Like a cracked porcelain doll...

“Here, from her ashes you lay. A broken girl so lost in despondency that you know that even if she does find her way out of this labyrinth in hell, she will never see, feel, taste, or touch life the same again.”

—Amanda Steele.

Seven years back.
Leticia.

The slim-figured, average height teenager ran into her room with a gleeful squeal. She sat on her bed, covering her face with her hands in a bid to stop herself from screaming out loud.

Not able to contain the joy, she stood on her neatly made bed and jumped. She stopped after the first one, but after some time, she jumped again. She repeatedly bounced on the bed, not caring that she was ruining it.

"Leticia go..."

She dropped on the bed with her head lowered on hearing her name, feeling ashamed that she was caught jumping on the bed like a two-year-old. Thankfully, it was not her mother that caught her. If it was she would have paid the price for the stupid action immediately.

She raised her head a bit to gauge her brother's reaction. He was staring at her with his lips pulled up in amusement.

"All this happiness because I allowed you to attend my party? Na wa oh," he said with a chuckle, shaking his head.

That was a first because as far as she could remember, Noah never joked or played with her. Either he was picking on her or ignoring her altogether, but playing was totally out of it.

"Uhm... Wha-what do you want?" She asked.

"Oh yeah." He scratched his head, "I wanted to tell you to dress well. And don't forget our deal oh," he said. "Don't forget."

She hummed in reply.

He chuckled and left the room. Sighing, she grabbed her phone from the bedside and proceeded to dial Michelle's number.

Normally, she was not supposed to attend his party as she had never been invited. This was because of her sour relationship with him and their mother. Unfortunately, the only person who had her back —their father— was never around during Noah's birthday, so that was a factor that decreased her chances of ever attending any even though she always wished she could.

This time, however, Noah had approached her that morning —when she had completely lost hope of attending, after begging him for nearly two weeks and getting rejected—with a proposal; make Michelle attend his party and also get to attend. And that was how they cut a deal that led to her happy state.

Michelle was Noah's crush. That was a fact seeing how he was always hovering around her whenever she came to visit Leticia. Michelle never gave him face because she had a boyfriend.

She knew that there was a ninety-eight per cent chance of her turning down the invitation, but a part of her still clung to the remaining two per cent desperately.

"Yo, what's up babe," Michelle's reply boomed through the phone's speaker in her usual orotund voice.

"I'm good."

"Psst... You're way more than just being 'good' 'cause you sound happy. So spill," she demanded.

Leticia giggled, laying flat on her back with the phone still in her hand. Michelle always knew how to get her.

"I'm waiting naa.." She prodded.

"Guess what?"

"Talk joh which one is this again?"

"Okay, okay... I was invited to Noah's party!" She squealed, punching the air with her free hand.

"Seriously?"

Leticia nodded vigorously, forgetting that she could not see her.

"Yes."

"That's nice! So he has finally decided to catch sense, I thought he would be worse since your Dad--" she paused her statement, same as Leticia who froze at the mention of her father.

No matter how hard she tried, she could not get over his death, especially since he was buried so fast. Funny enough, she didn't know about his death until after two weeks which made her feel even worse.

"I'm sorry, I really am. I kinda--"

"No, it's okay," she interrupted with a sad smile. "There's nothing we can do about it. As I was saying, Noah invited me to the party." She changed the topic to avoid things getting awkward.

"So what are you gonna wear?"

She suddenly was reminded of the reason why she called in the first place.

"Chill first let me finish speaking. I uh... There is a catch oh."

There was no reply from the other side for a while. "Hel--"

"I'm still here. If only I can get that crazy brother of yours right now, I'll knock him down and..."

"Michelle."

"No, let me. So his blood sister is not invited to his party, and when she is it is with a catch? What kind of rubbish is--"

"Michelle!"

She finally stopped talking and they both let out a long sigh.

"Fine! Fine. So what is this catch?"

"You attend too?" Leticia whispered.

"What? I didn't hear you oh," Michelle said.

Sighing, Leticia mustered enough courage and spoke loud enough for her friend to hear, damning the aftermath that was sure to follow.

"He wants me to what!"

"Don't blind my ears please, Tomi," she retorted.

"Is that even possible? Blinding your ears?"

"Well, I don't care."

"Well, tell your brother that I said "no, thank you" because I'm not interested."

"Tomi please naaa, this is my one and only chance oh! Besides, I don't even know what to wear. I need you please, don't do this to me naa," she whined.

"No."

"Please?"

"No." 

"Tomtom?"

"Noooooo. In fact sef you're mad for calling me that name."

