Chapter 2 Regrets...

VERONICA

Fists banged on the door, their laughter coming from outside, echoing within the walls. I covered my ears with my hand, tears slipping down my cheeks. 'Please, please, God. Help.' I kept praying within.

I didn't dare to move from the spot. I couldn't.

My clothes stank and I was covered with filth. The small space was also starting to smell bad, churning my stomach. But I preferred it over going out. I had to wait until the school was empty. If I ran into any other person from school, perhaps I wouldn't survive this time.

I didn't know how long it had been, but eventually my tears dried. I placed my head against the wall, replaying the torments of my life.

Damon turned out just as vile as the rest of his friends. It was foolish of me to even consider him as a good person when all his friends were so vicious.

I wanted to cry again but no tears came, instead my eyes burned. It was so bad and slowly my eyes turned heavy and I didn't realize when I fell asleep.

I woke up with a nightmare of drowning in rotten cakes. My heart raced heavily as I sat up straight.

I blinked, confused at first, but slowly, I realized I was in the closet. Then reality crept in, aching my heart. I wished all of this was a nightmare as well...

Thankfully, there was no sound coming from outside. I waited for another moment before stepping out cautiously.

However, the moment I stepped out, panic kicked in. It was dark outside!

How long was I in that closet? How did I manage to sleep for such an extended period? I had completely forgotten to prepare my father's meals. I must return home as soon as possible!

I rushed to the exit gate, but it was already locked. Luckily, the fence wasn't too high, but climbing over it with my weight would still be twice as hard.

However, there was no time to spare. I needed to return home promptly. I could only hope that Father had remained out late today. This would afford me sufficient time to prepare his meal before his return.

Otherwise, it was going to be... 'No! No! Don't think anything stupid!' I reminded myself. 'It'll be fine. You'll be fine.'

I grasped the top of the fence and hoisted myself up. As I placed one leg on the ledge, it creaked under my weight, and I prayed hard so it would not give way. I certainly did not need any additional difficulties.

I threw one leg over the edge, and holding on tightly, I crossed my leg to the other side. My pants caught in the tip and as I struggled, it ripped my pants and cut my leg.

"Agh!" I let out a squeal when I landed with a thud on the floor, scraping my elbow in the process. Not only was I a dirty, smelly mess, but I was also injured now...

I dragged myself home through the night. I was nervous as hell because I knew the implication of what I had done.

God, how could I be so stupid?!

The light on our front porch was on and there was no sound coming from inside. Papa would still be outside. There was usually chaos inside the house whenever he was around.

The front door was open and I stepped inside. Mama and Ethan were sitting together when I entered.

"V-Vero.." Ethan called. It was difficult for him to speak because of his deformity.

Born crippled and with a speech deformity, he didn't get basic treatments or speech therapy. Papa turned his eyes away from him as soon as he saw that he couldn't be the child he wanted. His attitude towards mama also changed. She was a shadow of her former self but she still loved papa and worked hard to pay off his debts...

"What happened to you?" Mama asked, bringing me back to reality. Her eyes darted between me and the door.

"Why are you home late? Where did you go?" My elder step-sister, Elena barked, suddenly appearing in the staircase.

"I didn't go anywhere." I murmured.

"What is wrong with you?! We were going to have a quiet day if you just came home early." She was angry. At me, of course. She didn't care about my appearance or the injury I had.

"Where the f*ck have you been?" I heard my fathers voice and I froze. He wasn't supposed to be back home!

Before I could respond, he grabbed my hair and dragged me deeper into the house.

"I didn't go anywhere" I screamed but he only tightened his grip.

"That's a lie. She tried to seduce a boy in school and left with another!" I heard Elena's voice.

"It's not true" I sobbed but papa paid no heed.

He slammed my face into the wall repeatedly until everything started numbing within me.

"I'm not going to raise a fucking whore" he spat and let go of my hair.

I heard the sound of his buckle coming undone...

The first crack of the belt on my back felt like hell, I remembered what had happened in school and I even felt more pain. When Dad was done with what he called 'discipline' my back hurt as hell.

