Beautifully Broken

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and
incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or
are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual
persons, living or dead, events, or locals is entirely
coincidental.

Veronica had tears pouring down her face and she let out
a scream. It was a scream of horror, of heartbreak, and of
stolen dreams. Something came over her, a dark fury of
rage and power. Veronica couldn't control herself, she
didn’t even know what she was doing and it all happened
so fast.

Twenty two years of pain and torture and she couldn’t
take one more minute. Veronica was running out of hope.
She had been paralyzed by the hope she had in her heart
for so many years, but finally she broke free. How she got
to that moment in her life she didn’t quite know. Nor did
she know how she let herself live that way for so long.
Veronica didn’t plan for it to happen; she didn’t want it to
end the way it did and she was petrified of the horrible
acts that had lead up to that event in her life but she
couldn’t take it back.

Sometimes in life there are only two options and in
Veronica Burn’s case both options ended badly. It
wouldn’t have mattered what she chose, it was all going to
end on that night. Veronica was shaking, her heart was
beating so fast but she was alive even though she still had
to deal with the effects of her tragic life. Veronica didn’t
know she was capable of such terrible things. But she was
broken, way past the deep end. She was drowning in her
own pain and sorrow.

"Crack" Veronica stopped and looked out the big bay
window of her father’s house to see a flash of lightening. It
shook her whole body and sent shivers down her spine.
She saw the rain sliding down the glass of the window and
it looked like tear drops. Were they tear drops from
heaven? Were the Angels condemning her for her sins?
She felt angry and betrayed. Why should she care about
heaven? The Angels never protected her before. Veronica
felt alone in the world.

Veronica stood there, looking out the window. It was dark
and eerie outside. The winds were harsh, the rain strong;
pouring down, and the thunder and lightning were
terrifying. But yet she wished she could be outside even in
the storm. Outside looked better than being in her own
home. Was anyone really safe in their own house? Behind
closed doors. Just because a door is shut and nothing on
the outside can get to you, doesn’t mean you’re safe. You
could be trapped inside with far worse things than the
wind and rain.
"Crack.” Another bolt of lightning flashed before
Veronica’s eyes and it woke her up from her horrific
moment. But the nightmare wasn't over when she looked
down at her hands; she saw they were covered in blood.
The blood dripped off her finger tips and fell onto the floor
where her father’s lifeless body laid. His eyes still open
looking up at her. She was horrified by what she had done
but she was frozen there looking into his soulless eyes.

Frozen, terrified by the horrific acts she committed. There
was no going back now. Veronica was heartbroken by
what she did but at the same time she didn’t want to go
back. She wished it didn’t happen the way it did. At the
same time Veronica had a sense of peace now that her
father was dead.

She started to think about her mother. Veronica didn’t
have any memories before the age of five, she couldn’t
recall anything. But she remembered her mother’s
beautiful face and sweet smile. Her mother was a loving
and patient woman. Her mother’s name was Katie. She had
shiny golden blond hair and light blue eyes that looked
like the sky. Life was easy and simple until her mother
died and left Veronica alone with her father.
Tears poured down Veronica’s face and dripped into her
mouth. Her tears were bitter and salty; she spit out her
tears at her father and let out another scream.

“I hate that I loved you so much. I hate you! Oh my God,
Daddy I am so sorry,” Veronica screamed and cried as
she fell to her knees.

Veronica was only ten when her mother died, she was
very sick. Her mother suffered with a personality and
bipolar disorder; she was mentally ill and depressed. In
Veronica’s mind she didn’t see her mother as a crazy
person like other people may have. Veronica’s mother was
spontaneous, creative and passionate about everything.
Her mother did so much with Veronica. They made forts
and played dress up. They would put on plays and shows
for her father where they would sing to him. In Veronica’s
mind things were fine back then, or at least her life was
better when her mother was alive.

Veronica remembered at night lying in her bed listening to
her mother and father screaming. Her mother’s screams of
pain terrified Veronica; she would cry herself to sleep at
night. Veronica didn’t know all her parents secrets; no one
really knows what goes on behind closed doors.

Looking at her dead father, Veronica thought back to
when her mother died. Veronica’s mother looked so
peaceful and content. But her father had a disturbing
expression on his face of shock and disbelief.

Veronica remembered back to the last day her mother was
alive. They made a cake that day, a chocolate cake with
white icing and blue sprinkles because that was the color
of both their eyes. That night when her mother tucked her
into bed she was crying. Veronica didn’t understand why
her mother was so sad.

“You are very special Veronica and I love you very much.
You are so beautiful with your blue eyes and golden hair
like me,” tears ran down her mother’s face as she looked
into her eyes. “No matter what happens in your life
remember I love you and you are important to this world.
Sometimes bad things happen and we don’t know why, so
we blame ourselves. Never blame yourself, for anything
bad that happens to you. Never blame yourself. You are
perfect you have made me so happy. I always wanted a
daughter, that’s why I got you. Please forgive me for all
the bad things I have done in my life. I hope your life will
be so much better than mine,” Veronica mother said as
she touched her face and kissed her check. “Sweet dreams
my darling.”

The next day they found her mother dead in her bed. She
had overdosed on pain medication.
Veronica was confused and overwhelmed by the events of
that night. The memories haunted her.

