Abelia looked around wildly, her eyes wide and shining with fear. Why had she agreed to go to this stupid party? Why had she thought this was a good idea? Who could she call? She supposed she could call her mother, but that probably wouldn't end well. She fumbled with her phone, shaking so badly that she almost dropped it. She couldn't call her father or her brother. What would they be able to do? Fly over? That would take days and she needed someone now. She dialed the next number that came to mind, despite the fact that she really didn't want to call either of her older sisters. They were the only other ones she could think of. She tried Brittany's phone first.

It rang and rang and rang. Footsteps made her jump and she took a few frightened steps away from the spot she'd been in before. Finally, the line clicked on and she tried to hold back tears of relief.

"Hello?"

She stopped, shock keeping her mouth hanging open. The voice on the other end wasn't Brittany's. "M-Matthew?" She stuttered, just to be sure.

"Abelia? Are you okay?"

Maybe he could hear the fear in her voice, maybe it was just because of how late it was, but something told her that he knew she needed help. She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, her jaw working silently to tell him that no, she was not okay.

"Could- could you come pick me up?" she choked out finally, flinching as if someone had hit her. He had to say yes, he just had to. She didn't know who else to call and she needed to get out of here.

This didn't seem to phase him, because he simply said, "Sure. Where are you?"

She told him her location before she could lose her nerve and tried not to sob with relief. "T-thank you." More footsteps. She jumped and dropped her phone, the metal thing landing with a splash in a puddle at her feet. She stooped down to get it and jumped when a hand was laid on her shoulder.

"Well, well, if it isn't my favorite toy. All alone, Bell? Who's going to save you now?"

Tears pooled in her eyes and dripped into the puddle, making little ripples that distorted her reflection. This could not be happening. She'd just gotten someone to come pick her up. She shot to her feet, twisting her torso just enough to smack the boy behind her then turned and fled, her heart pounding. Her footsteps sent her pulse racing and she slid to a stop behind a dumpster, trying desperately to silence her breathing. He couldn't find her, she'd been so careful to stay away from him. Mom had already threatened to call the police on him for stalking her. A headache was starting to form in her temple and she pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead. She had to get back to the lamp post she'd been standing under. Matthew was close now- she hoped. Footsteps made her shy away from the crack of light by her feet. She backed further behind the dumpster, her pulse thundering in her ears. She closed her eyes and waited for the footsteps to recede before taking a deep breath and stepping into the light again. She looked back and forth before taking off back toward the lamp. A hand shot out of the darkness in front of her, clamped around her mouth and pulled her back, slamming her into the brick wall. She groaned in pain, but began clawing at the hand covering her mouth.

"Now, Bell. What do you honestly think that'll do? Haven't you heard the phrase 'don't bite the hand that feeds you'?"

He pulled his hand back just enough for her to snarl at him and clamp her teeth onto the appendage in front of her. He grunted and ripped his hand out of her grasp, the flesh tearing, allowing blood to well up and run out. She spat the lumps of flesh out and grinned, her teeth and the corners of her mouth stained crimson. He hissed in annoyance and smacked her, her head snapping back and slamming into the brick behind her. Her vision faltered, going black around the edges. Her head swam and before she knew it, she was pinned once again. After that it was just pain and horror. Rushed footsteps made him stop and suddenly, Abelia felt him being yanked away from her. She collapsed to the ground, pulling at her jacket and pants, trying to cover herself again. Something soft and warm was wrapped around her and she saw through her tears that Matthew was crouched next to her, staring at her worriedly. She reached up to feel the material he'd put on her shoulders and wrapped the hoodie tighter around her. He picked her up and cradled her against his chest, before walking away. She peeked over her shoulder, finding her attacker laying limply on the ground, blood trickling from his nose and mouth.

"He's just unconscious." Matthew reassured her, stopping and opening a car door. He carefully set her in the passenger seat and closed the door, hurrying around the front of the car. He got in, closed his door and looked at her again. "I'm not going to ask you if you're okay, you're not."

