Warnings: Child abuse, abusive parents, minor drug use, and kidnapping.
Author's Note: Thanks for leaving such lovely (and motivational) reviews Kyla and hollyhalebnichorelloregelolove. Sorry for taking so long with this chapter...just been busy working on my other story.
Chapter Two
The past four years has been a mix of greatness and darkness for Nicky Nichols. Her friendship with Lorna is as strong as ever but the relationship between she and her mother is something that's merely absent. Marka spends the majority of her days at work and those that aren't spent there, she spends with her newfound 'love' Paolo. Nicky prefers to have the house to herself. When her mother is home, she forces all of her rage onto the adolescent daughter of hers—hitting and beating her until her arms and legs are covered in a layer of fresh bruising.
The sound of the living room door slamming shut has Nicky immediately tense up. She sits in the kitchen with a bowl of cereal and stops mid-crunch. Please ignore me, her mind silently screams. When she hears footsteps fading up the stairs, a rush of relief floods through her and she quickly finishes her food. To further escape her mother's wrath, she decides to head out of the house for the night—maybe see if she can stay at Lorna's house, a house that's become almost a second home to her.
It's only a five-minute walk from door-to-door, Nicky's come to realize in the numerous times she's gone to her best friend's house these past four years. She waits on the porch, after ringing the doorbell, and notices a familiar piece of clothing thrown over one of the rusty swings. One of Lorna's favorites, she knows; her eyebrows arch in curiosity. Why is it sitting out here in the midst of winter? She doesn't think that the short brunette would ever leave it out here.
The sound of the door rustling from the inside brings Nicky out of her thoughts. Yelling and faint sniffling rain her ears. The Morello's surely aren't afraid of neighbors—or friends—hearing their problematic family issues.
"Hey, Nicky," Lorna plasters a grin on her face when she opens the door to see her best friend's standing there. She walks outside, closing it, and grabs the other's hand. "Let's go walk around the city—it's so pretty this time a year, don't ya think?"
Big brown eyes ponder uneasily over her. Nicky senses the vague freight in the brunette's tone—as if she just walked out of a horrific crime scene or something. She follows suit, wrapping her arm gently around her friend's shoulder. "You okay, kid? Sounds like a screaming match was going on…everything okay?" Her fingertips brush lightly along Lorna's arm.
Smiling, Lorna nods and squeezes the taller girl's hand. "I'm fine. Just needed outta that house. Ya know how loud my family can be! That's how we Italians are, Nicky, it's natural. How are you? Has your mom come back from that ridiculously long business trip yet? You know you can always come stay with us when she's outta town…I don't want ya to be all alone in that big house! I mean what if some scary bad guy comes and tries to kill ya?!"
With a chuckle, the redhead shakes her head and gives a small kiss to the other's head. "Yeah, she just came back today…lucky me. At least she's back to ignoring me. Wouldn't wanna make her feel like she's got a daughter who needs her. Nah, I'm fine—I like havin' the house to myself. Don't worry, kid; I could fend for myself if someone breaks in," she answers with a smirk.
The two continue their walk down into the busy New York City—a mere twenty-minutes from the Morello house—making small talk throughout. A small coffee shop off the corner of the street catches Lorna's eye; she grabs Nicky's hand and yanks her inside the building. The overwhelming aroma of sugary goodness hits their noses immediately when they step inside.
"Smells like heaven in here, don't it Nicky?" The bubbly brunette squeals, cheerfully pulling her friend over to the counter to wait in line. Sure, she knows her parents won't be too fond of she's purchasing an expensive coffee—especially when money is tight—but she can't help the impulse.
Nicky chuckles and slightly rolls her eyes. "Smells like a heart attack waitin' to happen," she lightly jokes but follows behind her. Coffee is a favored drink, that's for sure, but all the sugar and cream make her want to gag. She prefers plain black coffee, and that's what she plans on ordering.
"Hey Nichols—the hell ya doin' here?" A familiar voice calls out from a table near the entrance.
