It took a moment for the door to come open. Standing there was a young woman wearing a bonnet, a white apron and a long gown; one of the maids. Makaila's eyes didn't stay on her long as they darted to the hallways and staircase of her dimly lit childhood home.
Her concentration was broken by the shrill screaming of the woman who hurried away yelling through the open air. "MR. WHITE!! HOWARD!! COME QUICK!!!!" Makaila took this opportunity to enter, moving past the thrush hold and gaining a sense of ease the moment she was in. Her soft violet grey eyes looking over the home in awe. How she missed this place and longed for the freedom of what once was.
Upon the top of the staircase a large man had come running from down the hallway, and froze as he glared down at her. "YOU??!!" She snapped her eyes to attention as her head spun up and locked eyes with him. She flinched at the rage that lay openly upon his features. It was clear who it was to her, even after not seeing him for 4 years. The steely eyes of the matching set of violet grey eyes gave proof to her father of who he was. She only froze for a moment before she went to the bottom of the staircase and grabbed at the railing. Her eyes never left his as she whimpered to him like a child. "Daddy...I..I'm home. Daddy please I want to be home." Tears laced her red and bloodied cheeks as she pouted up at him; her lips quivering from the longing and need to be here and close to him. This had been her home and her freedom had been taken from her; now she had a chance at it again and she would be as good as she could just to be able to stay.
The man glared for only a moment longer before waving the maid to hush. "Close the damn door and hush up. This is Makaila Elizabeth White...my daughter." The last word was spat out like venom and it made her flinch again. She kept her eyes trained to him though, wanting nothing more than to hear his welcome back. As his eyes shifted back to her; they slid over her body. She could feel them prying over her form.
Inside the violent voice was screaming in defiance and anger. 'How dare this man size us up. We will rip his throat out!' There came the calm and collected response of the other only seconds later. 'Hush, can't you see she has no fight left in her. Death can come in time. Be patient and the rest will come.' There was a small moment of arguing in her mind between these two voices as she whimpered up at her father with those soft pitiful eyes.
He sighed as he rubbed at his temples, looking to her as she kept that innocent gaze to him. Finally she watched as his expression slowly softened. He walked down the steps to her; hands gently reaching to her. She smiled so innocently as she raced up the steps the best she could to him and fell into those arms. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist as she buried her face into his chest and inhaled the sweet scent that was her father. It was the last thing she needed to comfort herself. The voices finally fell silent and disappeared into the void of her mind; darkness taking over as she felt his hands pat her back in a gentle manner. The pain around her bruised neck, gun wound and throbbing head consumed her as she slipped into that welcoming pull of her fathers arms. Everything was at peace again for her and she felt safe enough to drift into the embrace of sleep.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep or if she had truly slept at all. Her mind had caught glimpses and fragments of her being lifted, cleaned and even having her wounds treated. It was only now that her eyes were fully opening up and looking to the darkness that surrounded her.
It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness; it was all around her here. From the feel of this room, it wasn't her childhood bedroom. It was damp, cold, and surrounded by stone and brick. There was no windows down here, and only one light that dangled loosely from the center of the stone ceiling. Everything about this place was wrong to her.
She went to lift herself from the bed, ignoring the shooting pain of her wounds. However, she could not ignore the restraints that held her in place. They were tightly wound around her wrist and ankles, though loose enough to the bed to give her movement and lift herself to an upright position. She stared down with confusion, giving gentle pulls to the restraints at first as she tried to comprehend what was happening. The voices had returned in full force, however the calm one had fallen silent, more so agreeing with the violent one and the measures they wished to take. Her eyes shifted from that innocent confusion to pure rage and hate. She quickly begun to thrash and shake at the bed in utter anger. Her rage lifting the bed and causing a loud banging to erupt and echo through the room.
Suddenly, a stream of light erupted from off to her right, illuminating the room a bit. She could now see the stairs that were there, leading up to the source of the light and the angered man that stood there. He was a mere shadow to her, the light behind him hiding his form. But the voice that came yelling back was a marker of who it was. "Quiet down!!! Your making a mess of yourself and its not even time yet." Her father's voice was strong and powerful, and commanding to her senses as the quick shift of her expressions happened once more.
Her rage subsided instantly at him, giving way to the childlike innocence she had shown him when she had first gotten home. She pouted to him as she went limp; soft whimpers escaping her lips. "Daddy...what did I do? Why am I down here?? Daddy, please I want to go to my room..." There was a scoff from him as the shadow of his form shook his head and turned from her. It was eerie to watch the light slowly disappear and give way to the darkness one more. She sat there sobbing as her voice only got louder, slowly becoming angry and dark as she shouted up to him. "Daddy.....? Daddy please..please..DADDY!! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE! NOOOOOOOO!!! LET ME OUT!!" The loud banging erupting through the room again as she thrashed about on the bed and pulled once more on the restraints. It lasted on, going through the day and night.....
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*2 weeks later*
She had struggled on and off over the last couple of days, getting no sleep during that time. She was hurt, confused and didn't understand what she had done to deserve this. She had seen her father welcome her home and hold her close, and yet he was hiding her away in a room that held her captive. She also had not seen him since that first day she had woken up, and it was only leaving her more hurt and alone. Home was suppose to be safe to her, and like the asylum it was now slowly becoming a place of lost freedom.
