(Trigger warning, this chapter might be very distressing for some people! Please read on with caution!)

That voice.

The voice that still has me in a chokehold, one of the darkest monsters in my nightmares that drags me deep down into the pits of hell each night. It's been years since it's gone through me, freezing my very veins, causing riots in my stomach but I'm back to feeling like a child, petrified of the very vowels that come from his mouth.

His face is rugged, a scar runs across his cheek and one on his neck. His eyes are soulless scattering like tiny spiders across my skin. I resist the urge to scratch all over, rid my skin of the small creatures that linger in his eyes. He's dressed in smart attire, a black button-down shirt and blazer, black pants and dress shoes. Far from the man I remember.

A cigarette droops from his mouth, the cherry red glow casting light on his five o'clock shadow. It's like someone just dumped a bucket of ice water on me. This man is not the one I knew, this man is much much worse. There's an even darker energy surrounding him. I always knew he was evil but maybe the drinking took away the cunningly smart part of his brain. He doesn't look drunk now however, he seems sharp and alert sizing me up like a player in a game I'm not sure I signed up for. My pulse hammers in my ears, fingers clammy and shaking against the material of my dress.

He takes a few steps towards me, the music from the barn thumping distortedly behind us.

"End the call. Say nothing." He looks towards my phone hanging limply in my hand. Trembling, I cut the call off, "Good girl, now throw it on the ground." I do as he says, the quicker this is over with the quicker he'll go. He takes another step towards me and I will myself not to move as he brushes a stained finger against my cheek. "Eighteen today, how fortunate."

Bile rises in my throat begging for release, but this man feeds off of fear and I refuse to give him any more ammunition.

"What do you want." My voice comes out a little louder than a squeak, "I don't have any money."

He huffs a laugh, his posture is one of authority and dominance. Stupid Atlas, of course, it's not money he's after.

"I wonder how proud your mother would have been. Leaving her to die whilst you go and live her dream."

"Don't you dare say another word about her." My words are laced with a venom that's been brewing for years. "What. Do. You. Want." I repeat again, this time he turns and actually looks at me. He drops the cigarette to the ground and grinds it into the earth. Eyes narrowed he sighs, a calculating glance falls over my face.

"What I want, daughter dearest, is to finish what I started all those years ago. Take back the years I lost in prison, thanks to you

of course." He rubs the shadow on his jaw, a small smirk crests his lips.

"No. That was thanks to you, murdering my family." He huffs a laugh again and blinks up at the sky. A long minute passes with the breeze all but separating us before he speaks again.

"You see Atlas, I've been planning this for a while and things all too greatly fell into place. When I was incarcerated I met some interesting people, one many in particular who had a rather convenient tie to some business outside. I got out on good behaviour just over a year ago but to stop suspicion and warning from arising, we made it look like I'd only just gotten out. I did some work for this individual and started taking over some of his... ventures." The look of confusion must show as he continues, " Underground rings, fighting. The gentleman In question had a protégé... a son but that's not the interesting part." His fingers reach out to cup my jaw, patronisingly gentle as he huffs a laugh and wanders back to kick some grass on the ground. " The son , complicatedly estranged, from his father came back to his home recently. His home in New York."

My stomach roils, the ground has just been pulled from me and a giant hole is swallowing me up. I feel violently sick, sweat coats my brow as my legs shiver, the breeze now like a torrent wind against my brittle bones.

"And the son bought with him a pretty ballerina." He smirks stalking towards me, watching my chest move too quickly. He places his hand back on my cheek and within seconds I'm pushed to the ground, landing with a thud. My wrist groans in protest against the dust. "It was perfect, everything just fell exactly into place. The final puzzle piece." He crouches and gets lower to my face, his palm strikes my cheek, metal filling my mouth. His eyes bore into me, his nasty nails swipe across my bloody mouth.

"Are you paying attention, this is the best part. I then had a new mission, recruit the boy back and then attend to my own personal score to settle. It was all too easy, watching your routine for months and then boom." A kick to my ribs before I even see it coming, "A little lovers tiff and you're both exposed, vulnerable. Blaze was even considering my offer when I approached him outside the gym. Fighting runs in his blood like failure runs in yours. You ruined my life Atlas and I'm going to ruin yours. Or rather just end it." He starts laughing as I begin trying to push myself off the ground. It grows more comical as I get up and place my feet apart.

