Victim to Victor: The rise to Love

Chapter 6

Storm's aching body stirred awake to birds chirping cheerful songs into the cool breeze of the morning. Helena's onslaught had continued for days, starting early hours of the morning before work and continuing as soon as she returned. Merciless rage hammered into the poor child as blow-by-blow Helena's punches rained down like bullets. Piercing not the body but the soul of young Storm. Day after day and night after night, Storm's body grew frail from the abuse and the Storm inside faded. Her fire flickered weakly, her fight to hold on caving in, and her hope for a better tomorrow faded as the darkness of Helena's hate was all that filled the girl.

Today was different though, there was silence beyond her throbbing head and beaten body. The silence that the birds filled as the breeze whistled through the trees. The crashing and stomping and screams were amiss today.

Storm drew in a long breath to sigh in relief, almost forgetting her circumstances, until a large stabbing to her ribs brought her back to reality. Sprawled on the floor lay the 12-year-old girl, marked by hatred. Her ribs were bruised if not worse, a metallic taste in her mouth, eyes swollen shut. A life no child should have to face, a life that surely wasn't a life to live at all. Not only had Storm been held prisoner to her mother's brutality, but now her body failed to cooperate. She was stuck, confined to the cold space on the floor where she lay. Ragged breaths escaped her lungs and lips as pain coursed through her lithe body.

Storm's world spun once more, nausea flooded through her, but all that was left was dry heaves and pain until the little one could not bear it anymore. The darkness behind her eyes grew darker and the pain dulled as Storm finally let go. Free-falling into a deep slumber, of which she hoped she'd never awake from.

Later that day, when Helena returned from work, she made her way straight to Storm's room. Her heart sank as she witnessed her child so close to death curled in a fetal position.

Helena slowed down on drinking since Mr Clark appeared at her home, she had not had a drop in the last few days. Her rage faded as the alcohol drew out of her system, and now she was left feeling disgusted with herself. She had become the monster she once ran from.

What happened next shocked even Helena as maternal instinct suddenly kicked in. She scooped Storm gently off the floor and into her arms. Storm was ice-cold and panic stuck Helena, she rushed to cover Storm up in blankets and then further rushed into the bathroom. Helena wet Storm's lips and Storm stirred for the first time, licking the water from her lips. She propped Storm up against the wall as she drew a warm bath, Helena then grabbed a cloth and soaked it in the warm water before wiping the blood off of her daughter's face. Storm stirred once more as the sting against her skin brought her back slowly.

"Just kill me, I can't..." Storm mumbled, still not fully conscious.

Helena trembled as Storm's words reached her core. Her heart bled, she had beaten her daughter into death's grasp. She pushed her feelings aside, trying to put Storm's needs first.

"Shh, I'm trying to help you. I'm so sorry Storm, just hang in there, ok?" Helena said as her voice trembled.

Helena drew Storm into her arms, feeding warmth into the tiny body. Silent tears wet her cheeks as she held her child, it was the first time she felt like a mother. If only she wasn't the monster she was trying to save Storm from.

After Storm had warmed up, Helena carefully placed her into the bath, making sure to support the weak child in her arms. Gently she washed Storm, soft groans of pain filled the bathroom, but Storm was slowly coming to.

Once cleaned, Helena took Storm out of the bath and wrapped her in the biggest, fluffiest bath towel. Picking Storm up and carrying her back to her room and setting her gently down on her bed. Helena quickly took out warm clothes and dressed the now half-conscious Storm.

“Why…?” Croaked the confused girl.

Storm felt as though she was dreaming. This woman looked like her mother, but she was soft, gentle, and warm. All the things her mother had been missing for as long as she could remember, and yet all she wanted to know was why. Why wasn't she allowed to die? All the pain she felt, all the dark seeds of thought that had sprouted from all her tears. When was it going to end? Storm closed her eyes, too tired to deal with the whirlpool of unanswered questions.

All that Helena could do was bite her tongue, the words rushing forward threatening to spill from her lips were vile and bitter. This time it was aimed at herself. She steadied her voice and breathed in deeply, she had more important things to do than to sit and wallow in her guilt.

“Storm, I'm going downstairs to get some water and warm some soup. You need to hydrate and eat something. I'll be back as soon as I have everything.” Helena spoke soothingly before leaving the room.

With warmth spreading within her body again, the ache in her dulled, and sleep came once more.

In the kitchen, Helena tried to distract herself by gathering water and warming soup for her daughter, Storm. But as she worked, memories of her past came flooding back. Memories of her father, who had once showered her with love, until she turned 11, when that love turned into lust and eventually, physical and s****l abuse. The excruciating details of those incidents played in her mind like a never-ending film reel.

Helena's childhood was filled with unspeakable horrors, as her father subjected her to molestation, r**e, and physical abuse on numerous occasions. Not only did he inflict pain upon her, but Helena's mother stood by in silent surrender, allowing the abuse to continue. To make matters worse, her mother acted as though Helena enjoyed the abuse as if she thrived on it. This twisted dynamic left Helena feeling alone and helpless, with no one to turn to for help or protection. She was trapped in a cycle of violence and manipulation, scarred both physically and emotionally by the hands of her father. Despite the cruelty she endured, Helena's strength and resilience shone through as she continued to survive and persevere through each day.

After years of enduring abuse and neglect at the hands of her own family, Helena finally mustered the courage to run away. She was taken in by a kind and welcoming family of her friend, who helped her start a new life. With their support and encouragement, Helena enrolled in a new school and began to rebuild her life. It was at this school where she met Scott, a kindhearted boy who showed her a love she had only dreamed of. He was patient, understanding, and treated her with the utmost care and respect. Their relationship blossomed into a deep and meaningful connection, one that Helena had never experienced before. With Scott by her side, Helena finally felt safe and loved, and she knew that she had found her true home with him. Together, they faced the challenges of their pasts and built a bright future filled with love and happiness.

The birth of Storm had changed everything I'm an instant.

She feared that her husband, Scott, would turn into the same kind of man her father was. This fear caused her to resent the relationship between Storm and her father, and ultimately, to resent Storm herself.

Helena was filled with hatred towards her daughter, believing that it was her birth that had caused her one true love to become a vile man. Her heart was blackened with fear and in the end, she became the very monster that she had run away from.

Now, as she watched Storm sleep peacefully in her bed, Helena realized that she was wrong all along. She had let her past trauma and fear consume her and turn her into a cruel mother. In that moment, she vowed to be a better mother to Storm and make amends for her past mistakes.

Helena's heart ached as she looked at her daughter Storm, who was lying in bed, weak. She knew she had to take care of her and make sure she got better. Gently, she got into bed with her and softly nudged her awake, coaxing her to eat some soup and drink some water. She could see how much her daughter was struggling, but she remained strong for her. As Storm slowly sipped on the warm soup and took small sips of water, Helena couldn't hold back her tears. She sobbed silently, overwhelmed by the love she had for her daughter and the pain of seeing her in such a weak state. Despite the sorrow, she was determined to do everything in her power to nurse Storm back to health. In that moment, Helena's love for her daughter shone bright, as she selflessly cared for her in her time of need.