"WHAT IS WRONG? You were crying," Sir pointed out as Bella shoveled a copious amount of the fast food on the table into her mouth. She scarfed down french fries and a half of a burger within a matter of seconds, while Mommy stared at her with a judgmental gaze.

"You are going to get fat if you continue eating like a pig," Mommy said, slapping at Bella's hand when she reached to eat more french fries. Bella swallowed what she had in her mouth and stared at Mommy with swollen eyes. "Nobody will want you if you continue. You should be happy that I am feeding you at all."

Bella nodded quietly. "Thank you," she whispered, her fingers spreading against her knees as she stared down at the wooden table in front of her.

"Why were you crying? Tell me now, you have no reason to be upset," Mommy asked, gripping Bella's wrists with her wrinkled, cold fingers and staring into her eyes. Bella found it difficult to stare back into the beady, black irises, so she adverted her gaze almost instantly.

"Uh, just... my older brother, he yelled at me," Bella mumbled. She didn't know why she told the truth, but what she did know was that she immediately regretted it when she noticed Mommy's eyes darkening as she stood to her feet.

"Why would he yell at you?" Mommy growled, her eyes narrowing.

Bella swallowed and shook her head, looking at Sir who seemed angry though the hood covering his eyes made it difficult to decipher his expression.

"I- he didn't, I promise," Bella said, watching as Mommy started for the basement door and gestured for her boyfriend to follow her. "Please don't hurt him, he's been through enough!" Bella yelled after them.

When they were already down the stairs, Bella grabbed a packaged burger and shoved it in her dress before she started down the steps after them in panic. Her heart was racing and her lungs were pinching together, not allowing any air through.

When she got down the stairs, the door to their room was open, while Mommy and Sir stood there staring hungrily at Cole. Bella walked inside the room slowly, guilt clouding her eyes as she bit down on her lip.

Cole didn't seem worried, but Elliot had his head buried in his arms and his body was shaking with sobs.

"Did you yell at my daughter?" Mommy asked, her words a dull growl as Cole leaned his head against the wall.

"Yeah," Cole answered, and Bella shook her head, hot tears piercing the corners of her eyes.

"Why the fuck did you do that?" Mommy tilted her head as she knelt to Cole's level, staring into his eyes. "Huh?" she tormented. "Are you jealous of her? That she looks more like me and you look more like your disgusting father?"

Cole's tired, electric irises stared at Bella, holding a hard gaze. Bella's eyes softened and begged for forgiveness, but it didn't seem to faze him.

"No, it's because she's fucked up," he said, his eyes never leaving Bella's. "That's why."

Bella swallowed and stared at the ground as Mommy roughly grabbed the bottom of his shirt. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth as Mommy forced him to turn around, his shirt off. She noticed healed marks littering his back already, it wasn't many but the large slashes seemed extremely painful.

"Come here, Sweetheart," Mommy ordered, and Bella looked at her.

"W-why?" she asked quietly, rubbing her eye.

"Come here," Mommy repeated, her voice stern this time.

Cole stared at the wall, his forehead pressed against it as he knew exactly what was going to happen.

"If.. if you hurt him anymore, you are going to kill him," Bella tried to talk Mommy out of it as she walked past Sir over to Mommy, but she seemed unmoved. "He will die, why do you want to kill your son?"

"That's why I'm not going to hurt him," Mommy said, her leathery lips pulling back to expose her rotting teeth in a sick grin. She held a long, thick, black whip out to Bella. "You are."

Bella swallowed hard, tears rushing down her face as she looked at Elliot who was staring at them with widened eyes. She shook her head, not willing to back down. "I will not hurt him," Bella spoke. "I won't."

"He deserves it. He's just like his father," Mommy spoke, shoving the whip into Bella's hands. Bella's grip tightened around the whip as she looked up at Mommy. She wanted terribly to just drop the whip and run, but she had worked hard to earn Mommy's trust, and she couldn't break it now.

"Do you see how much you have hurt him?" Bella asked, gesturing to his already sliced up back.

Mommy nodded, "Of course. He likes to mouth off like his father, so of course, he will be treated poorly. If he were respectful, like you, he would not be in this situation."

"Just fucking hit me, Christ," Cole begged, his voice rough.

"I'm not hitting you," Bella said, her voice tight.

"Do it! You... bitch," his voice faltered on the word, as he clearly did not want to call her that, but just wanted the pain to be over with. Bella's lips parted in shock at his words.

"I will hurt him if you do not," Sir spoke suddenly from behind Bella, and Bella jumped, looking up at him. "He must be punished."

"Please don't!" Elliot cried out from the corner of the small room, shaking his head but keeping his distance. "Please, Bella!"

