27 Broken

<7 years ago>

The door was half-open when she arrived home. Seeing it, made her heart beat faster as adrenaline rushed through her body. Qinyang gulped in fear, 'Is he home?'

As soon as the door creaked open, the smell of alcohol assaulting her nose proved her suspicion.

She took a small peek into the living room where she heard one of her mother's favorite James Bond movie line, "Miss Anders, I didn't recognise you with your clothes on." Her eyes traced the man's outline on the sofa and the bottles of beer on the floor. Covering her mouth and holding her breath as soon as she saw his hand moved.

She slowly turned around, afraid to make any sound, and tiptoed to the only place she deemed safe in this house. Leaning on her door after closing it, she heaved a sigh of relief, thinking what would have happened if she had been found out.

Qinyang looked at the family picture beside her bed. A picture of a couple holding their daughter in their arms smiling happily. She walked towards it and picked it up, she smiled sadly remembering the past, "Mama, what should I do? Papa isn't what he used to be anymore. Why did you have to go?"

At that moment, her safe haven was barged in by a person she could not recognize anymore.

Qinyang's heart dropped to the floor realizing the mistake she made, 'Shit! I forgot to lock the door!'

Qinyang's mother had passed away due to leukemia when Qinyang was in elementary school. People around them had shown family grievances for she had died too young. But ever since that day, her father changed. He needed someone to blame for his late beloved wife's death, and unfortunately, it was none other than his own flesh and blood, his daughter.

He slammed the door as his drunken eyes looked at his daughter.

"Papa. You are drunk. You need to rest," Qinyang tried to calm her drunk father, but it only served as a fuel to his rage.

He grabbed her hand and yelled, "Don't tell me what to do!"

Her body trembled, knowing he already overpowered her the moment he stepped into the room.

The man threw his daughter to the wall and started to kick her in the stomach violently, "IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU THAT SHE'S GONE! IF ONLY YOU WEREN'T BORN, SHE WOULDN'T BE SO WEAK AND LEAVE ME SO SOON."

She curled in pain trying to breathe. He then grabbed her by the hair forcing her to stand. Her legs wobbled as her tearful eyes looked at the angry man while coughing out blood. Qinyang wished for all of this to be over quickly.

She braced herself when her father threw her onto her bed and ripped her uniform, "Father... please don't... please... " she tried to cover herself as she asked him to stop. Shivering in fear, she cried out for help as she watched her father remove his belt, pants, and underwear one by one, "Anything but this..."

The horror she thought that was about to happen came to life. He slammed into her as she screamed in pain. She screamed for help, but no one came, no one could hear her. The happy memories of her kind and loving father began to disappear each time he thrust. The monster in front of her is no longer her father.

Slowly, her body began to give way. Her mind went blank as her eyesight drowned into darkness. The last thing she saw before she completely shut down was the picture next to her bed. The last family picture they took together.

________________

She didn't know when she woke up from the nightmare, but her eyes were already wide open before she knew it. Her mind finally awake from the morning sun shining down her face. She turned her head to the side, her bedsheets lingered his smell and saw her school uniform scattered on the floor.

Qinyang took a deep breath and wonder if all of it was an illusion but the image of an angry beast appeared in her mind. Her body shiver with fear and tears threaten to fall from eyes. She knows she cannot stay another minute under this roof. Who knows when it might happen again?

She tried to push herself to sit up but her lower body felt sore. Her shaking hands brushed over the dry blood on her bedsheets. Qinyang shut her eyes tightly trying to forget the nightmare.

'Why did this happen to me... Mama... What did I do to deserve this...'

She forced her weak body out of the bed but as soon as her feet touched the ground, she fell. She was too weak to move but she had too. She gathered her strength once again to stand up and head to her bathroom. She looked into the mirror and saw her horrible body full of bruises. Qinyang's tears fell as she brushed lightly the wounds that the disgusting man gave.

'I must go. I cannot stay here. Get yourself together, Zhou Qinyang.'

The thought of the man-made her feel dizzy, she quickly headed to the toilet bowl and vomited.

Somehow after she vomiting, she felt better. Something in her sparked. After she showered, she pulled out a few pieces of paper and started writing.