'Four years and seven months.' the numbers rolled through her mind as she
sat on a wooden chair next to her only freedom. The glass of the window
was cracked; making the image of the outside world unclear.but to her,
everything was unclear anyway. That was the only way she saw the world
now.through broken shards. 'Somehow.the days of my adventure now seem eons
away, only a story.'
"Tifa!" a gruff voice echoed through out the house and pierced her ears. Fear overwhelmed her soul as she heard the loud thumping of footsteps go from one room into the next. She didn't want to say a word, and all she wanted to do was hide or run, as far as she could and fast as she could. But, she knew what would happen.it was the same routine every night. He would find her, take her in his arms, the smell of liquor heavy on his breath. He would then touch her softly on all her sensitive areas, trying to arouse her. His words would be soft and soothing at first, but every time she would try to push him off, he would come back to her, more forceful each time.
This would continue on, until he would finally beat her to submission, and then finally get what he wanted. He would literally beat her every night until he got her into bed so he could please his sexual desires. She knew what he was doing to her was considered sexual abuse and rape.but she never called the police, for the truth was, Johnny had friends in high places, and that would lead to an arrest on him backfiring onto her.
One would have expected of her to use her strength against him, but she had no use for her martial art skills any more, and so her body weakened to the point that it would only allow her to do her every day chores. This was an advantage to Johnny, for he never had to worry about her frail body fighting back, thus letting him do what he wanted when he pleased it.
"Tifa," his voice rang out through the house again, this time a little bit quieter to sound more appealing. "Come on girl, don't be shy. I won't hurt you."
'Bull shit.' she cursed in her head as she looked towards the doorway, just waiting for him to enter the dining area. Her body trembled as the thought of him grabbing onto her arm and pulling her down onto the bed filled her mind. His body pulsating on her, ignoring her screams of anguish and pain as he would only continue on longer and harder.
She would try to fight back, but only to find a handhold her limbs down. And when she would scream, she would find her voice muffled by the palm of his thick hand.
There would be nothing she could do, except fight it as long as she could, and live another day for only one person. Her son.
"Tifa," she heard him call her name again. The soothing sound was gone, and he returned to his old drunken voice once again. She winced as she heard the familiarity of him, for he sounded no different from when they were children.
"Tifa, God damn it! Answer when you're called!" he yelled, and pounded through the house. The yelling progressively got louder as he cursed through the halls and he eventually made his way to the doorway to where Tifa was sitting.
"Good evening Johnny," she spoke in a monotone voice, her eyes lowered and her gaze on nothing in particular. Johnny on the other hand had a fire burning in his eyes, a fire of rage from the alcohol that he had ingested.
"Mother fucker. What did I tell you about not coming when called?" Johnny yelled while charging towards Tifa. He took a hold on her loose T- shirt, and raised her off the chair to his eye level. She tried to turn her head away for the stench of liquor was strong, and it was burning her nostrils.
"Fucking bitch," he insulted and slapped her across the face. Her head turned, and she did not even bother to look in his direction. She knew that would trigger him to only beat her more, but she didn't care anymore. Johnny could tell that she seemed to be almost immune to his abuse, so he dropped her on the kitchen floor. There was a loud thump on the floor from her dropping, and it echoed through the house stirring up another soul.
"Mommy?" a young child's voice called for his protection. The voice belonged to a young boy, around the age of four. He appeared in the hall with a teddy bear in one arm and a blanket dragging from the other. His eyes were watery as he clenched onto his protection blanket with all his life.
"Zell, go to bed," Tifa ordered in a weak voice. Johnny on the other hand only scoffed at seeing the boy in the doorway. He never liked his son, for he didn't achieve any of the qualities of him. Instead of having the flaming red hair he had a golden blonde, and instead of emerald green eyes he had an electric blue.
"Fuck this. I'll be back in the morning," Johnny explained and grabbed hold of a chair. Of course he was leaving, but not without a little bit of satisfaction. He took the chair in one hand and flung it at Tifa who didn't even have time to duck the blow. The chair legs rammed into her side, knocking her over onto the kitchen floor. She slipped in and out of consciousness for only a few seconds before she was able to fully comprehend the situation. The last thing she heard was the door slamming.
"Mommy!" Zell cried and ran over to her aid. He stood above her and looked as her lip bleed onto the tiled floor. She didn't reply, and rather just sat while trying to get her mind focused.
'I've had enough of this. I can't live.like this.' she thought as her eyes darted from the floor up to her son. 'Those eyes.Cloud.' That was the only person her mind could think of at the moment, and in truth, that was the only person she wanted.
Every time she looked at her son, all she could think of was Cloud, and for good reason. In reality, Zell was not Johnny's son, but actually Cloud's. At first it would sound peculiar, but the night before they had gone in the crater was one for both of them to remember. Sadly, Cloud had claimed that it never happened and he must have been drunk or some other ridiculous excuse.
