Black Roses

The Flip Side

Goose bumps covered Beth’s body as she sat in a candle lit room, the intertwining smells of coconut, vanilla and Berry scented the air she breathed. Alone with the water running onto her hands feeling for the perfect temperature. As still as a lake on a warm summers day she shivered in fright as she listened to the yelling coming from the ground beneath her.

Shaking floors and grumbling voices filled with rage; she sank into the hot bath water as she tried her best to block everything out. Alone in the dark, candle lit room she sat, it only grew louder and louder, she couldn’t get it out, everywhere she went it followed her, like a piece of dirt on her shoe that would eat away at her all day over and over making her feel insecure and small.

Craving a feeling of tenderness, craving the feeling to feel at all, wondering why, why she had to be the one in this situation, wondering if there was anyone out there in this form of lifestyle, if there was anyone out there who understood her and what she was going through. Footsteps grew closer and closer, quickly blowing out the candles that lit up the room jumping out of the bath, turning on the lights grabbing her towel, wrapping herself up, dropping to the floor in the corner covering her mouth in order to silence her breathing, a knock at the door a deep voice asking who was in the room…

Squeaky and loud the door was opened, a manly figure stood up straight, chills continued to run down Beth’s spine, in a ball as small as she could get, as quiet as she could force herself to be, the atmosphere grew colder as the man slowly walked closer and closer to Beth who was sitting on the floor just around the corner in attempt to be hidden. “Beth, I know you are in here, so why don’t you be a darl and just come out and say hi to dad” The man was coming closer and closer, Bethany felt the tension in the air.

Scared to be found she heard the sound of her mother’s weeping in the room next to her, “I love you mum” she whispered to herself, what a mistake… the Man turned the corner to see Beth curled in a ball in the corner, garbing her arm the man forced her to stand unwilling to follow any instructions she was given Amelia pulled against the man who had full control over her now…

As he pulled Beth into the room across form the bathroom he threw her onto the bed, chained her hands down as she wriggled and squirmed, kicked and screamed, she tried to get away, “MUM, MUM, PLEASE, PLEASE HELP, HELP ME PLEASE” she pleaded in tears.

“BABY, I’M COMING, DON’T LET HIM TOUCH YOU, I’M SORRY, HONEY, I LOVE YOU” yelled the women who was locked in a room just across, the mother of Bethany, the 15-year-old young girl who was scared out of her mind.

The man ripped off the towel, now she was laying there naked and fully revealed to the man she was forced to call her father, as he un-buttoned his shirt and took off his pants, he laid down on top of the young girl who continued to scream, “Come on honey” he said as he slapped her across the face. Banging on the walls in the room next to her, her mother’s tears filled the atmosphere, her mother fell weak to the ground, pain in her stomach, ache in her bones.

The man was feeling her breasts and sliding his hands down her legs she, continued to fight against him, Beth tried to just get him off, she didn’t like it…

Since school had started she had figured out it was wrong, she finally understood the situation, but still she failed to say anything to anyone, scared of what would happen, nervous, what if she told the wrong person? Continuing to think that every man was going to be the same, always afraid of the boys and men that surrounded her no matter who they say they were, never able to trust them, or anyone for that matter. Beth used to have a sister, she turned 17 and ran away from where they were, occasionally sending a text here and there but always scared to return, even for her younger sister… But still Beth’s hoped that one day she would come back and take her away from the hell she was bought into.

Squealing and squirming, the man she called her father pinned her to the bed forcing her to do things she didn’t want to do, “is this normal?” although school taught her it wasn’t there was still part of her that thought maybe everyone lived the same sort of life, maybe all girls were abused this way.

As she heard her Phone buzzing she tried to fight more but she knew he was stronger, he was also twice her size, she had to go with it, as he forced his body on her Beth closed her eyes tears rolling down her soft checks, she just wanted it to be over… Soon enough it was done, the man let her go, she was suddenly free of the man she feared.

Running to her mother who had been locked in a room they hugged each other tight in comfort and sorrow, hearts filled with pain, bodies filled with rage, Jules told Amelia to run, to run away as fast as she could and not look back, “What about you?” she pleaded in spite of the fact that her mum would still have to deal with the torture;

“Honey, if you run, you can get help…” she whispered softly into Beth’s ears

“But mum_____” she begged tears running down her soft, warm checks

“Honey, you need to get away from here, find your sister, take your phone, some cloths, I’ll give you some money, and just_____” the man walked in through the door where the two women were comforting one another.

