Loralai

"Don't! Don't stop!" Loralai shouted at her step-mom, begging not to stop throwing punches and slaps at her. It was one of these times where she wants to feel so much pain from people she doesn't care about. "Punch me more! Slap me more! More!" She shouted with glaring eyes.

Her mother evilly smiled before punching and slapping her as she wished, more powerful this time. "I'll give you want you devil child! I'll give you more!" Her mother shouted back, obviously enjoying what her step-daughter wishes for. Dayanara is the type of mother who only cares for those who came from her own flesh. "Isn't this fun? Huh? Hahahaha!"

"Hurt me more! I want to get hurt to the point that I can't open my eyes!" Loralai shouted in hunger for being hurt. She doesn't know why, but she likes getting hurt. Maybe one of the perks of being hurt for her is the pleasure she feels. She likes getting stabbed, kicked, punch, slapped, or whatever that can cause pain to feel a different kind of pleasure. She craves for it every night. And tonight, she is near to getting content. "S-Stop… S-Stop!" She begged out of nowhere. She's at her limit. She likes getting hurt, that's true, but she has her own limits like others. Added the fact that her mother's strength is far from ordinary.

"You like feeling my power," Dayanara pointed out, smirking while looking at Loralai who is beaten to a pulp. If Loralai was her own daughter, maybe, even a speck of dust can't touch her. "And I like hurting you. That's fair for both our sides."

Loralai smiled despite almost not having the energy to do so. She liked it very much, that's why she's craving it every night. Her purpose for it? No one knows, only her. But that fact enough makes her stepmother happy. She likes beating her, as much as she wanted to be beaten by her mom. It's a win-win situation for both of them. Loralai stood up from being submerged on the floor and walked towards her bed. She lay herself face and body first, leaving her back wide open. Tonight, it was her back that was tortured, aside from her face that was slapped multiple times, her back received all the powerful punches her mother gave.

"I-I want it again tomorrow," Loralai demanded, on the verge of falling asleep. "Take your rest. I want something more hurtful tomorrow." Those were her last words before she fell asleep. Her mother sighed and immediately walk out of Loralai's room.

She knew she was ruthless, but that kid was asking much from her. Dayanara knew she was mean to others, especially Loralai, but neither once in her life that punching and slapping that kid would cross her mind. True that she wants to hurt her, but not to that point. Dayanara doesn't know, but for her, Loralai was a good object to receive all the frustrations she's feeling. She wasn't that sorry for what she is doing with Dayanara. In fact, her husband knew about it and is always worried every time she goes out of the room.

"How is she?" Her husband immediately asked. She shook her head. Her husband will annoy her non-stop if she'll not talk about the condition of that kid. She sighed, tired after all the beating she gave to Loralai. "Is she alright?"

"She's fine, Acheros. Don't worry about her too much." Dayanara rolled her eyes, annoyed at how her husband worries about Loralai. Acheros worries about Loralai than he is to his own kid. "Let's just go back to our room. I'm tired. I want to sleep." Dayanara passed Acheros who isn't moving an inch, looking intently at the door she just walked out to. Dayanara again rolled her eyes before entering their own room, while Acheros stood there with worry in his eyes.

It's clearly not his kid, but he feels genuine worry about how she is treated in this house. He is somehow afraid about being reported of Child Abuse if someone finds out. But that's not the general of his worry. Acheros' wife is clearly going too far. He knew that his wife is only giving what Loralai wants, but that isn't enough reason for Dayanara to go all out. Dayanara being the older of the two, Acheros thinks that his wife should hold back and control herself. Acheros clearly sees hatred in Dayanara's eyes, but that reason isn't enough for him. He sighed. Well, he can't do anything. Acheros loves his wife and his child. And if he does something that goes against what her wife says, he should be ready for things that are about to happen.

The next day, murder news was what greeted their faces when they turned on the television. The reporter described the dead person as a headless, pale-looking corpse, and has burns from different parts of her body. The three, including their son, shook their head in disappointment. They have powers, that's given. Their world is a habitat of extraordinary living things. Everyone has powers that differ on what kind of person they are.

'Thinking that this murdered person has powers, and yet it was killed, then the killer must be somewhat stronger', Dayanara thought, a little bit concerned about the news. It was every day that they see news about someone being murdered at night and discovered in the morning. And all are from the same cause of death – headless, pale, and burns. It's kind of creepy. It's bothering, not because they are afraid, but because at this point, other criminals who also have different strong powers will have the courage to do the same thing.

"I don't like what's happening," their son stated, worried and scared about what he always sees on the news. It was always the same headline, and somehow, the three think that it will also point to the same culprit. A murderer who likes its victims headless, pale, and burned.