She was glad he wasn't going to ask that. How could she be okay after that? Without a word, she buckled her seatbelt and settling into the seat. "A-are you going to tell dad?" her voice sounded rough, like it'd been a long time since it'd been used.

"Trust me, it's not your father I'm worried about." he replied, buckling up and starting the car. As he put the car into gear, he looked at her carefully. "Your father may have the mafia, but your mother is terrifying when she's angry. Hell will seem fairly appealing when she's through with your... friend." The last word came out so sarcastically and angrily that Abelia had to do a double take. The blond wasn't known for being sassy or scary.

The brunette suddenly had visions of her mother hunting down her attacker and beating him until his face was crushed in and unrecognizable. It seemed like something she'd do. Suddenly, she looked up. "Mom doesn't believe in hell."

"What?" Matthew asked, not turning his attention away from the road.

"You said hell would seem appealing once mom was done with him, but mom doesn't believe in hell."

He smiled slightly. "True."

They were silent the rest of the drive and when they pulled into the driveway, Matthew got out and helped her into the house. She didn't really need help, but she supposed it was nice of him to try. Once they were inside, she sat on the couch and he grabbed a blanket from the closet and handed it to her, mumbling about how he try to find some comfortable clothes for her. Soft footsteps came down the stairs and Abelia saw a flash of white hair before her older sister was stepping toward her hesitantly.

"Dad, is everything okay?"

Matthew turned to face his daughter. "Selene. No, everything's not okay. Could you go find your sister some clothes?"

She nodded and went back up the stairs, returning a few minutes later with a bundle of clothing draped over her forearm. "I wasn't sure what you'd want." She mumbled apologetically, handing the bundle over.

Abelia took the clothing and asked where the bathroom was. After being directed to it, she locked the door behind her and surveyed herself in the mirror. Her face was red where she'd been slapped, her teeth still had a red tint to them and there were bruises all over her torso and legs. She reached up and touched the spot where she'd hit her head and winced, the spot still tender. Her fingers came away red. She sighed and changed out of her own dirty, torn clothing into a baggy black t-shirt and some loose fitting black sweatpants. Selene certainly liked black clothing. She checked her jacket and a small smile twitched the corners of her mouth up. Her jacket wasn't torn, just a bit dirty, but it could be washed. Small victories, right?

When she came out of the bathroom, she was unsurprised to see her mother standing in the living room, biting her nails. It was a nervous habit that, despite her best efforts, she hadn't able to break. Unfortunately, the sight of her mother, wide awake but clearly exhausted, so worried about her made tears well up and she couldn't help it. She dropped the clothing and launched herself into her mother's arms.

Maddy stumbled as her youngest daughter clung to her like a lifeline, but hugged her back anyway and blinked rapidly to keep her own tears at bay. She stroked her daughter's hair and mumbled about how she wouldn't let him hurt her anymore. It sounded more she was trying to convince herself, but Abelia didn't care. She had her mother there with her and right then, that was all she needed. Maddy sent Matthew a grateful look over her daughter's shoulder and mouthed a "thank you."

He simply nodded back to her. Selene watched her parents uneasily. While the entire exchange had been silent, it had spoken volumes. She turned her attention back to her little sister and touched her shoulder lightly. Abelia looked terrified before she realized who it was and simply looked at her. "Do you want to go with mom?"

The brunette shook her head before mumbling, "I want mom to stay here." Both girls sent their mother a hopeful look.

The blonde sighed. "Alright."

Decreeing that it was late, Matthew showed Abelia to Selene's bedroom, the group having come to a decision that it was probably the best place for her to stay. He then showed his ex to the guest bedroom and they awkwardly told each other good night before she closed the door and he walked away. A few hours later, he went to check on the girls, only to find them curled up with their mother. He smiled at the sight, though his heart broke a little bit. He went to the living room and pulled out his phone. He needed to call Lovino.

pinkittwice54: *nervous laughter* don't kill me...