Elysian

Breaking point

"Dad," I utter, looking at his eerily calm face as I stand in front of him. I know what's going to happen, I've excepted it but a ting of fear still lingers.

"Juliet," He greets in a monotone voice. "I work so hard to support this family and what do I get? This," He says calmly as he pulls himself off the staircase, holding up a piece of the broken vase as he approaches me.

I sigh, knowing Loraine must have accidentally forgotten a piece. "I'm sorry dad," I tell him, knowing I'm not letting Loraine, a mother of three become out of a job.

"You're sorry," He scoffs. "I guess I could have forgiven you if it weren't for the fact that you snuck out," He seethes, advancing closer.

I mentally roll my eyes. I'm eighteen, how is a legal adult going out in the daytime considered sneaking out?

"Well!" He exclaims, his calm demeanour now vanishing as he throws the big shard of glass towards my face. "I'm sorry dad," I repeat, my voice coming out shaky as I clutch my now bleeding cheek.

"You know what Juliet," He laughs, circling around me and locking the door. "My whole life I've been holding back, always stopping myself from giving you the appropriate amount of punishment you deserve," He tuts, returning to in front of me.

"But I'm going to show you just how easy you've had it," His manic smile fades, his face now utterly expressionless.

We stand in tense silence for a moment, my feet still glued to the marble floor of the foyer as we stare into each other's eyes.

Before I can even process what's happening he's lunging onto me, his fists repetitively coming down on my body as I hold my arms out in defence.

He continues doing anything he possibly can to hurt me, punching, kicking and dragging me around. My pleas for him to stop eventually cease, my screams being replaced with the warm metallic liquid choking me and dripping out of my mouth.

His hands are grasped tightly around my neck, his once rage filled expression now replaced with just a blurry figure as my eyes become swollen and my head becomes dazed.

"Stop you're going to kill her!" Another voice rings out. I turn my head slowly, my cheek pressing against the cold floor as I look towards the voice.

The figure is blurry but I can tell it's Loraine, her thick northern accent giving her away. "Get off her or I will call the police," She bluffs. Calling the police on my dad is pointless, he always meets them at the door to bride them and that's that which is why most of my dads employees ignore his abusive nature because they know there's nothing they can do.

I hear dad laugh as he loosens his grip, causing me to gasp out for air as salty tears drip down my face.

"Get the fuck out of my house," He seethes, staring down at me. "And you too, you're fucking fired," He shouts, pointing towards Loraine.

I don't have to be asked twice, stumbling out the door and collapsing onto the gravel. Blood drips down from my head as violent sobs rack through my aching body.

"Come on I'll take you to the hospital," Loraine tells me, bending down to help me get up. "No," I repeat over and over again, knowing the hospital means police and the police means the news.

"I can't just leave you like this," She exclaims, her voice clearly distressed. I rack my brain for ideas, knowing I can't even go to Jasmine's because she's in Germany and her house is locked up.

"Carter," I mumble incoherently, the bashes to my head making me feel dizzy as Loraine helps me towards the car.

"Carter?" She repeats, her eyebrows furrowed as she places me in the passenger seat. "University," I utter, my breathing shallow as every breath sends a wave of pain crashing through my body.

"The university okay," She nods in understanding, frantically looking back and forth from me to the road as she drives.

The drive is utterly silent, the only sound coming from my laboured breathing as she practically speeds towards the university.

"Alright come on," She says tenderly, attempting to get me out of the car but my legs are like jelly and my brain is too cloudy to even walk in a straight line.

"Okay," She nods thoughtful, thinking for a few moments. "I'll go get help," She decides, heading into the dorm building after I told her what room number Carter's is.

I sit alone in the car, staring out at the desolate carpark. Even if Carter won't let me crash here he'll at least have some pretty powerful painkillers.

Loraine returns two minutes later, with two figures trailing behind her as they all come charging towards the car.

"Juliet?" A concerned voice rings out as the passenger door flings open.