After exhausting her madness and hatred, Mother, seemingly satisfied I was broken, had locked me down here and left the house again. Perhaps to continue her scheming, or just to find more liquor to numb herself. I didn"t know, and I didn"t care. Despair coiled around my heart like icy vines, tightening its grip. I don"t know how much time passed. Just as I thought I might die silently in this dark corner, a faint but urgent sound came from above—the sound of someone picking the lock! Was I… hallucinating? With a soft *click*, the heavy basement door was thrown open. A beam of flashlight cut through the darkness, making me flinch and shut my stinging eyes. "Sparks!" A familiar, frantic voice filled the space, laced with shock and fury. Jim! How did he find me?! He rushed down the stairs. In
