BELLA smelled pancakes, and it made her nose twitch in joy. Her father was at the doorway, light pouring through behind his silhouette, as he leaned against the frame and stared at his daughter.

"You want blueberries in them?" her father asked, and Bella nodded sleepily.

"Mhm," she smiled, stretching her arms and letting out a high-pitched squeak as she did so.

She jumped from the warmth of her comforter and onto the cold wood of the floor, padding through the familiar hallways of her house and into the kitchen where her father stood flipping the pancakes at the stove. Sunlight leaked through the curtains and soaked the tiny kitchen in warmth, as the low sounds of Aerosmith played through the record player sitting beside them.

She walked over to her father and lifted her arms out to wrap around him in a large hug. She pressed her head against his chest and took in the beautiful smell of cigarette smoke and cologne that he always emitted.

"How do you feel, Bells?" Her father asked, looking down at her as she turned to sit at the table.

"My stomach hurts," she said, feeling a small, familiar and dull pain in her lower abdomen.

"The dress," her father said suddenly, his back facing her.

She tilted her head in confusion as she watched him carefully. "Huh?"

He turned around, and suddenly, he had crispy hair and sickening features. He had a huge, crooked nose and yellow teeth, as well as tiny beaded eyes that latched onto her almost instantly. Bella almost instantly vomited.

"What about the dress?" he asked, his voice altering gradually into Her crackly and raspy voice.

"W-what?" Bella swallowed, the pain wrapping around her entire lower abdomen as well as her lower back.

She jumped awake, and opened her eyes to the unfortunate surroundings of the small room she had become too familiar with. Cole was across from her, slumped against the wall with closed eyes and a heaving chest, and Elliot was curled up beside her.

She felt the pain again in her stomach, and ignored it, licking her lips as she attempted to fall back asleep. She wanted to continue dreaming of her father and life at home, but she suddenly recognized what the pains were.

She jumped up, instantly startling Elliot, and she let out a small cry. Looking down at her legs, she noticed a huge blotch of red right on the skirt of her white dress, and trickles of light crimson had been running down her skinny, pale leg. Her heart was pounding in her throat and her eyes were huge as Elliot backed away from her.

"This isn't happening," Bella cried out, shaking her head. "This isn't happening, please tell me this isn't happening right now."

Cole's eyes slowly opened from across the room, and they widened when he noticed her appearance.

"Bella, are you okay?" he asked loudly, his voice thick and raspy as he straightened his posture in alarm. "What happened?"

Bella stared at him, her chest heaving and her body shaking as he continued to stare at her in confusion.

"I'm fine," Bella choked out, her fingers shaking as she reached up to put her hair behind her ears.

"Then... then why are you bleeding? Are you hurt?" Cole questioned, his icy eyes studying her with intensity as he slowly stood to his feet.

Bella continued to stare at him, hot tears rolling down her cheeks as they heated with embarrassment and fear. He studied her as well, their eyes locking together, hers filled with mixed emotions and his with pure concern.

Suddenly, his expression softened in realization. He swallowed hard and looked at the floor before looking back at her.

"Oh..." he trailed off, and Bella rolled her eyes, her vision blurred with tears.

"She's going to kill me!" she cried out, sniffling as tears continued rushing down her cheeks. "She- she said don't ruin the dress. Who is against me? What did I do wrong? This is just my luck," she rambled in pure anger, her fingers pushing through her matted hair as she started to sob uncontrollably.

"It's - it's not your fault," Cole tried to comfort - he could tell he was walking on thin ice. "Maybe she'll understand-"

"Oh, right!" Bella began laughing, shaking her head and holding her hand out. "Right, I forgot she's so understanding. Thank you for your great advice, Cole!" she yelled, and Cole looked frightened beneath her angry stare.

Elliot backed against the wall and stared up at Bella with big eyes. "You need a band-aid," Elliot pointed out.

Bella ignored him and allowed tears to continue falling as she looked at the stained ground as well. She was going to be killed. She knew her fate and she would rather Mommy would get it over with and kill her in that second.

"The dress is ruined," Bella said, her trembling fingers touching the red blotch. She brought her finger up to her mouth and spit on it desperately, trying to rub the blood out of the material but it only spread it further. She shook her head and cried harder, sitting on the ground and wrapping her arms around her knees.

Cole didn't know what to do, and Elliot walked over to him for comfort through his confusion and fear.

"What's wrong with Bella?" she heard Elliot ask, and Cole cleared his throat.

"It's just a small cut," Cole told him, while Bella had her head buried in her hands.

"It doesn't really look like a small cut!" Elliot exclaimed, and Cole quickly shushed him.

"I'm- I'm scared," Bella admitted through tears, though she didn't want to. "I'm so scared, what is she going to do to me?" she whispered, her voice trembling rapidly. She couldn't breathe.

Cole's light eyes watched her. He lifted his shoulders before shaking his head and looking at Elliot.

"Bella," he directed his attention to her, "I'm not going to let her hurt you." Cole did anything he could to console Bella, but it only made her angrier.

"Cole, stop it! The last time you tried to help me, you were beaten and you almost died! You're tied up and you're weak, okay? You can't protect me this time - I'm dead. She's going to kill me as soon as she sees me, I'm sure," Bella cried out, salty tears slipping into her mouth as she rubbed her eyes.

"She's going to kill Bella?" Elliot asked, his bottom lip quivering and his eyes welling up with tears.

"No Elliot," Cole said, before he looked at Bella again. "Bella's going to be fine."

"I just want to go home," Bella said quietly, pressing her back against the wall and inhaling deeply. "I just want to see my dad. I will never see him again," she said, staring at the door in horror.

"Is she going to be mad because Bella has got blood all over her legs?" Elliot asked, staring up at Cole in confusion.

Bella almost wanted to laugh at her situation. She probably looked insane.

"Bella, you'll be fine," Cole said gently, but Bella rolled her eyes.

"That's easy for you to say," Bella replied, her voice filled with anger as she put her head in her hands. Her fingers moved through her knotty hair and tugged at it. "There's blood all over me, all over the floor. I'm dead."

The room fell silent, and they heard a door slam from outside the door. Then, they heard the subtle creaking of stairs, becoming louder and louder with each step Mommy took closer to their room.

Bella couldn't stop her body from quaking. Her teeth were chattering and her fingers were nervously playing with the hem of the dress as she stared at the door with wide and tear-filled eyes.

Cole and Elliot stared at the door too, and Elliot wrapped his arms around Cole's leg as they watched the doorknob twist.

The door flew open, slamming into the wall as Mommy stood at the doorway. Her eyes grazed Cole and Elliot's worried expressions before her beady irises caught on Bella, and instantly twisted in disgust.

"What did you do?" Mommy asked, her head cocking to the side as Bella stared up at her. "What did you do, you dirty, disgusting bitch? Why are you crying like that? Stand up, right this second."

Bella continued sitting down, tears cascading down her face at a rapid pace as she looked in the other direction.

"Stand up, right now!" Mommy screamed, her voice startling the three of them as Bella slowly lifted her body to her knees. She quietly stood, and Mommy's eyes trailed down her body with revulsion clear in her expression.

Bella sniffled and stared at the floor, her fingers shaking at her sides as she felt Mommy's eyes watching her. She looked up, and saw Mommy standing at the doorway with a twisted grin on her face.

"I'm going to go get my boyfriend," Mommy said, her voice obviously trying to stay calm, as her tone shook with each word and her fists clenched at her sides.

Bella closed her eyes tightly, taking a deep breath as Mommy continued.

"And I'll let him deal with you."

_