Fourteen: The fiancee

Temperance

The police sirens are wailing as we pull the car to the side of the road.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck." Alec grits his teeth, hitting his fists on the wheel in frustration. I tense at his anger, staying silent.

I wait for the car to roll to a stop behind us but instead he speeds past us. The car shakes with its speed. It wasn't after us in the first place. 




As if today's chaos wasn't enough, I stand in front of my door, contemplating if I should go in or not.

I check my phone. It's only 3:40. It's around the time I usually get home.

I should've just gone with Alec since they had offered. Next time I won't turn down their offer.

I carefully open the gate to hell. I slip through the door and into my smoke-filled house. I try to hold back the coughs that rise in my throat as I drop my backpack by the door. 

You're invisible. Don't draw attention.

I look up and see my father and a strange-looking woman sitting in the kitchen smoking cigarettes.

The woman has black hair and piercings on every inch of her ear. She looks middle-aged and is skinny except for her large breasts.

I stand silently at the door, covering my mouth and nose with my sleeve.

"That's my daughter." My father points me out. I feel nervous knowing he was talking about me with someone. With this woman, I've never met. Who knows what he told her? His lies never end, just like mine.

She stands up and walks over to me. Tattoos cover her arm like a child drawing all over a paper and not leaving any area unmarked. She yanks my hand away from my mouth and puts her cigarette against my lips.

"Open your mouth." She demands. Nervously, I part my lips, afraid she will shove it down my throat if I deny her. She places the cigarette between my lips. I don't dare to look at her as I hold my breath.

"Breathe. In." She glares at me like I'm stupid, realizing I've decided to hold my breath. I feel her eyes seething me out and I decide to inhale. Smoke hits the back of my throat. As soon as I'm thrown into an agonizing coughing fit, I pull the cigarette out of my mouth.

She snickers with satisfaction, taking her cigarette back into her hands. Putting it back into her mouth as she scans my frail figure.

"I'm Erin. Your father's fiancée." She smiles, patting my head and ruffling my hair. 

I can tell the smile is fake. She isn't here for me. She doesn't like me.

On the other hand, I am shocked by what she had said. The monster has never invited this woman over, much less spoken a word about her existence. "Y-you're what..?" I ask, my words running together.

I feel a stinging pain on the left side of my face. My head is thrown to the right. Her long acrylic nails leave scratches on my skin. Causing my cheek to leak crimson.

"You should be happy to have a mother again. Especially one that will let you smoke." She glares at me as I hold my cheek.

"S-s-Sorry," I whisper. As she doesn't see the slap as a form fit of punishment she shoves me. I stumble backward, tripping over my own feet and plummeting to the floor. 

My tailbone aches from my brutal landing as I try to stand to my feet. She stops me in my attempt, punching me towards the floor.

Her red heels come barreling towards my body. I quickly throw my hands over my head and curl my body into a fetal position.

With every kick, I feel a new vain pop.

With every kick, I feel my ribs get weaker.

With every kick, my vision gets blurrier and blurrier.

This woman is just as bad as my father. But now instead of living with one monster. I'm going to be living with two. Meaning double the beatings.

I am bleeding out from the wounds she has caused me—a new person to make my life hell.

I am dizzy and going numb—my blood surrounding me. The thick red substance turns my hair a reddish-brown/black color.

All I can smell is metallic blood falling from my nose.

I can't get any air in. Only blood. My lungs sting from the loss of oxygen. 

I don't know what to do aside from lay here enduring her kicks.

I can't hear anymore. I'm not breathing. My eyes have black dots blurring my vision.

Then like the snap of a finger. I am out.




************************

Alec




"Why are you late?" The teacher asks me. 

What's her name again? Nah, I remembered that I don't care.

I stand in front of the classroom with my hands on my hips, looking for a certain someone. 

I furrow my eyebrows as I can't find her. Her desk is empty.

It's very boring that I don't have someone to talk to now

"Where's Temperance?" I ask the teacher. Ignoring her question of why I am late.

"She didn't show up to class." She replies, covering her mouth as she yawns.

I make my way to the back seat. Right beside her usual spot. All the girls make goo-goo eyes at me. I used to love the attention. I would always scout one out to sleep with. Now I find it different. I don't have an interest in any of them.

There's no other reason for this happening aside from the poison slowly killing me. That's why my reactions are different.

I sit down and pull my phone out, scrolling through it as I place it on my lap.

My lips thin as I see all the missed calls I've gotten.

There are eight missed calls from Zander, three from Emaline, and six from Connor.

I press on Zander's contact and place my phone against my ear as it rings.

I ignore the teacher as she tries to tell me to put my phone down. Annoyed with her lack of respect, I stand up and walk into the hall. Closing the classroom door behind me.

At the third ring, Zander picks up.

"Why so many missed calls from you guys?" I question, now getting worried this has something to do with the gang or my family. I look around the empty halls, making sure I'm alone.

"Temperance is in the hospital. She has been in there since last night."

I feel my heart drop as I hear his words. This has to be a prank, I just saw her yesterday, and she was fine.

"How is she?" I ask, making my way to the school exit.

"We don't know. We just found out." Zander replies with a shuffling noise in the background of the call.

"If you hear anything else call me. And send me the damn hospital address," I tell him, running my fingers through my hair. I hang up the phone and go to my car.

**************************

I walk inside the hospital building. Several people linger around the waiting room.

"Temperance Andrews. Temperance Grace Andrews." I overhear Zander frantically stating Temperance's name at the front desk.

Her name is beautiful.

Temperance Grace Andrews.

Connor and Emaline are beside him waiting for the lady to finish typing. I stand beside them, bringing attention to my presence.

"What's your relation to her?" She asks, rolling her eyes at the dumb kids who burst into the hospital, frantically screaming someone's name. Zander is the dumb kid. I am the parent figure that shuts him up.

"We are her friends." I roll my eyes mockingly back at her.

"Sorry. Not family." She sighs and goes back to typing on her computer.

"Listen. We are the only family she has. If we aren't here then no one else will come." I try my best from keeping my hand from slamming down in front of her.

I don't know if she has a family to support her or not. I don't know her that well. I don't know her family. All I know is that I want to see her.

She looks at all of us and then nods, granting us access: "Fourth floor, room 405. You can ask one of the doctors at the desk up there about her. One of them should have her as a patient."

It is clear to us that she doesn't know what is going on. Or she doesn't care about hearing what is going on with a patient in the hospital she works at.

With that, we all ran past people to get to the elevator, like a bunch of rug rat brats that don't know how to behave.

We stuffed ourselves in an elevator with five other people. Emaline pressed one of the many numbers that are punched in on the elevator stopping points.

As soon as the elevator doors slid open on number four, we are out. Zander frantically apologizes to the many people that were stuffed against the wall

I leave him to apologize as I walk up to another desk.

"Is there a doctor for Temperance Andrews?" I ask the male doctor sitting at the desk beside another doctor.

"Her doctor and a few nurses are in her room right now. She just got out of surgery." He replies, reading something from the computer.

"Is she ok..?" Connor steps up and asks.

The doctor looks at all of us and then looks at her door number. 405.

"She's doing better than she was." And that's all he says before he starts vigorously typing on the computer.

"Can you tell us more?" I ask him, hoping for a yes.

I don't get that, yes.

"You'll have to wait to ask her doctors. They will be out shortly." He doesn't spare us a second glance.

We sit on chairs by her door and wait.

And wait.

And wait.