But the timing on the whole idea was perfect. She had only been dating Johnny 7 months before Zell was born, and she just convinced him that it was premature, and he reluctantly believed her. That didn't matter now though, for she knew that Zell would probably never meet his real father, and in a way, she thought that it might be for the best.
"Zell," she spoke her son's name as she cautiously pried herself up off the floor. "Go into my room and get that little device that looks like a phone."
Zell obeyed and ran off quickly in the other room to fetch his mother's wishes. He returned moments later and handed her the little device. She took the phone looking machine and looked at the familiar dials.
'My old PHS,' she thought as she gave a weak smile while looking at it. 'I pray you guys still use it.'
There was only one person that she could count on to get her out of this situation, and she took in a deep breathe as she dialed the numbers for that burly man. After successfully dialing the numbers, she held it up to her ear and listened to it ring, hoping for an answer.
On the other end of the line, a large man was sleeping soundly while the familiar ringing was going on. Luckily for Tifa, Barret was never a heavy sleeper and he heard the ring after the third time it called. Finding it hard to believe that somebody was actually using it, he sat up from his bed and turned on his the light that was conveniently on his nightstand. He then reached over for the PHS that was sitting at the corner of the nightstand.
"Who the fuck is this?" he answered, expecting to hear Yuffie's giggling on the other line. There was a moment of silence, making Barret barrage on. "Yuffie, if this is your idea of a joke, I'll teach you what a real damn joke is."
"No Barret, this isn't a joke," Tifa spoke softly, her voice seemed to be drifting.
"Tifa?" he asked in disbelief. "Holy fucking God, I don't believe it. I haven't heard from you since the night you ran off."
"I know.and there's a long story to go with that. But I don't have time for that right now. Barret, I need help. You have to get somebody over here and get me out of this Hell hole."
"Where are ya?" Barret asked, now standing and proceeding to place some clothes on.
"I'm in Nibelheim," she gave a sigh. She knew who she would need, but she was afraid to ask. "Barret, can you get Cid here. He's the only one that can reach me fast enough, and I'm afraid to call. He won't take me seriously."
"Right away."
"Thank you so much," were her last words as she clicked the off button onto her PHS. With a sigh of relief, she looked over at Zell who was fumbling with his blanket and bear. Tifa smiled, knowing that he could perhaps finally get a better life, and a better home.
Author's Note: Yay, I finally found time to put chapter 2 up. Well, actually the first chapter seems to be more of a prologue, but that's okay. The chapters are real short, but that's okay I suppose. I don't really know if they'll ever really get longer, but I already know that there are going to be quite a few chapters. Hope you guys are enjoying it so far, and stay tuned for the next chapter.
Disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters. I'm not that smart.
"Tifa!" a gruff voice echoed through out the house and pierced her ears. Fear overwhelmed her soul as she heard the loud thumping of footsteps go from one room into the next. She didn't want to say a word, and all she wanted to do was hide or run, as far as she could and fast as she could. But, she knew what would happen.it was the same routine every night. He would find her, take her in his arms, the smell of liquor heavy on his breath. He would then touch her softly on all her sensitive areas, trying to arouse her. His words would be soft and soothing at first, but every time she would try to push him off, he would come back to her, more forceful each time.
This would continue on, until he would finally beat her to submission, and then finally get what he wanted. He would literally beat her every night until he got her into bed so he could please his sexual desires. She knew what he was doing to her was considered sexual abuse and rape.but she never called the police, for the truth was, Johnny had friends in high places, and that would lead to an arrest on him backfiring onto her.
One would have expected of her to use her strength against him, but she had no use for her martial art skills any more, and so her body weakened to the point that it would only allow her to do her every day chores. This was an advantage to Johnny, for he never had to worry about her frail body fighting back, thus letting him do what he wanted when he pleased it.
"Tifa," his voice rang out through the house again, this time a little bit quieter to sound more appealing. "Come on girl, don't be shy. I won't hurt you."
'Bull shit.' she cursed in her head as she looked towards the doorway, just waiting for him to enter the dining area. Her body trembled as the thought of him grabbing onto her arm and pulling her down onto the bed filled her mind. His body pulsating on her, ignoring her screams of anguish and pain as he would only continue on longer and harder.
She would try to fight back, but only to find a handhold her limbs down. And when she would scream, she would find her voice muffled by the palm of his thick hand.
There would be nothing she could do, except fight it as long as she could, and live another day for only one person. Her son.
"Tifa," she heard him call her name again. The soothing sound was gone, and he returned to his old drunken voice once again. She winced as she heard the familiarity of him, for he sounded no different from when they were children.
"Tifa, God damn it! Answer when you're called!" he yelled, and pounded through the house. The yelling progressively got louder as he cursed through the halls and he eventually made his way to the doorway to where Tifa was sitting.
"Good evening Johnny," she spoke in a monotone voice, her eyes lowered and her gaze on nothing in particular. Johnny on the other hand had a fire burning in his eyes, a fire of rage from the alcohol that he had ingested.
