"What the hell you think you are doin'?"

Kim jerked and she looked up from the material she was cutting. Her eyes grew large in fear and her shoulders started to tremble. She bit her lips and tried to gather some strength and courage into her mind as she stared at her mother, who was erupting in the form of a volcano in front of her.

"When di' you come back?" her mother barked once more, and she kicked the bag of clothes which Kim had just finished tailoring. Kim looked angrily at the bag and stared at her mother once more.

"I am working here, mother." Kim replied bravely, pushing her chin up and staring at her mother.

"I am working here," her mother imitated her in a mocking tone. Kim balled up her fist in anger as she knew that she was about to burst any moment soon.

"Are you here back now because that man kicke' you out of his be'?"

Kim bit her lips as she started to tremble in anger. She did not look straight at her mother and looked at a point behind her, because she did not know what harm she will cause to the woman who was calling herself as her mother.

"Tell me, Kim." Janice barked once more. "I know the sta'e of all girls who go behin' men. They ge' kicke' ou' la'er af'er a couple o' days," she laughed evilly.

Kim looked at her mother once more. "No one kicke' me ou' mother." She spitted through her gritted teeth.

"I don' care abou' any of tha'," her mother said and took a step towards Kim. "Come let's go home." she said.

Kim took a step back. She looked down at her feet.

"No mother," she said in a small voice.

"Wha' do you mean 'no'?" Janice asked as her eyes dangerously closed to slits. Kim looked up at her mother once more.

"I am no' comin' to tha' wretche' place." She replied, trying to hide her shaking fists.

"Pu' your stupidi'y asi'e an' come back with me." Janice barked back at her.

Kim took another step backward in vain as the table behind her caged her where she was. She saw that her mother was coming too closer to her and even though she tried to fight off her mother in vain, her mother took hold of her from her upper arm and tried to pull her away.

Kim did not give in easily. She tried to loosen out of her hold, and she shouted in anger and pain as the hold on her hand grew tighter and tighter. She tried to jerk herself out of Janice's grip, but she was too strong for her old age.

"Kim!" she shouted. "Sto' strugglin' an' come back with me." She shouted at her, but Kim did not move an inch from where she was.

"No, mother. I will no'," she screamed. Angry tears were rooting down along her cheeks, but she looked directly down at her mother. She knew that she had touched a vein as she saw that the vein on her mother's forehead was throbbing dangerously.

"Wha' di' you say?" her mother finally asked, as she removed her hand from over Kim's arm.

Kim pulled her arm away and rubbed the reddened part. She looked at her mother once more. "I am no' comin' with you." She said on a final note.

Kim knew that she was in very big trouble. Ever since she was young, she had never been able to say no to anything her mother had asked her to do, and if she had thought that it will be an exception on this time, considering that she was an adult, she could not be more wrong.

All Kim saw before she fell back heavily onto the floor was her mother's bulging eyes. Janice looked so close to the bursting point and when Kim least expected it, she raised her arm and brought it back hard across the girl's side of the face. Kim gasped as the pain shot through her cheek and the blow made her fall into sideways as she landed heavily onto the floor. She knew she was as good as dead.

Kim always knew that Janice never stopped the chance to let go of a good beating for any of her children, and considering if it was aimed at Kim, it was a completely different story. Her mother loved beating up her children and for Kim, she just loved it more than being able to love it to the highest extent.

"You will come back with me to our home whether you like it or no'?" Janice hissed angrily as she leaned down closer towards Kim's face. She took hold of Kim's ear and twisted it as though she was trying to remove it from her head.

"Come now," her mother shouted once more, as she lifted her dress up for comfortableness and kicked Kim on the stomach. Kim doubled up in pain as tears rooted down along her cheeks. She knew that she was in very big trouble. She had never been able to stop her mother from beating her up whenever she felt like it was the opportunity. Kim cursed her mother from under her breath as pain started to numb her from all over her body. She tried to sit up straight when her mother landed another heavy blow on to her head, and she sank heavily on to the floor.

Looking at the vulnerable state of her daughter, eased out a constant heaviness in her heart that had been there for a very long time. Janice breathed hard and fast as though she had run a marathon and even though her heart said that it was enough, she just wanted to try one more thing. Taking a closer step towards her daughter, Janice hit her on her face, so that the heavy ring with a V type cut, split open Kim's bottom lip.

