by Sandra Love
Broken
BOOK ONE
Sandra Love
Broken
Sandra Love
Copyright © 2013 Sandra Love
All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. All characters and storylines are the property of the author and your support and respect is appreciated. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Cover design by Big Bang Book Services
Edited by Big Bang Book Services
Dedication
I want to dedicate this book to all those who are bullied and have been bullied. Don’t give up, and please don’t stay quiet. There is someone out there that will help and listen. And to the ones that see others being bullied don’t sit back and watch please step in to help. You can help save a life.
Chapter One
Cordelia
Beep Beep Beep, I heard my alarm clock go off. God, am I still alive? Do I have to live through another day of my shitty life? I wish the universe would take me away already, for goddess sake. I’m tired of waking up and feeling numb and dead inside. This world sucks and I hate everyone in it. I have no friends and my parents are horrible. My father takes pride in laying his hands on me when he is drunk. My mother sleeps all day and is heavily medicated. She doesn’t even care that I am suffering inside. I have to hide the bruises that my father puts on me. Last night I got the belt to my back, because I didn’t make the correct meal. He wanted fried chicken, and I made baked. Now I have a blistered back. I can’t even wear my bra, and these puppies are noticeable. I don’t even want to get out of this bed and start a day that I know will end with me cutting myself. That is my way to have some feeling; I know it is bad, but hey, no one cares for me so they won’t stop me. The kids at school just bully me and get away with it. Kelsey, the main bully in my life, is the daughter of the principal, so of course she will get away with torturing me. She’s perfect in everyone’s eyes. She’s the head cheerleader that could have any boy in our grade. She’s not the brightest student, but apparently that doesn’t matter to the boys and the other cheerleaders at school. As long as she gets her time in to make my life a living hell, everyone could breathe.
My name is Cordelia Rose Newton. I am 17 years old. I hate the way I look, with my dull grey eyes and long black hair. I am average height, 5’6”, and average weight. I love the color black; everything I own is black. Even my long hair is black. I would say it’s the color of my soul, but I don’t think black would even want to claim my soul.
I get out of the bed so I can get ready for my day of school. I’m a senior in high school, so only one more year of this. Thank God! I grab my clothes, a black pair of skinny jeans, and a black sweater. I peek out my bedroom door to listen for any sounds; if anyone else was up, I’d be in for a hell of a time. I don’t hear anything so I bee line for the bathroom. I shut the door quietly. After I had turned on the water, I got in and let the hot water pour on me. When the water hit the blisters, I whimpered. Tears filled my eyes. Why does this have to happen to me? Why can’t I have a normal life, and live as other High School kids do with a car, a boyfriend, or even nice parents. I tried to join clubs at school, but no one lets me. They say it is too full, and shoo me away.
I turn off the water with that thought, dry off, and get dressed. I look at my reflection in the mirror, and sigh. I brush my long hair. That’s the one thing I cherish about myself, it’s thick and shiny. I decided to twist it up into a tight bun. Now it’s time to go face my atrocious father. He will find some way to punish me. As I slowly approach the kitchen he yells out; he must have heard the creek in the floor board.
“Where is my Breakfast, Cordelia? I’ve been sitting here starving to death,” my father yells at me.
I sigh, knowing what I was about to say was going to make him even more angry. “Sir, I was getting ready for school. If I make you breakfast I will be tardy again. I don’t want detention.”
He stands up, and as he did the chair he was sitting in crashes to the ground. He gets in my face, his breath smelling like whiskey. I can’t believe he is drunk at seven in the morning. “You listen here, you selfish bitch, I don’t care about you getting detention. You do what I say when I say. Now get your lazy ass over there and make me eggs, and get that coffee started, or for the love of god I will…”
I did something I knew I would regret later; I disrupted him in mid speech. “What, you will hit me again? Make me feel like an idiot. It doesn’t matter if I make them or not I will still pay the price later.” With that, I grab my bag, and storm out of the house, headed for the school. My stomach was growling because those parents of mine starve me. Maybe that’s how I will die. They would find my body and my skin will be sunken in to the point where they can see my bones.
The tears start to form in my eyes, so I try to think of better things. Like the woods behind my house where the animals run free. I wish on some days I could be a rabbit or a deer. That way I could run free and not have to worry about being a piece of shit to everyone. It is starting to drizzle as I approach my school. I live in a small town called Summers Georgia. Everyone knows everyone’s name, and his or her family business. I’m so glad they don’t waste time knowing about my family. They all just know I’m a total freak. I stop to look at these wooden doors before I take a deep breath and enter the true hell: my High School.
Everyone is going about with his or her normal activities; friends talking to friends about the game next week and its homecoming party. Of course, I won’t be invited. I sigh and walk to my locker. When I opened it, someone slams it shut. I look to see if it was Kelsey, the most popular girl at school. Guess what? It was her with her sly smile on her face.
“So, I see you’re still coming to school; probably wishing that I would be your friend. Funny thing is I would never waste my time on a loser.” Laughing, she pulls my hair. “Am I right, people?”
