I run, slipping past Charlie’s arms as they try to catch me and enter a huge clearing when a beautiful white horse stands before me. There’s a patch of black over her left eye and covering her nose, her hair flying wildly as she bucks against a rope tying her to a fallen log. Daddy steps out from behind her, his thick black hair pushed back and his suit looking out of place amongst the trees. “Happy birthday sweetheart.”
Stepping towards the magnificent creature slowly, I stretch out a hand and wait for her to push her nose against my palm. Warmth and softness nuzzle against my fingers, a rumbling noise sounding in her chest. My heart is ready to burst but I contain my squeals, not wanting to spook her. Finally, I have a friend to keep me company! Daddy moves to stand behind me, his hand on my shoulder gently pulling me back a few steps. Her black eyes search for me instantly, her front trotters lifting in panic, but Daddy’s grip tightens so I can’t rush back to her.
“For your birthday this year, I’m gifting you a life lesson money can’t buy,” he speaks quietly into my ear. Turning me, I see Arti lifting a pistol from his bag and passing it to my dad. “Beasts come in all shapes and sizes, but the cruellest of them all will be the most beautiful. The ones that crawl beneath your skin and steal your trust, the ones who make you vulnerable. You need to know you are always the strongest one in the room, everyone else is inferior when you hold the power to end them.” He takes the gun Arti is offering, spinning it around his pointer finger and gives it to me. “Now, kill the horse.”
Ice freezes my bones and makes it hard to breathe, the forest tilting around me. The black metal in my hand is so heavy and all I want to do is drop it and run. I can’t kill the beautiful mare behind me.
“Sydney, do it. Now.” I glance back, the horse’s black eyes filled with the same panic I feel. It doesn’t matter if she were a horse, a cat or a beetle, I can’t kill any creature because I understand what it’s like to feel worthless. For bad men to think they have the power to say who lives or dies. We talk about children’s rights at school, and Mrs Dawson told me I have a right to grow up in a family environment full of happiness, love and understanding. The horse lifts as far from the ground as she can, fighting against the rope to get away. Her whinny’s fill the forest, pain so clear in the sound I begin to whimper too.
“You’ll thank me for this one day my dear, love is weakness.” My eyebrows pinch together. Love is weakness? But Daddy always says he is not a weak man, a fair one but never weak. My chest starts to pound, the guards and Daddy shouting at me while the horse screams in fear. My ears hurt from the loudness of it all, the ground blurring beneath my feet as I find a glimpse of bravery to grab onto. In the next second, I’ve raised the gun and pulled the trigger.
Everything goes silent. The birds stop tweeting, even the horse knows not to move. Daddy’s eyes are furious, staring down the gun I have pointed at his head, the safety catch firmly in place.
“Oh, no I didn’t...I’m so sorry Daddy,” I rush to drop the metal onto the ground and start to back up. At first he doesn’t move, standing still except for the heavy lift and fall of his chest. Suddenly he jumps forward and grabs me around the waist, dragging me through the forest while I kick and scream how sorry I am. He keeps a tight hold on me as he sits in the caddy, Charlie quickly jumping behind the wheel to drive us back to the house.
A gunshot echoes from the forest and I know in that instant, my new snowy friend is dead. Tears fall down my cheeks, all my fight leaving me as I wait for my punishment. Even when we stop, I don’t struggle as Daddy carries me through the house, just hanging limply while the weight in my heart pulls me down. Daddy takes me to the main staircase and then turns sharply to yank open a door hidden around the back. A door I’ve never been allowed into before.
The air is cold, my dungarees not keeping me warm enough to not shiver. And it’s dark, pitch black with no lighting. Next thing I know, I’m thrown onto the hard floor which scrapes my forearms and knees and a door is slammed behind me. Jumping up, even though my legs seize with pain and I can feel the warmth of blood trickling towards my socks, I run to bang my fists on the door as I start to cry again.
“Daddy! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to! Please let me out! Mom? Mommy, please help me!”
Meg
“Wait, aren’t you supposed to be dead?” I lean through the open car window to get a better look at the driver. It’s difficult to tell is there’s a family resemblance since my point of reference is a decrepit old man, but she does have the same oval shaped face and small bump to the bridge of her nose. She rolls her eyes at me, revving the engine impatiently.
“We’ll talk on the way, get in!” I jump into the passenger seat and Avery hops into the back, the car speeding off before we’ve managed to close the doors fully. I fasten the seat belt across me securely, the strap cutting into my exposed cleavage and I curse under my breath. Damn Perelli for dressing me up like a doll