Leticia chuckled, knowing that she was definitely going to attend since she was speaking like that. It wasn't even hard to beg her.

"Thank you! I love you Tomtom!"

"Abeg gettat," she retorted and they both giggled.

"Go get ready okay? I'll come. But not without whooping your brother's ass before the party starts."

They burst into another fit of giggles and said their byes, then Leticia hung up on the call. Heaving a sigh of relief, she dragged herself from the bed and proceeded to Noah's room.

"She's coming," she announced. Noah fist-pumped the air with a wide grin.

"Yes! Come and hug your big brother," he said, pulling her in for a hug which she dodged by ducking under his left arm.

"No thank you, I'll pass. I'm done here."

With that, she exited the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Wear this, I got matching outfits for us." Michelle dropped the two shopping bags on the bed, plopping down beside them.

With a big grin, Leticia poured down the content of the bag, gasping as she laid her eyes on the clothes and shoes inside.

The dresses were styled in an A-line shape with matching belts and three-quarter hands with elastic at the edge.  A floral pattern, with small and large floral prints in light pink and lilac colours. The difference between both dresses was their background colours. While one had a white background with the flower prints, the other had a Fuschia pink background.

"The party starts at four, let's start dressing up," Michelle said as Leticia was still admiring the golden hoop earrings that were also in the bag.

The party had started. Noah's friends joined few by few, very soon the house was filled up. They had to move the party to the living room downstairs instead of the one upstairs where the party was originally set to be.

As usual, Noah was bugging Michelle with weird and cringe-worthy pickup lines; his guests were dancing around and rocking each other, while their mother was in the kitchen supervising the kitchen work.

Leticia, tired of the loud blaring music, sat on the chair, still observing her surroundings. She tapped her foot on the floor while the beat she was trying to create was drowned in the noise.

With a loud sigh, she shifted her attention to another side of the room where something caught her attention, making her foot tapping slow down.

There was this guy in a flannel shirt, peering at her.

He was seated on the couch on the left side of the living room, adjacent to the window blinds. Since she was on the other side of the parlour, she could not make out his facial features.

However, she could clearly make out the fact that he was staring at her. What made it more creepy was the fact that he didn't even shift his gaze when she caught him. Rather his eyes were travelling down the length of her torso.

Retracting her gaze, she stood up from the seat and went to find Michelle. Michelle was part of those who were dancing.

"Come join us here," she said, dragging Leticia to the dance floor.

After a while, Michelle received a call and stepped out of the house, leaving Leticia all alone once again.

"Leticia."

She turned around to see Michelle walking towards her with her lips set in a thin line and all traces of happiness gone.

"What is it?"

"Sad news. I was called to go home and pack. My shooting date was shifted to next week Wednesday. I'm so sorry but I'll have to go now. Please don't be angry--"

"Hey! It's okay joh. Go ahead, just don't forget to buy stuff plenty of goodies for me oh, if not don't even bother coming back to Nigeria," she joked.

After a series of hugs and taunts, Michelle went to drop her gist to Noah, then left.

Although she didn't admit it, she was going to miss Michelle. The troubles of being a young actress.

Shaking her head to ward off the gloomy thoughts, she went back to sit on the couch. Subconsciously, she searched for the guy who was staring at her earlier but he was no longer sitting there.

There suddenly was an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. Interpreting it as a full bladder, she trudged to her room to relieve herself in the toilet. On leaving the toilet after doing her business, she stopped in front of her mirror to check herself.

The first thing she saw was the upturned eyes drilled in the caramel coloured skin of her face staring back at her, her lips that were shining as a result of the gloss that was applied, and her Roman nose.

Cat

Bushbaby...

Stop that! She said to herself as her insecurities were beginning to take over.
Turning from the mirror, she gasped, throwing one palm to her chest and another covering her mouth when a figure emerged in front of her.

"Wh-who are you?" She asked.

It was the guy from earlier. The one who had been staring at her in the parlour. How did he get access to her room?

Standing up close, she could see his hooded eyes with thick eyebrows, and the scanty beards that gathered on his chin. The first and second buttons of his shirt were undone which was questionable, but she paid no attention to it.

"What do you want?" The edges of his lips pulled up into a smile. There, she recalled who he was. Kunle Daraja, son of senator Bolatito Daraja; one of the wealthiest senator in the country.
He was Noah's friend, so what did he want with her?

"You."

"Ehn?" She blurted. "What do you mean?"

He took a step forward and she took one back. He kept on advancing until her back hit the wall. His eyes looked frosty and dead like they held a certain promise which she could not decipher.

