Janis Sarkisian and the absolutely, unbelievably perfect family

It feels like drowning

Trigger warning: there is blood and what some of you may consider a disturbing nightmare sequence in this chapter.

Other then that...

Enjoy!

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I am startled awake by the lights flickering on, The room is still dark but I can tell straight away that I'm not in my room at the Hubbard's anymore. The ground beneath me is hard and cool and it digs into my shoulder painfully, doing the exact opposite of what a cold surface should do by making the pain worse.

My eyes flicker around the room, the walls are a stony grey colour and are probably as hard as they look, there's no point trying to knock them down then. Not that I'd be able to. Then my eyes settle on a door, it's rotting brown wood and rickety frame make it my best bet of getting out. There aren't any windows so I have to assume I'm in a basement, just like at the Anderson's.

Mr Anderson didn't like children, well he didn't like me. He said that I was nothing but a nuisance and battered me around enough that eventually I grew to believe him. His worst punishment however was the basement. He would lock me down there for day on end, without light, food or water, but that wasn't the worst of it. There were rats living in the walls, something I didn't realise untill the fifth time I was locked down there. Their feet scuttling along the floor and up the walls used to terrify me too no end, making it hard to breath and due to the lack of light, hard to be sure they weren't in the room with me.

I shake the thoughts out of my head, pushing myself up the wall into a standing position, still leaning against it slightly even after I am stood up straight. There's no sounds at all here, just silence but that's even more unnerving because that means I'm somewhere far away from civilisation.

If the Hubbard's had had enough of me after only one night then that ment they were the ones who put me here. It had to be them...I didn't live with the Anderson's any more.

A sick feeling curled it's way around my stomach like a snake does it's prey, making my whole body lurch painfully and my head hurt. Something was wrong. The Hubbard's were nice people, Mrs Hubbard had checked on me numous times and Damian was funny, if a little mad about theatre. This shouldn't have been happening.

I hear a trickling sound, quiet at first but it very quickly speeds up untill it's like water rushing down a stream. Water? I look down at my feet and jump as I realise I'm stood in a pool of water, it makes it's way up my ankles steadily. Not slowing down for even a second.

If my heart hadn't already been hammering in my chest it would have stopped. I wade over to the door as quickly as possible when there is inches of water rising around me.

To say my panic increases when it doesn't open is an understatement. In normal circumstances this wouldn't have been a problem but with all the water pushed up against it's surface the door doesn't budge, just dampening under my fingers and shaking slightly as I pound on it.

The water continues to rise, grappling at my waist and pulling on my top as the water spreads through my clothes, making them heavy and hard to move in. As the water rises it seems to speed up, going from my waist to my shoulders in what could only have been a few seconds.

I search around for a pump or tube or something that the water could have been coming from but find nothing. There is no way this room could be filling up with water so how is it? Soon enough the water lifts me off my feet, making me have to tread it to stay afloat as I am lifted up towards the ceiling.

I scream, I have to get out. I have to. The water rises and rises untill my face is pressed up against the ceiling. Sobbing I take a deep breath, making sure I survive untill the last possible second. I cannot die now, I won't.

The water covers my face and I see nothing. Just the blackness of the water and the light as it fixes out. If I had the ability of suck in a deep sigh of relief that the light didn't explode and electrocute me. I'm not that lucky though.

My lungs burn as I float about under the water, searching desperately for some way to get air, to breath. But there is nothing.

I scream againnd the water fills my lungs, burning them the way fire does your skin and choking me untill I feel nothing. My brain screams at me to fight it. But it is too late.

---

I jolt foreward with a gasp and a strange choking sound, my lungs filling with the cool air of the room around me but doing little to calm me down. That was all so real. My chest and throat burn painfully as I suck in the breaths and I continue to gasp in air untill I feel something warm trickle down my back.

Jumping up off the bed I rush to the light and flick it on, almost screaming out loud when I see the pool of blood on my sheets right where i had just been laying. Then I feel the stinging sensation in my shoulder and calm a little. I must have tore my stitches in my sleep and opened to wound again.

There's a nock at my door and I whimper, pressing myself into the furthest corner away from it and holding my shoulder as it screams at me. The door opens and there's a gasp as Damian enters and sees the blood stained sheets. I sob, sliding down the wall and leaving a small trail of blood as I do.

Damians eyes snap to me and he gasps again, rushing towards me, only slowing when he gets close enough to touch my knees, "Janis what happend?" He asks slowly.

I shake my head, staring at him with wide eyes, his hair is dishevled and my gut pangs painfully as I realise I must have woken him up. It's still dark outside, I shouldn't be awake. He's going to get angry I just know it.

Damian scoots closer, "Honey you're hurt." He said gently, "Something must have happend." He places a hand on me knee and I suprise both of us by not flinching away, "Can I see? I might be able to help."

I let a shaky breath pass my lips and move away from the wall slowly. Damian gasps again and he gets a look at my shoulder. The blood had seeped through my top, dying it a dark red colour and making it wet to the touch, he pulls my shirt sleeve down to reveal a large gash accross my shoulder which is steadily seeping blood onto everything it comes into contact with.

Backing away slowly Damian stares at me, horrified, "Did someone do that to you?" He asked, his voice wavering slightly, fear evident. I shake my head in denial, if he knows he'll think I'm weak, "Janis that can't have been an accident." He adds seeing my face, "I'm not stupid. How did it happen?"

I feel my eyes fill with tears, one of them dripping off my chin as I speak, "My last foster dad hated kids, He hated me the most. Said I deserved it." I sniffed, "Please don't tell your mother! I'll get into more trouble!"

Shaking his head Damian stands up, "Come with me. There's a first aid kit in the bathroom."