PROLOGUE

NICHOLAS (Age 16, 4 years ago) 

The picture frame of our family that hung on the wall fell down the floor with a loud crash that caused the glass to shatter and scatter across the floor where my mom laid, her arms curled protectively against her middle as she cried. Her nose was broken, I could tell from the way the blood was gushing out. She had several cuts all over her face and lips. I looked up to see the figure that loomed over her, breathing heavily as he towered above my mom's small frame, the man that is my father, Jack. 

"Where is it?" He yelled angrily as he stared down at my mom, "Where's it Grace?"

My mom let out a whimper as she shook her head, "I told you, we...we don't have it!"

That was a wrong answer because Jack kicked my mom right in the middle and she let out a painful moan but tried to get away from him. I glared at the man from where I was sitting on the floor in the living room with my hands clamped tightly against my three year old sister, Esmeralda's ears. I may be able to cover her ears and try to block the gory view from her with my body but Esme still had a good idea of what was going on, because she was crying, loudly. 

"I need the money Gracie! I need it!" Jack yelled as clenched his fists and release them, no doubt agitated from whatever high he was on.

"I told you Jack! I don't have any more money!" My mom said louder this time as she leaned up to stare at my Jack, "You took it all, remember? You fucking took it all! You took it all" She screeched at my father as she began hitting him with her fists which I'm sure did nothing, because my father was huge and also strong. 

"Get off me you cunt!" Jack picked up my mom and threw her across the room where her head hit the wall. 

"MOM!" I yelled as her body went limp from the impact.

She wasn't moving! She wasn't moving! I panicked staring at my mom in fear while trying to hold Esmerelda who was wailing louder this time when she saw what happened to our mom. 

The noise prompted my dad to turn his head towards us, "YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!" he yelled at Esmeralda who just continued crying but she clutched me tighter. 

"Don't yell at her!" I yelled at Jack whose eyes grew wide at that. 

"What did you just say to me punk?"

"I said don't yell at her!" I repeated glaring at him this time. 

My dad let out a chuckle as he stared at me in disbelief, "Think you growing a pair of balls Eh?" He asked looking at me with his hands on his waist but I continued glaring at him. 

With a scoff my dad crossed the room to come towards us and I could hear my heart beat pound so loud in my chest, I wonder if he could hear it too. My dad stopped in front of us and stared at me. Even though my chest was beating fast, I still glared at my father who wore an annoying smirk on his face. 

"So? I asked if you got balls?" He asked me and I fisted my hands by my side, fuming in anger, "Don't fucking look at me like that!" Before I knew it a hard punch hit me square on the jaw as I collapsed on the ground. 

A wince escapes my lips from the impact, I was still sore from the beating I took from him yesterday and on top of that we had a football match today. I was just so weak and tired, tired of it all. 

"Fucking ungrateful cunt!" Jack marched towards me and even though I hated it, my whole body tensed up with fear, "Now listen to me boy, you going to fetch me my money!"

"We don't have anything! You took it all you fucking junkie now get off me!" I spat at my father while struggling to get away from him. 

My dad laughed then the next thing he head butted me. I went down to the floor wincing in pain as I cupped my bleeding nose. Somewhere behind my dad, Esmeralda yelled, no doubt terrified for me. I was also terrified for myself, there was just no stopping this man! I thought to myself as I managed to glare at Jack who pulled me up by my collar. 

"Let's try this again son!" He snarled at me, "Now you are going to fetch me my money, or I'll lock you up in the fucking closet!" 

No! No! Not the closet! Not the closet! I tried to conceal my fear but Jack must have seen it because he grinned at that.

"Yeah sonny, the closet, you always hated closed spaces you fucking little bitch" He said smiling as if he was proud of himself, "Now where's my money?" He yelled causing spittle to fly all over my face. 

I grabbed his hands which were still grabbing me tightly by the collar and I looked at him, staring directly into his drug glazed eyes, "I told you Jack, we don't have it! You fucking spent it all!"

"Alright that's it!" Jack yelled then started dragging me even though I tried to protest, "You are coming with me!" He started to drag me towards his room, into his closet!

"No, no, no!" I struggled against my dad, "No, let me go! Let me go you fucking bastard!" I thrashed against him and I didn't care if I was sounding like a little bitch, I just didn't want to go into the closet! I'd take a thousand beating from him anyway but I didn't want to go into the closet! Please God! 

"Stop struggling you fucker!" He yelled at me as he opened the door to his room but I didn't answer and I just continued struggling, which was pointless. He was so fucking strong. 

He was about to throw me inside the room when I saw a flash of dark hair rush towards us and she started hitting my dad with her wooden toy! Esmeralda! 