He licked his lips, raising his hand to touch her face and she flinched.

"I want you, and I'll have you," he said with such determination that left Leticia puzzled. His stance and his words screamed danger.  Without further ado, she shoved him and made to run out of the room when he caught her by the waist.

"Wrong move," he said, pulling her towards the bed that stood in the middle of the room.

She screamed for help at the top of her voice, shouting so much that the veins in her neck throbbed. That lasted until she received a heavy slap on her face.

It made her ears ring, causing her to nearly lose balance. Her heart started to pound in her chest, she struggled to take a breath, trying to think of a way to escape him.

"Shut up and stop irritating me!" He yelled.

"Let me go! I said let me go! I don't even know you for God's sake!"

"Well, you're about to."

His hold on her waist tightened while she kept on fighting, determined not to let him touch her.

Her gaze stopped on the bedside lamp. She reached out for it and used it on him. He shouted as it came in contact with his head, then yanked it out of her hands and flung it to another side of the room.  

She kicked, she bit, she screamed, and for every of her action, numerous slaps followed. He covered her mouth with his calloused palm after hitting her to his satisfaction, causing the sounds she was making to be muffled. His rough palms felt like an iron sponge on her lips, his arm on her waist tightening further to the extent that exhaling was getting difficult.

He shoved her to the bed, pinning her down with his body mass. He might not have looked it, but he was very weighty.

How he got it, she didn't know, but the next she felt was her hands and legs being tied to the bedpost with the spoilt skipping rope that she dropped by the bedside earlier when she was dressing up for the party.

She squirmed, trying to twist her body from side to side to avoid what was coming. All to no avail as he held her dress by the neckline and ripped it open.

He raised his body to a kneeling position, straddling her as he unbuckled and took off his belt, zipping down his trouser then he slammed his lips on hers.

Leticia squeezed her eyes, thoroughly disgusted as he used his teeth to bruise her lips in the name of kissing. His fingers crawled all over her skin like blades, leaving horrendous memories along the paths they trailed.

"Ah!" She screamed as a jolt of pain seared through her nerves when she felt something enter her. It hurt so bad.
Her hurt was accompanied by the washing away of her innocence and tears; of pain, of shame, of humiliation. No one was able to save her. No single person.

Kunle wasn't about to stop as he continuously rammed into her in an animalistic manner. The muscles of her shoulder and arms were sore already, the same with her legs.

She shut her eyes tight, still screaming as it felt like her insides were being torn apart over and over again with each thrust. Her face hurt, her throat felt raw, her eyes stung, her whole body hurt.

"Ah! Please..." She whispered, "please stop. Please ju-just st-op," she pleaded with whimpers escaping her lips.

"Shut the fuck up!" He gritted and dealt her a slap for the umpteenth time. Grabbing her hair, he turned her face to the other side of the room.

"I don't... want to see those... cat-like eyes of yours. Ugly thing."

It went on until she had no strength left in her, not even to sob.

"What is happening here?" The voice reached her ears and a light chuckle escaped her throbbing lips. Of what use was the person's presence after Kunle had done all he wanted?

"Jesus Christ! Kunle!" Following the exclamation, Kunle was yanked away from her.

"What did you do to my sister!" From her blurry vision, she saw Noah throwing punches at Kunle without pause.

Grabbing her torn gown together, she turned to the other side of the bed, curling her battered self into a ball, trying to lie to herself that it did not happen but the constant pain was a reminder of what had just happened. There was no denying it.

Her tear glands had opened again, as hot, silent tears began to stream down her face.

"Leticia..." Noah tapped her shoulder but she shut her eyes tighter, refusing to look at him out of shame. "Leticia tell me, what-how- oh my God! Talk to me!"

Talk to him? That what? What was she going to explain? How she felt? She didn't even know how or what to feel.

If she were a porcelain doll, this would have been the point she cracked and was hastily put together to avoid further breakage. However, no matter the quantity of glue used to amend it, it still doesn't excuse the fact that it is broken.

And It was clear she was that cracked doll.

>>>>>>>>

SAY NO TO RAPE😡💔💔

Special thanks to

ahanstasia
Rita_writes
QueenofQeciverse

For helping with the chapter❤❤❤❤ I wouldn't have pulled it off without them. Y'all should check out their books, they write amazing stories trust me💃💃

To the next chapter>>>>>>

Just realised that this is the longest chapter so far🤝🤝

I won't let my chapter be longer than 3k words though.

I dislike long chapters cause they bore me real quick. Who else is on this table?

Vote*
Comment 👩‍💻💬
Share/Recommend🗣
Thank you ❤❤❤