Kim whimpered in pain as blood started to ooze from her lips. She was feeling as though her whole body was on fire as she felt her mother place her hand heavily onto her upper arm once more. Kim never gave up easily. She tried to fight her off away, but her mother was too strong for her own good, and even though Kim's head banged on to the side of the table, and the point of the table knocked directly onto her cheek and her eyes started to flow with tears once more, Janice dragged and pulled her daughter away with her, not even letting her get back onto her feet.

Kim tried to kick herself away, but she knew that it will not be of any use. She had always let her mother have herself with her, and that day too it was no exception. Kim cried loudly to her heart's extent as her mother finally stopped dragging her. Kim looked up at her, wondering what had changed her mind, when she saw that her mother was going back to the corner of the shop, where Kim had placed the bag with all of her possessions. She saw her mother hoist the bag onto her shoulder and come back towards her.

Wiping away her tears, Kim stood up back on her feet even though her body shoot pain through her from various places. Kim took a step back as her mother came closer and stopped right in front of her.

"An' tha's for talkin' back to me."

Janice said and before Kim could think of what was happening, her mother pulled her hand back and had punched her on her face. Kim heard her nose crack as her mother pulled her hand back and Kim opened an eye painfully. She tried to open her left eye as well, but pain was shooting through it. Placing her hand over her damaged eye, Kim looked at her mother as tears streamed down from along her cheeks.

"Wha' di' I do to you mother?" she shouted, as rage like she had never felt before fired up through her heart. "It's no' my faul' if our father lef' us." She screamed as Janice looked up at her daughter. "Ever since then, you have treated me in this way." Kim screamed as she cried in pain. Tears burned through her damaged eye as she looked up at her mother. She knew that she will never make her feel remorse for what she had done, as she saw her mother pull her lips up from the corner as though she was mocking Kim.

Wordlessly, as though Kim had been questioning someone else, Janice gripped Kim's upper shoulder once more, and pulled her out of the shop as Kim tried in vain to kick her away. She screamed and tried to even hit her mother's hand which was gripping on her shoulder, thinking that at least then she will let her be, but she was never right. As though she was flapping her hands around an annoying fly, Janice took no notice of it and pulled her daughter all the way towards her home.

Kim saw that the door to her home was opened, and fear started to creep into her mind as what had nearly happened to her the last time, she had gone through that door came up to her mind. She wailed in horror and tried to push her mother away from her, but Janice did not even move a muscle, as she pulled her daughter in through the door and dragged her away towards her room.

Kim shrieked in horror as her mother pushed her away inside the room. She fell down heavily onto the floor, her already damaged face bumping onto the hard ground. She turned to look at her mother, when she saw that she was throwing her bag at her, and before she could hold out her hands to take it, the heavy bag too fell back once more onto her face, as Kim's head knocked heavily onto the floor. She pushed her bag away and got back onto her feet and hurried towards the door, when her mother pulled it close and she heard her click a lock onto it, caging her inside.

Kim wailed loudly. She screamed with all her might until the air in her lungs left her out completely, asking her mother to let her out. She knocked and banged on the door, even though her hand split open in the process. She knew that it was no use now that she was locked inside, but Kim knew that she had to try rather than giving up.

As tears of grief flowed down freely along her cheeks, Kim banged heavily on the door. She knew that her mother will never change her mind and will never ever come back to undo something which she had already done, but Kim knew that it was better to fight her off, than accept her fate. Pulling her sleeve across her cheek, as tears fell down harder, Kim screamed loudly.

She cursed, she kicked, she banged, and she cried. She heaved with tears as her chest started to pain with misery. It felt like almost a day had passed ever since she was locked inside her own room. Kim did not try any more. She knew that she was as good as dead to her mother and she knew that however badly she wanted the door to be opened, it will never ever be.

Kim leaned her head onto the door as she rooted down to the floor. Tears were still flowing nonstop as she felt fearful at the thought of what will happen next to her. Pain was numbing her from all over her body. Her hand was damaged as it was red with blood, and she hissed in pain as she touched the side of her stomach, where her mother had kicked her. She brought her hand back up to her face and felt her face. She knew that she was looking horrible. She felt her eyes to be bulged and she sensed that it would have turned blue, considering how badly it pained. A flow of dried blood was there along her lips, and she hissed in pain as she knew that even her lips were swollen.

Kim's tears renewed once more. She wondered what mistake she had done in her past life to get such brutal treatment from her own mother. She tried to wipe her eyes from her tears, but even that was making her feel painful. She closed her eyes tight and leaned down on the cold floor.