The redhead quickly turns to see who's called her name. A sigh escapes when she sees it's Boo—a high school sophomore who's somehow befriended her after finding her scampering about in an alleyway at only ten-years-old. She slowly brings a hand up to wave at her, "Oh, uh, hi Boo. Just strollin' the city with my best friend…and wanted some coffee." It's not that she doesn't like the girl…she just knows she's into drugs and will encourage both Lorna and herself to try them out. Of course, drugs aren't a problem for her but the last thing she wants is to introduce such an innocent person like Lorna into a horribly nasty habit.
Boo looks at the girl beside her—a petite and slender brunette—and laughs. "The little Morello girl? I know her sister—what are ya doin' hanging around some Catholic good-doer, huh?"
"Shut up!" The wild-haired preteen lets out an irritated shout. Her brown orbs glare darkly across the room into Boo's. "She's been my best friend since third-grade, don't be talkin' shit bout' her. She's the sweetest friend anyone could ever ask for," Nicky curtly responds.
Looking over the menu, Lorna feels her cheeks heat up at Nicky's sticking up for her. A small smile makes it way to her face; she gives a grateful squeeze to the other's hand.
Shaking her head, the teenager chuckles while sipping on her beverage. She continues to stare at the pair of them. "Jesus, Nichols, it's a joke. Come over here and sit—the both of ya," she suggests with a smirk, motioning her hand towards the two empty chairs on the other side of the table.
After quickly ordering and receiving their coffees, the two adolescent tweens make their way over to her table—claiming the two seats opposite her. Nicky looks at the short brunette beside her and gestures her hand towards the older teen on the other side. "This is Boo—she's in high school and thinks she's all that," the redhead mutters with a smirk. Her eyes dart over to Boo, "This is my best friend, Lorna…who isn't just a good-doer Catholic."
Lorna nods in agreement. "Yeah, I've done some things that I should probably go to confession for. So, uh, there."
Both the older girls can't help but chuckle—Nicky good-naturedly and Boo teasingly. The black-haired teen smirks, crossing her arms over her chest and stares intently at the young Italian. "And what would that be? For not doing your homework once?"
"I always do my homework," the brunette covers her mouth when she realizes she's only proving the fact. She sighs and rolls her eyes.
Nicky pats her thigh under the table and glares heavily at the girl across from them. "Just stop it. Why does it matter anyway? I rather be friends with a nice girl like Lorna than some incompetent fool. What do ya want, Boo? Why did ya intrude on our evening?"
Reaching into her jean jacket's pocket, Boo takes out two newly bought packs of cigarettes. She holds one up to give to Nicky, "I picked these up at a gas station…thought ya might like a pack for yourself. What about little Lorna there—ya ever smoke a cig?" A laughing smirk sits on her face as she notices the wide eyes displayed on the brunette's.
Lorna gulps. She shakes her head and looks uneasily at the rectangular packages the two others hold. "Dad says smoking is the devil's act. They kill you," she nervously states, her eyes peering concerningly beside her at her best friend. "Please don't use em', Nicky…I don't want the devil to take you!"
"Kid, don't listen to your dad. These won't kill me…or make the devil take me. Don't worry bout' it," the redhead gently assures her, grabbing her hand and giving it a comforting squeeze.
Nodding her head, Boo opens her pack and gets out two cigarettes. She hands one in the youngest girl's direction, "The devil actually hates these things. Ya know, if ya have one it might just keep ya safe from him. Ya don't want the devil to devour your soul, yeah?"
Nicky shakes her head angrily, pushing Boo's hand away from her friend. Her eyes glare into the teen's with irritation. "Don't fuckin' manipulate her into doing something she doesn't wanna do, Boo. Jesus. You'll get her in trouble with her parents—ya really want that for her?" She throws out her question, ripping out a cigarette of her own.
"Whatever. I'm just yankin' her chains. I don't care if she doesn't want one…more for me," the older girl answers while getting her lighter out of her satchel and lighting up the cigarette. She hands it over to Nicky, so she can do the same.
Watching the two with arched eyebrows, Lorna takes a sip of her cappuccino. She looks at the cigarettes they hold between their fingers and wonders why so many people choose to smoke them. They don't look very appealing, she thinks. "What do they taste like?"
"Like sweet, sweet relief of every damn stress in the world," Boo lets out a smoky breath of air.
Shaking her head, Nicky looks intently at the brunette beside her and answers, "Bitter, bitter coffee…ya wouldn't like it, kid. Believe me, ya ain't missin' nothin'."