Veronica’s life always seemed different from other
people’s lives, but she didn’t realise that until she was
older. She never went to school with other kids; Veronica
was home schooled by her mother. Other than playing in
the back yard she never remembered leaving her house as
a child. No one ever came over for visits and if someone
did show up unexpectedly, Veronica was told to play in
the basement. In the basement was where Veronica’s
bedroom and toy room was. She never met her
grandparents or any of her parent’s friends or family. The
day of her mother’s funeral was the first time she could
remember ever leaving the house but no one talked to her
it was like Veronica didn’t exist. After her mother died
things really changed. Veronica father became a different
man; he was strict and cold with her, she felt like he didn’t
love her anymore.

Veronica spent most of the year after her mother died
locked in the basement. Her father was stressed out all the
time and mad. Veronica didn’t mind being alone, she didn’t
want her father to be mad at her. Her father blamed her for
her mother’s death. Veronica wanted to please her father
more than anything in the world. She just wanted to make
her daddy happy.

One day her father came home from work and he was in a
really good mood, he let her out of the basement and
made her dinner.
“Veronica I am sorry the last few months have been so
hard. But we are going to move into a new house in a new
town and life is going to get better for us,” her father said
smiling at her. Veronica believed her father and she had
hope in her heart that things were going to get better for
them.

They moved to a small little town called Envy. There were
only about 12000 people that lived in the small town.
Veronica was so excited to see her new house, it was a big
old Victorian style house. All grey brick with green
shutters and a big porch. The house came fully furnished.
There was a bedroom with purple walls and a canopy bed.
Veronica couldn’t believe her eyes or her ears when her
father told her that was her bedroom. Veronica felt like a
princess, she was so happy. But she didn’t understand
why she and her father needed a house with six bedrooms.
Her father was right things were getting better for them.
Veronica was allowed out of the darkness of the basement
to the light of a beautiful princess room. Her father took
her out to stores and they did things together like fathers
and daughters should do.

They weren’t in town very long before Veronica father
opened up his own law firm. He was a very successful
lawyer back in the city. It didn’t take him long to do well in
Envy. After a year he became Harold Burns, Mayor of
Envy. Everyone loved him. He was a great public speaker
and a sweet widower raising his only daughter by himself.

On Veronica’s thirteenth birthday her father had planned
a fundraiser to benefit the town. Veronica watched her
father speak and interact with the people. She saw the way
women looked at him. He could have any woman there.
Veronica hoped her father would marry again one day so
she could have someone in her life too.

Harold Burns was a short, bald man but he worked out
and was physically fit. He had dark brown eyes, a
comforting voice and a confidence about him. Harold was
a very smooth talker and a successful lawyer. He could
convince people to do things his way very easily. He was
the kind of man that always got what he wanted.

After the fundraiser Harold took his daughter Veronica
out shopping and to dinner to celebrate her thirteenth
birthday. It was the best day she could remember.

But that was when the happy times stopped and
everything changed. That was the first night Veronica
slept in her father’s bed. That was the first time she wished
she could go back to the basement where she was
protected by the darkness.

“Yes of course daddy, I love you.”
The memory made Veronica cry. It broke her heart
thinking back. It seemed like every time Veronica thought
her life was bad, it always got worse.

After that Veronica became a replacement for her mother.
She would cook and clean the house for her father and
meet all his needs during the day and at night.

Veronica cried most nights during and after. But after a
while she just got used to it. The more she did what her
father wanted, the better he would treat her, so she did
what she was told to do. Her father even got her a tutor so
she could learn and be home schooled. Harold didn’t let
Veronica go to the public school, but she was very smartthings just came to her naturally.

One day Veronica’s father told her she was going to have
a sister. He was adopting a little girl from china. Veronica
was scared for her new sister. She was such a pretty,
sweet little girl. She was only 12 years old, with long
straight black hair and big black eyes. The little girl looked
like a porcelain doll, so pure and innocent. Her name was
Lila. She was sweet and timid, but Veronica took care of
her new sister, and she protected Lila the best she could.
Veronica taught Lila how to speak English and how to
read and write. Veronica was only fourteen and she was
acting like a wife and a mother.

Harold was nice to Lila. He didn’t hurt her or touch her
inappropriately. A year after Lila was adopted she turned
thirteen. It was Lila’s turn to start sleeping in daddy’s bed.
Veronica begged and pleaded with her father not to hurt
Lila. Veronica told her father she wanted to be the only
one that slept in Daddy’s bed. She told her father she
didn’t want to share him with her sister.

Veronica was sick by her own words but she didn’t want
him to hurt Lila. Veronica didn’t want her father to break
Lila and steal her innocence like he did to her. Veronica
bought her little sister some time so she could prepare her
for what would happen next. But holding daddy off Lila
only made the nights worse for Veronica. The older she
got the more aggressive her father became with her, tying
her up and choking her out.

She held him off Lila for as long as she could but her
father eventually had them both whenever he wanted too.
After that he adopted a twelve year old girl every year
until each bedroom in his house was full with beautiful
young girls. He would treat them as any loving father
would; buying them all beautiful things and make them
love him. Then on their thirteenth birthday he would put
their love to the test.
All the girls stuck together and tried to take care of one
another. They were sisters in every sense of the word.
They took comfort in the fact that they had each other. But
Veronica felt guilty and humiliated that someone other
than her had to live that life. She wished she could set her
sisters free from the life they all lived, but she didn’t know
how to.