Madame Antonia descended into the basement, hoping tonight would be the night she succeeded in breaking the child's spirit. After switching the lights open, she found the child curled up on the cold hard ground, sucking on its thumb, its eyes squeezed shut. For Madame Antonia, all the children that came under her care were objects that needed to be trained. In her eyes, they were gender less and mindless, their only purpose in life to prove that Madame Antonia was good. Madame Antonia lip curled as she observed her latest project. The child was emaciated and smaller than most other seven years old. But for Madame Antonia, it hadn't been starved enough.
"Get up!" - Madame Antonia
A kick to the child's ribs punctuated the words. Its eyes flew open. Madame Antonia drew her breath sharply. She despised a lot of things about this latest project of hers, but none more than those violet eyes staring at her right now. Terrible in its deceptive purity, the eyes made Madame Antonia feel soiled and she shook her head violently.
"No! this was the work of the devil, using the child to make her feel like she wasn't guided by God's hand." - Madame Antonia (in her mind)
But still, those big violet eyes stared, damning her, and Madame Antonia shrieked.
" Didn't you hear what I said!? " - Madame Antonia
Seeing Madame Antonia taking one step towards her seemed to throw the child into a panic. It scrambled to its knees, pale body shaking hard as it bent its head.
" I am sorry, Madame Antonia. " - Kathryn Ice (it whispered)
Please make Madame Antonia believe me, (in her mind), it prayed. It hated itself for being a liar, but no matter what it did, it just couldn't stop lying.
When Madame Antonia reached the child, it threw itself prostrate on the ground. Her skin crawled when it tried to kiss her feet.
" Get away from me! " - Madame Antonia
Madame Antonia shoved the child away with another kick to its face. It back a cry of pain. Madame Antonia hatred grew at how silent and stoic it was. Why was this child is so different?.
" You don't want to see me, do you? " - Madame Antonia
" No, Madame Antonia. " - Kathryn Ice
The child shook its head fiercely even while keeping its gaze trained on the ground.
" I'm happy to see you. " - Kathryn Ice
It was lying of course, but it prayed hard that maybe this time God wouldn't tell Madame Antonia it wasn't speaking the truth. The child knew Madame Antonia was good and it was bad. It knew this, but it didn't believe.
" Liar! " - Madame Antonia
Madame's hiss made the child bite its lip hard. Please God, please make me believe the truth. Please make me believe so that Madame Antonia would love me. (The child wish in her mind)
Madame Antonia suddenly cupped its chin, forcing it to look up. The child's eyes clashed with the woman's. Madame Antonia screamed.
" Stop looking at me like I'm evil! " - Madame Antonia
It tried to protest bit it wasn't given any chance. Madame Antonia hand cracked against its cheek. Madame Antonia tried to scratch its eyes out. And the Madame Antonia was gripping its hair, dragging it up the stairs and out of the basement. The child forced itself to keep quiet, hoping its silence would Madame Antonia forgive her. But what the child didn't know was that the more silent it was, the more Madame Antonia would despise it. In its desperate, innocent desire to please, the harder it had become for Madame Antonia to remain blind to the truth.
Madame Antonia threw the child to the floor they reached the dining room. She waited for the child to cry and fight back, but it only raised itself to its knees, looking up at Madame Antonia with eyes that neither hated nor questioned. In those eyes, Madame Antonia saw the truth the real truth, and not what she had tried to convince herself and all the children that she had killed in the name of her love for them. Madame screamed.
" Why won't you just break? "- Madame Antonia
Pulling the child up to its feet, Madame Antonia waited for the child to lift its head before slapping it as hard as she could. The child swayed on its feet, and the dance began. Soon after, the music of Madame Antonia palm cracking against the child's cheek played in the room.
Crack. Sway. Crack. Sway. Crack. Sway
The child's vision dimmed, but it struggled to stay on its feet. The child and Madame Antonia had danced to this music for as long as it could remember, and the steps were simple to remember. It mustn't fall, mustn't look at Madame Antonia, and most importantly of all, it mustn't ever make Madame Antonia have trouble hitting her. Madame Antonia was speaking/singing now, lyrics to the music that the child didn't understand.
" Why wasn't it still broken?..
Why did it still want to live?..
Why couldn't it just break?.. " - Madame Antonia Sing
If it had been allowed to speak, the child would have asked just one question. How did Madame Antonia want to break itself?. Madame Antonia voice became feverish.
" I can't be blamed. I was so scared. " - Madame Antonia
As the child continue to dance to Madame Antonia music, it wondered dazedly if her own terror was the same as Madame Antonia. Did Madame Antonia feel like she felt now?
" I'm not evil. " - Madame Antonia
The child wanted to believe Madame Antonia. There must be a reason why Madame Antonia couldn't stop hurting her, couldn't begin loving her. Madame Antonia was good, and it was not.
" Those men beat me up, raped me the entire night, all at the same time. They were the monster, not me! " - Madame Antonia
The music rose to a screaming crescendo, and the dance reached its peak. Madame Antonia was no longer content slapping its face. Now, Madame Antonia fists began to color the child's eyes with bruises, and the cracking slaps turned into painful thuds.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Its eyes swelled shut, and the child struggled to dance even when it was half blind with pain.