Lorna scrunches her nose in disgust. "Oh, ew, yeah I'd never wanna have one a those then. I like sugar in my coffee and lots of cream!"
With a chuckle, the redhead nods and wraps an arm around her shoulder. "Ya mean ya like a little bit a coffee in your creamy sugar," she adjusts her wording with a friendly smile on her face.
A few hours later, Lorna decides it's best she heads home before her parents send out a search party for her. She reluctantly tells Nicky goodbye—already longing for school tomorrow as she hates being trapped inside her room just to avoid her own father's wrath. Slowly, she trudges her way up the stairs of her porch and cautiously opens the house's door.
"Lorna, ya better get upstairs…dad's pissed! Come on, hurry, before he sees you," an overly concerned Franny shouts, getting up off her place on the couch and walking over to her adolescent sister.
The brunette rolls her eyes with a heavy sigh. "He's always so angry," she mutters sadly, but quickens her pace towards the stairway that sits to the right of the kitchen. She's nearly halfway up when her dad's voice yells out behind her. Immediately, panic takes over; she feels her body freeze in its place. Her heart pounds faster.
Franny quickly forces her the rest of the way up the stairs and pulls her down the hall into her room—locking the door behind them. She sits Lorna on her bed and takes a good look at her. "Where the fuck were ya? And why do ya smell like cigarettes? Ya know what mom and dad will do if they find out ya've been smoking," her tone stern with anger but her eyes filled with worry and concern as she frames her hands around the child's face.
"Nicky and I just went for a walk and ended up at a coffee shop. I didn't touch any cigarettes, I swear," the younger brunette scrunches her nose up at the thought of actually trying one. "After what Nicky said they taste like, I'd never wanna put one of those nasty things anywhere near my mouth. I swear, Fran! All I did was drink coffee."
"Nicky smokes? Are ya fucking kidding me? Ain't she only a year older than you? Great…just what ya need a friend who smokes and probably hangs around drug users. Lorna, ya better think real hard about your life here. Do you really wanna be friends with someone who's already down the path of drugs?"
Lorna frowns and turns away from her sister. "Stop it! Nicky's good. She's my best friend. So what if she uses cigarettes? They ain't that bad, Franny! Dad's lying."
Crossing her arms over her chest, the older girl shake her head. She forcefully turns her sister's face to stare at her. "She's twelve, Lorna, that's the fucking bad thing. Twelve-year-old's shouldn't be fucking walkin' round' the damn streets with one of them nasty things between their fingers. What's her mother doing letting her child smoke fucking cigarettes for?!"
That question triggers angry tears to well up in Lorna's brown eyes. She grabs one of the pillows on the back of the bed and tosses it harshly across the room. "Her mom don't care about her, Franny! She's always on stupid business trips and ignoring Nicky," she cries out, her eyes gazing down at the floor.
Hearing that makes Franny all but regret her words. A sigh escapes her. Now it all makes sense. She pulls the upset brunette into her arms for a soothing embrace and gives a motherly kiss to the top of her head. "Is there anyone else who lives with her? What about her dad?"
"I ain't ever met him. She never says anything about her dad or if she even has one…it ain't my business to ask," Lorna points out with a sniffle, nuzzling herself closer into her older sister's embrace. "Ya think mom would let her stay here when hers is away? I don't want Nicky to be all by herself in that big house…specially at night."
Exhaling out a deep breath, Franny shrugs. She stares down into her brown eyes. "I don't think that would be a smart idea, Lorn. Not with the way dad is. He'd try to abuse her the same way he does to us and I don't think that would be fair," she truthfully responds, brushing a hand softly through Lorna's short curls.
The brunette frowns. But then it hits her, "I can stay with her then when her mom's gone. That's good, ain't it? I could get away from dad and make sure no one breaks in her house and kills her." She nods enthusiastically with a bright smile.
Unfortunately, before Franny has a chance to respond, the door is kicked open and in comes their drunken and rage-driven father. His cold eyes glare darkly down into his youngest daughter's. "What's this I hear bout' ya just comin' home, huh? The fuck did ya go, Lorna? Ya better hope it was church or you're gonna find yourself in a lotta pain!" Mr. Morello grabs harshly onto her arm, yanking her up from the bed and dragging her down the hall to the bathroom.
