NARROW

The classrooms of Halide academy held many secrets; The white walls, white chairs, white desks, and the depressing atmosphere which was not one to be reckoned with.

Yet the souls of it's inhabitants were dark and full of filth.

Victoria sat quite amused at the irony. She found it amusing, the school was amusing in it's own sickening way.

A tear fell down her cheeks as she recalled her father, the man who had abandoned both her and her mother.

Her mother,

It always took a lot of encouragement to call that monster her mother. The woman who broke her before anyone else could, of course, after her dad.

The woman who made it her priority to remind Victoria of how worthless she would always be, of how she would never be as pretty as the 'other' girls, who continuously taunted her about how much of a waste of space she was, the bipolar psychotic woman had done quite a number on the sixteen year old.

Some days, she was convinced she wasn't her daughter. especially when the abuse skyrocketed. Other days she would be served breakfast in bed, embraced and showered with 'love'. which was fake. Victoria was terrified of the psychotic woman.

Today hadn't been any better, she recalled being shoved in the shower with her clothes on, tied up, and being coerced into enduring the hot water that came pouring down.

She winced at the thought.

The loud bickering that taunted the silence was becoming quite unbearable. It was like the words kept poking on her sores.

The birds weren't humming anymore, as if to acknowledge the pain and emptiness that dwelled within the distraught soul.

Victoria squeezed the paper in her hands as tears fell down her cheeks.

They were at it again.

Playing that devious game, they called 'fun'.

She wanted to block out their voices. Although they were whispers, they seemed louder than a trumpet being blown.

I hate her!

She's disgusting!

No one loves her!

I can't believe she's related to me!

Filth!

How the hell did she even get a spot at this school!

She looked like she got picked out of trash!

She is trash!

She tightened her fists as she looked back at them and turned back almost immediately, she felt like grabbing the next sharp object and finishing them off.

Maybe that would end the pain that was tearing her apart, her knuckles had turned white as drops of tears fell unto the desk. A flashback invaded her frail mind.

The shuffling of paper and gentle but devious giggles were heard, the scenario seemed familiar to Victoria, very familiar.

The sound of shuffling of papers and slight giggling could be heard, resisting the urge to look back, she began to walk away until she felt something hit her.

She froze mid-walk.

Her eyes darted to the paper on the floor, she frowned as she caught a glimpse of the smirk on her 'cousins' face. Marianna never failed to express her disgust for Victoria, and Victoria was used to it by now.

She ignored the glare and looked downwards for what had been thrown at her, she caught a glance of the piece of paper that had been roughed up.

She quickly unfolded it,and the contents till shook her till date

'die already!'

She trembled thinking of what today's content would be.

She caught sight of a piece of paper, she grimaced, slowly picking it up. she kept her gaze down, she couldn't muster enough courage to look into the eyes of her predators. She wasn't sure she could bear the look of disgust and hate that usually spread across their faces.

Unfolding the paper she read it's content.

List of worthless girls;

.

.

.

.

.

V. I. C. T. O. R. I. A

Die already !!

Victoria wiped her tears and sat up straight a thought invaded her troubled mind. she wanted them all to suffer, she wanted them dead, for each time they toyed with her emotions and called her worthless, for each message they sent that ruined her day, she wanted then to suffer silently and slowly like she always did.

But why?

why so much hate towards a group of students?

Or better put what did a group of 'innocent' students do?

Practically nothing, nothing at all.

They only called her awful names, hit her on countless occasions, ruined her projects and sabotaged her things.

They literally brainwashed the whole school into hating her, but that's nothing right? Nothing to be worried about? -that statement came from the excuse of a principal.

But what would you expect from the person in charge of such a devious and cynical school.

Then again, everyone termed it as nothing,those kids were too 'good' to be involved in such things,Victoria must have done something, yes it had to be her

oh she did do something,

She existed.

That was her only sin and mistake.

Then again they did nothing. They were only playing, playing a game that cost her -her life.

"Stop it!"Victoria said on many occasions as her eyes were red from all the tears she had shed.

She thought they would take her seriously, she thought they would stop. But no they didn't,they never did so she had to put a stop to them.

She didn't want to keep on going through the same path, her legs had been covered with too many bruises to continue on a journey like this.

Victoria was alone, in a world full of wolves,abandoned and neglected. Forced to thread on her own.

