Thorns of her Reality

Isabella Renette

I pushed through the pain, one more Isabella, I thought. You can get through this. I gritted my teeth as the belt slashed across my back for the last time, muffling my cries in the process. I did not want to give her the satisfaction of torturing me. Ten lashings for stealing food from the bin. I should have known better, but I was so hungry. So, painstakingly hungry.

“Next time you will get fifteen lashes, you stupid girl!” She warned through her gritted teeth. I could hear the clip of her heels slowly echoing into the distance as she left me to weep in peace.

My name is Isabella Renette and the woman who just tore my back to shreds is Rhonda, my foster mother. Her and her husband, Owen, took me in as an infant. I was transferred from a city called Night Brooke. Rhonda was told that my parents were involved in a fatal accident, leaving me without any family. I don’t know what happened, but sometimes I wish I had been involved in it too. The afterlife would be a far better place than here. We live on a ranch on the outskirts of a small town called Eastern Springs. Friends weren’t something I had but there was one person here who cared for me and that was Joseph. I wouldn’t say he was the most handsome man in the world, but that didn’t matter to me, as I didn’t see him in that way. It was just nice to be able to consider him as my friend. The only person that made me feel like my miserable life was worth living. Now that the introductions are over, let's get back to the present moment at hand.

I picked up an old blood-stained rag and patted my back softly, trying to stop the blood that poured from my open wounds. I winced as the rag dabbed against my torn skin. This was much worse than last time. Just until tomorrow, I thought. It was my eighteenth birthday tomorrow and I had saved some money under my mattress to get away from this place for good. I have it all planned out and by this time tomorrow night, I will run away.

“Isabella your chores!” Barked Rhonda from the other room. I quickly stumbled to my feet, trying my very best to hide the agonising pain that radiated through my back. Carefully, I pulled my top on, hoping to God the blood wouldn’t seep through. Clothes were a shortage in my wardrobe and Rhonda would only come back with vengeance if I ruined any more. Not that the ones I had were any good to begin with. They may be tattered and torn in places but in Rhonda’s eyes they were still worth wearing. I rushed from my room and out of the ranch house. Since we live on a ranch, all the duties of caring for the animals here was my job. From grooming them to feeding them, not to mention cleaning their faeces from the barn and fields. I sort the horses, the cows, the chickens and the sheep. I also do every other job imaginable around the ranch house. Rhonda treated me as her own personal slave and that meant I had to do everything for her. That was, of course, if I didn’t want to suffer the dire consequences of defying her and after eighteen years of doing so, you would think I would learn, right? Wrong! If I didn’t defy her, I would be dead by now. Sometimes the things I do ensure my very survival. Whether I get caught, or not.

I rushed around the barn, trying my best to do my chores in record time. I didn’t want to piss Rhonda off anymore today. The pain in my back was becoming unbearable but I had to push through it. Eventually, I got my jobs done on time so I could scurry back to my room, hidden away from Rhonda and her abuse. Just one more night, Isabella, and then you are free, I whispered softly as I drifted off to sleep.

-

I woke suddenly, as I was dragged ferociously from my bed. I hit the floor hard, yelping in pain since my back was the first point of contact with the floor.

"Get your lazy ass up! Owen left early for work this morning and the Lawson's will be here soon! I need you to get a head start on your chores! And for Christ's sake, take a shower when you are finished! You stink rotten, you little wretched tramp!" Rhonda screamed at me as she stormed out of my room, slamming the door behind her. I looked up at the window and groaned, it was still dark outside. I rubbed my eyes and let out a soft sigh as I pulled myself together. Happy birthday to me, I thought, although I knew it was just another day for everyone else.

Ugh! The Lawsons. Antonio and Emelia Lawson, to be exact. They were Rhonda and Owen’s best friends. They come to stay once a year and, unfortunately, for me, it was always around my birthday. Rhonda and Emelia had known each other since they were children. They always boast about their friendship and how they have managed to stay best friends for so long. Personally, I wouldn’t even say they were friends at all, but they seemed to think so. Rhonda had eyes for Antonio and Emelia had eyes for Owen. The pair were clearly aware of their wondering eyes but still, they acted as if they didn’t and that everything was just peachy between them. It was the most two-faced relationship I had ever seen two women endure.

Rhonda had eyes for Antonio’s money. It wasn’t hard to see that the ranch was struggling, and she needed an investor. Of course, Antonio had money and plenty of it. The only thing worth eyeing with the Lawsons was their son, Damien. Now, he was eye candy for sure. He was well over six feet tall, and he had the most beautiful dark brown hair, it had such a healthy shine to it. His eyes were a beautiful golden brown in colour, as if they had been kissed by the sun itself. As much as I loved to look at him, he never noticed me. It’s as if I don’t even exist around him. I have tried in the past to flash him a smile if we made eye contact, but he would always avert his gaze and pretend like it had never happened. The worst part was when he brought women back with him. His guest room was next to my bedroom, and it was never fun listening to that. I shuddered the thought away.

