*Baby, my parents... they... they suspect I have a tablet.* Lydia sent the text message. Francisco was riding his bike from school. These two had their fair struggles with their relationship; Lydia had her phone taken and now they're texting in private, Francisco's internet died out for a week and they couldn't talk or text, Francisco's dad almost took his devices for 'not eating enough'. However, one thing remained the same between the two: they always were in love. They always talked too. They would spend hours and hours doing nothing but texting and perhaps this is what caused her parents to suspect she had a secret tablet; I mean if your daughter was up in her room all day long without a phone, what else could she be doing besides texting her boyfriend over a secret device? Francisco arrived home, he pushed the door open with excitement, joy, bliss but most importantly, love. He wanted to talk to her even more. He ran in the kitchen to see what his mother was cooking:
"Really mom?" He sighed whilst holding his nose, "This brown slop... again?!"
"It's not slop!" His mother shouted "It's a great mix between Romanian and Irish food; your ancestry Y'know!" Francisco opened the fridge and grabbed a packed sandwich and ran upstairs instead. He reached his room and with a light push of his hand, the door opened. He threw all his clothes on the ground and got dressed in his comfortable clothes; he even put on the socks he bough specifically to match with Lydia's. He opened his computer and saw her message... His eyes opened in shock, his jaw was clenched and he was gritting his teeth.
*What..? You mean we have to relive this again?* He texted,
*Baby, I'll try my hardest to hide the tablet... but anything can happen... we can even... lose each other* She sent, with her fingers shivering and tears dripping down her face; Francisco doing the same. Francisco, for the first time ever, didn't feel just sadness, no, something more dark, more mystical, more evil lurked in him. This wasn't the first time they were put at risk due to devices and parents, and the first time really hurt him to the point where he almost lost Lydia. 'Yet this time I won't let that happen, I won't let anything separate us again' he thought to himself.
*My baby, I promise you, we aren't going to lose each other. Tablet or no tablet, you're mine and I'm yours; I'll buy a phone if need be.* He replied.
*Baby but if my parents find the tablet and then the phone... my life will be ruined!* She cried through the phone. Francisco was getting frustrated with her, 'Why is she so negative today?' He asked himself.
*Wouldn't you ruin your life for me? I ruined mine, hell, I sleep at 4am every night for you and you can't take a little family issues?* He replied, trying to convince her in a sort of mean way.
*Baby of course I can, and I'm sorry for making you sleep so late but I can't baby, I can't live with my parents being like that to me! I'm not as strong as you; yes I'd sacrifice anything for you but I can't handle those sacrifices!* She texted.
*Listen baby, you're panicking again... Everything's going to be fine. Just spend some more time with your family to no longer attract attention and I'm sure we'll be just fine my love* He replied.
*Yes baby... I'm sure you're right. I'll go now and I'm so damn sorry we couldn't text.* She texted.
*Don't apologize my love, its alright its for your safety; and safety always comes first.* After saying this, he sighed a sigh of anger and threw a bottle at the wall.
Lydia made her way downstairs, to her family. She opened the living room door and was greeted by her little sister Eve and her dog.
"Oh Eve!" She laughed, "You made a chocolate smile again! Why does it spread from the end of your lip all the way to your ear silly girl!" She continued laughing. She kissed her and rubbed the chocolate off of her face and petted the dog before making her way to the couch. She greeted her parents- whom she wasn't on best terms with even though it had been months since her phone had been taken - and they asked her a question:
"Did you ever break up with that Irish-Russian whatever the fuck he was boyfriend of yours?" Thomas himself asked this. Lydia didn't know how to answer. Thomas, with a bottled beer in his hand, stood up. He walked over to Lydia, each step of his doubling Lydia's heart rate. He grabbed a chair and sat right in front of her. Lydia's eyes ran across the room, looking for some sort of escape, some sort of relief. She looked through a window and imagined Francisco there, riding on a white horse with a flaming sword, ready to save her from everything.
"Lydia..." Thomas grumbled, "Don't lie to me girl, did you break up with him?"