" They told me to kill my parents so I did! I was scared, and that was why I did it! I was young like you. I can't be blamed. God knows I must be forgiven for what I did. They broke me! " - Madame Antonia
The music suddenly stopped, and the child started to tremble. The silence was bad and scary, and she wished she could hear the music again. She didn't want this quiet, knew with all her heart that it was. Madame Antonia came out of her trance, and the first thing she saw was the child's eyes.
" No! " - Kathryn Ice
Madame Antonia grabbed the child by the hair, and still it didn't speak. It was terrified out of its wits, but it still knew what was right or wrong.
" Why?..
Why didn't it break like Madame Antonia had?.. - Kathryn Ice (In her mind)
" You're going to break! " - Madame Antonia
Madame Antonia muttered feverishly.
" You're going to break like all the others did! " - Madame Antonia
The beating lasted for an hour. By the time Madame Antonia vision cleared, the child was crumpled in a ball of pain. Madame Antonia knelt down, breathing hard.
" Open your eyes. " - Madame Antonia
Slowly, its eyes opened. And Madame Antonia saw she had lost. It still had not broken.
AFTER 5 YEARS ..... " You have to understand these things take time, Mrs. Rewis. "- Doc Matthew The doctor's voice was gentle but resolute. Doctor Matthew Brynthe knew the powerful Rewis matriarch could have him fired for mere impertinence, but he didn't give a damn. His patient was his first priority and no one else. Kristina Rewis gaze swung back to the adjoining room, its two-way wall allowing her to study her 12 year old grandchild. " Just tell me my grandchild will get better, "- Kristina said tightly " Is that too much to ask? "- Kristina
FOUR YEARS LATER...ATHENS, GREECE If only she could be a food.Food didn't lie. Food smelled good when it was edible. Food smelled bad when it was rotten. If only everyone could be food, maybe she wouldn't be so confused. Somewhere in the room, Doc Simon Corba continued to talk in a pompous-sounding voice. The thin-haired, bespectacled man had appointed himself as her guardian since her grandmother had died, and everyone in the estate as well as the lawyers hadn't questioned it. Or atleast everyone except her. " Are you listening to me, Ms. Rewis? "- Doc Simon, wrestled with irritation and infatuation as he gazed
Anyone gazing at Yuri Daniel Athanas would be forgiven for thinking he was taking everything in stride, with the polite mask he wore over his sculptured feautures, and his tall, laconic but muscular form completely relaxed as he stood gazing outside the windows of the Rewis estate. No one would certainly guess that at the moment, Yuri was still mentally reeling.'It had been shock, after shock',Yuri considered grimly, ever since Kathryn's unexpected call yesterday. The first shock was of Kristina Rewis unfortunate death. He mourned her passing, but at par with his grief was Yuri's disquiet. From now on, for better or for worse, he would be responsible for an 18 year old girl who was best described as ...Different.
Whenever tabloids feautured officers of theAlcolytes,the headlines typically varied but the gist of them remained the same.HeliosJake Andreadiswas the hotheaded sun god.Kellion Mico Argyrosthe charmingly wicked playboy.Leandro Paul Christopoulosa college university owner, hot smart guy. AndAndreus Fin Economouthe mysterious and dangerous bad boy. Each had his own vice, which the media love to exaggerate for the club's adoring, obsessed fans.But withYuri Daniel Athanas,if was different. The paparazzi had long given up on trying to dig out any dirt on the club's current vice president and instead delighted in speculating what kind of girl would eventually capture the Greek bachelor's heart.
" Kathy, this is the former president of the Alcolytes Triad, Helios Jake Andreadis. "- Yuri kept his gaze on his fianceé as he spoke. All but one officer of the Alcolytes Triad was present to greet them, the three pairs forming a half circle in the private hallway that only high-ranking members of their club had access to. " Helios, this is my fianceé Kathy. "- Yuri managed to keep his tone polite, but his form was rigid with tension as he kept an eye for any sign of discomfort from Kathy. If it had been up to him, he would have taken her straight to her room. The introductions could have waited. She was his first priority, and knowing how sheltered her existence had been
Yuri and his sister were on their way to join the rest of the club in the common room when they saw Kellion heading their way. " I'm afraid we have a little situation. "- Kellion wicked amusement gleamed in his green eyes as he spoke. " What is it? "- Yuri was instantly on his guard. When the president had that look, it usually spelled trouble... for someone else. In this case, that would be him. " MJ and Aria took her to the room prepared for her and I'm afraid she doesn't like it. "- Kellion smirked to Yuri.
" You're ashamed of me? " - Kathy's violet eyed wearing a long floral dress. " You know, that's not true, " - Yuri " Then you will let me do this? " - Yuri, paused. " If it's truly what you need. " - Yuri spoke with audible reluctance. A smile that transformed her face into something untouchably ethereal, and then she was murmuring in a breathz voice. " Thank you, Yuri. " - Kathy said. She raised herself up to place a kiss on Yuri's cheek. After, she hurriedly but gracefully walked pas
( S . P . G. / MATURE CONTENT!!!) 'He had forgotten about the sleeping arrangements', Yuri thought. He wearily massaged the back of his neck in a futile effort to ease the tension inside him. 'This', he thought grimly, was shaping up to be the longest day in his life and even now, the rest of the night seemed to stretch endlessly before him. From inside the shower, Kathy's voice floated to him. She was singing and she was out of tune, which he found oddly charming. Even more odd was its effect on his body, but it was something Yuri was doing his best to ignore. 'God.Damn.It'. Normally, Yuri didn't swear as much as his friends did, but recent days had prove