Lies that Bind
Murphy Wallace
The more she trusted him, the more she wanted his hands on her. In her hair and on her neck. She longed to be vulnerable in his custody.
JM Storm
The story you are about to read contains triggers. If you are uncomfortable reading stories depicting scenes with graphic sexual abuse, this story is not for you.
This is part one of Brianna’s, Chelsea’s, and Sebastian’s story.
Chapter 1
Brianna
I was six years old the first time Uncle Jack touched me. At first it was just little brushes, here and there, during family parties and holidays. But then, my dad passed away and my mom relied on him to watch me so she could go to work. That's when things started to get really bad. He was a columnist for our local paper, but he also did freelance stuff for other publications all over the country, and he was able to work from home. He forced me to give him blow-jobs and he would ‘taste me' too, as he called it. He would make me dress up in different skimpy outfits and he would take pictures of me. Then, he would make me stand there while he got himself off. Sometimes he would make me do it for him. Often times, he would make me masturbate in front of him. I begged God to take my memories, to help me repress them, but I was never able to make them go away. I tried telling my mom a few times. I hinted at it, but I was never brave enough to tell her outright. Not to mention, Uncle Jack said that she would never believe me. And I believed him. Why wouldn't I? He has the people in this town fooled. He's handsome, strong, charismatic. The perfect guy.
Last year, he took his cruelty to new heights when he raped me. I don’t know why he didn’t do it sooner, but I feel like his proclivities matured as I did, growing more extreme through the years. Mom had to go on a business trip and I was sent to stay with him for a week. I begged my mom to let me stay with a friend, but she said no. When I got to his house, he told me he had something special planned for that afternoon. He took more than my virginity that day. He took my soul. I tried killing myself to make the pain go away. I downed all of my mom’s anxiety pills. Unfortunately, I tried to swallow too many at a time and they got stuck. I threw them all back up; what a waste. Mom beat the hell out of me for it. I used to tell myself that she didn’t know that it was going on. That she still doesn’t know what he put me through. Deep down, I know that’s a lie. She’s known all along.
“Hey, Joe,” I greet my supervisor when I arrive for work.
I've been working at the hardware store in town for the past three years. It doesn't pay a whole lot, but now that I've graduated high school, I am looking forward to working full time and getting the fuck out of my mom's house. My dad left me some money that I gained access to the day that I turned eighteen. Now I just need to find a place to live, somewhere far from here.
“Bri, how’s it going today?”
Joe is older, in his fifties or so. He and his wife have owned this shop for fifteen years, but it was his father’s before that. Joe and May are two of the nicest and most sincere people in this quiet town. It's just the two of them since their daughter, Sadie, was killed. It's a cold case that's haunted our small town for years. I was ten when it happened. She was fifteen. I remember wishing that I was as pretty and popular as her. It happened right after she won the Ms. Sweetwater pageant. She was supposed to meet up with some of her friends at the diner, but she never showed up. The entire town searched for her all night long. Finally, the sheriff found her three miles into the woods behind the high school, on the river bank. She had been raped and strangled. It rocked our small town and I feel so bad for Joe and May, that they've never had the closure that they need, that they deserve.
Sweetwater, NC is where we live. It’s in the heart of the middle of nowhere. The closest city is 70 miles away, and it’s more of a suburb than a major metropolitan area. We have one main drag where most of the stores are; where you can find everything you need to survive. The supermarket is at one end. We’re at the other. In between us is an auto shop, a drug store, a barber shop and beauty parlor, a diner, a couple of small clothing stores; all of the staples of small-town living.
“Pretty good. Glad school is finally over,” I say to him with a smile.
“Is your mom throwing you a graduation party?”
“Yeah, despite all of my protesting.”
“She’s proud of you, let her celebrate the moment.”
I roll my eyes at him playfully and go to the storeroom to see what needs to be stocked today.
Chapter 2
Brianna
“Congratulations, sweetie!” Aunt Helen says as she arrives.
“Thank you for coming,” I answer unenthusiastically.
“Hey, Chels,” I greet my cousin Chelsea in the same manner as her mother. “Nice to see you.”
“Same,” she says with a genuine smile. There is something in her stare too, a seriousness to it. “How have you been?”
Ah, so that’s what it’s for. She’s wondering if I’ve tried to kill myself recently. Or if I plan to.
“I’m fine,” I turn on my heels and walk away before she has a chance to say anything else.
There are too many people here. My mom is one of four kids; my Aunt Helen and two brothers. Uncle Paul is Bash's dad, and then there's… I can't say it; I pray he isn't coming today. Add my grandparents, and a few of my mom's friends, and our already small house feels like a child's playhouse.
“Brianna!” I hear my mom calling from the kitchen. “Can you help me bring some of these dishes outside?”