Chapter 14
I didn’t remember anything after I’d fainted at the ball.
“Lady-!”
“Quick! Hurry and bring a doctor!”
Urgent shouting and rushed footsteps could be faintly heard. The fact that I was lying in bed for days and suffering, just from a small little cut on my neck, made me laugh. It was as if all the stress I’d ignored because I was busy trying to survive exploded all at once.
I dreamt of many things during those days. I thought I was going to dream about Penelope’s past, now that I’ve become her, but it was all my own past that I dreamt of.
~*~
It hadn’t been too long since the day I’d entered a rich kids’ high school. I was packing my things up after class, when someone tapped on my shoulder.
“Hey. Your brother is searching for you. He wants you to go to the gym storage room.”
He was one of the kids who favored the second bastard, who basically was the center of power and controlled the school.
I headed to the storage room without thinking much about it. I did notice that the second bastard was sort of involved with bullying in school, but it wasn’t serious enough to dwell on.
“Brother…?”
I carefully stepped into the storage room, quietly opening the door. I couldn’t see anything in the dark. Something was abruptly put over my head when I was wandering inside. It seemed like a plastic bag.
“Wh-What… Ack!”
With my face covered, I was thrown deeper into the storage room and beaten up badly. Tens of feet were kicking and stepping on me. I didn’t have even a moment to react. All I could do was scream while cowering from all the abuse.
“Wow, now this is refreshing! Where did this beggar thing even come from? She’s not at the right age to be attending this school.”
“Hey… But aren’t we in big trouble if her brothers find out?”
“Nonsense. Her brother hates her to death. I followed my father to a meeting, and she was brought up in their conversation. The brothers both shivered in disgust.”
They said those trashy words and grinned as they watched me try to recover my senses with the little energy I still had. Those words hurt more than their stomping a moment ago.
“Hey. From now on, make sure you don’t ever come in sight of us, yeah? And don’t snitch about today.”
With that said, I heard their footsteps leaving the storage room.
I only lied there on the floor, completely still, for at least an hour after that. I was in so much pain that I couldn’t even move. It was a long while later when I could barely stand up again.
I took the plastic bag off my head and saw both my bag and my uniform was completely ruined. I headed to the washroom and started wiping the dirty footprints covering my uniform. Then, I realized that it wasn’t the uniform I should be worrying about.
In the mirror, I saw blue bruises around my eyes. From that, I could know that I was kicked not only on my body, but my face as well.
A defeated laugh escaped me at the sight of myself. I didn’t remember the feeling of where I was even being kicked at, as I had lost my senses and my mind was blank then.
I trudged my way to that hell-like house. I hated that house so much that I’d rather die than go in, but there were no place to go other than there. Unfortunately, when I entered, my step-dad and two step-brothers were all present in the living room and snacking.
“I’m back.”
Since I wasn’t someone who could join them, I bowed to greet them and hastily headed to the stairs.
“Wait. Stop.”
Usually, they wouldn’t care if I came back or not. But that day had to continue to be a bad day, since Second Bastard called me out.
“Hey, I told you to stop!”
I ignored him and continued walking. The second bastard got up from his spot when I did so. I was grabbed by the wrist before being able to reach the stairs.
“Hey, what’s all this? Why do you look like that?”
“…Nothing much. I just fell.”
I answered with my head turned away. It was intended to hide the bruises with my hair.
“Hey, look at me. Were you beaten up?!”
“No. Like I just said, I fell.”
“Ah, I told you to raise your head!”
I wanted to go up to my room and rest for today, but he just had to block me from doing that and pulled my hair back.
“You… What’s up with that bruise? Which bastard did this? Who in the hell…?!”
My messed up face was revealed by the brat’s hand.
“It’s nothing.”
“Oh, this is nothing? How is this n-…!”
“It’s really nothing, seriously! It’s nothing, I told you it’s nothing-!”
I think I was out of my mind because I shouted at him, and also shook his hand off me without thinking. Even my step-dad and the oldest step-brother widened their eyes. It was probably because they’ve never seen me angry before. That moment, I thought I couldn’t get more miserable than this, thinking about the fact that they were having a nice time eating snacks while I was being beaten up in the gym storage room.
“Since when did you care for me?!”
That view of the three having a family time in the living room when I walked in through the door made me envious. Jealous. And I who couldn’t join them was…
“Please just leave me alone! Did I ever ask for you to do something for me before? I didn’t even do anything, but why?! Why do you guys keep…?!”
Silence filled the living room that could give anyone goosebumps. I always thought that crying meant loss and failure, but I couldn’t stop myself at that moment. All the tears I held back up until now flooded down my face like a waterfall. I cried like a little kid, not knowing what kind of faces they made while watching me.
A few days later, by the time the bruise on my eyes disappeared, Second Bastard came to me and spoke.
“I caught them all and beat them up until they were half dead.”
Those were the words he spoke, without even a greeting. I already sort of knew from the rumors that some of those troublesome kids were hospitalized all at once.
“Just how much did those bastards look down on you to do that?”
He muttered, looking at me who shook my head.
“Anyways, those things shouldn’t happen again, just so you know.”
Even though I wasn’t thankful to the Second Bastard at all.
I became even more isolated in school. Nothing got better. In fact, they’d bully me more.
“…Thank you, Brother.”
I wanted to scream that it was his fault instead of forcing out grateful words to him.
Why do I need to thank you when you’re cleaning up your own mess? I just, really… Just really…
~*~
“…is what you said it was, but why isn’t she waking…?!”
Loud shouts were heard but I couldn’t figure who it was, nor what they were saying. My head hurt. I opened my eyes that wouldn’t easily open.
“…at least do that. Obviously you, along with that insane bastard the Crown Prince…!”
“…So loud.”
Someone immediately came to me as I squeezed my voice out.
“Hey, are you awake…?”
Everything was blurry. I couldn’t see the person’s face too well. But I could immediately tell who it was, thanks to that familiar voice. It had to be the Second Bastard.
“…I hate…you.”
I forced my voice out into saying the words I couldn’t before.
“…Really, I hate you so much. I hate you a hundred, a thousand times more than you hate me…”
“…”
“I hate you more than anyone in the world.”
I closed my eyes, finishing my words and feeling a little refreshed.
I wasn’t able to see it because I was falling back asleep. The blue eyes trembling like an earthquake, and the pink haired person as stiff as one can be.
Please let me know if there’s anything inconsistent, or that needs further editing/corrections!!
-emrld
Scarlett Shoujo 