C2 The Gift

Two months later

"Mother please..." She slapped me again.

"You ungrateful daughter! As long as you live under our roof and eat our food. You will do as we say. You know, you're not safe out there and they will come and get you. They will find you, and they will drain you in the most horrible way possible. You know this, you had tried to run away before."

She choked me, hard until I almost fainted. I couldn't fight her anymore, I was too weak. Then she kicked me again, this time she was aiming for my backside. It hurt me none the less. Then she let me go to slumped onto the floor of my bedroom.

I was still thankful that it was my mother, and not my father. Because tonight was his poker night with his buddies. The bruises that he gave me was still there, from three weeks ago.

Then I heard her as she put my dinner in my food tray, it usually contains scraps of leftovers from whatever they've had for dinner earlier. I gulped down my drinking water. I was always parched since the room had no windows, and I was always sweating from the little fan that they let me have.

"Do the dishes once you're finished. I'm going to bed. Just leave the back door open, your dad will be home late tonight." She told me as she walked lazily to their bedroom.

Being twenty-one years old, I should be able to support myself and leave my parents already. But they always get me back every time I tried to run away, and the punishment was harder after each attempt.

My time was wasted doing work for them. Being a clairvoyant was my gift, I could see glimpses of one's future. I never wanted it, but I have it, and it made me a slave for my parents as they put me to work since my early childhood days.

I heard my late aunt said to my mom that the gift might skip a generation. I was playing hide and seek with my cousins, and I was hiding under one of the kitchen counters. I didn't intend to eavesdrop but I was intrigued when I hear them talked about me.

I still remembered when my late aunt told my mother, about my other cousin that had the gift. How he made lots of money for himself in Vegas, until he died from his drug habit. She said that the ability made him delirious to the point that he overdosed on drugs and took his own life.

The visions started after I almost drown in the pool when I was eight years old. My foot was pulled down by a hand. I was trying to see under the pool, but all I could see was blackness. My mind didn't know how to process it, because I was swimming at a public pool. I was in the one-meter pool for kids, and there were lots of people but no one seemed to hear my cry for help. The next thing I know, I was pulled by a hand. I couldn't see the face as my eyes were blurry from my tears, up to now I never knew who saved me.

Mother didn't believe me, as she told me to shower and go get change. And that was when I saw him under the pool. I was on my way back to our seat where my parents were waiting for me.

He was looking at me standing up facing my direction at the bottom of the pool. I was pacing my step quicker and was almost running towards my parents. I obviously know as a kid that nobody swims with a dark cloak, even his hoodie was covering his facial features. All I knew was that he looked really tall, and it looked like he was standing so deep under the one-meter pool as the darkness surrounded him.

A couple of days after that I started seeing more monsters, I couldn't get to sleep. Then I overheard my mother talking to my father in the living room.

"My sister told me that these were the signs, Jared love... she can make us a lot of money, and with your business prospects. We can really use the extra income." She was telling my father, as he was taking in her every word.

One week later it was coming true, as I started knowing things before it even happened. Mother was excited as she started gathering information from her sister, and together with father they start to set up shop.

From then on I was working from home, the would put a veil on my face and put me in costumes and tell people their future. I never knew how much money they were making until I was older. And that was when I started my attempts to run away, and that was also when the beatings started.

I was quietly doing the dishes when my father barged in from the back door. He brought his friend home, he had never done this before. But I decided not to ask questions and retreated to my room. But his friend followed me to my room, I had a bad feeling about why he was there.

Then he grabbed my hand, and pulled my body to his, and whispered disgustingly in my ear.

"Your father can't pay his lost, so I asked for you instead and he agreed. Let's get out of here, I want you screaming my name and I don't want to wake your sexy mom. She's also delicious by the way, I'm hoping you are too." He started licking my neck and groping my breasts.

I looked at my father, with tears streaming down my eyes. He just looked at me and shrugged then continue walking to his room.

This is it, I'm going to end this, even if I die from trying. I'm going to run away for the last time.

The funny thing about me being a clairvoyant, was that I couldn't predict my future. If had known about this night, I would surely make a run for it days before.

His friend dragged me to his car and took me to a motel. He was stripping himself, as he pushed me down to the bed and started touching me, all over my body. I was crying and fighting him, but he was too strong for me.

"Please don't do this...I'm a virgin, please..."

"Damn, you shouldn't say such things fuck! I'm fucking having you. I never had one before." He slapped me and pinned me to the bed roughly.

Shit!

My hands were looking for something...anything...then I found it, an in house phone. He was busy stripping me, as I hit his head with all of my strength until he fell to the floor. I quickly got up and found his car keys. I was going to try my luck in driving. I never knew how, but I used to watch my parents intensely, just in case one day I might have the opportunity. I was hoping, it would be as easy as it looked.

I was about to reach the door when his hand grabbed my waist and slapped me hard in the face until I taste blood.

"You stupid bitch, your dad told me not to punch you in the face." He said to me as he stood up wobbly, and punched my stomach, I cried in pain but the adrenaline was flowing. When I saw an opening, while his footing was still wobbly. I took the cheap motel chair and hit his head again. Then he fell, he didn't move, so I quickly checked his keys in my pocket then went to his car.

My hands were shaking, but my adrenaline was still pumping as I turned on the ignition couple of times, until I could awkwardly start the car. Luckily I managed to drive it slowly on and off for a few blocks until I saw the hospital. I parked in the lobby as the EMT guy was calling me out not to park there.

But I got out of the car and he hurriedly runs to me, as he saw my battered state. He was calling out his team, and more were coming from the inside of the emergency unit.

I fainted as I saw the tall hooded guy in the swimming pool back when I was eight years old, he was watching me from the far corner of my eyes.