"If you want to hurt me go ahead." I won't give him the satisfaction of seeing me scared, I will fight just as my family did and I won't be a bystander again.

"This is Hilarious. Really." I don't move. "Okay then." And he charges, knocking me into the barn wall, the wood creaks as the splinters dig into my skin. He pushes my cheek against it and punches the other side of my face, pain ripples through my bones.

"Big talker-" I push my knee up into his groin, swearing he drops his hold and I take the opportunity to land a punch on his chest. He grunts but admittedly it probably hurts me more than him. Either way, it allows me to run, exactly what Blaze taught me, disable enough to get away.

I start to sprint across the field but soon enough his long legs catch up with me, he grabs my ankles pulling me down and I face plant against the ground, my mouth now a mixture of blood and soil. My ribs burn as I flounder on the ground, nails tearing from my nail beds trying to propel me across the ground.  He flips me onto my back to start the assault on my face, fist after fist the pain engulfs me, and stars dance in my vision.

I kick at his legs, and a few grunts of pain is all I get before his hands settle on my neck, "Are you going to stop attacking me?" He spits inches from my face. I answer with a right hook to his jaw, running through all the defences Blaze spent hours working on with me. I may have been helpless before and I'm not an idiot, no one can hear what's happening out here, I will die tonight but at least I'll go down fighting for my family, past and present. His hands tighten on my throat, air pulsing under my skin, I attack his hands, scratching with the few damaged nails I have left. "Poor Blaze, when he finds out what happened to his little Ballerina, who will he blame? You or himself. He can kiss the draft goodbye. I imagine he'll be in a fit of rage. Driven back into his father's arms." The thought has me stilling, my blood running cold. Never will he hurt someone else close to me. Especially not the only man who has ever shown me real love.

With that in mind, I raise my hand and claw at his face the other hand searching the ground for any kind of rock or big stick I can at least whack him with.

"Hold still you stupid bitch- is that what you're looking for?" He snarls picking up a rock just mere inches from my hand, "Pathetic." He brings the small rock down on my chest with a loud thud, the remainder of air bursting from my throat only being held with one hand. He lets the second blow of rock hit my brow. My body is screaming, crying to give up. My energy sucked, limbs failed. His hand leaves my throat a burn in its wake, I try to hit his face but he grabs my arms before I can reach them, harshly pinning them to the ground so quickly something in my shoulder pops, "This is all your fucking fault you dumb bitch. Your mother, your sister, Blaze, You. You're the catalyst in this, fucking up everyone else's lives. This is nothing short of what you deserve." His knees are locked around my waist, pinning my back into the dirt, he reaches with his hand not holding my arms into his jacket pocket and pulls out something that makes me freeze. "Not so tough now are you." The knife shines under the moonlight. My body trembles the last drops of energy trying to hold back the tears rolling onto my bruised cheeks, game over. The glint of satisfaction in his cold eyes is enough to make my stomach roll. "I could be kind and end this quickly but what's the fun in that." With that, he pulls the knife out to the side and pushes it into my side, just below my rib cage. Numbness encases my whole body, I can feel the warmth of a single tear as it escapes my eye. The excruciating pain comes when he pulls the knife back out, I scream in agony my throat raw. The trembling turns into full-on shaking and a coldness sweeps over me despite the clammy weather. My father climbs off my body, whipping the knife on the satin of my dress. He leans down and whispers in my ear, "Goodbye Atlas."

I stare up at the star-specked sky, red pools into the dry ground underneath me, my hands slick with sticky blood, my blood rushing from my abdomen. My breathing is becoming laboured, stars wink above me like they're sending me off.

This is goodbye.

But I know, for the first time this isn't what I deserve. He was wrong about that and I'll go with that satisfaction. It wasn't my fault, none of it was my fault.

The last thing I see is Blaze, his harsh blue eyes and black hair, the ink on his forearms and the tiny scar across the bridge of his nose. My sweet Blaze, I hope can move on, find better in his life and get everything he deserves. My love was never enough, it's why I'm here now. Dying.

'See you soon mom.' I whisper up to the stars as the image of my quarterback fades and my vision swims with various colours.

She is on a role baby ;) I'm prepping atm for my next book so it might be a bit slower again but I'm trying to push these out as we near the end :)