A/N: The following chapter contains violence/abuse. Please use discretion and read at your own risk.
The ride back from the photoshoot was not like the ride there. It was filled with Y/N's excited chatter about all that had happened and how cool the while thing had been, which was an extremely rare thing to hear from her. Nevertheless, Pearce listened to her unrelenting talk with a smile, secretly proud of himself for bringing this happiness to her.
After what seemed like only a few moments together, Pearce pulled up at the curb right next to Y/N's house, still smiling brightly as she hopped out.
"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed that", he told her, a genuine grin on his features. "Next time I'm stuck going to a photoshoot, I'll make sure to take you with me".
The girl giggled lightly, calming down and resuming her reserved personality but with a smile etched into her face. "Thanks so much for taking me, Pearce. It was so nice getting out of the house, and I had more fun than I've had in...a while", she said, not mentioning that the last time she had true fun was the day she lost her sister.
He smiled back at her, and they could've gotten lost in each other's eyes once more if it wasn't for Y/N remembering she had to clean the house and make dinner for her parents.
"Well, I'll see you soon, Pearce", she stated softly, slowly walking back towards the house.
"Can't wait for it", he called as he drove away, making Y/N laugh.
Everything about that day seemed to be going perfectly, and the girl had planned to stay in that happy-go-lucky state of mind if it wasn't for the fact that her parents were there as soon as she opened the door.
She gasped slightly at the look on their faces, one of absolute hatred and disgust. One where, if looks could kill, she'd be as dead as...no. She wasn't going to let her mind wander there. She'd had a perfect day, and there was no need to let that go away.
Realising that her parents were waiting for her to say something, she spoke.
"Um, good afternoon father, and mother. I hope you had a good day at work. I'll get straight to making dinner if it pleases you", she said, bowing her head slightly in respect. She never liked having to do this, they were her parents after all, but she didn't want to make them even more mad at her than they already were.
They said nothing, however the scowls on their tired features deepened, and all at once Y/N knew she was in trouble when her mother held up her phone.
Taking a closer look, she gasped once more and almost started trembling right there and then, because on that phone were pictures - millions and millions of pictures - of her and Pearce, on the floor, laughing and just being together at a place where Y/N was sure she was never supposed to go to.
Sighing heavily, she mentally cursed herself over and over for thinking that this would get past her parents. They never liked the media, especially ever since her sister died and they became a feature of every news story. "Daughter of local family killed in sledding accident", "Young girl suffocated by snow while sledding", "Parents of young Lily Y/L/N grieving for lost daughter". Everything from that day came flooding back into her mind, and she had to will her tears not to fall. Not now. Not ever.
Recollecting the fact that her parents were still there and still mad at her, Y/N decided that the only thing she could really do was apologise.
"I'm so sorry. I know I'm not supposed to go out without your permission, and I know I'm supposed to stay away from the media. It won't happen again, I assure you". No need to bring Pearce into this, as she knew it was all her fault.
It always is.
"What do you think, dear?" Y/N's mother spoke for the first time, her eerily slow, calm voice unsettling her. "Do you think it won't happen again?"
The girl kept her head down, too afraid to look her father in the eyes but willing him to believe her. She didn't want to know what would happen if he didn't.
Feeling her father's eyes on her, Y/N started to tremble unknowingly, and it was only when he caught her chin with his fingers and tilted her head up did she stop. They stared at each other, E/C meeting E/C, locked in a battle of dominance that she knew he would win.
"No, I believe this young lady doesn't know how to learn her lesson", he sneered, sending his horrible breath into her face. "She obviously didn't learn it, even after murdering her own sister".
And there it was. This was Y/N's daily reminder of how it was her fault her sister died. She knew it was true, she just wished they wouldn't keep rubbing it in.
"Yes, I believe she still hasn't learnt it", her mother spoke, but there was a slight shaking to her voice which the girl knew would be a mixture of anger and sadness at the mention of her daughter's death. "In fact", the woman continued, "You, my dear, are the spitting image of young Lily herself. You are my constant reminder of the daughter I've lost, and somehow, I don't know why, I hate you for it" she spat, a mocking tone in her voice.
Y/N felt the glares of both her parents' eyes, and even though she wished to turn away and cry, she couldn't with her father's strong fingers grappling her chin, squeezing so hard she thought she'd never be released.
Whatever you're going to do to me, please get it over with, she willed silently.
Luckily, she didn't have to wait any longer, because as soon as her father finally released her, her face was met with a loud SLAP!
Pain and surprise coursed through her body, shaking her to the core.
Reaching up to touch the soft skin on her face, she inhaled sharply as it stung with the smallest touch. The girl went into momentary shock: her father had never done that before.
She looked back up at the man, who, much to her terror, had a malicious smile on his face.
"Well, well, well. That honestly felt good. I should've done this a whole lot sooner. Now I'm going to make you pay for every chore you've neglected doing over these few months, every time you've gone out the house without permission and, more importantly, I'm going to make you pay for what you did to my daughter", he snarled, teeth bared like a rabid dog.
"What about Olivia?" Y/N asked, terrified of her father's new attitude and her mother's silence. "Won't she be scared?"
"Olivia's gone to a friend's house because unlike you, she's not a horrible person and she deserves it".
That stung her more than the slap did. People often say that "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me". Well, she knew now that that was not true in the least. The blame and verbal abuse that her father spat out at her pierced her like a thorn, hitting every bit of confidence and self esteem she ever had and shoving it down where no one could find it. Y/N knew, in this span of seconds, that after today she would've lost all happiness and good feelings to her parents. She doubted even Pearce could help her now.
