Chapter Seven

Charlie’s POV

When I came around, I could only open one of my eyes, I used the bed to pull myself to my feet with one arm, the other one wouldn’t move and from what I could see with my one good eye, it was also swollen. Staggering into my bathroom, I look at myself in the mirror, my left eye was swollen shut and a deep purple bruise was already forming. Dried blood was smeared across my chin and out of my nose, the clothes I was wearing had been torn, pain erupted from my ribs as I tried to move and I groaned in pain.

I had been hit before but this was different, I had never been beaten into unconsciousness by my father before, this was going to be impossible to hide and not only that, my escape money had completely gone. I didn’t normally cry, usually I would shut down but I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing.

I crawled into my bed and messaged Sam on my ridiculously old phone telling him I was ill, I never rang in ill as I always found a way to cover up the marks. He replied back and hoped I would get better soon. I thanked him and closed my one good eye, trying to go back to sleep when a pair of hands grab my ankles and drag me out of my bed. I hit the floor with a dull thud and the pain I was feeling begins radiating through me.

“Get up bitch, you have work to do” His stale breath was close to me and made me urge. I whimper as he grips the arm that wont move and he pulls it hard

“Please” I beg and he cackles at me

“Stupid girl, we should just throw you out”

I keep my mouth shut and clamber onto my feet, swaying as the room spins and struggling to keep my balance, I couldn’t contain it anymore and puked all over my father’s feet, he was livid and hit me again. I yelled out in pain as everything went black.

When the room came back into focus, I was once again on my own, I moved as quick as I could towards my door and slammed it shut, locking every lock I could. A part of me wants to call the police but I will probably be killed before they get here. I don’t know what to do, one of my eyes is swollen shut and I can barely move without excruciating pain searing through my body.

I fish the phone out of my pillow case, loads of texts and missed calls from Sam, I don’t understand why. I had already let him know that I wouldn’t be in. I read through the texts, one caught my eye ‘Prince Alexander is looking for you’ I panic, why would he be looking for me, had his family got food poisoning and he wanted to blame me. I keep reading all the messages until I get to the final one

‘I gave him your address, he should be around in about twenty minutes’

I freeze and check the time it was sent, Alexander will be here any minute, no sooner than I thought it, the door bell went. Although my bedroom was at the top of the house, it was still above the front door. I move over to the window that would allow me to see below, the window was slightly open and I couldn’t hear anything, which either meant my parents had passed out again or I was home alone.

I keep still and quiet behind the curtain when he looks directly up at my window, it looks like he is frowning. How does he know I am even up here, Alexander rings the door bell twice more before walking back down the drive and climbing into a shiny range rover.

I sigh and shuffle back to my bed, I didn’t even have any paracetamol on me to help with the pain. A knock at the window scares the crap out of me and a foot starts coming in through the open window. His scent hits me and I know its Alexander, I don’t try to hide, where would I go, I have no where and no one.

He stands there staring at me, taking in the state of me “Oh Charlie” and he steps towards me. I don’t know why but I feel oddly safe with him and I let him take my hands and wince as he pulls up my obvious broken arm.

I yelp “I’m so sorry Charlie” he sounded genuine but could I trust him. “We need to get you to a hospital”.

I pulled my hands away from him “No, they will kill me” he looked sad and when I thought he was going to take me anyway, he surprised me by asking when I was eighteen “Uh, next Saturday” he nodded his head “Only six days, come and stay with me until then”

With a painful shake of my head, “I, I can’t do that. They will only find me and drag me back”

“Are you forgetting who my parents are?” I must of looked confused because he continued to tell me that no harm would come to me under his parents protection. Alexander gently cupped my face “Charlie, you are not safe here”

“The money is gone” the words barely come out as the swelling spreads in my face.

“You are coming with me, whether you like it or not” He climbs out the window again and comes back moments later with a large suitcase “Where are your thing’s? I will pack them” I point towards the drawers and he moves towards them and starts with the bottom one. He pulls it out and then moves on to the next one, what I failed to mention was that I only had a small amount of clothing in the top drawer.

He says nothing and moves my clothes from the drawer to the suitcase, he grabs the crappy coat that’s hanging on my bed post and goes into the bathroom and gets my essentials. I watch as Alexander loads my things into the suitcase, it barely takes up half the suitcase. He closes it and takes it along with my school bag to the window, I wondered how he was getting in and out, it was a long drop and there were no trees near to my house.

As he goes to climb back into my bedroom, my father was banging on my bedroom door once again.

“You better get your ass out here Charlotte” I didn’t answer “Open this door now, I know you have a guy in there, I can smell him”.

To my complete horror, Alexander walks across my room and opens the door to my very drunk father, I had never seen my father’s eyes so dark. Is this what the drugs and alcohol were doing to him.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” My father roared at Alexander

Alexander said nothing and brushed his ash blonde hair out of his face whilst my father continued to shout, my father actually looked quite small in comparison to Alexander, it was only now I was noticing how broad Alexander was, his muscles visible under the black shirt he was wearing.

“I will be taking Charlie with me, you are not to have any contact with her or you will hear from my lawyer”

I couldn’t believe how casual this guy was being with the man that had beaten me to a pulp. My father put his fist through the wall in anger but once again Alexander just ignored it and walked back to me, carefully picking me up he murmurs, “Lets get you checked out”.

As he carried me towards the doorway, my father surprisingly moved out of the way and did not even try to put up a fight. Alexander carried me out the house and carefully put me in the passenger side and pulled out his phone which reminded me I had forgotten mine “My phone” I say quietly.

Alexander carefully places his hand on my leg “We will get you a new one” he then begins talking into his phone, giving my details and a description of me before hanging up

“Please, no hospitals” I plead with Alexander

He sighs “It won’t be, it’s a Doctor that is a friend of the families and it is not the main hospital we are going to” He takes one final look at me and starts up the car “Get some sleep, it will be a long drive”. Alexander puts some music on and I’m grateful that I can finally get some sleep and rest my head against the cold leather of the seat.