By the time the sun began to rise, I had already finished my morning tasks and, to be honest, I was excited about getting in the shower. I rushed to the bathroom, turning on the shower and stripping my clothes. I didn't even wait for the water to warm up fully before jumping in. Letting the water rush over my skin. Every moment of it was pleasurable until the water began to run down my back. That’s when the burning started. I gritted my teeth, muffling the moans of my pain. After a few minutes, the stinging began to fade. I washed my hair, multiple times, until the water ran clear at the base of the shower. The pain I felt from the soap running through my open wounds would have been enough to put me off washing, but I was filthy, and I wanted desperately to be clean. When the pain subsided again, I carefully washed my back. By now my back was beginning to become numb and cleaning was becoming more bearable. I scrubbed the rest of my body. Watching with both satisfaction and disgust as the filthy water ran down the drain. I continued until the water ran clear and the lingering odour of my skin had dissipated.

I finished up in the shower, carefully wrapping a towel around my hair and another around my body. Gathering my dirty clothes and creeping back to my room. When I walked into my room, Rhonda was in there sitting on the bed waiting for me. I jumped at the sight of her and flinched when she cleared her throat to speak.

"Here." She said as she threw a brown paper bag at me. I tried to catch it but it hit the floor in front of my feet. I bent down to pick it up before giving her a puzzled look.

"I am aware that it is your birthday today, even though it is of no interest to me. I do not want you dressed in rags around such high-quality guests." She scoffed, maintaining a most evil glare. She almost looked disgusted at the fact that she had shown me any ounce of kindness. My lips curled into a small smile. I know her gesture was because of her own appearance, because of how she treated me, but I was grateful to finally receive some new clothes.

"Thank you." I muttered in appreciation. She sighed, standing from the bed and walking towards me.

"Do not mistake this act for kindness, dear. I merely need you to look presentable." She muttered in a condescending tone as she flicked her hair, strutting out of the room. I closed the door behind her so I could get dry and ready. Of course, she couldn't show kindness to me. She hated my guts, I don't even know why they adopted me all those years ago. I rolled my eyes and carried the bag over to the bed, placing it down to have a look at the contents. I was quite surprised that the clothes she had given me were in good taste. Probably the best I have worn before, this visit must be important to her. She had brought me some nice light blue skinny jeans with a white lace crop top and puffy sleeves. New underwear and socks and a new pair of boots. Jackpot! I thought, a whole new outfit for my clean and fresh body.

There were more clothes in the bag, but this was the first outfit I pulled out. I quickly put them on, being careful not to hurt my back any further. If I got any blood on these clothes, Rhonda would be sure to kill me.

"Isabella!" Rhonda shouted from the living area, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Coming." I said, as I rushed to see what she needed.

"They're pulling up outside. Go and help them with their bags!" Rhonda snapped. I raced to fulfil her request, meeting the Lawson's as they got out of the car.

"Hmm, servant girl. Just in time." Antonio Lawson muttered as he got out of the car. He pressed a button on his car key and the boot opened like magic. I quickly grabbed their luggage and carried it to their rooms. As you can probably now tell, Rhonda wasn’t the only one around here that resented my very existence.

"Ahh, Emelia! Antonio! So good to see you both! No Damien this time, I see?" Rhonda spoke in an incredibly high tone of voice. She was awful at faking a kind and enthusiastic tone of voice, she sounded more manipulative than anything.

"Rhonda! So good to see you too! He has been otherwise delayed and will be here in a couple of hours, dear. He is helping his little sister with a project before he leaves," Emelia said, with the same drastically high tone. Again, she wasn't best at putting on a kind tone of voice either. Both were as evil as each other. I zoned out of their uninteresting conversation, standing there like an ornament awaiting an order of some kind and feeling a little downtrodden, knowing that Damien would also be here soon.

"Isabella!" Rhonda snapped, pulling me from my empty daze. "Stop standing there looking gormless and get our guests a drink!" I flinched at the venom in her voice and quickly nodded my head, rushing to the kitchen. When I got there I noticed that Rhonda had already lined up bottles of champagne and glasses. I gulped slightly at the thought of Rhonda being drunk later, I would have to try my best to hide away. I quickly poured the drinks and handed them out. I stood awkwardly at the thought of Rhonda drinking. Rhonda eyed me strangely before saying, “Isabella, go find something to do around the ranch." whilst waving her hand, dismissing me.

This time her voice was like music to my ears, and I left the ranch house without hesitation, maybe even a spring in my step. I decided to spend time with the horses in the barn. When I heard a rustling behind the haystack by the barn’s main door, I approached the noise cautiously and, to be honest, I was a little fearful of what I might find.

"Boo!" Joseph jumped out from behind the haystack, startling me.

"Not funny Joseph!" I whispered in a shouting tone. "What if someone sees you?" I asked as I looked around to see if anyone heard us.

"Relax," he said in a calming and quiet tone. "I wanted to see my best friend on her birthday. You look exceptionally nice today, by the way. I see the wicked witch got you some new clothes." He whispered into my ear with a big grin on his face, flashing me a wink. My cheeks blushed a little. A compliment? I wasn't used to receiving those.

"You need to go, or you will get us both beat." I whispered in a warning, slightly amused at his bravery.

