Why am I so afraid to lose you, when you're not even mine?—Unknown

[9]

I say backing away from Adam. His fist is clenched and a horrifying look of anger passes onto his face.

"Who did this to you, Isabelle?" He growls quietly yet chillingly. I shake my head and keep my lips shut.

"Isabelle..." His tone is cold and deadly. A silence follows after.

He can't know.

"I did this to myself, Adam!" I cry out. "I did this to myself..." A sob breaks out through my lips. I fall down to my knees and cry into my hands.

The darkness doesn't ever go away, it just follows. It surrounds me and gobbles everything I know and care about up in its path. The bruises, the cuts, the scars, they'll never go away because the darkness doesn't want them. It feeds on the things that I care about most.

I feel a warm hand touch my arm gently and pull my hands away from my face.

"Why are you afraid?" His voice is gentle. He believes me...I didn't lie though. I'm the cause of this, my life. More tears flow as I sob harder. His eyes gleam with sadness.

I shake my head.

"I can't..." I breathe out in a whisper.

Adam's intense eyes stare into my own. "Isabelle ..." He starts.

"Just take me back home," I say, cutting him off, my voice turning cold. Adam gently nods his head and helps me up.

The ride back to the house is silent. The kiss isn't brought back up and neither is the encounter with my bruises.

Adam pulls up to the house. We sit there, no words exchanged. I sigh before getting out the car.

"Goodbye, Adam." With that, I close the door and climb back through my window to my room.

I don't know how long I stand in front of my window for, waiting for him to come back. I don't like knowing that I had to let go of Adam. He makes me feel good, happy even. The kiss we shared was like magic. It ignited something within, yet, it still seems so surreal, like it didn't happen. I just kissed, Adam Black.

I sigh and run a hand through my hair. I look over to my mirror and stare at my reflection. I don't want to let go...

I have to though.

I shut my laptop, happy I got the first five chapters done. I haven't gone to school for the whole week. Gary and Kelly don't give two shits.

'Now the house won't be a total dump!' Was all Gary had said.

David returns from camp tomorrow which I'm dreading massively. My punishments have been half as bad since David's been gone. It's kind of like they're afraid to hurt me without him.

I blocked Adams number from my phone as well. I don't want to talk to him anymore. I know he's been messaging me though. Apparently, Lily has been able to get my number too. How do they even do these things?

She kept asking why I hadn't been at school and if Adam and I had finished the first chapter of the story. We finished the first half before finishing up that night, so, I did the rest as well as another four for her.

I still want to get good grades on this project even if I'm not at school anymore.

I'm happy though. I got to live for just one night. I even managed to kiss someone. My first kiss. Adams' lips were so...soft.

I can't stop thinking about it. The time of the moment was so magical. One night. That is all I needed and I got it.

Now, I face reality. The cruelty of life. No more magical moments. No more friends. No more fun. No more anything. Just life, my life.

A sudden bang on the door awakens me from my dreary thoughts. I jump up and suddenly try to calm myself before opening the door.

"Isabelle." Kelly's sharp voice pierces through my ears. I silently wince before bowing my head.

"We're going out to Gary's work party," she says. My head snaps up at the words. Has Gary finally gotten a job?

"Don't give me that look, Isabelle," Kelly calmly states. "Gary finally managed to get a job after he told the company that he has a whiny little bitch of a girl that always requires his attention."

Obviously, they weren't his exact words.

"Now hurry up and wear this," Kelly says, chucking me a dress, "and get ready before I get Gary to punish you."

Kelly hasn't really physically abused me yet. I don't know if it's the fact that she would be dishonouring my mother or the fact that Kelly simply hates to hurt people. Physically that is.

Kelly and my mother had been best friends since they were children, hence the reason David and I were so close. I don't remember much of their friendship, just that they were extremely close.

Kelly leaves the room in a rush, leaving me to get changed. The eerie silence that swallows me whole cuts through the air. I sigh before changing into the dress.

I look myself over in the mirror.

The dress is beautiful. It is tight on my upper body before hanging loosely below my waist. Sheer lace sleeves go down to my elbows creating an elegant but somewhat casual look.

All I manage to do is stare and marvel at the beauty of the dress I was given by Kelly. Usually, they're really plain and ugly dresses that shape my figure horribly. This dress, however, is different.

The pricing of it must be - well, expensive...

I knew Kelly was acting differently earlier. I smile again for the second time this week. Maybe she does care for me a little bit after all?

I take a step closer to the mirror. Somehow, I always manage to disappoint myself. My bruised knees and shins are very visible with the colour selection of the dress. Black, blue, purple, and black again.

Small cuts and scars trail up the upper part of my arms. Maybe nobody will notice? Surely if I cover the bruises up with a lot of foundation and maybe a contour, I could make everything look different?

Maybe.

After a while of debating whether on not I should risk it, I decide it is worth a shot. No legs are perfect, right?

I get to work on my legs and arms before doing my normal routine on my face. My hair is hanging in careless waves down my back. It looks fine anyway so I just go with it.

I sigh heavily before walking out my door and head downstairs. I stop instantly when I hear hushed whispers.

"I don't care about that, she's not going!" The deep voice obviously belongs to Gary.

"Gary, if she doesn't go then you don't have a job and we're all super fucked," hisses Kelly.

There is a slight pause before Gary speaks again. "Fine...but, if she messes up at all, she's going to be severely punished."

I frown in confusion. Were they talking about me? I shiver slightly at the thought of Gary hitting me again. It's been four days since my last punishment and I feel like my next one is going to be bad. Real bad.

After standing on the stairs for a few more minutes, I muster up my courage and walk into the kitchen where I see Kelly sitting and drinking tea. It's like Gary was never in the room.

Kelly looks up slightly startled before giving me a once over and nodding her head. I look on the ground, not meeting her eyes.

"David should be home soon, we'll leave then."

For the second time today, my heart thumps wildly against my chest. My head snaps up towards hers. There is no remorse whatsoever at the mention of her son's name. In fact, it kind of looks like she is proud.

I swallow the bile that rises in my throat down and let the cold, unwelcome shivers of misfortune trail its way down my body.

Something is going to happen tonight and I don't know if I'm going to like it or not.