Even though her heart did not want to think of him, Kim found her mind wondering towards William. She wondered where William was. She wondered whether he was gone on a mission. It had been more than two months since the parcel with her belongings and his love note had arrived on her door step, and ever since then Kim had been unable to search for him. She had thought that he will come in barging towards her one day, like he had done so long ago. But as time flew by, Kim thought that he might be either positioned somewhere else or that he might have moved on from her. Kim closed her eyes tightly and hiccupped. She had spent two months away from her mother and she wondered how her mother knew that she was back in her shop, nearly after two months of living in there. She knew that she had been careful enough to not to fall into anyone's eyes of whom she knew. She knew that she had been successful for a long time, and she wondered how everything had gone wrong. She looked down at her dress, which was brought by William a long time ago. It had dried specks of blood and her tears renewed once more.

Kim knew she was better dead than living. Her pains were starting to make her feel regret ever being born. She knew that the only good thing that had happened to her in her miserable story that was known as her life, was meeting William. But even that had not lasted longer. Even though from a far corner of her mind, Kim felt that she had a feeling that William will definitely come back to her rescue, because she knew that was what he had been doing to her for a long time, Kim found herself unable to even trust her own thinking process. She knew that she was better to die alone rather than waiting for her mother to open her door.

"Wherever are you, my darlin' Will?"

She found herself asking for the umpteenth time that day. It was long past the midnight, and Kim found herself drifting between this world and that as her pains made her stop even from going to sleep. No sound had issued from the other side of the door, and Kim wondered whether her mother had locked her away inside and had left her home, so that Kim will die of hunger within a few days, considering how weakened she was.

Kim pulled her legs closer towards her and hunched up into a ball, even though the pain on her stomach did not make it easy for her. Shivering against the cold floor, Kim moved to the side of the door, and balled up into sleep. The bed which had been in her room was not there to be found and Kim thought that her mother might have sold it away, like every other thing in their home to find some money. Kim shivered in the dark night as memories of her loved one, came into her mind.

Sending him a mental note, asking him to come back soon to her rescue, Kim fell into a troubled sleep. She found herself dreaming of William, where in all of her dreams, she found herself finding it harder and harder to get closer towards him. He was just staring at her from far ahead of her. He was giving an arm for her to hold onto, but in all of those dreams, Kim was just pulled back and back away, as he drifted far and far without her, though their fingers were just an inch away from touching each other's.

*

Time did not pass for Kim. It was nearly two days since she was forcefully brought back into her childhood home, but not even once had her mother opened the door. She was put in hunger, and she knew that it was better to die than live waiting for her cruel fate.

She was getting used to the pains around her body, and it did not bother her anymore. She looked up for the umpteenth time at the door, as she wondered whether her mother would open the door at least now.

Kim knew that she was dreaming. As soon as the thought had just passed through her mind, Kim heard heavy footsteps taken towards the door, and she sat up straight (even though her numb bones did not make it easy for her), and the lock turn open. She looked up hopefully at the door, as it slowly creaked open and her mother came into view.

"Here she is."

Kim craned her neck to the side and tried to see whom she was talking to. Kim's eyes got large in horror as a silent scream escaped through her lips. Her insides started to writhe in fear and her body felt like jelly in fear as she saw the man who was standing behind her mother.

It was her uncle, Patrick.

"No, no, no, no."

Kim shrieked in horror, shaking her head no, as she saw both of them, her mother and her uncle laugh shrilly.

"Don' know wha' she's talkin' abou'," her mother said, and Kim shouted in vain as Janice patted her brother on his shoulder and walked back, leaving the two of them alone.

Kim shook horribly and she looked at her uncle in horror, as she saw him gazing down at her. She knew that things will not turn good for her now, as she saw her uncle take a step inside her room. Kim knew that she was going to die. She knew that whatever her uncle had on his mind, it was nothing good, and she screamed loudly. She screamed and screamed and screamed, even though she knew that no one would come to her rescue. She shook with fear as she saw her uncle close the door behind him.

Taking his time, as though he had all the time left in the world, Kim saw him come closer towards her. She shrieked in fear as her tears fell down hard and fast from her overlarge eyes in fear, Kim closed her eyes tight, as she saw his uncle kneel in front of her.

"Wha' di' tha' man tell me?" he said, scratching his chin absentmindedly. Kim shivered and she slowly opened her eyes, trying to look at her enemy.

"Ah," her uncle said dramatically scratching the side of his forehead, as he turned his cruel eyes towards Kim once more. "He tol' tha' no one will touch my girl," her uncle hissed into her ear as Kim closed her eyes in fear. She tried to get back in fear but found herself caged between the corner of the walls. She shrieked in horror once more as her uncle cackled in front of her.

