Broken
POV: Elena
My ears are ringing, I feel pain between my legs and in my stomach.
I don't know how long I've been running, but I know I need to run away, I need to get away from Eloisa.
She's a monster, worse than our parents.
I left school when I switched classes with other students and now I'm running through the city streets, I'm looking for a safe place.
But does this exist? Can this place be real?
I end up falling when I trip over a rock and my knees burn, I feel my phone vibrate, but I don't want to answer it. I don't want to do anything else.
I get up and start running again, at a certain point my head starts to hurt too and my legs want to give out.
I stop for a few seconds and look around. I'm in the same park I saw the day I decided to run away.
I pass through the entrance gates and walk aimlessly towards the interior.
"Elena Valentini?" someone calls me, but I ignore them and keep walking.
I feel a hand on my wrist and immediately jump back in fright.
I look at the person who held me and find Paola Ricci staring at me.
"Is everything okay, kiddo?" she asks me worriedly.
"I think so," my voice comes out as a whisper, "Do you know where it's safe?"
She looks at me confused by the question and holds out her hand.
"I can show you where it is," she says gently and I take her hand.
I don't care if she kidnaps me or kills me. I've been through hell myself.
She leads me to a black BMW and opens the back door for me.
I stare out the window of the moving car, feeling tired and empty. I was tortured for fifteen years by my own parents, but they never touched me inappropriately.
But Eloisa is the worst monster of all. She broke me in the worst way.
We stop in front of a huge house, just as luxurious as my brothers', if not more so.
Paola leads me into a living room and sits me down on the couch. A few seconds later, I have a mug of hot chocolate in my hands and a blanket around my shoulders.
"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Paola's voice is soft.
"No, I don't want to talk about it." My voice is low and without any attitude.
"Can you at least tell me if you're hurt?" she asks gently.
I look at her, assessing her intentions, her eyes conveying genuine concern and curiosity.
"My body hurts," is the most I'll say, the most my mind will allow me to process at the moment.
She nods and stands up.
When she comes back, she has two pills in her hand and a glass of water.
"They're for the pain, honey," she says and hands them to me.
After I take the medicine, she leaves the room with her phone in her hand and I pull the blanket over my body to cover myself better.
I close my eyes and I can still feel his hand on my body, I feel him inside me and his whispers in my ear.
I hear Eloisa's laughter and Alana's words before leaving me trapped with that boy.
"Elena" Vicente brings me back to reality.
I look at him in confusion and then I see Dante and Vitorio behind him. They look angry, but their expressions are cold and distant.
"Paola Ricci is a friend."
I remember them saying that at some point.
"Let's go home," Vicente says darkly.
"Is it safe there?" I ask automatically and he looks at me in confusion.
"I promise it's safe there, bambina," his voice is softer now.
They thank Paola for helping me and lead me to the car. Vicente sits next to me and I rest my head on the window looking out.
I see Dante and Vitorio looking at me with concern every now and then.
We arrive home quickly, Vicente hands me to Dante and goes in first.
I hug Dante tightly, I don't want to go in. I don't want to see Eloisa.
"We're just going to talk," Dante says, and he doesn't understand that my fear has nothing to do with the fact that I ran away from school.
He takes me inside and leads me to the living room. All my relatives are there waiting for me.
I sit down in the only empty seat, which is an armchair facing the others.
"Elena, we're disappointed in you," Grandma's voice is upset.
I look at her and I don't blame her for being mad at me for running away from school.
"We didn't think you'd be like this, you broke enough rules and you still ran away from school for fear of being punished," Lorenzo says angrily, and I look at them confused.
"And you still act like you don't understand," Leonardo says angrily and takes out his phone.
He shows me a picture of me hugging Gael. The picture that Eloisa took.
"Every school has this, Elena. Can you imagine the embarrassment we went through?" Eloisa says, and my stomach turns.
"I-I" the words get stuck in my throat. My hands are shaking and I have to put them between my legs.
"You don't even have the ability to answer us," Leonardo scoffs. "I guess I wasn't that wrong."
I look at him and remember Gael's words, remember him saying that Leonardo thinks we're two whores out for money.
Tears fill my eyes and I wipe them away quickly. I can't cry, I promised Silas I would never cry again.
I summon the little courage and dignity I have left and put my barriers in place.
"Am I being punished?" I ask, looking coldly at Lorenzo.
He assesses me carefully, notices my change. Everyone else notices.
"Yes, no electronics and no friends for a month," Lorenzo says and Leonardo snorts.
"Do you want to add anything, fratello?" I ask Leonardo and stand up. "Maybe a surveillance camera around the house? I don't blame you for being afraid that those two money-grubbing tramps will rob you."
He looks at me in surprise and I smile at him.
"Isn't that what you told your friends?" Hatred drips from every word I say. "Isn't that what you told that son of a bitch Gael?"
Everyone looks at me in surprise at the outburst and I feel good. This is better than emptiness, anger and hatred are better than feeling nothing.
"Elena, calm down," Antoni asks, coming closer.
He touches my wrist where Alana held it before and I groan in pain.
"Don't fucking touch me," I scream and he pulls away.
"Elena, you're only making your situation worse." Eloisa's voice is worried.
I look at her and feel my heart sink, her mask of concern turns my stomach, but in her eyes I see the demon that she is.
"You're worse than them," I whisper and she knows I'm talking about our parents.
"I didn't do anything" her tone is hurt and it makes me laugh.
"Of course not Eloisa, you never do anything wrong because you're perfect" I yell sarcastically at her.
"Elena she's only worried about you" Sandro says and my blood boils.
"She doesn't care about anything other than her own navel" I say looking at them "She only cares about the amount of luxury and attention she can receive".
"That's not true" Eloisa yells at me "I'm just trying to fit in with my family, unlike you who acts like everyone is against you".
"But isn't that your plan?" I ask her harshly "Isn't it your wish that I learn my place? Isn't it to have everything and everyone just for you?".
She looks at me angrily but doesn't deny it and it makes me laugh.
"You were never my sister Eloisa" I say and she approaches me and slaps me in the face.
"I'm your family, whether you like it or not," she says in a tone I'm sure my siblings have never seen her use. Her words drip with hatred.