Her Unarmed Savior

The Truth

-Brant-

As soon as I come back home, I take off my jacket and go towards my bedroom.

"Brant, honey, are you home?" My mom shouts from somewhere in the house.

"Yes mum. I'm home now." I sigh. I really wonder how can mothers be so loud.

I go into the bathroom in my room and throw the jacket on the bed. A long shower and a few irrelevant questions later, I come back inside the room. Just then, I notice something peeking out of my jacket's inner pocket. I go near it and pick it up. It is the same picture I had got from Elizabeth's house.

"Should I go back to return it?" I wonder aloud, "I guess, I should. What if the picture was important to her? Yeah, I should return it back."

So, I go back in the garage and set off to return Emma's picture.

★★★

-Emerald-

"Where can it go? I remember putting it here." I search frantically for it.

A knock interrupts my search reverie.

"Come in." I say without thinking.

"What's going on, dear? What are you searching for?" My mom enters and asks me.

"The picture, mom." I almost burst into tears.

Recognition flashes her eyes, "Oh."

"Did you take it?" I ask her.

"No child. In fact, I haven't even seen it in so long." she says.

"Have the girls left?" I question.

"Yeah, they did. That's why I came here, to tell you that they, umm..left, yeah..left." she replies nervously.

"Mom, Troy ousted them out, didn't he?" I enquire.

"Emerald! He's your father, don't call him by his name. How can you disrespect him like that?" she scolds me.

"My father died 5 years ago. Troy may be your husband but he's not my father." I respond calmly.

She sighs, "I'm downstairs if you need me."

I sit down on the bed, exasperated. How can I lose it? It was everything I had left of dad.

"EMERALD!" a voice shouts from downstairs.

I can't deal with his crap right now.

"I can't, Father. I'm studying." I reply back.

"EMERALD! COME DOWNSTAIRS, RIGHT NOW!" Troy's voice becomes angry.

"Coming." I sigh in frustration and go downstairs.

"How dare you say no the first time I called you?" he yells.

"I'm sorry, father, I--"

"Don't you f*****g talk back to me, you b***h! Have some respect for your father!" he shouts and pushes me on the ground, hard.

A sob escapes my throat.

"Oh, so now you're crying? What a w***e you let into this world, Sarah." he addresses my mom and laughs mockingly at me.

"I..I--"

"Don't say anything until I tell you to!" he kicks me in the ribs.

A sharp pain shoots throughout my body but I don't say anything.

"Why don't you say anything now? Cat got your tongue?" he yells and drags me by the leg and kicks me repeatedly in the sides.

"That's enough, Troy! Emerald, go back to your room." my mom says.

I get up with the support of the coffee table and walk towards the staircase, only to be pushed again.

"Oops, my bad." Troy says.

I get up again and this time reach my room without being pushed or dragged, fortunately.

Once inside, I let it all out. I break down into a mess of tears.

"Why dad why? Why did you leave me alone, to face the cruel world all by myself? I'm not that strong dad. I can't handle these daily beatings," I say angrily, my voice getting louder, "You left mom behind but all she does is make me understand how she's helpless and how I should accept Troy as my father. She doesn't get the pain I go through everyday. I'm sick of being Troy's punching bag, dad."

I carry on, my voice becoming softer, "Sometimes, I truly wish it was me who had gone and not you. Now, I don't even have your picture to support me. The one thing I could hold on to and forget the pain I have to endure every day. What do I do now? Dread another day? Never wake up again? No, I won't resort to self-harm, no matter what. You've taught me to take my pain head-on and I would do just that. I won't injure myself. Never. I won't go against what you've taught me. I'll try to solve my problems, not run away from them. I promise I'll be stronger for you. Good night, dad. I love you."

I say and lie down on my bed to let sleep numb my senses.

★★★

-Brant-

When I reach Elise's house, I hear loud yelling of a man.

From what I could hear the man was scolding Esper. Then, I hear a loud crash and Emma's scream.

'Holy s**t! Is she getting beaten? But how is this possible? She's a girl and why is the man even beating her up in the first place? Presumably, he is her dad. But that is just an assumption. He could be a killer too. But then, I can hear a lady, too, and she's trying to break them up.'

I climb up to Ester's window a while later and watch her crying and talking to herself.

"Sometimes, I truly wish it was me who had gone and not you. Now, I don't even have your picture to support me. The one thing I could hold on to and forget the pain I have to suffer every day. What do I do now? Dread another day? Never wake up again? No, I won't resort to self-harm, no matter what. You've taught me to take my pain head on and I would do just that. I won't injure myself. Never. I won't go against what you've taught me. I'll try to solve my problems, not run away from them. Good night, dad. I love you."

'Oh, so the picture I have is of her real, as in biological, dad. Then who is the guy downstairs? and if the picture means so much to her, then I should return it to her.'

But I couldn't bring myself to return it and at that moment, I decided something.

Something, which was about to change Emerald's and mine life.

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