She couldn't continue like this, constantly feeling like a culprit in court trying to justify herself to a judge with ear pods on, she constantly felt like a bug, being squared with no mercy at all.

She wanted to end it, to end this suffering

So here she was, sitting on her chair, her hands shivering and her heart racing like a gun was pointed to her head. She felt sharp pains in her temples.

Victoria was fed up. she tightened her fists, stood up and walked up to them.

"I said keep quiet!" She yelled as she pointed a pen at a boy in a threatening manner.

Dead silent. Those were the only two words that would be able to properly express the present moment. "Seriously Vicky, a pencil? Where are you? Kindergarten?" Marianna mocked wearing her famous smirk. "shut up Mariana" Victoria's voice was low and quiet. Mariana took a step back, she hadn't seen this side of Victoria.

"stab me then, C'mon Victoria! Stop me! Let's see if you can do it" Bruce yelled. He was the jock that could never get over Victoria's rejection. "don't push me Bruce, who knows I might just slit that damned throat of yours whose vibration only produces shit" Victoria threatened. Her stance firm, gaze steady, hands trembling but her mind was...

Intent. She was intent on doing some damage "You're a bitch, you know that right?" Kiara spat. "you're disgusting, and that's a fact" Victoria shot back. Her gaze not leaving Bruce, she wanted to kill him. She did, but she just couldn't do it, she couldn't, her mind was intent and hell-bent on wreaking havoc but her body just wasn't cooperating. "I hate you so much, all of you" she whispered

"it's okay," Mariana said getting closer "it's mutual" she whispered into Victoria's ear.

"Please don't hurt me Victoria! I'll do anything" Bruce erupted, Confused. Victoria looked back to see the principal staring back at her. Her grip on the pencil loosened, the sound of the pencil hitting the ground was quite abnormally audible.

"What do you think you're doing?" Victoria was shocked. This wasn't part of the plan, this shouldn't be happening, she knew she wouldn't get a better chance than this and she was hell-bent on doing something. It all happened so fast, one moment Victoria was staring shocked at the next she was trying to stab Bruce with the pencil, screaming bloody murder, after countless tries to hold her off they succeed in separating them, Victoria felt disappointed but the hint of fear that she saw in Bruce's eyes made it all worth it. ****** "What was the meaning of that?!" The principal yelled at her in the confinement of his office. "I want you to go back in there and apologize to that kid! you're suspended and you will write a 5000-word essay on why it is wrong to attempt to kill your Classmate" The principal, Jone Davis commanded. For the first time in what seemed like ages that Victoria had been in the office, she lifted her gaze unto the browned hair man. Demeanor firm, mind intent.

"I will not apologize for defending myself, something that's supposed to be your job! I will not write a 5,000 essay on why it is wrong to stab classmates that have made my life hell from day one! and I will not listen to your bullshit, cause I wouldn't be here right now if you had freaking listened! and you can do whatever the hell you want, suspend me, give me detention, heck you can even expel me, That might just be the good deed you need to finally rinse off all your sins." Victoria spat, her eyes lit up in rage.

The principal sucked in a breathe, "you aren't going to yell at me little girl you will respect me" He said slowly, trying to intimidate the girl in front of him.

Silence hovered for a few minutes

"I will respect you when I think you're worth it" Victoria shot back.

A slap echoed throughout the room.

"Get out! Get out!! Out!!!" the principal yelled at the top of his voice. Victoria ran out tears pouring down, she wanted to yell scream at the world for being so cruel, yell bloody murder each time life was too much, each time she was chanced with the blade but chose not to, how? Why can't they understand, they were ripping her apart, plucking her feathers, clipping her wings, they were breaking her. She ran through halls with so much emotion burning beneath her skin, she wanted to scream, yell, shout, but she was always met with silence, tears pouring down suffering slowly and silently. The pain was becoming too much to bear. It had been five years, five freaking long years of pains, wet tear tracks, reddened eyes of scars, wounds, shivers, and burns. Five long years, Since her cousin turned on her, since then- no, that's wrong. Everything, everything went downhill when she was three It was all her father's fault, and as much as she hated the man she couldn't blame him and she loved him. Recently, she found something out that was just too much to bear, he was a traitor! a traitor! He had another daughter, Another daughter, that's why he could never accept her, He showered that girl with all the love she deserved. Victoria closed the bathroom doors and she stared at the mirror, a familiar person stared back at her, reddened eyes, tear tracks, an empty look, and trembling hands. Her reflection stared back at her.

