Deafening screeches. They were the bane to anyone's ear, crawling and scratching away at their soul, and Ellie was no exception. However, in her case, she expected it to be the last thing she'd hear.

After that a patch of blinding light seized her vision.

Reminiscent of her past rolled. Almost like a credit and she'd admit it was a masterpiece.

When her parents was alive, life was different. Warmth and love embraced her in any and every way she imagined possible. Dad often drove them for dinner. At times, he'd return with gifts. At times, with mother, sing and tell bedtime stories to lull her into sleep.

Mum, on the other hand, listened to all her achievements, successes, failures with love and empathy. Despite getting into a fight with one of the bullies in her class, Mum did not admonish but instead, celebrated her victory. She was her best friend too.

She yearned for those days to return.

After Mum passed away, Dad's character took a full turn. As much as she could remember, robbers in a back alley stabbed her because she resisted handing over her assets, as told by the police.

That became the trigger for Dad.

He changed. He became violent, starting with punishing her small mistake by caning her or forcing her to run for miles. Then slapping and punching her for disobeying or showing unwillingness to obey him. He never sexually assaulted her. . . not successfully anyway.

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She fought back and earned herself bruises all over her limbs and body every single time until he gave up.

How did she manage to fight off Dad when she's only eleven back then, she'd wonder sometimes, or perhaps he was plagued by guilt for Mum's death when he saw Mum's face in Ellie?

She didn't know.

A masterpiece of work for a short twelve years of living, wasn't it?

A choking sensation welled up in her throat then a burning scent stung her nose. Sensation flooded back into her and she struggled to pry open her own eyes.

Grey sky.

She moved her fingers and they responded, but her body refused to do the same.

"Am I . . . alive?" she muttered, reaching out for the clouds.

Her eyes widened upon realization. Blood trickled from her wrist where a piece of steel jammed itself at. Deep, but not enough to be fatal unless she pull it out. That'd be the last thing on her list to do.

The accident got them.

Slowly, she rest her hand back onto the asphalt ground, then tilt her head to her left.

Their car rested there, toppled and wrecked beyond recognition, and it continued spewing trails of smoke. Would it blow up any moment? Didn't seem so.

A few feet away, there her father laid. He features seemed to age by eons.

Those tight, sharp eyes were now worn out. Tons of wrinkles folded the corner of his enclosed eyes. His masculine body now nothing but thin and ragged. The warm red in his cheek no longer there. He rested, motionless with a snapped piece of steel on his back.

Her vision blurred in waves and she struggled to contain them.

Stupid.

But why was she crying?

He had made her life hellish. He had forced her to suffer bruises everyday. He had made her live in fear everyday. Heck, their recent trip was to discard her to an orphanage.

Discard!

"Why?" Ellie muttered. Why can't she feel relieved? Why the tightness in her heart? "Why did you abandon me?"

Ahh . . . that was it. . . that was "why?"

Footsteps stomped nearer and nearer.

Although curious, Ellie no longer had any energy to even move her hands. She exhaled her last breath as the curtain drew down on her life.

"Mum."