Third person p.o.v.
"Now, I have been told that you haven't slept for 4 days straight. Can you explain this to me, Miss Reisert?" The woman adjusted the glasses across the bridge of her nose as she waited for an answer. Her entire presence gave off authority. The way her painted red nails were perfectly shaped, how her long legs were crossed together and the look that gave nothing away. She was definitely all about getting to the bottom of situations and held no interest in anything other than when her next paycheque came in the mail. "Okay, let's try something else, why did you refuse your meal yesterday?"
Lisa looked a mess. She flinched at sudden movement, hadn't washed in days and screamed whenever she closed her eyes. Her hair was droopy and her pupils were unfocused. Dark purple circles were slowly becoming more visible around her eyes. "She's going to die this time, isn't she?"
"We aren't talking about your sister right now; I'm more interested in this sudden turn of events in regards to your health."
"You're here to assess me, aren't you? They think I'm going crazy from guilt."
"Guilt? Why would you say that?" The woman scribbled something on her pad but kept her eyes on the patient.
"I failed to save her. This is all my fault."
"Is this why you haven't eaten? You are punishing yourself?"
"She's hurting... She's hurting and I can't comfort her." Finally emotion showed itself on the psychiatrist's face. She unfolded her legs and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Perhaps she is old enough to comfort herself? Perhaps she's fighting to stay alive so that she can be reunited with you and your father? She wouldn't want to see you like this, would she?"
"He's going to kill her, I know it." Tears filled Lisa's eyes as she gripped the bed sheet.
"You can't know that, Lisa. Rippner hasn't been heard from in weeks but I'm sure he'd parade your sister around if he'd harmed her." With a choked sob Lisa reached under her pillow and held out an envelope. The doctor took it and opened it without a care. Shock filled her features before her mask was once again back in place. "Why haven't you shown these to the police?"
"They can't do anything with those; they were just for me."
"Lisa, you can't go through this on your own. You need help."
"You mean, I need to be sedated up to my eyeballs so that I no longer cause problems for the hospital?" Her chin wobbled as she caught sight of the pictures.
"I never said that-"
"You don't have to! I know that you all think that I'm crazy but I'm not! Why should I be comfortable when my sister has been taken by a murdering maniac?! She should be the one getting help and I should be the one that is in pain! I should be the one that is suffering!" Lisa ripped off the sheets and pulled out her IV before standing. "She never did anything! I was the one that foiled his plans so why isn't he hurting me?!"
"He is, Lisa. Can't you see that? This is what he wants. He is harming you by hurting her." The doctor kept her cool and began to back away so that she could catch sight of security through the window.
"No! This isn't right. I should be the one that is trapped! I shouldn't be here! I need to find her." Shaking hands gripped the doctor's shirt. "I can't stay here!" As the doctor was pushed back security caught a glimpse of the situation. Within seconds Lisa was pinned to the bed whilst a needle was inserted into her arm. "No… I need to go… I need to… go…" Her body went limp as the sedative took effect. The blonde woman fixed her shirt and wiped some spit from her face.
"What do you think?" A man in a white coat stood next to her.
"She needs to be sedated for now, let her calm down, Henry. Then once she awakes keep a minor sedative nearby and try to have her bathed and fed. She is feeling extreme guilt and stress so some more talking sessions will benefit her and I would have security outside her room. I don't think she will try to take her life but she is at risk of harming herself or others. Miss Reisert isn't thinking clearly at this point so be wary around her. She thinks that everyone is against her.
She is no longer in her right mind."
Amanda's p.o.v.
"Now, stop fidgeting or you will harm yourself." The rope chafed on the skin of my wrists as I wriggled to get free. "Stop." The blade under my chin made me freeze in place. The sting of a wound on my arm reminded me how sharp this knife was. Jackson disappeared behind the chair and began to fiddle with something. The tape across my mouth stopped me from screaming at him. The ringing of a phone caught my attention. He returned to sit in front of me with a phone in his hand.
"H-h-hello?" A drowsy voice caught my attention. Lisa? She didn't sound… normal.