"What the fuck?" Jack spat as he stared down at Esmeralda who just continues to hit him and then she opened her mouth and sank her teeth into his leg. 

"Motherfucker!" Jack cursed and hit Esmeralda across on her face and she went down to the ground. 

"Esme!" I yelled staring at my sister in fear and that fear immediately turned to anger. 

Using all my strength I pushed myself up from the ground and delivered a blow to Jack's face but before my fist could connect with his face, he grabbed my hand and delivered a punch of his own hitting me square in the jaw. 

"Fucking bastard! Think you can take on me, huh?" He yelled as he walked towards me where I laid on the ground next to Esme, who now has pink bruise on her cheek. 

"Come here!" Jack pulled me towards him and started raining punches on my face. I raised my hands to protect myself but my skinny arms were no match for Jack's burly fist. He continues to rain punches on my face, my nose, my mouth, my eyes which were already starting to get swollen shut. 

This was it! I thought to myself, I was going to die! I thought as I coughed up blood and by this time Esmerelda already resumed her crying. I turned to look at her and she was crying so hard, her whole face was already a shade of pink! 

I tried to smile at her, anything to assure her that it was fine and it was going to be okay but as I opened my mouth to speak Jack delivered one final blow and instead of words, blood and a tooth cane out of my mouth. It wasn't going to be okay! I was going to die! I was going to die! I thought to myself.  Suddenly, my dad stopped hitting me, instead he was yelling something about ungrateful brats and stolen money, but I was too far gone to hear a word he was saying. 

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" A voice suddenly yelled. 

It sounded loud and firm and...familiar. I opened my eyes and of course there she was. Abigail Howard stood just opposite from my father and I and she was pointing a pepper spray at Jack. I am pretty sure if I wasn't beaten up so badly and my mouth destroyed, I would have laughed at the sight of her skinny five foot frame, her round glasses, her pigtails and her pink pyjamas as she pointed a pepper spray at my father, I mean come on. 

Jack turned to look at Abigail with raised eyebrows, "The fuck are you?" 

"Abigail and I'm his friend!" Again, the urge to laugh was so strong, I ended up coughing up blood instead.

Friends? We weren't friends! Okay maybe we were but that was when we were kids who didn't have any fucking care in the world. We grew up and as we did we grew apart, became strangers even though we do go to the same school but that doesn't even make us friends and she knows it. 

Abigail said still pointing the pepper spray at Jack who let out a laugh at that, "Get away from him now!" 

"Go away from here girl, this doesn't concern you."

"But it does and if you don't do as I say, the police will arrest you" Abigail informed Jack and I blinked up at that. 

"What police?" Jack asked. Yeah, what police? 

Just then, we heard the loud sound of a siren wailing in the distance, the police! She had called the police! Abigail fucking Howard! 

"You dumb bitch!" Jack yelled a panicked look on his face as he ran away, pushing Abigail who fell on the ground and my dipshit of a father jumped over her body so as to get away from the police. 

Abigail winced as she stood up, "Oh my God Nicholas!" She rushed towards me cradling my face in her laps. 

I blinked up at her through my swollen eyes and I noticed her glasses was crooked to the side and one of them was cracked! Fucker broke her glasses!

"E...Esme" I wheezed turning my head to look over at my sister who was still crying. 

"Oh right" Abigail rushed over to Esmerelda and carried her in her arms. I watched as she hugged Esme tightly and cooed sweet words at her, trying to stop her from crying and it worked because Esme was just sniffing now. 

I was still watching them when the police barged in with their guns but my dad must was already long gone, it was just us. Very soon the ambulance arrived and my mom was placed on a stretcher, she was still breathing thankfully. I was carried outside and made to sit at the back of the ambulance with my mom.

Abigail was standing in front of a policeman who had a notepad in his arms and he nodded her head to what she was saying, jotting it down. 

She saved me! She was the last person I had expect to come save me. I wasn't expecting anyone at all but she showed up! Her, Abigail fucking Howard! I thought to myself as I watched her give her statement to the policeman. 

As if sensing me watch her, Abigail turned to look at me. She had taken off her glasses now and she was staring at me with those clear green eyes of hers. A small smile graced her lips as she continued to look at me. I didn't smile back, I couldn't even if I wanted to and I regretted not doing it, because that was the last time I ever saw her! 

When I came back from the hospital along with my mom and sister, I went back to school the next day hoping to see a skinny brown haired girl with green eyes hidden behind a large frame of glasses but she was gone, I finally found out she transferred schools. Abigail was gone and she left me... Alone!