Five

   DEVAN

    The next day came with the unexpected. It was announced that my school had organised a two days trip to a  self improvement facility, meant for the final year High school students, in order to groom us for life after school.

    It was a yearly routine held by the school in honour of its soon exiting students. There were talks about it being extremely boring, and not being fun in any way.

    Frankly speaking, this hadn't been one of the events I had looked forward to, considering all the rumours I had heard about it.

    However, when the list of teachers who were to go along with us was being read out, and Ms. Ellen's name was read, I felt my heart jump in excitement.

    The trip was finally worth the try. I didn't have to necessarily silence the noise with my earphones. I could just sit quietly, and gaze at her, inhaling each air she took in, and slowly getting lost in her own world.

   I could barely keep my excitement to myself, as I hurried home. All I needed to do was to convince Mum to let me go on the trip, of which I knew was going to be a difficult process. 

    She was going to recount a million reasons on why she didn't think the impromptu trip was important. I was going to be prepared to give her the best replies I could think of, or even the best lies.

    I walked past Ms. Ellen's window, and saw a smear of blood on it. There was this irrepressible urge to walk over to her door, and scream her name until the world heard my voice.

    That was madness though. Pure madness. Love never did that to anyone, no matter how crazy you were. I raced heartily to the house, but was met with the shock of meeting the front door ajar.

    I tiptoed into the house to meet it almost empty, except for Robb. He was inhaling and exhaling again as expected. The whole place stank horribly.

    "Where's everyone?" I buzzed, as I stepped in, trying my best to ignore the revolting smell that emanated from whatever Robb was inhaling.

    "You want some?" He threw at me, offering me some of his narcotic possession.

    "No," I replied immediately. "Get something doing with your life, Robb." I advised in disgust.

    "Don't forget your place, Devan. You're the younger, and not the older. I am the older one in case you forgot." He warned and puffed into my face.

    It didn't matter if Robb was nineteen, and only a year and a few months older than me, he was still older, and had to be accorded that respect.

    "I would remember that." I muttered with irritation clearly written on my face. At that moment, Mum seemed to walk out of her room hurriedly, as if racing for the door.

    "Mum what's going on?" I asked.

    "Your father lost consciousness earlier today, and hasn't recovered since then. I was called in from work to attend to him, since Robb refused to make good use of his life, and watch him as promised."

    "I'm really sorry. However, I have something crucial to discuss with you." I began.

    She shook her head vehemently in disapproval. "It can wait Devan, your father is in a more crucial state." 

    I knew this wasn't the right time to broach this topic, but my greedy obsession of going on the trip was robbing me of seeing Mum's pains. 

    "Get something done about this smell. It's nauseating." She ordered and flew to the door.

    I nodded quietly, and let her hurry off again as my gaze turned towards Robb, and a smirk formed slightly on the edge of my lips.

    "What do you need, buddy?" Robb asked perfectly understanding the turn of events.

    I sank into a chair, and grinned wildly. I wasn't going to miss the trip for anything, and if things turned out just the way I had planned it, by the time I returned Dad was going to be bustling with life once more.

    I stared into Robb's eyes, and tried to keep a stern face. "I need money..." I began, and he nodded slightly. "Lots of it." I finished as his eyebrows rose in askance. One thing was certain, he didn't trust me, why would he though?

    ELLEN

    The cold was almost unbearable. I bit my lips, and walked over to the bathroom. I was almost shivering. My legs threatened to give way at any moment, and I couldn't tell why.

    I could feel unsettling pains in my abdomen, and I sensed that something was wrong. I held tightly to the walls of the bathroom, and made sure I was stable.

    I began taking off my clothes one after the other, as I slid into the bathtub. I switched on the tap, and let the water run filling the tub. 

    I shivered briefly as it touched my skin, but the coldness didn't last. My whole body yearned to be washed of all the brutality, and dirty acts it had endured in the last few days. 

    Zach had managed to come up with one thing after another with each day that passed. At first, it had been fun, but now it was just pains. Presently, it was just me nursing the wounds I suffered from each encounter.

    I touched my face subconsciously, there was a short jagged scar at the side of my face, Zach had done that. I could decide to leave, but I had to stay, for my own mental safety.

    I didn't know what that meant, but I knew it sounded good to the ears. It was easier to keep giving excuses on why I couldn't leave a man, who constantly abused me, than eventually leaving, and having to run for the rest of your life.

    I wanted to believe I was doing the right thing, but that feeling lodged behind my windpipe judged me. I couldn't escape Zach. I had made a vow to stick with him, until the very end.

    I winced painfully, and held tightly to the sides of the bathtub. My abdomen hurt so badly that I could almost feel my visceral popping out.

    I had attempted running off once, when Zach's madness had become excessive. However, it hadn't taken long before I was found out. Zach on the other hand had done what he needed to do already. He had told the world that I had run off with a man, justifying himself.

    The story had stuck, and I hadn't been able to look anyone in the face then, until we had moved to a new town before this one. I hadn't attempted such ever since, due to my experience afterwards.

    I had survived Zach's hands by a hair's breath. He had done the unthinkable to me, hurting me in different ways, until I had promised to desist from such shameful escapades, and then he had been satisfied.

    Lies, and lies again!

    I was jolted back to reality by a sharp pain in my arm, and I turned to see Zach hovering over me with an empty syringe in his hand.

    "What did you do to me?" I quizzed, barely feeling the weight of my body anymore.

    "Sleep Ellen, all that I do, I do out of love." he said as my eyes threatened to close and I began to pass out, not knowing what he had done to me. 

    But there he stood, naked, a grin on his face, and a syringe in his hand, waiting patiently for whatever he had done to me to manifest. 

    I tried to scream out, but I couldn't. I relapsed again. I couldn't fight it anymore. However, as I passed out I whispered Devan's name, but I couldn't understand how it had managed to slip out. The world was against me. It wasn't going to take long before I died in Zach's hands one way or the other, but somehow.