"No, daddy!" She yelped, "I didn't have the chance to, you took my phone and and and I-I- I couldn't!" She stuttered her whole way through that sentence. Thomas ordered Lambert, the brother, to bring the phone and he did. Thomas then stood up, nonchalantly without any sudden movements. He then slapped her as hard he could, sending her flying off of the couch and onto the ground. He went over to her, he began punching her in the face whilst smiling. Her nose burst with blood and her cheekbones began swelling yet he cared not. He grabbed her by her hair and then threw her into the wall before kicking her one more time. Lydia quickly crawled into a corner and began crying and put her hands up to her head. Anabelle rushed into the room and pulled him back. At this time, Lambert had finally brought the phone.
"Now," Thomas said, with an angrier tone, "I'm breaking you up with him!" He then went onto the app that they used to text before she had her phone taken and began texting.
*Hello.* He texted. For 20 minutes there was no response. Francisco was getting ready for boxing.
"Hey dude." Alex said over the phone,
"Hey cuzzy," Francisco replied, "I'm going to be there in like 20 minutes I have to walk."
"Got it! Just make sure you have your equipment okay?" Alex replied. "Also, how's Lydia doing? Is she alright?"
"Yeah, her parents are pushing their hand on her again, it pisses me off." Francisco replied, "One day, one day I'll fix all of this." After saying this, they said their goodbyes and Francisco was set to leave the house. He finished tying his shoelaces and packing his boxing gloves and all other boxing equipment he needed and after tripping 3 times he reached the door. However, as soon as his hand touched the door handle to twist it open, a ding ejected from his phone. A ding which would only be heard if and when he got an iMessage notification; which he wouldn't have as the only person he had added, Lydia, couldn't. However, it did. He opened his phone, excitement being bred thinking that she had her phone back. 'Hello?' He thought to himself. 'This isn't my Liddie'.
*HII LIDDIE YOU FINALLY HAVE YOUR PHONE BACK!!* He texted, equipping a facade of excitement though he was more sceptical than anything.
"Oh there we go!" Thomas shouted, "Your bitch boyfriend finally decided to reply after all."
*This is Thomas. Her father!* Francisco's heart wrenched. It felt as though he had just been punched in the liver with full force. He always knew that her father was a wicked man, he always knew that he abused and beat her and he promised, not only to himself, but to Lydia that he'd save her from him, that he'll rescue her, that he'll free her from this eternal damnation. And free her he did, at the price of his own freedom.
*Oh... Well then... Hello sir* Francisco replied. Francisco ran back to the living room and notified Alex he'll be late; this was more important, to him anyways.
*Right, I'll get to the point... I don't know what you thought happened to my daughter after she stopped texting you for 3 months but let me show you.* Thomas then grabbed Lydia by the hair, her mother and brother being spectators, and took a picture of her bruised face and sent it to Francisco. Despite all of his and her's suffering, this has never ever happened; this was new territory for the both of them. A picture of her suffering? How cruel could this man really be? Francisco's head began hurting, hurting like death. It felt like someone was repeatedly punching him over and over and over and over again in the head and with each punch came a new technique which generated more power than the last. Lydia's face was submerged in tears, blood and sweat. Her father showed no mercy though, he thought he was doing this for her good.
"Daddy..." She gasped before passing out.
"Carry this cunt to her room Anabelle!" Anabelle picked her up and carried her up, her heart was also in pieces yet she was used to it; she was used to his abuse and in a way found it loving, she was attracted to his abuse, and this attraction turned into love over the years. She loved him because of his abuse yet hated seeing her daughter abused. She herself was abused in every way possible yet this conditioned her heart and she could now take it. She put Lydia onto her bed and exited the room.
*What the... what the fuck is this Mr O'Shay... I understand, you don't want me speaking to your daughter and I'll stop doing so- though I haven't been doing so for 3 months - but don't touch her, don't hurt her... She's fragile, she's weak, she can't take a man like you hurting her.* Francisco typed out and sent. He was begging on his knees for him to stop. Thomas didn't bother replying. He simply deleted his contact after texting one last word: *You two are done*. In Thomas's eyes they had broken up. Though they didn't really break up, Francisco was in pieces. He was psychotic. He grabbed his head and banged it on the wall to make the pain go away and began bleeding. Francisco stumbled his way to the bathroom and collapsed on the ground. He stood up and looked in the mirror and saw himself,
"Me..." He said under his breath, "I did this!" He shouted at once. His mother, being upstairs, heard this and began making her way down.