"Hey Leese, I'm glad that my boys managed to get the phone to you. It seems I underestimated their competence."
"Jack…" Her voice was almost a whine.
'Lisa!' The tape muted my shout and tears began to build up in my eyes. The salty water caused a cut under my eye to throb in pain.
"Tell me, did you get those pictures I sent you? What am I thinking? Of course you did."
"Wh-where's 'manda?"
"She's right here. It's a pity that she can't speak right now but don't worry, she's still in one piece."
"T-tal-"
"Are you okay, Leese? You don't sound…" A sadistic grin spread on his face. "...all there." He knew something. The glee in his eyes literally screamed at me. Nothing but a tired groan came from the phone. "Oh, that's right. They've placed you under sedation (!)" What? My blood froze under my skin as I looked at him in confusion. "You see, Mandy, they think that Lisa is a bit crazy." He added a hand motion to twist the knife even further. "Anyway, Lisa, I want you to keep this little act going because it just makes it even easier for me to torment your darling little sister. Sorry to make this conversation short but I need to go. Mandy and I need to carry on our little chat. Goodnight, Leese." I stared at him in hatred as he clicked the phone shut. A satisfied smirk was sent my way as he threw the phone behind me and took out some paper from his pocket. I immediately noticed the familiar hospital signature at the top of them.
'No!' I thrashed about in the chair as he open them up and showed me the details.
"And I quote, it is in my professional opinion that Miss Amanda Reisert would benefit from 2 weeks in our psychiatric centre. I believe that she is need of some deep psychological therapy to try and stop these self-harming acts. Now, Mandy, that sounds bad, doesn't it? Hmm?" I didn't reply. I had that letter engraved into my brain. It was my wake-up call, I suppose you could say. Those 2 weeks were hell. It was like being in a prison. "Tell me, did you enjoy your stay? Was it a fun little holiday?" The mirth in his tone made my blood boil. "Okay, next one." The paper fell to the floor as he took another from his pocket.
"Local woman, Miss Karli Hansen, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her daughter came home to find her mother's house on fire but it was sadly too la-"
'STOP IT!'
"12 months after the terrible Hansen fire, police have exhausted all leads-"
'STOP!'
"Unfortunately, it seems that whoever caused the fire has gotten away with their crimes. No doubt Miss Reisert is still struggling through this terrible situation, proof coming from the countless times she has been held in hospital for self-made injuries."
'Jackson… Please…' I felt exhausted. The tears had stopped flowing but my head was still spinning from memories of the past.
"You're so weak, Mandy. So worthless."
'Stop…'
"Look at yourself! I've never seen someone look so broken and torn… It's quite beautiful really." I couldn't reply, I didn't have the strength to continue this battle. "My poor Mandy…" My brain didn't register the ropes being cut or the tape being removed from my mouth. "Wait here." Finally, he'd left. The peace didn't last long as he soon returned with something that scared me more than the hospital reports. "A gift from yours truly. Enjoy!" He seemed to have a skip in his step as he left the room, leaving me with one of my oldest enemies. An enemy that I'd had even before my mother's murder.
"I don't need you." I slid from the chair and pushed myself against the side of my bed, staring at the object of my nightmares. My fingers pulled at the material of my jeans as I began to shake my head. "Don't. Need. It." The clear glass glistened as the sun hit it and a bead of condensation teased me as it slid down the side of the bottle. I could feel my mouth salivate at the sight of it. The bottle was full, the seal unopened.
Just for me
Third Person p.o.v.
Jackson made his way to her room with a sly smile. He knew that she wouldn't be able to say no, not after the emotional and mental abuse she'd been going to as of late. He stopped outside of the door and pressed his ear against it.
Silence.
She'd have been making some kind of noise if she'd been able to; he knew that she enjoyed annoying him with noise. The door made no sound as he pushed it open. Just as he thought, she'd taken the bait. The bottle was half-empty and spilling out onto the floor as it was held in a lazy grip. Her hand fell from the side of the bed whilst the rest of her stretched out over the covers. She was barely conscious, hazy eyes tried to make sense of his figure as he walked closer to the bed. A small whine left her throat as he removed the bottle from her fingers and placed it on the bedside table.