Over these last few days, she had only gotten to see a few of the maids who had brought down food and water to her, but said nothing at all. She always quickly shifted, being innocent and soft with them as she pleaded for freedom and to see her father. They never made eye contact though, and they never responded. They simply left the food for her and went away quickly as if terrified by what she might do. She had the routine down as always, looking to the door before it even opened and beginning her whimpering to them the second it did. Most days ended with her screaming in a fit of rage as they hurried up the stairs and slammed the door shut.
Today was going to the be the same thing, and the morning meal had proven that. She had could tell it was just about time for the evening meal, and her eyes had turned to be locked to the door just as it was opening. But it wasn't one of the maids. No instead, there was that familiar shadow of her father coming down the steps towards her. It was unexpected to her and left her in a state of confusion. Her eyes looked to him with terror and pity; whimpering as he got closer. She knew something she had did was wrong, and seeing him now made her worry more that she might be punished for it.
He clicked on the single light that was there and then waved to someone at the top of the stairs to shut the door. Even with the light on it was still fairly dark, and took a moment for her eyes to adjust and fully see his face. She hadn't noticed what was in his hand, but as he slid a chair over to sit before her, the bundle that he carried became more clear. Her eyes locked to it, trying to see more of what it was before being torn from it at the soft chuckle he emitted into the room.
"Don't worry about it. I won't have to show you what it is, as long as your a good girl." There was a moment of pause to her, looking to him with that innocent gaze as her body stiffened and tightened. She wasn't sure what to expect from him and from his words, that bundle was nothing good. She finally whimpered out to him as she spoke with that soft, childlike voice.
"I pr-promise to be good."
"Good. Then lets talk my little dove."
There was a moment of silence as his hand reached out and stroked her cheek; her body flinching back from him as the voices lashed out and screamed at him. Her eyes went dark as she growled to him and pulled at the restraints to attack him for touching her. The thunderous sound of his slap colliding across her face echoed in the room. Her face flew to the side from the sheer force, before it quickly jolted back to look at him with those shocked and fearful eyes. She was purely stunned and he seemed to notice it as well as he begun to speak now.
"Better. Now keep that beast of yours under control or I will have to open the bundle." She looked to him as he paused for only a second, still stunned and now even more scared. "Now, I have spoken to your doctors about you and your little escape. I have some good news on the matter. From what I was told you can stay here with me now. I made sure to arrange that. As for the other good news, they said it seems you added a new personality to your mind. They say this one is more civil, though well planned. I want to speak to her, and I do mean now."
She blinked to him and gave a panicked gaze to him. She wasn't sure what exactly he meant by this. She knew of the voices that lingered in her mind and helped her, but to speak to them? How was he going to do that if they were in her head? She gulped as she continued to look to him, uncertain of how to give him what he wanted. His hand flew to her chin, yanking her gaze to look directly to him. His fingers dug into the skin, holding her taunt as she struggled against the hold. "Look at me! LOOK AT ME!" His voice rang out like a command and she instantly complied. She let her eyes lock to him as she stopped her struggling and held back whimpers that threatened to erupt from her throat at any moment. His eyes kept ahold of her before another command was given. "Bring her out. I want to see her Izzy, not you!"
She couldn't hold back the whimpering as only the violent voice was coming to the surface. The other seemed dormant and gone, as if hiding for whatever known reason they were. Her eyes shut tightly as she let the violent voice protect her and lash back out. Ferociously her head yanked from his and she started her thrashing about again as her endless screaming begun.
He sighed as he unwrapped the bundle in his lap, ignoring her as she rampaged on the bed. In the bundle lay a wrench, pliers, a lighter, and small knife. He picked up the wrench first and made sure to line it up with her hair line before swinging hard. She flung back onto the bed as the tool collided with her skull; her world dizzy and blurred as her head spun and swayed as she tried to look to him. She growled aimlessly, her voice weaker and distant now. She felt as he grabbed her hand and held it in place. "Is that the tone you still wish to take? I'll ask one more time. Give me the other one. I don't want you either Mak." Her head was still foggy and glazed over as she tried to pull weakly at her hand. He simply sighed, grabbed the pliers, and went to her finger. Realization hit her as she tried to fight through the fog of her throbbing mind. Panic had set in as the plier pressed to her nail and slowly begun to rip it away.
She howled out in pain and agony; gaining clarity to her mind from the pain in her hand. She shook and growled in rage as she went to her thrashing again, but he had a tight hold on her. His nails dug into the skin, creating small droplets of blood at her wrist as he prepared for the next one. He wasn't speaking now, simply humming as he set to his task. Once again that sudden shot of pain coursed through her finger and up through her arm. She yelped in pain again as tears of pain streamed down her face.
It went on for several minutes, the voices becoming quiet as only one now came to the surface. Her hands and body were shaking from the sheer pain, but only the manic laughter erupted from her now. The pain had become her comfort; a steady reminder that there would never be anything but that pain. She tossed her head to and fro as she laughed out in the hysterical way.
He simply looked to her as he cleaned up, bundling the tools away again and staring at the crazed daughter he had. "Well, I see she didn't want to come out today and this one is a new one as well. It looks like I am getting closer to her. Eventually she will come out. You let her and all the others know, I will keep this up for as long as I must until she does. Sleep well little dove."
He left her there in the laughter, closing the door with a loud slam. Makaila simply sat there tossing back and forth as she laughed. Her body felt the pain of course, but her mind no longer registered it. There she was in the darkness once again; alone and unwanted even by the voices who guided her. All she could do was laugh to it as her eyes took on a crazed expression she had only since once. It was the one expression she could relate to and understand now......Cole's.