"I ruined her life!" He cried. "I made her parents hurt her, when all I've ever wanted to do was make her better; she'd be better off without me, she'd be better... alone." As soon as he said the word alone, his heart dropped. He couldn't bear imagining a life without her, he couldn't bear seeing his poor, little Liddie being hurt and indirectly it was all his fault; if he had never began dating her, she wouldn't have been abused. His mother reached the bathroom and saw him there, with a bloodied head and bloodies knuckles after he had punched the mirror respectively and then throwing it onto the ground.
"Oh, my poor boy!" The mother shouted, begging her son to allow her to help him.
"Away from me mother!" He shouted, "Get away!" He roared and pushed her away before closing the door. Suddenly, the sun began shining.
"I'm a fool..." He gently said, "Thinking that just because I ruined her life I can't make it better is pure stupidity." He began brushing and combing his hair, whilst looking at a shattered piece of glass. "I'll fix this, Liddie... I'll fix you and your dad." What was Francisco saying? He had always loved her and wanted to save her but fix her? Something was born that day. Seeing his girlfriend beaten in such a way; a black eye, busted lip, bleeding cheekbone, pulled out hair, cut eyebrows, and bloodied nose but all in such a manner that it appears as a work of art; as though someone, or something, planned this and perfectly landed each hit as to make it seem like it was meant to be there, as though it was pre-destined. Only a true monster, a monster of hell, a monster that could never be tamed could abuse a human in such a way.
Francisco exited the bathroom with a strong smile, combed hair and a new persona. A new him was born that day. A darker and more cold part of him.
"I'll save you, I'll do anything to save you. You're my Liddie, you're not your father's, or your mother's, or your friend's, or your siblings; you're not even yours's, you are all mine and I'll protect you with my eternal love." Francisco kept repeating these words as he walked, with music blasting in his ears. At this point, though it was only the morning for Lydia and she stayed home from school, Lydia was asleep. She needed it. No, she deserved it. And it's not as though she could do anything else besides text and sleep as her father had put a lock on her door from the outside which only he could open; if he decided to throw the key in the ocean then she was in there forever.
Francisco and his cousin Alex arrived at the gym.
"Fran," Alex said after stepping into the boxing class section of the gym, "What happened?" Francisco looked confused. "To your knuckles mate."
"Oh, this!" He laughed. "It's nothing to worry about mate. Let's get a crack on eh?" Francisco didn't want to speak about it. Or rather, he didn't see his wounds as something bad necessarily. Yes, he was in a lot of pain. 'This pain is for you my Liddie; and even if fate has us to not be together, I'll fight fate and face any injury it throws at me, and throw any injury at it!' he thought to himself; trying to justify his self harm. The coach had finally arrived. Francisco, unusually, ran up to him and shook his hand and smiled and laughed with him; Francisco never recognized his coach as his friend, he never really recognized anyone but Alex as his friend.
"You're in a cheery mood." The coach said.
Francisco hopped on the treadmill as a warm up and began listening to music. As he was running, he closed his eyes. He closed them to concentrate and to focus yet to his horror, he underwent a vision. He was running, he was running fast yet he didn't feel fear coming from him or ejecting from him, he felt it ejecting from his hand. He looked and saw a girl, Liddie, holding his hand and running too and she was drenched in a black liquid that smelt like death. The fear ejecting off of her was like purple flames pouring out like water and flowing like wind. It was strange. And when he looked back he saw no one. Francisco's mask fell off and he did too; he fell of the treadmill. He had held his finger on the speed button and went up 15 levels; much too fast. He flew back into the wall and hit his head again, in the same spot. He looked up and he began crying. He grabbed his head again and began shaking. He was shaking violently. A part of him wanted to arise and fix his hair and begin boxing yet he couldn't. He began muttering the words: "It's all my fault, It's all my fault, It's all my fault!" The room began warping and twisting and Francisco cried even harder. The coach and his gym mates tried to help him but he just pushed them all off. He kept seeing her, that tragic yet artistic image turmoiled his head, it shook him, it petrified him. Liddie, though asleep, began shaking too, she was crying too. She had a nightmare just like Fran's. Francisco arose finally- his hands and shirt stained with blood. A smile began appearing again and he kept saying what he was saying whilst walking. Everyone stared at him with horror and disgust. 'Their eyes... they're so... fascinating' He thought to himself.