Bella's heart broke, and she was completely torn. She looked at Elliot with tears fogging her vision.

"If you start again, it will be you instead," Mommy threatened Elliot, and Bella couldn't stand it.

She had to do it. It was a part of building Mommy's trust and getting them out of there, she just really hoped that her plan would work.

Her sweaty fingers wrapped around the base of the whip as she held it out and gently hit it against Cole's back. He flinched, but it only made a small red mark across his back. Mommy grabbed the whip from Bella and shoved her out of the way.

"I will show you how it is done," Mommy spoke, and she swung the whip back and slammed it into his flesh, making him cry out in a way Bella had never heard before. His voice was gravelly and breathy and he swore under his breath at the pain, making Mommy breathe with excitement.

Mommy handed Bella the whip and Bella shakily took it in her fingers, staring at the fresh mark that was already dripping with blood. She didn't want to hurt anyone. She didn't have the physical capability but she had to do it.

Bella looked over and locked eyes with Mommy. "I- I really can't do it, please," she begged, anxiety taking over her ability to breathe. "Please don't make me."

"He's a bad boy," Mommy said, her voice filled with anger as her tiny, evil eyes were fixed on Cole. "And bad boys need to be punished."

"He- he's- he's a person," Bella tried desperately to reason with Mommy, but her voice was trembling with fear. "You're acting like he's a d-dog."

"Men, boys... they're all dogs," Mommy spat with a deep laughter creeping through her lips. "That's all they are. They're sick, my daughter. They'll use you for their pleasure and then they'll leave you all alone, without any remorse."

Bella stared at Cole's back, the way his spine was beginning to protrude through his skin, the way she could see some of his ribs. There were healing slashes already embedded across his spine.

"No," Bella said. "I'm- I'm not going to do it."

Elliot wouldn't stop sobbing. Bella looked over at him and he was huddled in the corner of the room, his head in his hands as he wailed.

Mommy's stare twisted with anger as her eyes landed on Elliot. "Get the little boy, we'll punish him instead," she ordered.

Sir moved to grab Elliot, while Bella stared, frozen in terror.

Elliot screamed, sobbed, and thrashed against Sir, but Sir was too strong. Bella wondered why Sir would do something like this to a small child - he appeared fairly sensitive and skittish, yet he still did whatever Mommy said.

"No!" Cole yelled, his chest heaving in panic as Sir grabbed Elliot's arm. "Fuck- not him! Bella, just fucking hit me!"

Bella couldn't breathe. She felt like she was going to pass out as Sir proceeded to drag Elliot towards the doorway. Why couldn't she move?

Elliot was digging his heels into the ground and screaming as loudly as he could. Sir neared the doorway with him, and Bella locked eyes with Elliot as the poor boy continued to sob. His face was bright red and tears were rushing rapidly down his cheeks.

Through the chaos, Cole was trying desperately to break free of the rope restricting his hands. He was gasping for air as he struggled, pleading for Bella to just hit him, but she was frozen.

Mommy was smirking with her arms crossed as she stared at Bella.

"See? My daughter doesn't care about either of you," Mommy pointed out, cackling as she looked into Cole's eyes.

"He's a little kid, don't," Cole begged Mommy, his voice hoarse and frantic as his chest heaved for air.

"If my daughter here can hit you as good as I do, then your little brother will remain untouched," Mommy concluded, her eyes locked on Bella. "Her decision."

"Fine! Fine! Let him go, please, I'll hit him," Bella screamed out, as tears streamed down her cheeks and her nose ran. "I'll- I'll hit him. I'll do it."

Sir halted, still holding onto Elliot as he stood at the doorway of the room.

Mommy looked over at Sir. "Let go of the boy."

Sir instantly dropped his grip on Elliot, and Elliot scrambled back to the corner, his chest and shoulders moving rapidly as he gasped for air through his sobs.

"I'm sorry, Cole," Bella said, her voice shaking so quickly the words barely made sense as she sniffled. Tears were rolling down her hot cheeks and her heart was thumping in her throat.

"Enough," Cole gasped, not wanting to hear her apology. Bella's throat grew tighter, and the lump completely blocked her airway.

She held the whip back like Mommy, her face messy and damp with tears as she then thrust the weapon forward against his back.

Cole sucked air through his teeth and whispered, "Vorrei che questo mi uccidesse già," so low that nobody else in the room could hear.

But Bella heard his desperate words loud and clear, and although she couldn't understand what he said, her heart shattered just by his struggled tone.

She took a deep, rocky breath and slammed the whip into him again, Mommy's laughter and Elliot's sobbing only dull sounds beneath the ringing in her ears.