"Go back to wherever you're coming from. I don't want you in the house!" He snarled.

"Where do you want her to go this late?" Mum's voice came to my ear.

"I don't care." He hissed. "She can go to hell! I don't care for any whore!"

I was sobbing on the ground, torn and broken, and Elena only came to add fuel to the fire...

"That serves you right. Who do you think you are? Confessing your feelings to Damon. Who are you to even have feelings for anyone? I only wished dad would have killed you!" she mocked and left me.

"V-vivi" Ethan called but I wasn't listening to him.

"Veronica" my mum tried calling me too but with the last ounce of strength in me. I dashed out of the house.

As I ran, I thought about how my life was a living hell?

"Why did you have to bring me to this earth to suffer, Lord? What did I ever do to make everyone hate me so much? Why am I not perfect like other people?"

"Fuck my dad! Fuck Elena? Fuck school? Fuck everyone who has ever mocked me?" I cursed loudly as I kept running. I climbed the fence to the school just as I had initially done. I wanted to hide in the closet again. That was the best place for me!

I ran upstairs, as I was running I missed a step and I tried my best to stop the fall, yet I failed...

My head smacked on something hard and my movements grew weaker.

My vision blurred. I could hear screams, they were fading. The flash of the light, it was darkening.

Mama's helpless face flashed before my eyes. Her efforts and helplessness.

Dad's angry face replaced hers... If I survived this, he would say it was my fault.

He would say I embarrassed him again.

Yesterday floated within me. About mastering my courage. About saying "I like you."

I had always waited. Waiting for kindness. Waited for someone to choose me. Waited for things to change.

Yet, they never did...

My chest hurt so much I thought it would explode. Everything was darkening before my eyes.

I tried to move, but I couldn't.

I wished I could do it again. If I could, I wouldn't beg. I wouldn't hope. I wouldn't wait for anyone.

I would be strong. I would never let anyone push me like this.

If only I had another chance, I wouldn't live like Veronica.

Darkness closed in. The pain faded, going far away from me, and the world went silent...

---

THIRD PERSON POV

(ABYSS) 2ND LARGEST HEADQUARTER, BLUE HEAVEN ISLAND– 9:30 PM

"Is everyone safe?" Hunter asked as he moved through the people who had been removed from the building.

"Savanna" Lena cried frantically. "Savanna didn't make it out."

Hunter couldn't believe his ears. Nothing could have survived that explosion. If Savanna didn't make it out with the others, then there was no way she could survive it. And that was a huge problem.

Savanna was the best they had in Abyss.

"We found a body!" one of the men yelled and Hunter ran in that direction. Lena was not far behind, going to see if the body indeed belonged to her best friend.

The body was burnt beyond recognition. Hunter hoped that it had just been another person and Savanna made it out in time.

But when Lena started sobbing again, his hopes dipped. "The necklace" Lena went closer, taking it from her neck.

He recognized the necklace very well. It belonged to Savanna. Ever since he knew her, she always had that around her neck. She never took it off.

"My friend is dead!" Lena dropped to her knees, grieving while the others watched.

"I have to call Master." Hunter muttered and moved away from the scene.

Master was the head of Abyss and he had been away when the explosion happened.

He needed to know that Savanna was dead. He would be furious, yes, but he must know.

This was going to be a huge problem for their organization...

******

CAMPUS CLINIC, NORVALE (A COUNTRY SIDE SMALL TOWN OF BELVAR)- 9:45pm...

The unmoving body of Veronica remained on the bed. Her mother was still in shock and her father was absent.

She didn't expect Veronica to bleed so much and pass out. The tears wouldn't come no matter how long she stared at the corpse of her daughter.

It was her fault. She should have done something but she watched Veronica suffer. And now, she left them forever.

Ethan sobbed beside his sister's unconscious body. He knew what happened. He knew she was gone and he would never see her again.

He wished he had stopped it. He wished he could do something.

"M-Mom" Clara turned at the sound of her son calling out to her. But she was even more surprised when she saw Veronica sitting up in bed with a strange look in her eyes...