“I’m off to work” The man said in a deep voice as relief filled the bodies of the two women who lifted one another to the ground.

Out the front door, Beth watched through the window as the man she wished dead was suddenly gone, she went to her mum hugged her tight, and said, “I’ll come back for you, I promise” …

“Honey, please, I don’t ever want you to come back, I never want you anywhere near here, I need you to promise me you’ll never ever come back, okay? Baby?” Jules gripped Amelia’s shoulders looked her in the eyes and kissed her forehead one last time as she pulled out $200 form her purse handing it to her baby girl.

Suddenly she was gone, Bethany had finally gotten away, she heard her phone ringing, picking it up she answered wondering who the hell it was, there was barely any noise coming from the other end of the line, Beth repeated herself a few times before anyone answered her, “Avalon?” she asked the voice on the other end was shaky and teary, she didn’t know what to do, it wasn’t the right time for this, she couldn’t do it, not now, she just couldn’t deal with one more thing for the day, the phone suddenly ended, as Amelia walked through the park she sat herself on the swing set, back and forth, back and forth, she kicked her legs in order to push herself higher and higher.

Suddenly it was dark, she had nowhere to go, alone and scared, she wasn’t a friend of darkness or men, she was afraid, jumping at every sound she heard, scared at every shadow she saw, looking over her shoulder every 2 seconds at the thought that someone was following her. Her phone buzzing continuously, non-stop for at least 5 minutes, eventually she looked at it, all of them were from Avalon, all at least 2 sentences long, all saying very similar things, she was sorry and wanted to say goodbye, she said she was going to kill herself and if no one cared it’d be okay…

What was Bethany to say to that? She made a direct turn for Avalon’s house and knocked on the door, no cars were out front, no one seemed to be home, the only light on was in Avalon’s room, suddenly it went out, knocking on the door, but no one answered, she turned the door handle and surprisingly it was open. She walked right in and up the stairs to Avalon’s room, screaming out “Hello” everywhere she walked till she found Avalon in the bathroom curled up in the corner in tears holding a heap of pills in her hands and a note laying there on the floor…

Beth ran right over as she gasped in horror at what she was seeing, she fell to Avalon’s side taking the pills out of her hands, Avalon definitely put up a fight not wanting to give them up. On the floor of the bathroom the two girls sat next to each other, Avalon collapsed into Beth’s lap as she stroked her hair thinking to herself, “O my god, this is actually happening? Holy frick… o my”

She slowly and shakily opened the crinkled piece of paper that was folded into a small square it read;

“Dear whomever, is reading this right now;

I am Avalon Weldon and my life was not built for me, this world was not right for me, I was never meant to be here, the endless pain I felt every day, the continuous loneliness that filled ever room I went in, the scream in my head that never went away, they told me to leave, they told me I wasn’t meant opt be here and I told them they were wrong, I told them to go away, but then, now I realise, they were right, everything they ever said was correct, they knew it, and now I am going to listen to them…

It’s not like you guys need me here anyway, whoever is reading this, I love you, please tell my family the same… Bethany was there for me when I thought I had hit rock bottom, but then when I really did hit rock bottom she was no longer around, I called her name, I tried to reach out, but I knew it wasn’t worth trying to, she was gone and now I will be too…

So, goodbye…”

She dropped the note as it fell out of her hands gliding through the air until it reached the ground, Bethany crawled on her knees over to the life-less body lying on the floor, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Avalon, I’m sorry, I didn’t, I didn’t mean, god, please, no” she yelled out as she grabbed the phone of which was resting silently in her pocket, she called the police as they told her to calm down she dropped the phone just hugging the body which was on the floor as if it were a life-sized barbie-doll, no movement, no breathe came out, no pulse, no heart beat…

Police knocked down the front door as an ambulance arrived on the front lawn of the house, calling Avalon’s parents Amelia was in distraught tears, hoping that she’d wake up and the nightmare she feared most would be over, pinching her skin, biting her lip she knew it was real. Avalon’s mum was now on her way, but this, this was not the night Beth had planned…