It was like reality was constantly dawning on her, constantly showing her, her many scars and reminding her she was nothing but the Victoria she saw each time she looked into the mirror. The dead, sickening, lost, ugly worthless being she was met with each time she set her eyes on the dreaded mirror Her body racked with sobs, the memories began to invade her without permission, words pierced her without invitation, she didn't care if she was currently sat on the disgusting toilet floor she didn't care about the smell that invaded her nostrils, she didn't care that everyone hated her, she just... She just wanted to be free, to rest, to close her eyes and not have to listen to those voices that tormented her, to not have to see those images that popped up each time she tried to think, to not feel the pain that was eating her whole.

"Victoria?" a familiar voice came through

"go away!"

"Victoria it's me Liliane let me in," she said "please" she begged.

Slowly the sobs calmed down. "leave Liliane, I... I need to Breathe, please..let me breathe!" she cried out.

Every day she asked herself;

why? Why did they pick me? What was so horrible that made me a target? Victoria wanted, No. Victoria needed to breathe, she desperately needed fresh air, from all the toxicity that had clouded her life, from all the judging eyes, and if karma was watching, she hoped and begged that it'd stop moping around and got to work before it was too late it's always easier to judge people than understand them, maybe just maybe if someone had listened, or bothered to ask it would have been a different story.

Victoria suffered a lot till the day she gave up and died.

Did she deserve such a harsh punishment called death?

Did she deserve to be stripped of her desire to live?

And was her revenge worth it?

All will be answered soon.

The only beautiful thing in the Dante house was the picture of Amelia, Victoria's mother's sister, the rest of the things were bland and lacked style. The furniture was worn-out and the atmosphere was always bald. Victoria had grown used to this, it was her life and she had accepted her fate.

"Bastard" Claudia spat, pacing around the sitting room like it was her job.

"so what now? You're a murderer?" she yelled as she gripped Victoria's arm. The girl's gaze remained glued to the ground, one thing was to vow to never shed a tear because of the woman and another thing was to stand up to a psychotic bipolar Monster.

"why? Why did you try to kill him?" she said her tone dangerously low.

"look at me" she whispered "look at me dammit!" she yelled. Victoria tore her gaze from the ground and stared into the eyes of the woman she called her 'mother' she grimaced. disgusted as always.

"I work so hard, just to send you to school and you what do you do? Huh?! You turn into a stabber?!"

"What else would I be mother?" Victoria whispered. You always told me that I wasn't good enough, so why do you expect anything from me? Huh? Yes, I'm a stabber! Yes, I tried to kill him, and I would do it all over a-" Victoria was cut off as a slap echoed through the room.

The impact caused her head to abruptly turn to the other side, she bit her lip and wiped her tears.

"Slap me! Go on mother! Hit me! do it! That's all you can do! You could never stand up for me! And when I stood up for myself everyone had a problem with it?! Isn't that cynical?! You never loved me! no! you never tried to love me!" Victoria yelled her voice laced with pain and sorrow

Silence invaded the atmosphere, as Claudia burst into sobs, Victoria remained still, not startled by the woman's sudden change in mood, it's been sixteen years she was used to it by now.

"I'm sorry my love" she bursts into sobs tears pouring down her eyes, Victoria stared at the woman in front of her unmoved, she knew she wasn't in her right senses and probably didn't even know what was happening that's was why deep down;

Victoria loved her mother. Deep down she wanted to believe that beneath the monster her illness provoked, was her mother, who loved her a lot. It was moments like this that convinced Victoria of that thought, she always cherished moments like this, when she felt Ioved even if it was momentarily and probably fake.

She pulled the blonde-haired woman into a hug, stifling the sobs that threatened to erupt, "it's okay mom, it's fine, everything is just fine. I'm fine, you're fine, we're fine" her voice cracked with pain as she tried to believe her lie.

She relished in the moment, she was going to enjoy the warmth that was served to her on a silver platter, she smiled before releasing the hug, she looked into the woman's eyes cautious of her mood before spitting out the question that had plagued her for years.

****

"did you ever love me mama?"

