthless.
I stared at my mother as she walked out of the room. She looked at me with guilt in her eyes.
Why me? What did I do to deserve this?
I backed up against the wall and slid down to a sitting position, with my head in my hands.
The doctor kneeled down to my level, and then said, “Here’s your prescription. Please don’t hesitate to come back if you’re in pain.”
‘I’m in more pain than you could ever treat, doctor. I’m too far gone. You can’t do anything.’ I thought to myself. I should’ve said that out loud, but instead I just took the medicine from him and said, “Thanks.”
I got up, despite the pain ricocheting throughout my body. I gasped as my mother tried to put her arm around my shoulders. I shoved her arm away.
“I have bruises there. Just don’t touch me, okay?” I asked.
My mother said nothing as she drove me back home.
“You should pack your bags.” My mother said.
“Why?” I asked.
“You’re going to live with your father. He’s staying in London right now, and he’s ordered you a ticket that should be here tomorrow morning.” She muttered.
“I’m going to live with my birth father?” I asked.
“Yes, Ariella, you are.” She whispered.
“Why is he interested in meeting a half-dead person anyway?” I whispered weakly. I knew my mother heard, and I knew it hurt her feelings, but I didn’t care.
Harry Styles’s POV
“Son, before you leave with the boys I need to tell you something.” My dad said.
“Um, sure, I’ll go tell the boys to wait up for me outside.” I said.
I left and told them to wait up outside, and they said okay, so I came back. I was totally unprepared for what my dad was going to tell me next.
“Harry, you have a sister.” My dad said, rubbing his temples.
“Yes, I know that, dad. Her name’s Gemma, or do you not remember my Mum giving birth to her?” I said. What in the world was he talking about?
“No, son, you have another sister. She’s seventeen, a year younger than you.” He said.
“What?” I asked.
“I’m sorry, son, but I went to America when you were just a baby after a horrible fight with your mother. I got drunk one night and got a girl pregnant, and that’s only because she gave me these awful drugs that made me forget everything.” He said.
“Does Gemma know?” I asked. Mum wouldn’t care, since they’re divorced, but still.
“Yes, I told her this morning.” He explained.
“How is she reacting?” I asked.
“I thought Gemma would be mad, and she was at first, but now she’s excited to meet her new sister…” He trailed off.
I could feel the anger boiling in my veins. I was so mad at this girl that was supposedly my half sister.
“Am I meeting her or something? I don’t get it,” I said.
“Yes, she’s flying in tomorrow. Please, treat her with respect, because she’s going through a rough time right now. Her mum wouldn’t tell me what was wrong, though.” He said.
“Whatever. I’m leaving. Don’t expect me to just welcome this girl with open arms. She was a mistake, Dad, and I won’t call her my sister, ever.” I said. I left my dad’s house and went with the boys. I told them everything, and they agreed with me that I had the right to be mad.
Ariella’s POV
I wrapped my arms around myself and shook in pain. I had to get out of here before Steve came back. I was done packing all of my bags, and I didn’t have to be to the airport for another few hours.
It would be easy if I actually had friends, but I had none. My mom and step-father made it impossible to have any friends. They had me working jobs and excelling at school. Now that I was traveling to London, I wondered how my life would change.
The family’s lives that I was going to ruin in a short time would surely hate me. I wouldn’t blame them, though. My mother acted like it was okay that I was going to go and flip some family’s lives upside down. I hated how she was acting.
I walked into the bathroom and I saw the broken mirror. I looked at my reflection and saw my awful face. There were cuts and scrapes from the glass shards from the mirror. I also had a bruise underneath my right eye, and one on my jaw. This person that I saw in the mirror was not me. I didn’t know who it was. Perhaps the girl in the mirror had been happy in a past life, or at least I’d like to think so.
I covered up a little bit of each bruise, but you could still notice them. I covered up most of the cuts with make-up, but not all of them would cover up. I threw my make-up in my bag with frustration.
I eventually got so mad that I took my suitcase and just walked out of the door. I took my mother’s keys and got in her car. I didn’t care how early I got to the airport. I just needed to get out of that wretched house.
When I got to the airport, I slammed my mother’s car door and left the keys in there. I didn’t care if someone stole the car. I dragged my suitcase with my weak arm and walked in. I drifted off in one of the seats at the airport, but I was woken as soon as a woman came over the intercom saying that the flight to London was now boarding.
I sighed, and climbed aboard, but not without looking back. I was going to start over, and have a happy life, or so I thought.
I fell into a dreamless sleep, and soon enough, I felt my shoulder being shaken.
My eyes snapped open as I shoved someone’s hand away. I hissed in pain, holding my shoulder. Why didn’t people understand that I didn’t like to be touched? Also, I have bruises there…
“S-sorry, ma’am… I just thought you would like to know that we’ve landed in London. I didn’t mean to startle y-you…” The man stuttered.
“I’m sorry for reacting that way. Thanks for waking me!” I said.
I walked off of the plane and went to get my luggage. I looked around and surely, there was a man and his daughter standing waving a sign that said “ARIELLE” on it.
I walked over and quietly said, “My name is Ariella, not Arielle.”
“Oh, I’m sorry about that! I’m Edward, your, err, father.” He said, in a British accent.
“I’m Gemma, your half-sister! It’s nice to meet you!” She said, in the same accent as her father.
I couldn’t help but compare their lovely accents to my boring American one.
I wondered why they weren’t upset at my arrival. I followed them to a sleek SUV and sat in the back, ignoring the conversation that Edward and Gemma were trying to start.
My attention snapped to Gemma when she said, “I’m goin’ to take you shopping sometime, girl! Don’t worry, it’ll be on me!”
I looked at her and just nodded my head. I didn’t understand why they were being so nice to me. I almost expected Edward to turn around and slap me across the face. Ugh, I was around Steve for too long.
When these two were so nice to me, I expected Gemma’s brother, who is technically my half-brother, to be nice too. He wasn’t.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
So, please tell me what you think of this!
How do you think Harry will react to meeting Ariella?
Tell me what you think in the comments :)