The Alpha's Broken Witch

Sunlight filtered through the window, slowly stretching its rays of warmth across the slender figure huddled on the bed. It was the one constant that Karaline Ford had known in her young life. Where others had known the stability of a family and stable home, she had only had the warm embrace of the sun as each day dawned anew. Stretching slowly, a yawn escaped her lips, causing her to lift one hand and cover her mouth to stifle any noise she might make. It was already too close to the time where the others in the household would be waking. If she made even the slightest murmur of sound and disturbed the others to cause them to lose even a single minute of sleep, there would be hell to pay. A fact that Karaline remembered only too well with each small scarred line that marred her flesh. Leaning up, her legs swung off the bed, feet touching the cold cement floor of her makeshift sleeping area. A soft hiss leaving her lips as the icy surface caused her toes to flex painfully before becoming accustomed to the nearly freezing temperature. While the rest of the home was heated, her living area in the basement was not one of the rooms which the house had graced with central heating or air conditioning. Not that she could complain much, she at least had the small windows at the top of the walls so she could peer out at the night sky and see the rising of the sun if she wanted. There were worse thing she supposed. Yet, the ability to see the world outside, to bask in the glow of the sun and moon always seemed to settle her in a way nothing else could. In the absence of friends or family, they were the tethers that held her to this world and gave her hope. "Karaline! Damn it, girl! Where are you hiding now?" The words shrieked down from overhead and caused the girl sitting on the cot to cringe slightly. It was rare that anyone else in the house was up before her, but it seemed today would be one of those rare occasions where she would be denied the few moments peace she usually had upon waking. "Coming, Miss Vanessa!" Moving quickly, Karaline shrugged into the threadbare housecoat she had. The fabric nearly worn through after years of use and now only falling to her mid thigh. It was the last present she had ever been given before her life had changed, and the one piece of her past she had kept safely tucked away for years. Because it appeared so worn and ratty, her wardens had never tried to confiscate it. There had been no value to it, at least that they could see. Her feet ached as she stood on the cold floor. The icy temperature causing the long healed broken bones to throb as a reminder. One thing she hated about the cold was how it made her old injuries seem almost new. Bowing her head, she took the stairs two at a time, ascending quickly to enter the main floor of the house. Bowing her head, the long black strands of her hair fell forward in tangled curls, hiding her face even as she threw her shoulders forward and hunched over to seem smaller. Eyes focusing on the floor in front of her she padded towards the kitchen silently. Just as her foot moved to cross the threshold leading towards the sink a hand shot out, grabbing her hair and tangling in the heavy mass of curls to yank Karaline forward. The attack was so sudden that there was no slowing the trajectory of her body as she was flung towards the counter. Her body hit the polished marble of the counter top and produced a muffled snapping sound. Pain radiating along Kara's side as she gasped to pull in air. For a moment, black dots swam in front of her vision as she struggled to drag in air. Each small movement caused her chest to ache more, but she held herself still. More than aware her hair was still being used as an anchor for her attacker before a hiss sounded over her. "You lazy child. Once again, you are slacking in your duties. I think perhaps you are getting too comfortable in abusing my good nature. I ask very simple things of you Karaline, yet you seem to be unable to accomplish them." The words that the older woman used caused a small flinch to roll through Kara. Good Nature. The only thing good in Vanessa's Nature was the fact that snakes seemed to steer clear of any domicile the woman resided in. It had only been pure chance that had landed Karaline in Vanessa's care. While the details were blurry, Kara could vaguely remember her mother. For some reason, Vanessa had been asked to watch over her, and then there was nothing. Her parents had never returned to pick her up. Once Karaline had worked up the nerve to ask what had happened to her parents, and Vanessa had told her that they had died. When all was said and done, there had been no living family members left to claim her and so, when the Martins had offered to take her in, no one had thought twice about it. That had been eleven years ago, and every day since had brought a new type of hell for Karaline. She was essentially a slave in the Martin household. A position that afforded her the very treatment she was experiencing now at Vanessa's behest. "I-I-I'm s-s-so -" "I just bet you are, now that you've been caught. Expecting to get up and put away the dishes early so I wouldn't realize you snuck more food." Even as the words were spoken, Vanessa's hand sailed, arcing down to deliver a solid blow to Kara's cheek. Pain exploded down the side of her face as the sting of the slap resonated through every cell of her body. "N-no, M-m-m-miss Vanessa, I p-p-promise, I did not h-h-" Her words were cut off as another sharp blow was delivered to her cheek. Her flesh began to tingle, burning hotter as if the mere contact of the woman's flesh against her own had caused it to develop some kind of rash. "I don't want to hear your lies." A painful twist and jerk of her hair caused Kara to straighten. A gasp leaving her lips as that sharp pain returned to the side of her torso as she was forced to stand. A sudden push to the back of her head, sent her reeling forward, this time, the grip on her hair was removed, causing her to careen forward and catch herself against the sink."Today is Travis and Trent's birthday; You will fix them breakfast with bacon, eggs, sausage, toast... the works. And you are not to touch a morsel of it. You will wait to eat again until I give you permission and don't even think about sneaking lunch at school from one of your little friends or the punishment will be far worse." "Y-y-yes, M-m-ma'am." Kara whispered softly, already trudging across the room to pull out the ingredients she needed from the refrigerator. "Oh, and Kara?" Vanessa's tone lightened slightly, causing Kara to turn her head to peer cautiously up at her benefactor. "Yes, M-m-miss Vanessa?" "Whatever Travis and Trent ask of you today, you are to do. No questions asked." A slow, sadistic smile spread across Vanessa's thin lips as she slammed the kitchen door shut, waking the rest of the household.