Once in there, he throws her inside of the tub and rummages through the cabinet for a razor. The razor tightly in his hands, he walks back over to the terrified child and begins tracing it down her head—watching gleefully as clumps of hair fall onto the bottom of the tub. "This oughta teach ya never to disobey your father again. Ungrateful shit," he spits at her, continuing until there's nothing left on her head but a few bleeding cuts.
Nicky wakes up early the next morning to the feeling of her mother's rough pull on her legs. Mixtures of rage and fear pulse through her. She glares up into the woman's eyes. "Leave me alone, Marka," she grunts out before feeling her body clunk harshly against the wooden floor in front of her bed. The impact causes a jolt of pain to rush through her.
"Call me Marka one more time and see what the hell happens, little girl," the woman seethes, swinging her hand to smack gruffly against Nicky's slowly tearing face. "I'm so sick of this little attitude of yours, Nicole. Get your ass dressed and ready for school, now. You're already late as it is—meaning I'm late too. You little ungrateful child. You just love making my life hell, huh?" She goes over to Nicky's closet and throws clothes at her.
Slowly pushing herself into a standing position, Nicky rigorously massages her temples to rid herself of the pain. She picks up the scattered clothes and throws them back at her angry mother. "Fuck you. You're hardly ever here—you don't even care that I'm your daughter! Why the fuck should I address you as mom when ya don't act like one? If I make your life that bad why the fuck don't ya give me up for adoption? I'd be happy to get away from you," she cries out, sticking her middle finger up in her face before running out of the room.
Walking into her morning class—nearly a half-hour late—Nicky's ears perk up when she hears an exchange of hurtful words to a certain brunette sitting in the back of the room. Instinctively, she frisks her way to Lorna's side—her eyes glaring at the person picking on her. "Get away from her," she lowly growls, sliding a protective arm around the petite girl's waist.
Once the person's gone, Nicky focuses her eyes on Lorna. She notices the hat on her head and finds that odd. Concern overpowers her. "What's with the hat, kid? I don't think I've ever seen ya wear one before," her words cautiously spoke.
Lorna tries so hard to keep the pain from showing. She places a weak smile on her face, shrugging slightly. "Just, uh, figured I'd try a new fashion trend. What do ya think, Nicky?"
"I think something's seriously wrong here."
The brunette sighs. She shakes her head and turns away from the other.
Nicky grunts out a frustrated breath. She reaches over for Lorna's hand, pulling into her own, and holds it for the rest of the class. When the bell finally rings, and students start filing out, she grabs Lorna's head and gently turns it so that they're gazing at each other. "Talk. No one else is here. Tell me what happened. Why are ya wearing a hat, Lorna?"
"Can we not talk about it right now? I mean the day ain't even half-way over, Nicky…"
"Fuck this place," Nicky rolls her eyes and pulls the brunette up with her. She keeps her hand held tight in her own, leading her out of the classroom and down the hall to one of the back exits. "You and I—we need to have a talk, kid. There's obviously some real bad shit going on with both of us and we just, we need to talk about it. So what if we skip a day a school? It'll still be sitting here tomorrow."
The pair of them make their way to a secluded gas station—miles away from the school—and sit down on the grass far behind the minimart. Nicky sighs, taking Lorna's hand back into hers—her fingers brushing delicately against her knuckles. "What's the hat for, kid? Take it off for me," she tenderly commands.
"I can't," the younger girl timidly responds, hiding her face in her knees.
"Come on, kid, please. What happened?" Nicky gently lifts her face and gazes worriedly into her brown orbs. The anguish that tries to stay hidden is easily noticed by her. "What did your dad do this time?! He hurt ya, didn't he?" She softly places Lorna's head against her legs, rubbing her cheek soothingly with her thumb.
Lorna gulps. She focuses her eyes down on the dirt-road trying not to give into her friend's pleading. "Tell me why you always have bruises on your body, Nicky. You always refuse to talk to me when I question you but you never leave me the fuck alone about my problems! Why is my stupid stuff more important than yours, huh?"
With a calm breath, the redhead nods and drops a tender kiss atop her head. "I will, kid. I promise. But first I need to know what happened to you. So please take the hat off and let me have a look," she firmly informs the other, lifting her head so that their foreheads gently brush together and their eyes stare directly into one another's.