"Coach... shouldn't we begin now?" He asked.
"Go..." The coach gulped, "Go wash your face, I can't even see you." Francisco washed his face and came back and the training began.
"Harder! Harder! Harder!" The coach yelled, "Good job Marco, just make sure you don't jump when you punch but stay intact. Now, your turn... F-F-Francisco" Francisco began punching lightly at the coaches padded hands with empty eyes and a smile painting a million words. "Hello?" The coach said to get his attention. Suddenly, Francisco snapped. That 'Hello' text began echoing in his brain and flooding him. Instead of collapsing he began punching faster and faster and harder and harder; even with his bruised knuckles, he took the pain and kissed it. The coach moved his hand, to trigger him to do a left hook yet Francisco punched the coach right in the face.
"Oh my!" Francisco was smiling whilst everyone was in horror. "Coach!" Francisco helped him up. Francisco looked horrified yet that smile was still on his face.
"Please leave. You don't seem well. Go home and come tommorow." The coach said.
"W...What?" Fran replied. "I'm sorry coach please let me stay!" The coach didn't budge. Fran left the place with anger boiling him over. "Fuck you! And your pubic hair looking beard you cunty bastard!" He kept shouting at the window after leaving, not expecting anyone to hear him but then Marco came from the window and everyone else followed. Fran ran in an alleyway to hide away from them. He knelt, finally realizing what he had done. "What the fuck..." He gasped, "What the fuck! My head! It's bleeding! My hands... Oh sweet God have mercy!" He fell on his knees and looked into a puddle, yet all he saw was Liddie's bloodied face.
"It's your fault Fran..." The reflection said over and over.
"No!" He shouted, "It's your father's!" The reflection didn't stop.
"Fix this, fix this, fix this." She began saying. Fran punched the puddle, hurting his knuckles even more. The voices didn't stop.
"Fine!" He yelled. That smile came back and the voices disappeared. "I'll fix everything, at the cost of everything. Don't worry my love, I am coming for you." He said whilst brushing his hair. He then exited the alleyway and walked home, repeating those words to himself.
He arrived home. Both his parents were out; as usual. And his siblings were watching TV cluelessly as they always do. He went to the kitchen and saw his eldest sister arguing with her younger brother. 'God, I'd do anything to rip out her throat'. After reaching the bathroom he saw a new mirror. He walked to it and looked at it. "What did I just think?" He said. "Rip her throat? God no! She's my sister!" He began pacing. "What am I doing, what am I thinking, why, why, why am I like this." He had never thought those thoughts before, he had always loved his siblings. But now, he wanted to rip her throat out.
Fran turned the shower to boiling hot and went inside. He felt the boiling water as it boiled his skin yet he didn't fight it. He closed his eyes and saw a tunnel with Lydia at the end of it. His face began gritting and cringing; his teeth gnashing. He grabbed the shampoo bottle.
"Lydia..." He said, looking down at the bottle. "Hang on my love, I'll fix all of this." He began saying this over and over before sticking his toe in the shampoo bottle and falling over on his belly. The boiling water now poured faster onto his back.
"Hehehe....hahahaha" Fran began laughing hysterically, "Online, offline, whatever. Ill make sure to see you, I'll make sure to fix you and free you. I am the only one that can!" He started talking to himself again. Suddenly, a plan was bred into his mind. A plan to fix everything. He finished showering and quickly dressed and went to his room. It was now 10pm, for Lydia 5, she was awake now. She had a plate of food at her door with 3 bottles; she was still locked. Thank goodness she had her tablet; for Fran's family sake. Fran turned on his computer and messaged her:
*My Lydia... My sweet baby* He texted with genuine tears.