Everyone agrees with her. Some shout, “Go home ugly skank.” While others say, “She is so dumb. Can’t she see everyone hates her?” I turn from them and walk down the hall. I can still hear them laughing. I walk into the ladies room, lock myself in the stall, and start to cry. Why does everyone treat me so awful? I will never understand what I did to deserve all of this. If there is a god, or a devil, or even a goddess, why are they making me suffer like this?
I hear someone walk into the bathroom. I hold my breath so they don’t suspect that I’m in here. Someone enters the stall next to me, and a few minutes later someone dumps hot coffee on me. It burns, so bad I want to scream or cry, but I don’t want to give her the satisfaction.
“Didn’t see that one coming, did you?”
I can tell by the tone of voice that it’s Kelsey and her faithful followers, Macy and Hollie. They walk out, laughing out loud, and I start to cry harder and harder. I pull out my razor blade that I keep in my back pocket and roll my sleeve up. The blade kisses my skin as it slices my arm, and the blood spills down and drips on the floor. I normally do not do this at school, but I needed to. To feel something; to forget that I am getting bullied every day and no one cares. They just stand around and watch. Why are people so mean? I will never understand this. Maybe I will kill myself at the homecoming game, so everyone can clap and cheer that “Cordelia is dead!” Then they can find another poor soul to torture.
I pull out my sketchpad and sit there on that toilet, drawing. This is the only thing that makes me happy; the only thing I have to escape from the harsh days a
nd nights of my life. I start to draw an angel. I decided it will be an angel that has fallen from grace, and that feels the same way I do; sad and alone, a tortured soul, maybe even broken. He has a gorgeous face, with blue eyes, a beautiful nose, and full, kissable lips. His face looks sad, as if he lost someone special. His hair is midnight black, he has abs that I want to feel, and nice muscular arms and legs. I decide to make him shirtless with a pair of navy blue shorts. I would make his wings black and blue; like the color of my bruises. I don’t know how long I was sitting there drawing when the bell rang. I look at my watch, glad it did not get messed up from the coffee. It was 2:42: already time to go home. I sit there for an extra 30 minutes, because I really don’t want to run into anyone. If I did I would have to explain why I wasn’t in any classes today and why I smelled so bad.
I gather up all of my things, and open the bathroom door quietly. I start out of the bathroom when I see the gym teacher. Since there is nowhere to hide and no way to avoid her, I wait for the inevitable question. “Cordelia, why are you hiding in the bathroom? I didn’t see you in gym today. Are you alright, my dear?”
I had to lie to her, but secretly I knew she was concerned. “Ma’am, I wasn’t feeling well. I missed lunch, so I’m just going to head home to eat. Thank you,” I told her.
She motions me to come with her and leads me to her office. She grabs some power bars and hands me one. “Here you go, sweetheart. Eat this on your way home so you don’t pass out, and I will see you in class tomorrow.”
“Thank you.” I turn to walk out, pausing so I could miss the cheerleaders heading to practice. I was in the clear, so I took off running. I don’t stop until I reach the end of my street. I wasn’t ready to go home. I take the path into the woods, hoping my father doesn’t see me. I notice a doe eating flowers about 20 feet from me.
“I wish I could be like you, running free through the woods. Until someone wants to kill you for dinner. How sad. I wish someone would take my life.” The deer looked at me with what seems like a slight sadness in her eyes. Like the doe knew how I felt. She hears something and takes off. I started to walk toward the creek. All I want to do is sit on the old tree that fell years ago when the hurricane came through. I love being out here; the smell makes me feel like I am in a faraway land. The beauty of it is breath taking. The birds fly through the sky as the rabbits play in the grass. I almost envy them for having fun while I sit here with nothing. I decide to sit on the ground and lean up against the tree. As the afternoon sun beats down on my skin, my eyes slip closed, and I welcome the darkness that overcomes me; temporarily escaping from the pain of life.
Cameron
I stand there watching her fall asleep. My heart is so sad and heavy for this girl. If she only knew the truth about herself, maybe it would open her eyes. However, the stupid promise my sister, Kaleigh, and I made to the Old Ones prevents us to say anything; we are just here to help her. If we do tell her the truth, we could face terrible consequences. I walk over to her. She is still fast asleep, and she doesn’t stir as I grow closer.
I look down at this beautiful, broken girl, and all I want to do is save her from her own darkness. She has beautiful, long, black hair. The poor girl smelled like coffee from the incident I watched happen earlier that day. I wanted to stop it so bad, but I wasn’t allowed, and that infuriated me. Why can’t I just take her away from this horrible place? I just want to take her to my home country of Ithaca. She would love it there. The water is clear, and she can swim in it. Stay in the castle, which has 103 rooms and 34 bathrooms. Have friends that are just like her. I kneel down to touch her face, to make her feel wanted and cared for.
My sister, Kaleigh, walks from the shadows as my hand comes within inches of her cheek. “Cameron, don’t; you are not to fall in love with her. Not now, not ever. We are here to protect and watch over her. We can’t get close to Cordelia.”