The brunette sighs. She lifts her hands up to the brim of the hat, pulling hard on it but nothing happens. "See, I can't take it off."
Nicky decides to take a crack at it and grows concerned when it doesn't even remotely move. "Who did this? Who the fuck did this to you? Your dad? Is he still hurting you?"
"I don't know for sure. But he threw me in the tub last night and started shaving my head—it hurt so bad that I think I just passed out or somethin'…and when I woke up this morning, I noticed the hat on my head. Guess he glued it?"
Shaking her head furiously, Nicky wraps the brunette tightly in her arms. "That's fucked up, kid. Really fucked up. Your dad's evil. How can he be so cruel to ya? Fuck this. You and I are getting the hell away from here—I can't keep letting my best friend get hurt like this and I'm so sick of Marka."
Lorna looks at her as if she's crazy. "We're only kids, Nicky. Where the heck are we gonna go? It ain't like we got money or nothin'," she points out but settles comfortably into the older girl's warm hug. She rests her head against her shoulder and gazes softly up into her eyes. "Is she the reason you're always covered in bruises? Your-your own mom hurts you? Nicky, why would ya not tell me that? We've been best friends for years…how could ya not let me know?!"
Nuzzling her chin comfortingly against the Italian tween's head, Nicky gives a broken smile down at her. "It doesn't matter now, kid. We're both gonna get out of this abuse shit. We'll just hitchhike until we find a place to stay. Anything's better than living in an abusive house, yeah?" She caresses the palm of her hand softly against Lorna's cheek.
"Hitchhike? That sounds scary…what if someone kills us? What if some bad guy snatches us and cuts our heads off? I don't wanna do this, Nicky," Lorna tearfully pleads—the terrifying thoughts of what could go wrong plague her.
"Hey, hey," the twelve-year-old soothes, pulling her distressed friend closer in her arms. Her eyes peer tenderly down at Lorna; she rubs her back softly, "I won't let anything happen to us, kid. Don't be scared. You're my best friend—I would never ask ya do something that would hurt you…I promise. Please trust me on this, kid."
The sound of footsteps coming towards them immediately halts their conversation. Nicky's arms tighten around the tiny eleven-year-old as she looks up to see whom they belong to. Her heart beats a little bit faster when her eyes meet with an older gentleman's. One who seems a bit off with his shoulder length gray hair and two-front missing teeth.
"What are two young girls like you doing at a gas station? Shouldn't ya be in school still?" The man questions, his blue eyes piercing heavily down into theirs.
Nicky gulps—inwardly terrified what this man might do—but tries to keep her strong posture to keep Lorna calm. She looks up at him wondrously, "How'd ya lose both a your front teeth?"
He lets out a chuckle and looks at her with an unreadable expression. "Ya really wanna know, huh? Well, it's a long story but I'll tell ya on your way back to school—how's that sound?" The man doesn't wait for an answer, grabbing Nicky in one arm and Lorna in the other—he carries them both back to his van that's parked off the side of the road and throws them in the back of it before quickly getting in the front and driving off.
Without a window or light, the back of the van is merely pitched black inside. Something that completely terrifies Lorna. She feels around for Nicky and when she finds her, she instantly crawls over to bury herself into her body. Tears leak out of her eyes as she wraps her arms tightly around the redhead's abdomen. "I-I'm scared," she cries out.
Nicky pulls the younger child closer against her body, kissing the top of her head softly. She feels her own terrified tears fall along her cheeks but knows crying isn't going to help the situation. "Shh, ya gotta whisper. I know, kid. I am too. But we have each other, yeah? We're not alone, baby…just remember that. You have me. I'll protect ya," she whispers softly, nuzzling her head against Lorna's—trying anything she can to quiet her done some.
The brunette sniffles and moves up to her neck, resting her head against Nicky's heart and placing her arms snuggly around her neck. "Wha-what's he gonna do? Is-is he gonna kill us, Nicky?"
"I don't know, kid," the redhead honestly responds while gazing softly down at her. She sighs, brushing a hand soothingly through her dark hair. "Just try to calm down. Right now you're safe, okay? I've got ya, kid. It's gonna be okay. Shh, shh…I'll take care of us both, baby."