"I… hate… you…"
The words were slurred but loud enough for him to hear. The statement lacked conviction as she dozed between sleep and awareness.
"I know…" He sat next to her and smirked as she tried to hit him but only succeeded in making herself dizzy. Her head now hung over the side of the bed and one hand tried to push her up, but she failed as her strength waned. "Come on then." With what almost seemed like care, Jackson hooked his hands under her stomach and sat her up so that her back rested against his chest. "Better?"
"Fuck… you… You did this to me."
"I did, and you let me."
"No…"
"Yes." His voice was like a snake's hiss as it hit her ears.
"Let me go… please…" As she flailed in his grasp her shirt rode up and his hands came into contact with her warm flesh. His fingers danced over her stomach and traced over the band of her bra. Jackson wasn't one to take advantage of a woman but his body couldn't help but react to the feeling of her supple skin. The small sounds coming from Amanda did nothing to help him keep control. "Please…" She was so vulnerable, so breakable in this moment.
He loved it.
"Sssshhh…" He laid her back on the bed and watched as her top moved with her. The bottom of her bra could be seen, he took note of how the bright blue stood out against her tan skin. He placed a hand on her stomach and watched as the muscles tensed under his touch.
"Jacks-"
"Quiet." He muttered and continued to explore the exposed skin. Goosebumps formed as he trailed a finger down the inside of her forearm. The shirt moved once more before he decided to take it off. She squirmed as he lifted her up, took off the shirt and let her drop back down to the mattress. Amanda made no effort to cover herself as her alcohol addled brain took over her senses. "That's better." Jackson carefully sat up on the bed and unlaced her shoes. They made a dull thud as he threw them across the room. The noise made the drunken girl jump before she calmed herself again. The warm air moved over her body as Jackson slowly pulled her socks from her feet. More unmarred skin; it seemed like God knew what he was doing when he made Amanda. It's a pity that fate got in the way and decided to ruin the girl.
"Hush…" Another quiet request as he pulled her jeans down her legs. He noted that she had a rather shapeless body for a girl of her age, she was of slim build and her hips barely stood out against her body. Some scars stood out on her skin but he thought that they made her even more unique. "Quiet." Jackson snapped as she began to make another noise.
"Let me go…"
"No."
"Get off me…"
"Do you really want me to? This is the closest you've been to someone in months." He carried on his emotional torture whilst undoing his shirt and kicking off his shoes. "Don't you want to feel wanted? I could make that happen."
"Wanted?" She slurred.
"Yes, I could make you feel great, if only for a few moments."
"I don't want… you to make me feel… anything…" She struggled to form a sentence as the alcohol buzzed in her system.
"Too late, I already am making you feel, aren't I?" She didn't reply and seemed to doze off. "Aren't I?" He slapped her cheek and dug his nails into her thigh.
"Yes!" She yelped. His nails left half-moon shapes in her skin as he pulled backwards to undo his belt.
"So, lay down and shut up! You'll enjoy this, even if you don't want it."
AN:
I'm alive!
So sorry about the delays between chapters but I've had quite a few issues to deal with and until I get myself sorted out, or at least get some kind of way of management underway, I don't feel happy with anything I write and all my ideas just don't flow.
Therefore, I'm not completely happy with this chapter but it's the best I can manage at the moment.
Hope you all understand and I will try to update all of my stories by the end of next month.
I won't say expect updates once a month or so but I will say that I aiming for this. So just sit tight and I'll try to update as regular as possible!
Mikki xx
A special 'treat' for you all! I've put together a mini-playlist of all the songs that I've been inspired by or listened to while writing this story so check it out and see what you think! I'll put small notes together on which songs I specifically used for this chapter.
I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamin
Falling Apart by Zebrahead
Going Under by Evanescence
Running Up That Hill by Track and Field
The Bird and The Worm by The Used
Help I'm Alive by Metric
The Ghost of You by My Chemical Romance
Daddy by Emeli Sande (Chapter 4)
Somebody Help Me by Full Blown Rose (Chapter 4)