Chapter Two

I lay face down on my bed as Jess tends to the open slashes on my back. My stepmother decided my punishment for the mop water incident was twenty strikes with her whip from her, and ten from Josie.

Jess clicked her tongue. "Why must you misbehave? I can't occupy Josie all the time."

I bit my blanket as she poured some whiskey over the open wounds. I turned away from her and sobbed into my pillow. "I don't want to live anymore" I whispered.

"Come." She said softly. Let us take a walk. Mom and Josie are watching TV in the den." She helped me sit up and handed me a loose tank top. "Here, this will help you air them out" she referred to my fresh cuts.

The crisp night air was refreshing, and the breeze felt relieving to my wounds. Not surprisingly, Jess smirked when we were far enough into the woods that only the stars and moon lit our path. "Ty is going to meet me" she giggled. Of course. I should have known she had an ulterior motive to our nighttime walk. Ty was her crush and her secret boyfriend. I cannot be too upset. Jess is the only kind person in my life. She is my half-sister, and while Josie is as well; Josie is not as kind as Jess. Jess will sneak me snacks when my eating privileges are revoked. She didn't always treat me kind. I think she feels a sense of guilt toward me.

When we were twelve she broke a very expensive piece of artwork belonging to my stepmother. "This is a priceless artifact" I can still hear her cold voice hiss at me sternly. "Do you KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?" She continued as she slammed my head against the wall. I denied knowing what she was talking about and as punishment she burned my back with her cigarettes. She cut my hair off when I begged her to stop. My eating privileges were revoked for days. She wouldn't even allow me water until I admitted to breaking the artwork.

I became weaker each day. Jess popped her head into the opening of my room often looking at me with sorrow. One night, surprisingly, she crawled next to me, after I was 6 days without a bite of food and sobbed into my back. Her tears stung on my still-healing burns I had on my back. "Oh Saryn, I'm sorry. I'm sorry she's so cruel to you" she whispered. "I should have admitted it was me. I didn't think it would get this bad. I didn't want to get in trouble. I'm so sorry" she sobbed quietly as she continued "I will tell her it was me. I, I don't care anymore" she sniffled.

We cried together and she fell asleep in my bed. When I saw light from the sunrise I carefully crept out of bed and down the ladder. I lit the stove and put on a kettle. My step mom entered, a little surprised by my presence. I lied to her and told her I broke it, and it was an accident and I was sorry. She nodded and told me I could have dinner tonight. I sighed in relief, and collapsed. I awoke in Jess's bed. She was sitting in her armchair staring at me. "I should have never let this happen, Saryn!" She said. "I will never let you take my blame again." I nodded. I felt so weak.

"Hey beauty!" Ty's voice startled me out of my memories.

"Ty!" Jess shrieked in excitement. "Where are we going?" She asked.

"There's a bonfire by the river" he smirked.

"Oh, uhm, well, I brought Saryn with me. I h—" Jess started before I interrupted.

" I can go back home."

"No, please!" She pleaded. "I can't walk the paths alone and if you go home I'll have to as well"

I took a deep breath. "Oh, alright. Can we make it fast?"

Jess smiled and nodded as she slid her arm into Ty's, and I trailed behind them.