"Where is he, now?" he laughed as Kim closed her eyes and prayed Willaim to turn up from wherever he was.

"He tol' me tha' he will kill me." He said again, and even though a proudness towards the love of her life started to creep up in her chest, Kim knew that it was no good now. She was alone in her room with her uncle, where as he was looking fit, and Kim was in a very poor and weakened state.

"Ask him to come now, then!"

Her uncle shouted once more and before Kim could muster up enough courage to look up at him, he was already coming too closer.

"No, no, no, no, NOO!"

Kim shrieked in fear as her uncle just laughed mockingly at her and came ever closer. Kim knew that she was vulnerable. She did not have enough strength in her body, nor did she have courage in her heart. She shut her eyes tight and prayed loudly to the Lord, asking Him to save her.

The few seconds that passed, felt like an eternity to her. She knew that her uncle was not born into human flesh, nor did he have any humanness in his heart left. Both her mother and her uncle were the same half in two bodies, and from the bottom of her heart, Kim knew that she would be barely alive, if she ever was lucky enough to get out of this hell hole.

Kim slowly opened her eyes. She shrieked in horror as she saw her uncle just an inch away from her face. She wrinkled her nose against from the dirty smell, which was emanating and looking at her expression, her uncle started to cackle with mirth once more.

Tears started to flow down from Kim's eyes again. She wondered why she had left William, for she knew that he had just saved her from the hands of death, long time ago. From the bottom of her heart, Kim knew that William would have found somewhere safe for her to stay when he leaves for work once more, but as she had been quick in her decision, she knew that everything was out of her control now.

Kim's tears started to slow down once more as she saw her uncle get back to his feet. Kim followed him with fearful eyes as he stood up and she gasped as her uncle banged his fist onto the side of her head. Her eyes started to blink stars as pain started to shoot from her head and she knew that this was just the first from the many blows which was about to come into her way.

Kim did not fight her uncle like she had fought with her mother. She knew that she did not have enough strength in her limbs and also that she was too weak in her mind. She let him hit her as much as he needed and just tears rooted down from along her cheeks, as her uncle slapped her harder and harder and punched her face again and again and again. Kim knew that he was feeling angry and had gone mad and was just returning what William had given to him a long time ago. After what felt like an hour of getting beaten up, Kim finally looked up from the slits of her eyes, which were too puffed up to open completely, and saw that her uncle was panting, standing away from her.

Kim did not try to sit up straight. She felt grateful that her uncle was stopping with beating her up and was not taking matters further. The cold floor was starting to numb her cheek and her head was aching as though it was about to burst open. She did not hiss a single note of distress and only looked at her uncle with tear and fear filled eyes as he took another step closer towards her.

"Your mother aske' me to marry you."

Kim knew that she was dying. She heard her uncle as though he was talking from far away and she slowly turned her eyes towards him.

"Ge' rea'y for the weddin' nigh' tomorrow." He barked at her and beamed, showing all of his teeth dangerously.

"An' forge' abou' your man who you ran away with." He cackled once more as Kim's tears started to flow faster down along her cheeks.

"This is for him, your future husban', as he sai'." He finished and kicked Kim hardly on her stomach.

Kim's started to spit blood as her eyes flashed red in front of her. She heard the door bang close, and she knew that her uncle had finally gone out of her room.

Kim's heart ached for the man she loved. She knew that her uncle will be dead if William knew what he had done for his girl. The pain Kim was feeling, was too much to be borne by a girl as young as her. She did not know how many of her bones were broken and she did not know how she will survive out from this misery. Even though her heart ached her to not to think of anything, her brain played various would be scenarios, but in all of them Kim found herself being the prey to her stubborn uncle. She knew that all her life will be over with tomorrow, when her uncle will finally, officially get to lay hands on her, because her mother herself had allowed him to do so.

Kim closed her eyes tightly as new tears started to chase away the old ones. Her mind constantly tuned towards William, and she found herself wishing him to come to get her away from the preys of her family. She dreamed of him coming to rescue her, as though he was a knight in shining armor who was coming home to save his damsel in distress on horseback, but from the corner of her mind, she knew that it was just those stupid fantasies her mind brought up because she was in too much of pain.

Closing her eyes tight as she dreamed of being in the arms of the love of her life, Kim sent a silent prayer into the night, asking, begging God to bring back William from wherever he was.

Come back to me, my darlin' Will... please come back...