Found Again

Chapter 19

Jul's POV

"Come back here you little bitch." Erica screamed at me as she chased me through the halls. 

Jayin was and Jorden was already thrown in the basement she now only had to find me. 

Grabbing my hair I shrieked as she dragged me towards the cursed door. Throwing me down the stairs she continued her assault by kicking me in my stomach, I could hear my rib crack as she continued. 

I look over seeing Jayin's bloody and bruised body already unconscious and Jordan's eyes slowly closing as he is forced to watch me cry in pain. 

Erica lifts me by my throat cutting off any oxygen and throws a punch to my already bruised stomach. She was sure to never fit our faces. 

Gasping for breath she finally drops me only to kick me one final time sending me further across the bloody floor. 

She grabs Jorden and starts beating on him, but this time she aims for this face. 

"Please stop." I can all but whisper.

"Please, don't hurt him." My voice found some volume. 

"Hurt me not him." I cry finally gaining her attention as she drops JOrden to the floor. 

She stalks over to me kicking me in the face. 

"Wake Up"

I spit up blood, clouding my vision, blocking my airways. 

The metallic taste is something all too familiar. 

"Wake up."

"It's real."

"Your safe."

That voice sounds familiar but the saying is so foreign. No one can ever be safe in this house. 

The constant druggies coming and going sizing you up for their own disgusting fantasies. The needles littered the floor along with empty bottles and caps.

The fridge is never sparse of liquor. 

I want to believe the voice but how can I as my so-called mother beat me. 

Delivering one final blow she kicks my face. 

 Gasping for a breath I race up, feeling the sweat drip from my face onto my bedding. Hearing my heartbeat clear to my ears. Feeling the boom of my racing heart against my rib cage as if trying to escape. 

I survey the room noting the dark, cold, basement that was painted with my blood is no longer in sight. 

Instead, I see my brothers and friends all looking worried. Matteo sits next to me with my hand in his. Jayin sits next to me, while Jorden stands behind Matteo. The girls have tears in their eyes while the boys all have murder written over their faces. 

I shift my gaze continuously never looking at one in the eye until my gaze falls onto Matteo silently asking him to get the others out. 

"Everyone out." His voice commanded leaving no room for discussion. Sensing the matter Luca ushered everyone out despite our brother's protests. Telling them we can talk in eh moring. 

"Now I don't want to pressure you three but I need to know what happened when you lived with Erica. And before you start don't give me that it was a random nightmare, I know what a haunting memory looks like." His pointed look was enough.

"Ok... Living with Erica was never easy. from the start, he ever liked us always told us we looked too much like our father or something. It first started out as her just verbally abusing us and neglecting us. Then she got addicted to drugs and son her damaging words turned into slaps then hits then eventually beatings. She use to lock us all in the basement where we slept and beat us in there. Some days we would be withheld food and water somethings only begins to consume anything once a week. She developed different punishments for all of us, she would force Jayin to hear our scream knowing he couldn't the plus, she would lock Jordy in the cupboard the only once he would hear would be our screams and pleas. For me, she would always make me have the final beating forcing m to watch as she beat the boys. Eventually, when we got tired of it, I started racing and fighting first using it as a quick way to get some cash but soon finding pleasure in it and making a name for myself, Kali. Jorden started fighting his reputation grew as Ares. Jayin took up hacking to help us erase physical evidence of us being anywhere, Ghost." I dumped our story on him giving him everything I knew he would need and more. 

"If she wasn't already dead I would skin her alive," he mumbled under his breath. All three of us looked down at the bedding suddenly finding it interesting. 

He moved my jaw to look at him, seeing something I haven't seen from him before his eyes teared up but they held a different emotion. Failure. I'm not sure whether he thinks he failed as a brother or a protector but either way he is not at fault. 

Next thing I know I do the unthinkable I grab him in a hug pulling him to me and silently cry into his shirt. He latched onto me squeezing tight but providing a sense of comfort I never felt before. He kissed my head and lightly let go. 

He lightly hugged the boys who both had tears in their eyes. With Matteo leaving, the boy got into my bed where the girls had previously been during our sleepover. I assume Matteo is telling our brothers what we told him as voices rise from the living room and doors began slamming. 

We all cuddle into each other relishing in the comfort that only we can give each other. 

Normally when we thought about telling something about the abuse we would shy away from lack of trust but with our brothers, trust seemed to come naturally. 

I don't know if the thought should terrify me or comfort me.