fluttered uselessly over his battered body, wanting to soothe but afraid to touch him in the risk of hurting him further.
He groaned, his eyelids pressed tightly together as if he refused to open them and return to the pain of real life. Annabel let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding.
"You're going to be alright Daniel. I'll take care of you."
His fingers twitched and, without thinking, she covered them with her own. She squeezed them lightly and he squeezed hers back, flinching as the movement caused fresh hurt. His breathing was still slightly laboured from the agony of his wounds. The strength he had put up for his father and brother collapsed in an instant.
Daniel's mother was now talking, insulting her younger son's stupidity, but Annabel had no time for her and gently stroked Daniel's hair away from his face, exactly as Billy had done to her when she had first arrived. She watched with a stirring in her breast as his features softened at her touch.
The two girls sat there for a short while watching Daniel breathe, until Patsy got back up and went over to her mother. She had turned to face the wall, her face wrinkled up in disgust.
"Why'd I produce only idiots?" she screamed at her son, breaking the heavy silence. "Why'd ya `av to be my child?"
With these words Daniel's last ounce of composure fell away as his entire body sagged under the weight of his mother's disappointment. Giving himself over to the emotional and physical hurt of the past week, tears started to ooze from his tightly closed eyes.
"You deserve so much more than this Daniel," Annabel whispered right next to his ear. Surprising even herself she planted a light kiss on his forehead, feeling a small spark of happiness when he shifted ever so slightly closer to her.
At her mother's scorn-filled words Patsy staggered away from her. With a final, scornful glance she turned on her heel and rushed across to the stable, returning with a frantic Billy in her wake.
"Dani," he gasped as he caught sight of his younger brother sprawled out on the floor, broken and bleeding. Annabel looked at the sibling's mother, who had turned away as if ashamed when her eldest child entered the room.
Annabel felt sick with anger.
Billy bent down without hesitation - he had come to terms with his parent's hatred before he could even walk - and scooped Daniel up with ease. He was a lot stronger than Annabel had thought. She hadn't noticed before the muscles that ran up his arms too, larger even than Tom's although Billy would never have thought to use them to inflict hurt on anyone. Daniel screamed in pain as the movement jostled his bruised flesh. When Billy had disappeared back into the stable next door, Patsy picked up the empty bucket and disappeared to fill it up. Thus, Annabel found herself alone with the woman who was supposed to care for and love her three best friends. She saw red. She was angrier than she had ever been in her life. Her blood boiled up in her veins until it reached a feverish heat.
Taking three deliberate steps towards the old woman she drew back her hand and struck it across her frail cheek so hard a prickling pain radiated up her arm. Almost instantly a red mark appeared upon her victim's face. Leaning in close to her she whispered; "this is the beginning of the end for you. I will be found soon and when I am back amongst my power and my riches I will drag you down so much further than you've taken me. That's a promise."
Snatching up a deformed loaf of bread and a few shirts from a toppling pile, Annabel turned and fled back to the stable in the wake of her friends. It was a mark of how much she had changed that she didn't run away. This was the first time she had been unsupervised, she could have done it. Yet, her heart wouldn't let her. She was too invested now. She cared too deeply.
Daniel wasn't strong enough to climb the ladder so Patsy had cobbled together a bed of loose straw, placing a tattered blanket at the top in the
He groaned, his eyelids pressed tightly together as if he refused to open them and return to the pain of real life. Annabel let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding.
"You're going to be alright Daniel. I'll take care of you."
His fingers twitched and, without thinking, she covered them with her own. She squeezed them lightly and he squeezed hers back, flinching as the movement caused fresh hurt. His breathing was still slightly laboured from the agony of his wounds. The strength he had put up for his father and brother collapsed in an instant.
Daniel's mother was now talking, insulting her younger son's stupidity, but Annabel had no time for her and gently stroked Daniel's hair away from his face, exactly as Billy had done to her when she had first arrived. She watched with a stirring in her breast as his features softened at her touch.
The two girls sat there for a short while watching Daniel breathe, until Patsy got back up and went over to her mother. She had turned to face the wall, her face wrinkled up in disgust.
"Why'd I produce only idiots?" she screamed at her son, breaking the heavy silence. "Why'd ya `av to be my child?"
With these words Daniel's last ounce of composure fell away as his entire body sagged under the weight of his mother's disappointment. Giving himself over to the emotional and physical hurt of the past week, tears started to ooze from his tightly closed eyes.
"You deserve so much more than this Daniel," Annabel whispered right next to his ear. Surprising even herself she planted a light kiss on his forehead, feeling a small spark of happiness when he shifted ever so slightly closer to her.
At her mother's scorn-filled words Patsy staggered away from her. With a final, scornful glance she turned on her heel and rushed across to the stable, returning with a frantic Billy in her wake.
"Dani," he gasped as he caught sight of his younger brother sprawled out on the floor, broken and bleeding. Annabel looked at the sibling's mother, who had turned away as if ashamed when her eldest child entered the room.
Annabel felt sick with anger.
Billy bent down without hesitation - he had come to terms with his parent's hatred before he could even walk - and scooped Daniel up with ease. He was a lot stronger than Annabel had thought. She hadn't noticed before the muscles that ran up his arms too, larger even than Tom's although Billy would never have thought to use them to inflict hurt on anyone. Daniel screamed in pain as the movement jostled his bruised flesh. When Billy had disappeared back into the stable next door, Patsy picked up the empty bucket and disappeared to fill it up. Thus, Annabel found herself alone with the woman who was supposed to care for and love her three best friends. She saw red. She was angrier than she had ever been in her life. Her blood boiled up in her veins until it reached a feverish heat.
Taking three deliberate steps towards the old woman she drew back her hand and struck it across her frail cheek so hard a prickling pain radiated up her arm. Almost instantly a red mark appeared upon her victim's face. Leaning in close to her she whispered; "this is the beginning of the end for you. I will be found soon and when I am back amongst my power and my riches I will drag you down so much further than you've taken me. That's a promise."
Snatching up a deformed loaf of bread and a few shirts from a toppling pile, Annabel turned and fled back to the stable in the wake of her friends. It was a mark of how much she had changed that she didn't run away. This was the first time she had been unsupervised, she could have done it. Yet, her heart wouldn't let her. She was too invested now. She cared too deeply.
Daniel wasn't strong enough to climb the ladder so Patsy had cobbled together a bed of loose straw, placing a tattered blanket at the top in the
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