"Mother fucker. What did I tell you about not coming when called?" Johnny yelled while charging towards Tifa. He took a hold on her loose T- shirt, and raised her off the chair to his eye level. She tried to turn her head away for the stench of liquor was strong, and it was burning her nostrils.
"Fucking bitch," he insulted and slapped her across the face. Her head turned, and she did not even bother to look in his direction. She knew that would trigger him to only beat her more, but she didn't care anymore. Johnny could tell that she seemed to be almost immune to his abuse, so he dropped her on the kitchen floor. There was a loud thump on the floor from her dropping, and it echoed through the house stirring up another soul.
"Mommy?" a young child's voice called for his protection. The voice belonged to a young boy, around the age of four. He appeared in the hall with a teddy bear in one arm and a blanket dragging from the other. His eyes were watery as he clenched onto his protection blanket with all his life.
"Zell, go to bed," Tifa ordered in a weak voice. Johnny on the other hand only scoffed at seeing the boy in the doorway. He never liked his son, for he didn't achieve any of the qualities of him. Instead of having the flaming red hair he had a golden blonde, and instead of emerald green eyes he had an electric blue.
"Fuck this. I'll be back in the morning," Johnny explained and grabbed hold of a chair. Of course he was leaving, but not without a little bit of satisfaction. He took the chair in one hand and flung it at Tifa who didn't even have time to duck the blow. The chair legs rammed into her side, knocking her over onto the kitchen floor. She slipped in and out of consciousness for only a few seconds before she was able to fully comprehend the situation. The last thing she heard was the door slamming.
"Mommy!" Zell cried and ran over to her aid. He stood above her and looked as her lip bleed onto the tiled floor. She didn't reply, and rather just sat while trying to get her mind focused.
'I've had enough of this. I can't live.like this.' she thought as her eyes darted from the floor up to her son. 'Those eyes.Cloud.' That was the only person her mind could think of at the moment, and in truth, that was the only person she wanted.
Every time she looked at her son, all she could think of was Cloud, and for good reason. In reality, Zell was not Johnny's son, but actually Cloud's. At first it would sound peculiar, but the night before they had gone in the crater was one for both of them to remember. Sadly, Cloud had claimed that it never happened and he must have been drunk or some other ridiculous excuse.
But the timing on the whole idea was perfect. She had only been dating Johnny 7 months before Zell was born, and she just convinced him that it was premature, and he reluctantly believed her. That didn't matter now though, for she knew that Zell would probably never meet his real father, and in a way, she thought that it might be for the best.
"Zell," she spoke her son's name as she cautiously pried herself up off the floor. "Go into my room and get that little device that looks like a phone."
Zell obeyed and ran off quickly in the other room to fetch his mother's wishes. He returned moments later and handed her the little device. She took the phone looking machine and looked at the familiar dials.
'My old PHS,' she thought as she gave a weak smile while looking at it. 'I pray you guys still use it.'
There was only one person that she could count on to get her out of this situation, and she took in a deep breathe as she dialed the numbers for that burly man. After successfully dialing the numbers, she held it up to her ear and listened to it ring, hoping for an answer.
On the other end of the line, a large man was sleeping soundly while the familiar ringing was going on. Luckily for Tifa, Barret was never a heavy sleeper and he heard the ring after the third time it called. Finding it hard to believe that somebody was actually using it, he sat up from his bed and turned on his the light that was conveniently on his nightstand. He then reached over for the PHS that was sitting at the corner of the nightstand.
"Who the fuck is this?" he answered, expecting to hear Yuffie's giggling on the other line. There was a moment of silence, making Barret barrage on. "Yuffie, if this is your idea of a joke, I'll teach you what a real damn joke is."
"No Barret, this isn't a joke," Tifa spoke softly, her voice seemed to be drifting.
"Tifa?" he asked in disbelief. "Holy fucking God, I don't believe it. I haven't heard from you since the night you ran off."
"I know.and there's a long story to go with that. But I don't have time for that right now. Barret, I need help. You have to get somebody over here and get me out of this Hell hole."
"Where are ya?" Barret asked, now standing and proceeding to place some clothes on.
"I'm in Nibelheim," she gave a sigh. She knew who she would need, but she was afraid to ask. "Barret, can you get Cid here. He's the only one that can reach me fast enough, and I'm afraid to call. He won't take me seriously."
"Right away."
"Thank you so much," were her last words as she clicked the off button onto her PHS. With a sigh of relief, she looked over at Zell who was fumbling with his blanket and bear. Tifa smiled, knowing that he could perhaps finally get a better life, and a better home.
Author's Note: Yay, I finally found time to put chapter 2 up. Well, actually the first chapter seems to be more of a prologue, but that's okay. The chapters are real short, but that's okay I suppose. I don't really know if they'll ever really get longer, but I already know that there are going to be quite a few chapters. Hope you guys are enjoying it so far, and stay tuned for the next chapter.
Disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters. I'm not that smart.