Fate, Strings and a Scissors | ✓

Draft 7.5: And Thus, She Reminisces

***Flashback***

''Mom! Dad!'' I yelled panting after running all the way home from my ballet school. Catching my breath, I walked up to my parents' room, opened the door and ran in.

''Mom! Dad! Guess what?'' I said as I bust in. All I saw was my mom sitting on the bed looking through some photos in our albums with sadness in her eyes.

''Mom? Where's Dad?'' I asked still standing at the room entrance making her head snap up immediately at the sound of my voice. She closed the book instinctively. But the second she saw it was me, her eyes hardened a fraction.

She looked away from me. ''He went out with my daughters.'' She replied.

My daughters. A reminder that I wasn't a part of them.

I slowly stepped into the room. ''I want to show you two something.'' I said in a small voice in fear of her reaction. I had just barged rudely into her room.

She turned to me fully, the album seemingly forgotten. ''Really? And what could that be darling?'' She asked beckoning on me to come closer which prompted a smile from me. That was the mom I liked. The one who actually cared about me. Not the one who always seemed to be angry at me.

I walked into the room and came to a stop right in front of her. ''I learnt how to pirouette today.'' I answered her still with a bright grin on my face.

''You did?'' She asked with a smile. Something glazed over her expression. Something dark. But at that innocent age of six, I hadn't mastered it yet. I was still oblivious of most of the signs. I loved her way too much.

''Yes. The teachers said that none of their students had ever learnt it so young.'' I told her proudly not knowing I was making everything worse. Much worse than it was originally meant to be.

''I'll show you.'' I said and got into first position. Then I began to pirouette. I continued the action not knowing that at that point, my mom's rage was beyond boiling point.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain course through my cheek. The force made me fall to the ground with a loud thud and a cry of pain escaped my lips.

My mom immediately knelt down beside me and helped me sit up. ''Rose! Are you hurt darling?'' She asked sporting a worried look as she held my face in her palms.

Do I say I'm hurt or do I deny it? I wondered as my mind went into panic mode. She was definitely the one that slapped me. And my answer would determine if I was safe or in danger.
I shook my head in denial. ''I'm fine mom.'' I quietly answered.

Her worried face morphed into one of rage and I knew I had given the wrong answer. ''You're fine?'' She demanded before striking my cheek again not bothering to disguise it anymore.

I fell again, hitting my head really hard on the floor this time. My curly black hair got released from the tight bun that my eldest sister Halona had taken her time to fix it into that morning.

She gathered my hair in her hand and yanked upwards making my whole upper body follow the movement. I let out a cry of pain as tears gathered in my eyes at the action.

''You're fine?'' She asked again. ''How dare you?! You think you deserve to be fine?!'' She demanded as she tightened her harsh hold on my hair.

''You think learning how to pirouette would make you any better than my daughters?!'' She screamed before letting go of my hair like it was infected making me fall to the ground again.

''I hate your hair. It's so ominous and unholy. And your eyes are even worse.'' She said making me look up at her. ''Don't look at me!'' She shrieked making me look down at the floor again. ''It shows just how much of a mistake you are. How worthless you are. How you'll never become anything good!'' She said spitefully.

By that time, tears were already flowing down my cheeks and I let out little sobs. My head hurt so much. And my chest did too.

''Are you crying?'' She asked softly as she heard my sobbing.

I'd heard that exact question a hundred times. I quickly sat up and shook my head still looking down to avoid her eyes. ''No. I'm not.'' I answered as I struggled to clean my tears swiftly. She came close to me and helped me to clean them. I closed my eyes completely shaking as I tried my best to hold in my sobs in fear of her flipping again.

Once she was done, she held my face in her palms. ''I never, and I mean never, want to see you cry again.'' She ordered. I could feel her finger trail down my cheek gently while I shook in fear. ''Alright?''

I nodded shakily. ''Yes mom.'' I croaked out as a new set of tears gathered in my eyes but I fought them.

The sound of Dad's car captured our attention and made me open my eyes. But I didn't look at her. I could feel her glare on me. ''Go welcome your dad with a huge smile. Okay?'' She ordered.

I quickly stood up and cleaned my tears. I hoped I had no visible injuries as I ran to the door. Just as I opened it to leave, I bumped into someone.

''Princess!'' My dad exclaimed with a huge grin as he picked me up and spun us around. ''You came back early today.'' He observed placing me on his hip and pecking my cheek while he headed into the room where my mom was already waiting for him.

I gave him a smile. ''I wanted to show you and mommy something.'' I explained.

''Oh really? And what could that be?'' He asked just as my three older sisters ran into the room. ''We're back~!'' Dalia the second eldest announced.

There was only about a year gap between each of them. I came about eight years after Eva who was my immediate elder sister.

I slid down from my dads' arms and ran to my sisters and they engulfed me in a tight hug with Eva the last of the trio very obviously avoiding the hug. I held onto Halona and Dalia a little longer than necessary, trying to silently draw comfort from them before I finally let go of them.

''Guess what I got for you Vida.'' Halona who was the eldest of the bunch and was about sixteen at the time said holding out a bag to me.

I took it from her hands and looked inside. Three milk chocolate bars. Normally, I would be ecstatic. But my head and chest hurt even more from all my pretense. ''Thanks.'' I muttered. My real emotions were trying to get the better of me.

Dalia, who was fifteen and closest to me gave me a look and raised a brow at me silently asking me what the matter was while Eva who was more silent and was fourteen went over to hug our mom.

I quickly put on a smile and shook my head at her. She didn't look satisfied but she held her tongue and also went over to hug our mom. I always wondered why she seemed to be the only one who actually saw me.

Dad went over to my mom and pecked her on the lips and they smiled together. I could clearly see the love they had for each other in their eyes.
I stood there looking at all of them with a pained smile on my face. They always seemed to look complete together whenever I wasn't in the picture. It made me feel lonely, unwanted and left out.

Next thing I knew, Dalia without releasing herself from the group hug stretched out her hand and grabbed mine pulling me into the hug. But the second I entered, the happy smile on my mom's and Eva's face disappeared.