After dinner I went back up to my room to sleep. I felt a bit overwhelmed with everything and needed a few minutes to myself.

Everyone understood and I couldn't wait to get to know everyone better. I was a little and a big sister. And I had parents. Real parents.

I was in a dark cellar, tied in chains. It was cold, dark and musty.

I haven't slept or eaten in days. I just wanted a warm bath and a goodnight's sleep.

But nothing could ever be that perfect.

"Good evening, Valentina," says Sergei.

"Go away! I hate you!"

"Now now, there is no need to get all rowdy. You can hate me all you want but that won't amount to all the hate your family has for you."

Please not again. "They don't hate me you awful idiot! They love me and they'll find me. They will and then I will kill you!"

He smiles evilly. "You can try all you want. But I will kill you first. All you are is a burden. No one needs you!"

He takes his blade and drags it down my arm.

I scream and agony and he brings in Natasha, who starts messily stitching me up.

Then he does the exact thing to my other arm. Now Zach was stitching up my arms too. No pain killers or anything.

Just pure pain.

"Stop please," I cry in agony.

Once the doctors finish he starts slashing my stomach with a whip lash. Taking turns with Natasha and Zach.

Whip.

Whip.

Whip.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

"You are nothing."

Whip.

"You are a burden."

Whip.

"No one loves you."

Whip.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

I wake to an awful nightmare.

"It was just a dream, just a really bad dream," I whisper to myself.

Seconds later, Mom and Dad barge into the room startled.

"We heard you scream," Mom says out of breath. I remembered that Marina told me Mom was pregnant, I must've scared her badly

"Sorry, I just had a really bad nightmare."

Dad scratches the back of his neck. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. It was just Sergei and my fake parents."

Mom frowns. "Where were you all these years," she asks sitting beside me on the bed.

"I always remember moving around since I was little. The first place I remember was Massachusetts. We pretty much went everywhere, except like 15 other states. When I was 13, we stayed in Canada for like two months then I was in Washington for a two years and then we moved to California," I answer honestly.

"You know? I always dreamed of what you guys would be like since I found this family photo in a box when we moved. For the longest time I thought those people were my parents and I was going insane. I almost ran away but I'm glad I didn't. Because then I would have never found you," I smiled.

"We're glad to have you here Valentina."

"I'm glad to be here too."

Dad was now sitting on the opposite side of me. "Who did this to you?" He says pointing to the scars on my arms and neck.

"It was Zach and Natasha Petrov. I though their names were Barbara and Anderson Simpson my whole life but they lied. They started abusing me when I was about nine and it been happening for about 7 years now. To be honest, a few are from when I was really depressed about three years ago. I would self harm but I grew out of it myself. But the dark thoughts never stopped, still to this day."

My mom was crying and Dad looked really angry.

I was used to it.

I was used to the constant pain.

The loneliness.

The sadness.

"Dad?"

"Yes, mio fiore." (My flower)

"Do you have Sergei and the Petrov's?"

"Yes. But why?"

"Cause I want to be the one to kill them."

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