Chapter 4

"Did you do your homework?" He asked as I saw his feet suddenly appear closer in my line of sight and I resisted the urge to cringe away from him.

I quickly nodded my head. I could feel the eyes of his colleagues on me as they continued to watch from the sofas. I wondered why they hadn't spoken up, why they were able to watch the scene unfold in front of them without comment. I guess the men were just as sick as he was and they were probably enjoying the event before them; the obvious distress and fear that I knew was rolling off of me in waves.

"I'm sorry what was that?" He asked as I quickly realised my mistake although I knew it was too late.

"Yes Sir." I muttered.

A startled scream escaped my lips as the back of his hand connected with my cheek sending me to the floor in a heap. The weight of my back pack filled with school books caused pain to shoot across my lower back as I bit down on my lower lip, eventually drawing blood as I knew that he didn't like me to make a sound. I could feel my cheek slowly turning a bright shade of red as a bruise was already forming.

"Get up." He snarled.

I slowly pushed myself up into a seating position, keeping my head down. I could already feel the slap affecting me as my head swam and my back and hips ached with pain. An impatient huff could be heard before the strap of my back pack was roughly grabbed and I was hauled to my feet; the straps painfully tugged at my shoulders and down my arms in a swift movement.

I swayed where I stood, the ringing in my ears slowly becoming unbearable as my wet clothes clung to me outlining every curve and dip of my body; hugging it to the point where it was uncomfortable. My teeth began to chatter against each other from the cold caused by my wet clothes.

I barely had time to recover from the blow to my face as my body was slammed against the wall with such force that the air was knocked out of me. A hand was wrapped around my neck, slowly cutting off my air supply as I was lifted off of the ground only being held up by his hand that was wrapped around my throat. I looked up with wide eyes as I stared into and identical pair of green eyes. My hands came up and clasped themselves around his as I desperately tried to get him off of me, clawing at the bare skin on his hands; drawing blood but nothing seemed to faze him as he glared at me.

"I don't appreciate you waltzing in late and looking like some sort of wild animal," he sneered in my face as I desperately tried to breathe, I could feel my lungs begin to burn from the lack of oxygen, "you've embarrassed me in front of my friends as well as your mother and yourself."

I began to kick my legs trying to hit him and hopefully make him let me go as I looked over his shoulder to see that his friends were now standing, their glasses in hand as they watched with sadistic smiles on their faces, as if this were the evening entertainment.

A sob could be heard as I looked to see my mum slowly edging closer, tears rolling down her pale cheeks as she held a hand to her mouth. I shook my head at her, silently begging her to stay where she was and out of harm's way.

I could see black spots appearing in my vision as I desperately thrashed my limbs out in all different directions as I prayed that I would hit him hard enough for him to let me go. A roaring sound could be heard behind my ears as I felt myself slowly slipping away.

"Roger, let her go! You're killing her!" My mum shouted out despite my silent pleading for her to stay out of it.

I didn't know whether it was my mum's order or if he just grew bored but my throat was suddenly released as I collapsed on the floor in a heap. My forehead pressed against the wooden floor while I clutched my bruised throat with both of my hands as an endless amount of tears began to roll down my cheeks.

I knew that he hated me but I never thought he would go to such lengths as strangling me. I had seen the sadistic glint in his green eyes as he watched me struggle in his grasp. It made him feel powerful, more so than he already was, to him it was all about power and he didn't care what happened as long as he felt powerful.

"Get out of my sight." He hissed as he kicked my unprotected stomach causing a soundless scream to escape my cracked lips.

I didn't need to be told twice as I painfully scrambled to my feet, swaying as I began to run in the direction of the spiral staircase. I didn't look up as I ran; I was humiliated, hurt and embarrassed as I took the stairs two at a time, my wet clothes and bruised ribs slowing me down.

I was out of breath by the time I reached my bedroom which caused my throat to protest as well as my ribs and I shut the door quietly behind me and collapsed onto the floor. It didn't matter that I was still in my soaking wet clothes or that I still had my back pack on, what mattered was the darkness that was slowly overcoming me which would temporarily take me away from my life and him.

Him being my father.