*Oh, my Fran, my sweet man. My baby so much has happened*
*I know my baby, its okay I get it. Your father he... even showed me your face after he beat on you....*
Lydia began crying as hard as she could; she was so scared, so alone, so afraid, so endangered, so broken, so in need of a saviour. *My baby, I am so sorry you had to see me that way!*
*Liddie, I think something has happened to me. Ever since I've seen your face like that... ever since I saw your blood pouring down your cheek I haven't been normal...*
*What do you mean normal baby?*
*I hurt my coach, hurt myself, I have venomous thoughts about my sister and I hate it and love it at the same time. I feel so strong yet so weak!*
*Oh... Baby... Why'd you hurt yourself?*
*Because I love you... I'd do anything for it... How can I love you if I don't understand and feel your pain! I feel you Liddie, everywhere I go, and that won't ever stop*
Lydia felt comforted by this, she should've been disgusted, turned off but instead she was mesmerized by his dedication, by his passion.
*My love, let me free you.* He texted
*Free me? Baby I am free, I am free with you <3*
*But you aren't... you live this life which can barely be considered a life and you suffer and I sit here and do nothing about it... let me help... let me in... If you truly love me you'd do anything for me and this is all I ask*
*But baby... how?*
*It's simply. I'll steal money from my dad, and a fake permission note, and fly to you. I'll I'll then order us a cab to wherever we want and run away.*
Lydia, rather than being fascinated by his passion which she thought was mere talk, was horrified and felt sick after hearing this. What if her parents found out? What if her parents saw her with him? What if he failed to arrive? What if he got arrested? What if he continued to spiral out of control and murder? Lydia asked herself all of these questions...
*Baby... I am not sure I feel comfortable or safe with that plan...* Lydia texted, praying and hoping that Fran would understand. Fran's eyes widened. His heart shattered.
*You don't love me... you never did.* He texted.
*Baby what? Of course I do... Where is this coming from?*
Francisco rose from his chair and began banging his head on his wall again. He kept hitting that same spot over and over and over and then stopped. His tears made a smile appear on his face.
*If you loved me... You would do anything for me...*
*And I would baby but I'm scared... I'm so damn scared of everything right now...*
*Scared? You're scared of me aren't you... you're scared of my love...*
*No, no, no baby I'm scared of my dad. He locked me up and feeds me in rounds.*
Francisco's stomach growled though he wasn't hungry. His heart wrenched, tears came back.
*My poor girl... my poor poor girl... Let me free you from this. Let ME save you!*
*But baby...*
*No buts, look at your life. You are locked up in a cage like some animal, like you're his dog. Are you a dog? No you're not. You're my Liddie, you're my lover, mine mine mine. And everytime you're hurt, everytime his monstrous hands touch you my heart breaks. When I saw that image of your face all bruised it switched a switch in me. No more, I will no longer bear to see you suffer; it's time for me to take action and I won't let anyone get in the way- not you, not your family/friends and not mine either. I have doubts but fuck my doubts fuck yours too. If you love me, if you love what we have and want to see this last, let me do it. You know you want it too, you know you want to see me, hold me, embrace me. You're tired of this life, you're tired of this abuse, you just want closure, freedom. And believe me my love, my Lydia* He spoke for her, he didn't let her speak.
*Baby, you don't know that.* She replied,
*Oh but I know I love you and that you love me too. So if I was wrong about those things, do this for our love!*
*Baby, but how would you even get here?*
*Plane*
*When Fran*
*10 days my love, hang on ten more days and I'll be there.*
Lydia walked to her window, which was at the highest point of the house due to the fact that her room was the attic. She opened it and saw rain and snow. She thought that Fran was speaking for her, that he was just putting words into her mouth but she found herself repeating his message. 'All I do want is closure and freedom. I'm so tired of this life. I love him so much, I love him, I'll do anything for him, anything for my sweet boy, anything at all.' She then sat back down and texted:
*Fine my love, lets do this*
Fran began laughing and jumping and smiling to the point where blood began dripping from his now bandaged head.
