Scarred

Chapter 26.

Eliza

My eyebrows furrow at his words. Presents?

"Yeah, those exact ones you're thinking of. The picture frame, the mask, the mirror, and, oh look, that little photo album over there. I bet you were thinking to yourself, how random. Why would somebody send me these things? Well, I'll tell you, bitch," he says, as the smile vanishes from his face. "We all need picture frames to highlight different times in our lives - especially great times. I did you the honour of getting you one to remember a time when you loved your life... And yourself. You're going to need the mask, to hide the abomination that will soon become your face. You're going to need the mirror... Well, you're not. You're not going to want to look at the mirror again after this. I just wanted to throw that one in for a laugh." My breathing becomes even heavier, as tears form in my eyes at the ambiguity of his words - he is explaining things but nothing is making sense. "And last but certainly not least, the photo album. Well, it's similar to the frame really. You're going to want to put all your old pictures in there when your new life begins. Hope you've taken enough pictures, Eliza." He suddenly removes his hand from my mouth, and I get the impression that is because he wants me to ask the question he knows I am thinking.

"How do you know my name?"

"Because, Eliza. I've been watching you. Isn't it obvious?" He grabs me by my hands and slams me roughly against the wall, creating insatiable pain against my back. "That was to make it hard for you to get away. You know, if you decide to be brave and get away." His hand comes back around my mouth, and I see him reach into his pocket, where he brings out a large stone. He then reaches into his other pocket, where my eyes grow incredibly wide at the sight of a box of matches.

"Wh-what are you doing?" I ask, as he pulls out a matchstick from the packet. His focus on what he is doing gives me the motivation to begin running, but the pain in my back slows me down, and I can hear those familiar footsteps behind me again. A force is suddenly applied to my neck, as I am slammed, on my front this time, into the wall.

"I had a feeling you would try to be brave," he snarls as he spins me around, whilst sending me a look of absolute animosity.

"Please, I haven't done anything to you. I don't know you," I whisper.

"Oh, Eliza. Hasn't anyone told you? Not everything is about you. The world doesn't revolve around you. And after today, nothing will," he says, as he brings up the matchstick to my vision. "And this time, if you try to run away, I will catch you. And I will kill you." He lights the matchstick in a hurry, as I wonder what next action he is going to take, although I think I already know what. He applies the fire to the stone, and blows out the slight fire that forms on it. "I've been dreaming of doing this for so long," he says as he presses the object hard against my left cheek.

I instinctively let out a horrifying scream, but it becomes nothing but a missed sound as he covers my mouth one more time. He twirls the stone around on my cheek, as the pain seeps through every particle in my skin.

"I'm sorry that this had to happen to you," he speaks. "But revenge... Revenge is the only way one can properly sleep at night," he continues as my mind is filled with the riddle of who he is. "He... That bastard... That son of a bitch. He left me for dead. And he didn't turn back. He might have thought I forgot about it, and moved on, but I've been plotting all this time. And when I saw where he was living, with you, and saw him out with you. I couldn't let that lifestyle continue." The heat travels to my brain as the realisation of who this man is finally sends shivers down my neck. Theo's stepdad. The stepdad he almost, but couldn't quite tell me about. "I had to show him who the man is," he continues. "I had to show him who won." He lights another matchstick, and repeats the same process he did last time, ending in him rubbing the fresh heat against the same weary cheek, but this time he moves it upwards. "At first, I was going to kill him. He was going to be dead meat. But then I realised that he wouldn't suffer if he's dead. He would only suffer if someone he truly cares about... And loves is suffering. His mom's a bitch that let him down; I can tell he hates her. But you, Eliza... You're all he has. Which is exactly why I chose you," he hisses through his teeth. "Well, at least I think he loves you. He might just be using you to live at that fancy house of yours. But one thing's for sure, he will be led right to my house, and if I have to kill him, I will." He fires up the stone one more time, blows it before applying it to my cheek again. "So, Eliza. You can tell Theo a personal message from me. Tell him I say hi; tell him I say 'I won.' And tell him that this is all his fault. All he had to do was be nice," and at that, he removes the object from my face and throws me to the ground in a rage. "It was nice meeting you, Eliza, you really were a beautiful girl." He saunters off joyfully, leaving me on the floor, as the tears feel free at once to flow.