“I know, but it’s so hard to know that she will go back to that bastard’s house tonight and get beaten. I feel like I can stop it, and stop all those bitches at her school. They poured hot coffee on her today. Why, would they do this to her? She is so innocent and perfect.”
“Cameron, listen, I know this is hard for you, but please; we don’t want to upset the Old Ones again. They can get evil. I have seen what they can do and it’s not pretty. You remember Alec?”
“He was an ass, Kaleigh. I have heard the rumors of his death; I’m not dumb like him.”
“Well, he fell in love with his charge, and they fornicated their relationship. You know that’s against the scroll we had signed. We are to never love or have sex with anyone.”
I laugh at the thought of the ridiculous rules we had to agree to as I turn to my sister. “You know, I wish I never had to live like this, having my life dictated by the Old Ones. I will listen this time, but I will not let this girl go through much more. Do you know that she cuts herself, so she can take her mind off the world?”
“Yes, I know. I do watch her as well. Listen, we need to go back to our cabin and rest so we can keep an eye on her tomorrow.”
“You go; I will wait until she wakes up.”
“Okay Cam,” Kaleigh said as she comes over to me and wraps her small arms around my waist. “I love you. You are my brother, no matter what. Be safe and don’t get close. It will only end badly for you both, and I don’t want to lose you.”
I wrap my arms around her body and held her tight for a moment before she disappeared into the shadows. I lean against the tree and think about everything. Our parents broke the Law of the Coven. I don’t even know what they did. I just know it was bad enough that The Old Ones murdered them in front of us. My sister and I had to pay the price, even though we have no idea what happened.
Kaleigh is older than I am, as I am only 18 years old. Even so, this is our second charge. The first one ended badly, because she ended up killing herself by drinking poison. We didn’t make it in time to save her. I was so heartbroken over Anna. I thought I helped her. I will not let that happen to Cordelia. I will get my wings cut off and bleed to death before I let Cordelia die. She starts to move and I dart behind the tree. I watch as she stands and grabs her things and starts to head back to her house. As she walks away, I notice that she is talking to herself.
I smile as I watch her. “Don’t worry, Cordelia, I will save you,” I whisper. “I will not let this pain you are experiencing go on any further.”
With that, I start to walk toward the cabin. The cabin is a great place for us to stay, and is only about 5 minutes from Cordelia. My sister and I rented it from an old couple. The couple adores Kaleigh. I mean, who doesn’t? My sister has a heart of gold. She ran into the Browns when we first came into town. She overheard them talking about renting out their cabin. Kaleigh used her charms to get us the place. I really think the old couple is scared of me. They rarely talk to me when they see us and they don’t see us much. The cabin came furnished and Kaleigh got us a good deal; the couple told us since I am here to finish High School we didn’t have to pay. I wonder if Kaleigh has the power to control minds, because I don’t think many people would let someone stay rent free. The cabin is a decent size with three bedroom and two bathrooms. I really do enjoy staying here. But the reason why I do isn’t because of the house; it’s because of Cordelia.
Chapter Two
Cordelia
I was running away from the horror that was behind me. I have no idea where I was or what I was doing here. All I could here was screams. Loud screams; people crying out for help. I looked behind me to see the village was engulfed in flames. The houses burned; people were trapped. I wanted to help them, but I could not; I was too afraid. Babies cried out for their mothers. This place looked different, like nothing I’ve seen before. In the distance I saw a castle on a hill, but something about it looked creepy, almost evil. Clouds circled around the top of it. It looked like crows were flying around it as well. It looked as if it was its own city up there. Then sounds of people running toward me snapp
ed me back to attention.
I hid behind a tree as two men ran by. “She ran that way!” one of them yelled. She caused this; she is the reason our city burns to the ground. GET HER.” I think they mean me. Oh great, what did I do?
“Kill her! She’s a half breed, and her father is a traitor. I said, kill that bitch.” I finally see who was yelling, Oh, she was beautiful. Long black hair, grey eyes. Something about her was familiar. She walked up to me and grabbed my arm.
“Cordelia, you will find out the real truth soon, and I will tell you this- you will hate it and hate me. You have to do me a favor; end your life before things get out of hand. You do not want to continue on after the truth is out.” I tried to break free from her grip. Her nails were digging into my skin. I let out a scream.
“Someone please help me.”
I wake up, wondering what that was all about. I look around, noticing I am still in the woods. It’s getting dark. Great, I think, I will pay for this. I grab my bag and start walking to the house. As I’m walking, I think I hear something. I turn around, and I would swear on my life that I see black and blue wings. Great, now I am going insane.
As I come to the house, I sigh. I had better go in so I can get my back beaten by the devil known as my drunken father. As I walk into the house, someone grabs me hard and yanks me. All of a sudden, my father’s belt cracks against my back. I scream and tears fall done my face. This is much worse than any other day. I have flashes of black and blue wings, and I just want to go to them. I want to be safe. My back feels like it is on fire. He strikes me again. I fall to the ground, whimpering.
“You listen here; you are to come straight home after school. If I find out you are in the woods again, you will regret it. You hear me, Cordelia Rose?”
“Yes, sir. I am sorry; I just wanted to see the flowers.”