A sharp slap cuts off her words, the sound ringing in my ears. Bethany is holding her reddened cheek, mouth parted in shock.
“Do you still have the flu?” Francesca snarls.
Bethany shakes her head slowly. “No, ma'am. I broke the fever last night.”
My eyes nearly bulge, but I work to smooth out my expression. This is probably the first day she feels somewhat human again.
“Rocco!” Francesca calls out loudly, causing the six of us to startle. We all seem to straighten our spines at once.
Rio has told me about him, but I haven't had the displeasure of meeting him yet. If the palpable tension in the air is anything to go by, he’s someone to be feared. They all are, really, but for the first time since meeting these girls, I can taste it.
All except Sydney, apparently. She’s hiding her giggles behind a hand, staring at the door with glee. I shoot her a nasty look, but she’s not paying a lick of attention to me.
Heavy footsteps ascend the steps, each thud rocketing the tension higher. By the time he enters, we're all made of stone, and Sydney is vibrating with excitement.
His presence is pure evil, and I just know that when this man dies, he won’t go to Hell. He’ll stay in the fourth dimension, where he’ll continue to haunt and terrorize the living.
Rocco is a large man with an even larger gut. Sweat coats his skin as he scans the six of us. He definitely looks like Francesca's brother, both with hooked noses, tanned skin, and golden-brown eyes.
Though they look related, Francesca is beautiful, whereas Rocco is… not.
The only beauty that has ever touched this man has been at the hands of a woman. Touches that were stolen and came with a steep price that only she paid for.
Francesca nods at Bethany, “She hasn’t been up-keeping the ugly growths on her face.”
Rocco's eyes snap to the trembling girl, and though he’s not looking at me, the power behind his stare sends a shot of terror through my system. Bethany attempts to keep her face blank, but her entire body is rattling so hard, I can hear her bones knocking together.
Silence descends on the room, so when he opens a switchblade, the sharp metallic ring sounds like a strike of lightning.
Bethany jumps, and I’m not the only other girl that shifts uncomfortably.
“P-please, Roc—”
“Don’t speak,” he snaps, his rusty voice sending shivers down my spine. I’ve no idea what he’s going to do, but I am sure of one thing; that voice is going to haunt my nightmares for the rest of my days.
“You’re worthless to us if you’re ugly,” he scolds, walking over to her and clutching her face in his meaty palm. She whimpers as he squeezes her cheeks roughly and jerks her head to the side so he can get a better view of her moles.
She bristles, but somehow forces herself not to fight his hold like a rabid dog. He points the tip of the blade to her skin and slowly starts cutting.
I gasp and go to step forward, but next to me, the brown-haired girl’s hand snaps out and grabs ahold of mine, clenching so hard it’s painful.
And from my other side, Sydney ohhhs like an older sibling who’s watching the younger child get in trouble. I whip my head towards her, fury radiating from every pore in my body.
“What is wrong with you?” I hiss, keeping my voice low.
Sydney’s dark eyes meet mine, and I realize they’re not much different from Rocco’s. Dead and cold.
“A lot,” she answers blandly.
Bethany screams as Rocco continues carving into her face, and I physically cannot hold myself back.
“Aren’t you making her uglier?” I snap. Bethany is by no means ugly, but their logic is backwards. If a mole with a few hairs is such a big deal, how is cutting up her face solving the problem?
They’re scarring her face, for fuck’s sake.
Rocco freezes, and Francesca’s head turns towards me, rage evident through her caked makeup. But something in her expression is what causes instant regret. Not because she’s angry with me for speaking out, no.
Because she won’t be able to save me.