03

A burning pain in my muscles pulled me back to consciousness and my body was surprisingly still clothed. My arms were restrained behind my back in the handcuffs Jade always used whenever she was about to punish me severely. Tears were flowing down my face as I sat up, struggling to free myself from the binds when I saw her nearing me.

« You need to be taught a lesson, you stupid cunt, you think you can just run away from me ? Exactly like your father ? » She spat angrily.

I shook my head trying to appease her, rolling to my stomach and bowing down to her feet hoping she will take it easier on me tonight. I doubted it because I’ve done three things she hates the most—things I was never supposed to do unless I wanted death.

She kicked the side of my face and I fell to my side, clenching my eyes shut from the pain with no time to recover before she buried her fingers into my hair and dragged me out the back door. The freezing air smacked me and I shivered. We approached the mossy, smelly, miniature pond and my heart dropped.

« Go in there and retrieve your foot, then I’ll give you another chance, » she sneered, confusing me with her words.

I still have all of my limbs.

An excruciating burning pain appeared in my ankle and I desperately wanted to scream out, burying my face into the cold earth as my tears watered the grass. I curled up, my body shaking with my silent sobs alongside her cackling laughter.

« Oh, shut the fuck up, » she scoffed, crouching down to my level and shoving my now severed foot into my face. I cried harder at the disturbing sight, « be grateful I’m giving you this chance. I should just cut both your feet off so you’ll never run again, but this lesson is far more entertaining. Now go fetch, stupid mutt, » she cackled again, throwing my foot into the pond and kicking me in the side to roll me on my back, « I’d hurry, there’s a short time frame where I’m able to put it back, » she mocked, turning away and walking back into the house.

I tried to pull my hands out of the cuffs but they were too tight, resulting in me to roll into the ice cold water due to my squirming. Goosebumps kissed my body and the clothes I wore weighed me down, making it nearly impossible to stay above the surface. I kicked my legs around and struggled to use the water to lube my hands to freedom, but it was no avail. I felt myself sink and I inhaled harshly, falling under the water and flailing my body around in attempt to take control of the situation.

That’s when my injured leg kicked into sharp rocks when I fell closer to the bottom and I clenched my jaw, my body tightening in extreme pain. This almost made me gasp in the water around me. That area was very sensitive because of all the exposed tissue and I already felt myself growing lightheaded from blood-loss.

I’m going to die.

I can’t do this.

Just as I was about to give up, a memory from my childhood hit me. I’m unsure if it was my life flashing before my eyes because I’m about to die, but the memory was vivid. My dad was telling me what to do if I ever grew too tired during one of my swims and I was too far from shore.

« If you find yourself too weak to stay surfaced, stop struggling. It’ll only make you sink. As hard as it might be, just hold your breath, relax, and let your body do the rest. »

I forced my body to relax, straining to keep myself from breathing. A few seconds later, the surprisingly warm air hit my body and I opened my eyes with a gasp, finding myself floating on my back. I looked around me trying to find my foot, my panic returning when I couldn’t find it and my body sunk again.

I kept my eyes open and ignored the stinging from the bacteria in the water, my eye struggling to see clearly in the darkness so I waited until I hit the bottom before pushing myself deeper into the pond.

Black spots slowly started blurring my vision just as my foot came into view. I made sure to hover in that area and relaxed myself, floating back to the surface for more air then allowing myself to sink again. I turned my back and felt around with my restrained hands, soon getting ahold of it and kicking myself off the ground with it in my grasp.

I reached the surface and laid on my back, delicately using my unharmed leg to swim back to shore.

I climbed out of the water using my knees and face, coughing and weakly collapsing into the ground in exhaustion. I was so cold my body was officially numb. In a way, I’m thankful for that because my missing limb doesn’t ache like it usually does. It’s hardly even bleeding anymore.

I shouldn’t have tried so hard to survive. I just fought for a life of agony and suffering… what was I thinking ?

The black spots in my vision quickly returned, wasting no time taking away the little consciousness I had left.

?

« Get up, lazy bitch ! »

Her voice rang in my ears and I ripped open my eyes, sitting up with a shiver of fear. My hands were no longer bound and my ankle was aching. Although, I see my foot is now back on my body.

« Get the hell out of here ! I can’t fucking eat with you in my sight ! » She snapped. I lowered my gaze to the floor and crawled to my crate, closing myself in and shaking from the cold, wet clothes she left on me so I won’t get comfortable and fall asleep.

I silently wept, my shivering body shook the crate as much as I tried to prevent it from doing so and I heard her set down her beer. Panic consumed me and I watched her rip open the door, grabbing my stitched ankle and dragging me out yelling curses.

« Shut the fuck up ! » She screamed, throwing her fist into my face one after another. I clenched my eyes closed and took her hits, clawing at the sweatshirt to avoid accidentally grabbing her again.

« You’re such an ugly, stupid, weak, anorexic piece of shit ! Nobody will ever want you, you filthy little cunt ! Your father left to get away from you ! If you weren’t born, he never would’ve cheated on me ! All you do is ruin everything ! » She shrieked, stomping her barefoot into my face and yanking me into a sitting position by my hair.

« Henry ! Get in here ! Show her the only thing she’s good for ! » She called, still holding me upright by my roots and it began to burn.

Who’s Henry ? She’s never had someone else over…

« This is her ? » The man scoffed while entering the room, crouching next to us and forcing me to face him. I closed my eyes to avoid eye contact and he smeared the blood from my nose over my lips, letting his fingers play with them as the metallic taste filled my mouth. More tears streamed down my face at the taste of his dirty fingers mingling into it.

« She’s disgusting, » he laughed, shoving me back and standing up. I fearfully opened my eyes and watched their movements, seeing my disgrace of a mother retreat back to the couch where her food and beer were.

« Hurry it up. I’ll be waiting, » She said, never moving her attention from the television.

« It won’t be long, sweetie, » the man replied. I went to crawl back to my crate until the hood of the sweatshirt was pulled and I went along with it, feeling a weight lift off my chest.

He’s taking me away from her… Is he saving me ?

My relief was diminished when he closed the bathroom door and locked us in, unbuttoning his jeans and taking out his hardened member. My heart beat ice through me when I realized he wasn’t trying to help, he was going to abuse me too.