PINK

16

'Our scars are like signs

we are meant to be together.'

As soon as their eyes meet Iara feels herself trapped. Metaphorical ropes bound her to the spot where she stands. Anchors are thrown and they plant themselves deep into the Earth's core. She can't move.

"Hi Iara. Do you know where Dante is? I haven't seen him since..." He checks his watch.

"... you left the house." He gets close to her.

"How dare you think you have the authority over him when I am the parent!" Stephen's voice raises with each word. Iara is speechless not knowing what to say or do. Her throat feels clogged with a painful lump obstructing the pathway.

"Go to your room and stay there!" He lays his hands on her wet back and shoves her in the direction of her room.

"Look at your shirt, slut. I wouldn't be surprised if you fucked him." He mutters to himself, but Iara hears this and burning rage ignites within her. She wouldn't do that! Instead of fighting him she composes herself and leaves to her room. She needs to get out now.

She opens her door and is nearly blinded by the intense red that blares throughout her whole room. It hurts her head. Fed up Iara rushes to the front door where Stephen waits to torment Dante when he arrives.

"What is wrong with you?!" She screams, he spins around.

"Darling, you are a naughty girl. I know what you are up to. Everytime I trust, they all lust over him like blood hungry vampires." He explains. Iara is utterly confused and is feeling a strong urge to leave.

"Well, I'll go then. You and Dante won't have to see me again." She pushes her way past to the door but he blocks her.

"What is done is done. You can't just go around and fuck whomever you want without any consequences."

"I didn't do a thing like that!" She exclaims, still trying to leave the house. Stephen guffaws and reaches into his back pocket taking out his phone. As this happens the door opens slightly and Dante peers through. Stephen moves and latches on to Dante's arm pulling him inside just as Dante was about to run away.

Stephen swings Dante into the house and quickly locks the door. Dante whimpers and his lips quiver. Why did he come back?

"You should've left!" Iara shouts.

"I can't, I bloody can't." He answers, wiping his eyes from under his glasses. The glasses fall to the ground with a plastic sounding clank. As he takes his hands away, she can now see the bloodshot whites and puffy eyelids; his ashen eyes are dull and have lost glimmer.

"Dante get here now!" Stephen yells, but he doesn't. To Iara's surprise Dante doesn't listen he just lays there hands over his ears. He is broken, Stephen finally broke his soul. Iara didn't know how long it took or why it had come to this, but she could feel he has given up.

Stephen storms up to Dante's body and tugs at his collar, raising him up off the floor.

"You listen to me you ungrateful sleeze." He hisses but Dante just blinks and smiles.

Stephen yells, draws his arm back and slaps Dante's cheek with all his power. Iara gasps and brings her hand to her mouth. She can feel hot tears rimming her eyelids. She wants to yell and stop him, but she just can't bring herself to. Iara watches as Dante's cheek flushes bright red, it must sting. Stephen throws Dante back onto the floor, causing a solid thud sound to resonate in the room.

He reaches into his back pocket once more, and brings out his phone. Iara watches intently but cautiously. With a flick of his thick wrist Iara sees herself semi-nude. Her heart bangs against her chest at a fast pace as a pressure starts to weigh her down. Her face burns with embarrassment and her throat clenches in agony.

"Slut." Stephen spits.

She never posted this. She didn't even have an Instagram account, but the screen's display shows otherwise. The image has gotten over a thousand likes and comments.

He turns the phone to face him.

"Dm for more, followed by a wink. If I knew I was housing such a skank I would've killed you the minute I laid eyes on your impure body." Stephen says, squinting at her.

"I-I didn't do it, I promise." She stammers.

He laughs.

"Who did then? Your fucking pimp?" He throws the phone towards Dante's body. It hits his abdomen and he lets out a groan.

"Go to your fucking room! Both of you."

Iara doesn't move, she is too stunned. She never would take such a provocative photo let alone let everyone see it. Dante just lays on the ground, hand on his chest.

Stephen grabs Iara's wrist and drags her over to Dante, whose wrist is also snatched.

"Argh!" Dante cries, collapsing to his knees.

"I didn't even grab you that hard! Come here!" Stephen demands.

But Dante just sits there, arm trembling and eyes watery. Iara tries to rip away from Stephen's grip to help Dante, but Stephen only presses harder.

"Get up!" Stephen commands with such rage it makes her heart falter. As much as Iara wants to curl into a ball, being hugged by her real parents, she is chained to this psychotic man and his selfish ways.

Dante pulls his sleeve back and blood covers his skin. The higher the sleeve is tugged the more wounds are revealed. Deep they are, and dark. Iara feels lightheaded at the sight of such explicitly.

Dante was hurt too, just like she was. Somehow it made her feel better. Like they had some sort of sick connection.

Iara's knees wobble and she feels her muscles give way. Stephen lets go and grabs his son's hand. Iara drops to the floor, but looks on, only her vision is blurry and black spots are appearing intermittently.

"Did-did you do this?" Stephen asks.

Dante nods, eyes drooping with drowsiness and desolateness. The blood trickles underneath his arm and forms a heavy droplet, which when at the perfect weight, falls onto the ground below. His rosy lips slightly parted, as he is shaken with grief.

Iara examines his face and how he seems tired. She never saw those dark bags before, she never noticed how scarily thin his face was. The way his cheek bones protrude out of the skin, like a skeleton he was. Why couldn't she see this before? She always noticed his blond hair strands and the electric quality of his light eyes, but not this. Not the scars or self-inflicted cuts that reside of his worn skin.

He looks at her.

"I'm so sorry." He mouths. It happens again. Like the wounds are gone she sees his bright and happy side. An optical illusion.

"Why did you do this? I gave you a home! I gave you food, a fucking family!" Stephen yells in his face. Iara could see his pulsing veins strike up from beyond his aggravated skin.

"You are sick Dante! I raised an ill person! Fuck me!" He throws his hands in the air and clutches onto his hair, pulling the strands he could grab.

It is scary. She thought she would get a decent pay and live in a house of kind people, this is definetly not what she expected nor wanted.