*Ten days baby, ten days and we're both free. We can do this.*
*I know we can, and I'm sorry for not making my mind up earlier. I love you and I'll do anything for you, anything at all. I'm all yours my Francisco, all yours to the full.*
*I know you are baby, and I am too...*
Suddenly, a knock, at Lydia's door.
*Baby I'm so sorry I have to go but please... Plan this thoroughly for us... I love you xoxo!*
'Huh? She has to go? But wasn't she just locked in her room? She has to go as soon as I said my plan? Does she not love me? Does she not want to talk?' Fran thought to himself.
*Alright my love I will... Ily2 xoxo*
Lydia walked to the door; "The doors locked from the outside" she said "Tell dad to open it if its an emergency." She was quickly rubbing tears from off of her face. She looked through the peephole off of her door and saw that it was her little sister Eve, with chocolate smeared on her face again.
"Lee-lee!" The 3-year old cried, "Wipe me, wipe me!" Suddenly Annabelle came and picked her up and took her away.
"Just a bit longer, my dear..." She said through the door, "Just a bit longer."
4 days later, March, 21st 2025
*Babe, I put the money onto my credit card... There's no way of anyone finding out where the money went.* Fran texted.
*Baby... are you sure about this... about the plan... I'm so scared baby.*
*Lydia, if you really believe in our love, if you really love ME, then you'll put up with the fear... You have school tommorow okay? No more being locked up for a bit... But when I free you... you'll always be free*
Lydia began tearing up. She would be free. For the first time in her entire life, she'd be free, she'd escape that wicked life she had always lived, she'd escape all of it. She'll be free to live however she wishes and to do what she wishes. No more being locked up in a room, no more being beat to exhaustion, no more having to use makeup to hide her bruises as to not attract any attention.
*Okay baby, I believe you... Do it... Buy the plane ticket... the cheapest one and on the 27th*
*I will baby, I'll go the gym right after so my baby have a good day and I'll text you right when I get home... I love you with my entire being.*
*Ily2 my Fran, <3*
Fran took steps downstairs; being careful as to not seem suspicious.
"Fran!" His dad shouted, "Hey buddy! Come over here I ought to show you something!"
"Not now dad." Fran coldly replied, "I'm going to the gym." Fran opened the large walk in closet where all the jackets were. He got his jacket and saw his dad's too. He swiftly opened it and grabbed. £2000; he'd buy a plane ticket and taxi driver's and food with all this money. Lucky for Fran, his dad only had money in £100 notes which made it easier for him to pick it. Fran then left the closet.
"Come on Fran," His dad begged, "All you do is spend time in your cave and then go the gym, you never tell me or your mother anything son. Please, talk to us about anything; we're yours to unload to. It just seems that the weight of the world is on your shoulders right now. Sure, we may not understand you but sometimes we don't need to; just telling someone will make it better."
"Dad," Fran walked up to him, "I'm fine!" He then hugged him and his mother and left for the gym.
He was now walking with Alex to the gym.
"Alex," Fran said,
"What is it dude?" Alex replied,
"I haven't been open with you," Fran said back, "My girlfriend and I are close to breaking up- because of her bitch-ass parents- and honestly its exhausting."
"Oh," Alex said, indicating him to continue,
"Her crazy dad showed me a picture of her beaten face, and since then I think it broke me. I see that face everywhere, that broken face. I hear her crying out for help everywhere I go." Fran stated, "I feel like I need to save her, I don't want to save her, I want to let her go, I want to free her from me but freeing her from me would enslave her even further; so I must save her with my love." Alex, expecting something else, visibly cringed.
"Man..." He said, "You don't need bitches when you got the gym." Fran looked visibly horrified, his best friend of almost 10 years isn't understanding him on this topic; he thought that the 'gym' healed every single issue a boy can have, "How do you plan on even 'saving' her anyways?" He asked Fran.
"Well-" Fran answered, "It's quite simple: I'll fly out to her city and run away with her. And I won't let anyone get in our way." Alex burst out laughing. Laughs that sounded worse than Lydia's cries. His laughs penetrated every single last bit of Fran, Fran was broken. If seeing his girlfriend like that didn't break him, this for sure did. He wanted to offload to his friend, like his dad said, but this is what happens, this is what happens when a boy tries to open up; he gets treated like a second class citizen, like he's not even human. When Fran only wanted understanding, he got humiliation and perhaps if Alex had been more understanding, his fate could've been different. Fran began tearing up, and crying.