"Alright, alright." He said in defeat, holding both hands up to submit to me. "Before I go, here," he said as he held out an envelope to me.

"What is that?" I asked curiously.

"Call it a birthday gift." He said nonchalantly as he forced the envelope into my hand and gripping it slightly, pulling me closer to him.

"Isabella, I want us to run away together, just think about it." He said with a wink as he quietly left the barn. I stood there bemused by what had just happened and tears began to fill my eyes. He was such a sweetheart and it hurt to know that he loved me in a way I simply didn’t for him. I tore the envelope open with my teeth, gasping at its contents. Inside was a phone and a generous amount of money.

I ran after him to give it all back to him, but he had vanished into thin air. I sighed, wondering what the hell I was going to do with it all. I cautiously slid the phone into my pocket, hoping that it wouldn’t be obvious that it was there. The last thing I wanted to do right now was give Rhonda an excuse to beat me. I looked around frantically trying to find anything I could hide the money in to get it past Rhonda and her group of bandits but I turned up empty handed with no choice but to shove the money down my pants and hope none would notice.

I tried my best to be inconspicuous as I walked through the living area into my room. Rhonda was too engrossed in conversation to even notice me, luckily. I quickly hid the money under the mattress with the rest of the money I had saved. It was now possible for me to go and the thought of it was a little overwhelming but also incredibly exciting. I snook back out of the ranch house to the barn hoping Rhonda wouldn't notice me again. My luck must have been in for my birthday because I made it without so much as an order or a summoning. I began to think of plans to get away from here. I was going to get out and I was going to do it tonight. I am going to wait for Rhonda to pass out from drinking, and then I will run. Run far away from here, never to look back.

I kept to myself for the next hour, staying out of the way and hiding in the barn with the horses. Little did I know that my day was about to be turned upside down. The barn door swung open, slamming against the building itself. I jumped out of my skin, turning to see who was coming for me. My heart sank when I saw an incredibly drunk, wobbling Rhonda.

The barn door swung open, slamming against the building itself. I jumped out of my skin, turning to see who was coming for me.

My heart sank when I saw an incredibly drunk and enraged Rhonda.

"You thieving little bitch." She growled as she paced towards me, panting with rage. I began to shake, freezing on the spot with fear, waiting for her to grab me. Thieving? I began to ask in my mind, trying to understand why this was happening and searching for any answers. What could I have possibly done now? I gulped, tears already beginning to fill my eyes. I braced myself as she came towards me, grabbing a handful of my hair and dragging me back towards the ranch house. I tried to muffle the scream as she dragged me along with her.

"Please. Rhonda. I have done nothing wrong. Please." I begged through tears as she continued to drag me towards the porch, throwing me into the front door.

"Nothing wrong? Get to your room now!" She barked her orders. I quickly stumbled to my feet, opened the door and ran into the ranch house towards my bedroom. Emelia and Antonio sat on the couch staring at me as I rushed into the house.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the thief," Emelia muttered in disgust. I ignored her taunts, following my orders and running straight into my room. I gasped in horror when I saw that my entire bedroom had been trashed. The mattress had been ripped from the bed and my money was gone. I knew my presence being ignored earlier was too good to be true. Tears streamed down my face as I knew I

was facing an impending doom.

"How dare you steal from me!" Rhonda shouted. I could hear the thudding of her stumbling steps, making her way closer to my bedroom. I began to panic, my heart pounded so loudly it drowned out the sound of her shuffling feet. My senses were all over the place as I began to have a panic attack.

"Please Rhonda, I didn't steal it from you." I pleaded as she paced to my bedroom door.

"You lying, ungrateful b***h!" She growled as she lunged towards me, kicking me in the stomach, sending me falling to my knees. It knocked the wind out of me and instantly I began to struggle for air. I pushed through the pain in the complete realization that she could possibly be about to kill me. If this was the end for me, I had a few choice words in mind for her.

"f**k you." Were the only words I could muster as I coughed blood onto the floor in front of me. The sound of her gasp filled the air, pulling me to reality. I couldn't decide at that moment if I had just been incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Before my brain could muster another thought, agonizing pain ricoched through my head with such force that I hit the ground hard. My head bounced against the hard wooden floor beneath me. My vision began to blur, and the sound of white noise filled my ear drums. After a few seconds I came back round, turning my head slightly to see Rhonda in my line of sight. Blood dripped from the rings on her fingers as she waved her clenched fist in the air.

Without a moment's notice, she leaped on top of me, raising her fist in the air again, ready to swing for another hit. I closed my eyes, bracing for the next impact that would possibly end my miserable life, but then, I felt a shift in the atmosphere in the room. A beautiful aroma drifted towards me, forcing me to reopen my eyes. My vision blurred in and out of focus and I could swear that a black silhouette appeared from behind her. A loud roar shook the room, startling both of us.

"GET THE f**k OFF MY MATE!" A familiar voice growled behind Rhonda. Before she could even turn her head to acknowledge the angry man behind her, he grabbed her. Launching her across the room and into the bedroom wall. Her body bounced from it, hitting the floor hard, knocking her unconscious instantly.