Claudia paused, looking into her daughter's eyes, she didn't know whether to tell her the truth or just play along with the lie she had going for Sixteen years.

"tell me, mama, do you love me?" Victoria's vision blurred as tears threatened to fall.

Decision made. Claudia spoke. "I- I did I loved you before."

Loved? Before?

Those words convinced Victoria that the woman was out of it, she frowned as she began to walk away, sure of one thing -that woman had never loved her.

******

Victoria woke up.

Yesterday's events drained her desire to move.

She sighed.

Yesterday had been a long day. But on the bright side, she didn't have to go to that dreaded school today. she breathed in fresh air, A small smile played on her lips.

She stood up and slipped on her blue slippers before heading into the bathroom for a bath, she waited for the bath to get filled before entering it. she couldn't help but recall another moment that water seemed to remind her of.

"c'mon pour more on her!" Ria burst into giggled as a hole was used to soak Victoria in cold water

"maybe this will finally Cleanse her of her filth!" another girl yelled

"she is filth!" Victoria sat on the ground the cold water running nonstop, the fourteen-year-old was fed up, tired and emotionally drained, so she just stayed there taking in the words and allowing the cold water to sink into her skin

Victoria suddenly gasped for air, Her breath hitched. Apparently she had gone underwater at some point. she ran her hands through her hair as she stood up to take a quick shower instead. With a blue towel tied around her chest, she came out of the bathroom. she was about to apply her lotion when she recalled there were chilies inside. Mariana for some reason had taken it upon herself to add chilies into her cream on her last visit she knew how to manipulate her position as a 'cousin'

To the whole world, Mariana was an angel but in reality she competed with the devil. a cruel being she was, Victoria smiled as she threw the cream through the window, she would give her a slow death.

"Hey, what did that cream do?" a voice spoke from nowhere. A bit startled. Victoria looked out the window and her eyes met her predator, the one that would finish her off

Victoria was in no mood for sarcasm and the mere fact he had the school's ID made her blood boil.

"it's because it had your name on it," she said as she kicked it into the trash

"hey! sense of humor!" he said as he walked away.

She quickly changed and walked into the kitchen where Claudia had set up breakfast, ignoring the rare gesture, Victoria opted for an apple.

"I'm not going back to college mother," she said as she bit on the apple

"why?" Her mother said, not losing focus on washing the dishes

"Cause I'm fed up with them all," she said sitting on a chair and putting her comb down.

"who?" Claudia asked as he sat down her attention on the sixteen-year-old teenager in front of her, when Victoria refused to reply she spoke again

"is it those kids again? honey I told you don't take things personally, they are just kids, Mariana is your cousin she would never mean anything bad". Her mom said concerned.

"You also think I'm making it up?Huh?"

"Victoria..."

"No. You are right, I'm the wrong one, always in the wrong place at the wrong time, on a wrong day, and with the wrong people."

"you are right. But-" She began but stopped when she saw the look in the girl's eyes

"Victoria," her mother said, realizing her words were too cold.

"it's fine mother, let me endure this pain only I understand". Victoria stood up and walked out of the kitchen leaving the half-eaten apple behind She closed the door of her room, and slid down the wall,

Why can't they understand, I'm not speaking gibberish am I? I'm not crazy am I?

"I'm not crazy" she whispered as a tear rolled down her eyes

"I know what I've seen, I know what I've heard, I know what I've felt only I know. and I know ..." She mumbled to herself as she threaded her hands continuously through her hair.She paced about her room whispering the same thing with her hand still threading through her hair. She picked up a picture of her father.

"you don't think I'm crazy, do you? I know they are laughing at me. They have planned another trap."

"I won't I can't! no!"She said as she threw the lamp and it shattered

"I can't keep living like this! Not like this..." she fell to the ground and began playing with her hands.

She wasn't. but she looked crazy.

All because of this game they called 'fun' no one understood her.

She was alone.

Why was all this happening?

I'll tell you, it was merely the curse of beauty, the ill-luck of attraction, a pinch of self-confidence with a drop of uniqueness.

That's all it took to turn her life upside down.

Why her? why'd they pick her what did a sixteen-year-old do that was so cruel it deserved such a punishment called death.

Victoria suffered a lot till the day she gave up, was her revenge worth it? did the lives she took deserve forgiveness? Did she deserve such a death? All these questions will be answered soon.