"Oh man!" Alex laughed, "No way you're actually crying over this girl YOU MET ONLINE!" Alex said, trying to make it seem that because he met her online, it's not serious. "Listen man, let the bitch go, let her deal with her parents, you're dealing with your own stuff and you can't handle her too."
"She is my 'own stuff... Alex" Fran's expression went from crying to cold smiling, smiling again. His eyes seemed hollow, like there was nothing behind them. As though someone stuck a piece of paper over two holes in his face and called them eyes.
"Oh man, you should hear yourself right now." Alex continued laughing. As they walked, they approached that alleyway again, the one which Fran hallucinated in.
"Alex..." Fran said, "Come here for a second, I want to show you something, but I don't want anyone else seeing this." They both then walked into that alleyway. Francisco was about to show him the plane tickets that he had bought earlier. However, Alex's mouth began moving uncontrollably,
"It'll fail, it'll fail, it'll fail!" Alex began repeating over and over.
"Stop it!" Fran shouted, "Get the fuck out of my head!" Fran went back to crying now. Fran fell on his ass and covered his head.
"Fran!" Alex shouted, "Dude what's going on!" But every word he said, for Fran it appeared as 'It'll fail'. Fran began growling, drool was spazzing from his mouth.
"I had enough!" Fran shouted. Fran jumped up and pushed Alex's head into the brick wall, opening his scalp open. Alex fell down.
"I've had enough of people trying to ruin me and Lydia." Fran said, with that smile back.
"Dude..." Alex gasped, "I never tried that." Fran kept hearing the same words though.
"You're ego is impressive Alex," Fran kicked him in the face, pushing his head into the ground. "Even when you're getting beat, you still persist."
"Fran, do your plan, I believe you!" Alex cried, "Stop this!" Alex pushed his leg off and stood up and punched Fran in the face. He then began running down the alley. Fran, being faster, chased after him. Fran saw a brick lying on the ground, a small one, could be used as a projectile. He picked it up and threw it at Alex. The brick hit his head and he collapsed in a pool of blood. He began crawling and saw a door. Fran reached him and pulled him by his legs onto the wall. He then whipped out a knife he always had on him and put it to his throat whilst holding him onto the wall.
"Fran," Alex gasped for air, "It's me Alex, please, stop." Fran didn't hear anything else besides 'It'll fail'.
"Shut..." Fran put the knife to the edge of his lip, "The," he began slicing slowly going upwards from his lip towards his ear, "Fuck," He reached his ear, "UP!" He sliced his ear off. He then cut his tongue out and Alex couldn't scream anymore. Fran then picked that brick up and began smashing his head repeatedly; over and over. Yet no matter how hard he hit, Alex kept saying those words. Fran was losing patience. His smile turned into a laugh. Soon enough, he smashed his head so much that it became gelatinous, his brain was oozing from his ears and his eyes were like two cherries in an ice cream bowl.
Thomas entered Lydia's room. Lydia was asleep.
"Oi," He said. Lydia woke up and hid under her duvet, "Get the hell out from under that thing. You have school tommorow," He threw her $50 "Here, my 'apology' you may." He then walked out and left the door open for Lydia.
"You did something good honey." Anabelle said to Thomas.
