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Her voice is calm and black like winter nights. At times like these, I wish I can feel Mum’s warmth and hear her soft words.
If I pretend to be Eli, she won’t hurt me.
“Did you miss Mummy, Eli?” She stands in front of me, a serene smile on her face.
“I did.” I miss my mum, Alicia.
She crouches in front of me and runs her red nails down my face. Goosebumps erupt in her wake. “I told you not to swim in the lake. Why did you?”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“You won’t repeat it, okay?”
I nod, twice.
She smiles and stands up.
Phew. She didn’t get angry this time. I’m about to sit back down when she stops and whirls around so abruptly, I jerk against the wall.
“What is that?” She shrieks, pointing at my hand.
The Maltesers.
I hide them behind my back. “N-Nothing.”
“I told you not to lie to me!” Her voice echoes around us. She grabs my hand, her nails digging into the skin.
I try my hardest to keep the bag of chocolates, but she snatches it away.
“Give it back.” I glare at her. “It’s mine.”
“You ungrateful little bastard.” She slaps me across the face.
I fall to my side onto the hard floor, my cheek stinging.
“I gave you everything, everything! But all you do is lie and play at the lake when you shouldn’t!”
The first lash of the horsewhip lands on my back. Something rips at my skin, and I scream.
“Mummy will fix it, Eli. Mummy will fix everything.”
Crack.
I wail. The pain is unlike anything I’ve felt before. It hurts more than when she cut my arm or when she chained me with the cuff.
“Stop…” I crawl to the corner on all four, shaking all over.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
She goes on and on… and on.
A sticky warm liquid travels down my spine and drips onto the floor.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