Taking her silence as a sign of acceptance, he smirked cruelly, knowing that he had finally put her in her place. But he was not done yet.
"Now Y/N, want to explain what you were doing out of the house on this fine Saturday, wearing such nice clothes by the way, instead of doing your chores?" He questioned, pushing her even further into misery.
Y/N, being the faithful person that she was, didn't want to drag Pearce into this. After all, he was her best friend and it wasn't his fault.
It was all hers.
"I wanted to meet the cast of Zombies 2, and they were all having a photoshoot today so I thought I could go there and just watch. However, I accidentally bumped into one of them and we fell over, catching the attention of the paparazzi. We laughed it off, but then he invited me to take pictures with him and I couldn't refuse with the media around. We did that, and then I quickly came home to do my chores. It wasn't his fault though, I promise", she rushed out, frightened at what her parents would say.
Much to her dismay, they stayed eerily silent for a while, stating at her with a hint of fire behind their empty gazes. It scared the living daylights out of her, because as bad as it was when they were talking, it was even worse when they left her guessing.
After what seemed like an eternity feeling buckets of sweat roll down her face, their faces twitched up into a smile. However, this was anything but consoling.
"We understand perfectly, my dear", my mother said, masking sweetness.
I glanced frightfully over to my father, who seemed to stand there with no words to say. However, the look on his face I could read so perfectly, and all it said was:
"I don't believe you"
I gulped, knowing he had caught a mistake in my elaborate lie.
Sure enough, I was right.
"You do realise, my dear girl, that photoshoots aren't open to everyone", he started, tilting his head to taunt me.
"Umm, well..."
"Well what? So, you either snuck into the building, or you lied straight to our faces. Also, I noticed in these photos that you seemed to be, well, close to this boy. Any ideas on that?"
Damn, she thought. That was never going to work on him.
Unsure of what to do or say and with fear building steadily up inside, Y/N started to back away, reaching blindly for the door handle. It was pointless however, for her father caught her other arm and yanked her towards him, making her emit a cry of pain.
"Let's add lying to the list of things you need to be punished for", he spoke through gritted teeth, twisting her arm slightly so she couldn't escape.
Tears were once again welling up behind her bright E/C eyes, but this time she knew they wouldn't be contained for long.
Y/N's mother was now walking behind her, her slow, timed steps making it seem like a stalking leopard about to pounce on a young, trapped gazelle.
The girl struggled fruitlessly against her father's grip, turning her head as far back as possible so she could see the woman's next movements.
Much to her dismay, her mother stopped right behind her, but before Y/N had time to worry about her next move, the woman "stumbled" forward and, in the process, gave a nice hard shove to Y/N's back. The girl let out a hurt cry before realising that her father had let go of her, meaning that she was now tumbling towards a very personal encounter with the hard floors.
She hit the ground with a hard bang, and for a split second a beautiful numbness washed over her, keeping the girl secure and unknowing of the pain. The world was passing around in a dim blur, and all noises had been muffled into a strange silence. Moments after, a warm liquid started to trickle down from her nose which, to her blanked out brain, meant nothing. Then, her tongue felt the tint of a strange metallic flavour, and a flash of understanding hit her: she was bleeding. Soon after, that place of painlessness disappeared almost as quickly as it had come.
Snapping back into the real world, a loud sob escaped her bleeding lips, and her whole body started to tremble and throb. It pulled the girl into a sense of desperation and helplessness as she lay there, crumbled on the floor that was now slowly being coated with a dripping red liquid.
She looked beneath her to where she hurt the most, and realised with a sickening jolt that her arm wasn't meant to look the way it did now.
Trying madly to pull her focus off the unnatural sight, Y/N strained her pounding head to look up at her parents, watching with horror as their faces were twisted into malicious, evil grins that looked down with pleasure at the situation.
Holding back terrified tears, the girl forced herself to choke out words.
"Why are you doing this to me? Surely I don't deserve anything this bad!"
Sadness filled her small voice, which apparently did nothing to help her case as her parents, if she could even call them that, looked down with no sympathy. Why would they? After all, she did deserve it....
"Oh sweetheart", her mother crooned in mock kindness, "Do you not yet get it? You deserve every bad thing that comes your way. You're not worth anything good."
Y/N felt the weight of a hundred bricks pressing down on her heart, crushing every bit of self-esteem that Pearce had helped her build. The following insults that her parents lashed out at her stung more than ever before.
"You pathetic girl!"
"You ugly little liar!"
"You good for nothing brat!"
With every insult they yelled, Y/N was met with further physical pain, until she was left a hundred times more broken, bruised and battered on the now crimson coated floor.
"You stupid, worthless creature!"
"You horrible, cruel murderer!"
That last one hit Y/N harder than a bullet. Her E/C eyes turned into rivers as fresh, salty tears streamed freely down her S/C skin, leaving clear watermarks across her once happy face. Murderer? Her? She had never thought she would fit that title, but now it all made sense. She was the one who brought Lily to her death. She was the only one to blame.
Y/N felt weak. The girl seemed to sink even further into the ground, clutching her bloodied, broken body as sobs once again racked her form. There was no point in fighting the pain anymore, trying to stay strong for the sake of her dignity and to not appear weak in front of her cruel parents. It was the only way, she thought, that her mother and father would stop their abuse.
After all, she wasn't even worth their time.
To her greatest relief, seeing Y/N ripped apart and covered in blood whilst lying on the floor of their home seemed to bring satisfaction to her mother and father, so they left without another word.
As soon as her parents left the room, Y/N collapsed completely, a few last cries escaping her lips whilst her brain swam with the blurry images of a past life, before being plunged into an empty darkness....