"Yeah sure I did; paying the disobedient child, what a good thing right Anabelle!?" He shouted at Anabelle, "Y'know if she saw an example in you, she wouldn't behave the way she does. You're at fault for everything, you dismissive, wicked witch." They both then exited the house with Lambert and Eve and went for dinner, leaving Lydia alone. Lydia went downstairs, for the first time in days, and saw that the windows, door, and even ceiling was infected with metallic bars. Her father had turned their home into a prison, literally, a prison. Lydia began breathing heavily, her breaths got faster. She began pacing and looking around everywhere in every direction. 'No, no, no' She began saying over and over again. She ran into every room and saw the same sight. She ran to shower afterwards to try and clean the dirt and mess she accumulated over the days. As she showered, she passed out. She fell in the tub and pressed the drain plug in. The water slowly began rising. As she was passed out, Francisco appeared. She was on a boat in the middle of the ocean and in the distance Francisco could be seen walking on water towards her. The water kept rising and rising, it was closing in on her now. Suddenly, her father appeared beneath the boat, along with the rest of the family. They began pulling her down and drowning her. The water now submerged her head. However, blood began to leak from under the boat. And as Lydia looked up from the water, Fran had his hand out. She grabbed it and then woke up. She quickly turned the water off before it began leaking. Lydia was happy. She wasn't horrified or scared, she was ecstatic. She wanted to be freed of her father. Lydia got out the shower and went up to her dad's office. She saw a picture of another woman in one of the cupboards. She had a cold smile on her face. She then went to the large window which wasn't barred and looked out. She could see the great forest, and Washington D.C itself, freedom, it was so close yet so far away. However, she wasn't sad anymore, she didn't cry at this.
"One day," She said, "You'll rescue me, Fran, you'll save me from this, my love." She whispered to herself. She continued walking around the house, enjoying her garden once more, eating junk food, watching TV, singing, dancing, and whatever else. She went to the living room and saw ketchup splattered on her dad's seat and she got horrified,
"Shit!" She yelled. She spilt it on there whilst eating a hot dog. She began to violently rub and scrape the chair till the stain was out. She then sat down and watched TV till everyone else came back home.
Francisco looked down at his hands, they were utterly covered in blood.
"W-what the fuck?!" He began breathing heavily and panicked. "W-what happened. Who is this dead person. Why, why am I here!?" He stood up and saw the knife in his pocket and the brick lying in Alex's head. "No, no," he laughed, "No way, I didn't do this! I love Lydia but someone saying bad stuff about her won't make me k-kill them..." He started crying, "Right?" He shouted as loud as he could, attracting attention. "Shit! Fuck!" He cried, "Alex! NO!" He kneeled down in front of his body, "No! Wake up!" He continued crying, "Please! Please stay with me!" He grabbed his head and began shaking it, brain content pouring out onto Francisco in the process. Suddenly, Fran felt a touch on his shoulder.
"Are you sure you want to stay here?" Alex asked, "You wouldn't want people seeing a 14-year old boy with a dead body, now would you?" Francisco stood up.
"What-who are you?" He asked, wielding his knife.
"Don't be dumb, Fran." Alex replied. He teleported behind him, and whispered into his ear.
"I am you."
"Alex is dead, he's on the ground right now and someone killed him! You're not Alex!" Fran shouted.
"Oh no no, I am not Alex, you're right about that." He said, "But I was the one who killed him."
"W-what? You killed Alex!" Fran raged; he ran for this ghost and smashed into the wall, hitting his head in the same spot again. The ghost went back a bit.
"You don't understand yet Fran do you?" The Alex ghost walked right into Fran.
"I am you." Fran said. Fran then began smiling and laughing.
"Now, Alex, you're gone because you tried to stop me from reaching Lydia." Francisco said with the ghost present in him. "Anyone else who tries to stop me will face a worser fate than you, be sure of it!" Francisco began shaking.
"What the fuck!" He screamed, "I didn't say that! I didn't say that!" Alex's ghost appeared again.
"Do you love Lydia, Fran?" Alex asked,
"Y-yes, more than anything!" He replied,
"And you'll kill anyone for her right?" Alex asked,
"No! I am not a killer!" He replied,
"You sure about that?" Alex said, pointing at his body.
"Yes, I would kill anyone..." Fran said, still shaking.
"Well..." Alex moved closer to Fran, "Kill the Fran inside of you and embrace me! I am the better version of you." The ghost morphed from Alex into Francisco with a bloodied T-shirt, "I am the true Francisco, not you!" The ghost pierced Francisco with a blade in the heart, killing Fran. Fran fell onto the ground. After 20 minutes he arose,
"Lydia..." He said laughing, "I can now love you without anyone getting in the way, not even myself!" He laughed hysterically and then skipped gym and went home and texted Lydia, not telling her anything about what had happened and simply comforting her.