Broken

• Chapter 140 •

- CLEMENTINE -

"Do you even love me..?" I whisper.

Derek studies me. "Mommy says all parents love their kids... So, do you love me?" I'm shaking with fear in anticipation for his answer.

He pulls the cigarette in between his teeth and inhales deeply. He turns to me and releases the smoke onto my face, causing me to cough violently.

My eyes water at the smoke, and finally, my vision clears. I come face-to-face with Derek. He's bending down in front of me. He tilts his head to the side slowly.

"How could I love you? You were an accident," he whispers in response.

My heart falls. "You're a bully. I hate you," I breathe.

A menacing smirk forms on his face. "I'm a lot more than just a bully, kid. And just remember everything I can do," he says in a low voice.

My heart begins beating ferociously. He raises his eyebrows at my confused expression. My eyes grow wide and my face drops. Images flash in my brain, and I suddenly feel sick. I turn back towards the trash can and throw up. It was a bad dream, it was just a bad dream. Sugar is still alive. Sugar is okay. Sugar is just back with her daughter, that's what mom said. She's okay. It was just a bad dream.

He snorts and shakes his head at me, then bends down in front of me once more. "If you tell anyone about it, your mom's next. Understand?" he hisses.

I remain frozen in place, he smiles. "But you won't anyway. Cause it was just a bad dream, right?"

I blink and tears run down my cheeks. I look up to meet his eyes. It wasn't a dream. He killed Sugar.

"Y-You KILLED SUGAR!" my voice cracks, it feels hoarse and broken.

My heart aches terribly at the memory, my chest heaves heavily at the realization that it really wasn't a dream. Derek takes another puff and walks around me. I freeze in place. He walks up behind me and crouches.

Suddenly, a stinging pain shoots at the back of my neck, behind my ear. My eyes grow wide in shock as another wave of pain crashes over me. Tears pool in my eyes as the stinging becomes worse, I feel like my skin is melting. I turn back to face him, he holds my head firmly with one hand and covers my mouth with the other.

I can't breathe, it feels as if I'm being choked. My eyes dart down to the hand pressed at the back of my neck. My heart races when I realize what's stinging so terribly. The cigarette. The pain is so excruciating that I am being pulled in and out of consciousness.

All I want to do was curl up into a ball and wait for someone to save me. But no one will, no one is here. A choked cry for help forces itself up my throat, and I feel a drop run down my cheek. It seems as if this is the end of the road for me.

"So, was it just a bad dream?" he whispers into my ear.

My red swollen eyes meet his, and I am scared when I realize they look just like mine. I am unable to speak, unable to breathe, unable to do anything. The world around becomes a blur of color that melts to grey. The weight in my chest is unbearable and my throat locks up.

The pain in the back of my mind comes forward by the slightest reminder. A small token of sorrow and misery courses through me. Small crystal beads trail down my cheeks to my neck and chest. They melt into my clothes and fall off my pouting lip. "Yes..." I breathe.

"Good girl."

- ASHTON -

"CLEMENTINE! Clem, fuck! What's wrong? Baby, stop. I'm here. What's wrong?"