I was screaming like anything now.
Many, many burns stung across my body. I didn't know how she kept finding new places to hit, because I was crumpled up on the floor. Spots drifted before my eyes, and I was barely staying conscious.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, she threw down the bar and turned away. She joined Branch and Forreston at the door. I opened my eyes enough to see her murmur something to Forreston, slip her fingers into Branch's, and walk away with him up the stairs. As if what she had just done didn't matter at all- to her or Branch. Obviously.
Then it was just Forreston and me.
He walked closer and crouched down, close to me. "Enjoying it?" he sneered. Suddenly he grabbed my arm and pulled me up, though I could barely stand. "There's still more." he turned me around and shoved me against the wall.
I heard the unmistakable sound of the whip being pulled out from his belt.
"Don't." I moaned, unable to stop myself. He chuckled darkly. "Why should I?"
The first lash caught me unawares, and I screamed involuntarily. He gave a triumphant gasp when I did. "Too much, little sister?" I spun around and grabbed the whip, my burnt palms screaming in agony.
His eyes widened as he tried to pull it away from me, but I wasn't letting go, my only thought to protect myself. "Let. Go." he grunted, pulling it hard. I tried to hold on, but my palms were burnt and I was weak.
Much weaker than him. He felt it sliding and grinned triumphantly. He held on to it with only one hand, pointing his other hand at the floor.
Dirt slid up, from the floor, the stairs. He formed a large mound, tall and thin.
Forreston was powerful.
Second to only Laurel, who had been the strongest of us sisters. I couldn't even counter him, for I didn't have any power.
He shot out a coil of dirt, wrapping it around my throat, like his mother. I choked and coughed, letting go of the whip immediately, and my hand flew to my throat, where they pulled at it.He let it fall once he had grabbed the whip again.
His eyes held only outrage. How could such a monster, who took pleasure in hurting people, even exist? And as my elder half-brother?
Because I couldn't deny that Forreston and I shared the same blood, much as I wished too. Which made me wonder if I could do everything they did, without ever regretting it. Would I ever do anything like that?
But his next lash, catching me on the neck, shook me out of my thoughts. He pushed me at the wall again, exposing my back. He kept going, grunting the number of lashes. The numbers blurred, my ears unable to catch anything.
"Stop." I pleaded, too much in pain to worry about honor or dignity.
"Oh, I think not, Princess. This is for my mother."
What had I ever done to Ivy? Why did she hate me, hate us all so much? How could this be 'for his mother'?
Finally, I collapsed, landing on the floor.
He didn't care.
His whip kept hitting me, and I blacked out.