Twisted (Torn Series)

Prologue

There are moments in your life that stand out above all the rest; Moments of pure bliss, pure anger, pure sorrow. Moments that take your breath away. Most of mine were painful at first. The first time my mother hit me, the first time I felt the sting of a belt against my skin. The first time I cried myself to sleep, the first time I cleaned up my mother’s vomit as she lay passed out on the couch.

But the others, the happier ones, they’re what makes life worth living.

They started out simple for me really, the first time I ever stayed with Amber, my first Three Days Grace CD, seeing Logan smile at me as he sat down beside me on his first day of class. They were the little things everyone else took for granted.

As my mother’s time at home decreased, those special little moments increased for me. I lived for the times when she was gone, when the bruises would finally fade from my skin and my smile would be real.

Both my happiest and most painful moments seemed to revolve around one person though. Drake. Even saying his name brought a smile to my face. There was no one who had touched my life the way he had. When we had our lows, they were horrible, a whirlwind of pain and regret. But our highs, oh they could bring me to my knees with joy. I had never felt such total and complete contentment as I did when I was with him. I knew that we were meant to last, that he would stand by my side through any storm I was forced to face.

Sadly, my storm did come. Starting out as nothing more than a small rain cloud, it brought a hurricane with it, not just for me, but for Drake as well.

Chapter One

Chloe

My ears were ringing. I looked up as Drake grabbed my arm; his lips were moving, but I couldn’t hear anything he was saying. She was here, in Drake’s home, my home now. I felt Drake pulling on my arm and I forced my legs to move as he led me to the couch. As he pushed me into the cushions, I caught sight of scarlet dripping slowly down my legs from several small cuts. That was funny; I could see the blood, but I didn’t feel any pain.

Drake kneeled in front of me, stroking my hair gently. “Chloe, can you hear me? Snap out of it baby,” he said in a soothing voice.

His voice snapped me out of whatever trance had taken over my body. I blinked rapidly and shook my head, trying to clear the ringing in my ears. It had settled to a dull hum in the background and I breathed a sigh of relief that I could hear him.

“I’m here. I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened,” I glanced back at the front door, “Is she still here?”

He ran his hand across my cheek before standing. “Yeah, but I’m going to go get rid of her. Just stay here,” he said as he turned to the door.

“No, let her come in. Let her say what she has to and then she can get out.”

Drake looked back and forth between the door and me, doubt clouding his face.

“Really, I’m alright. Just let her in.” I said as I leaned back into the couch.

He frowned, but turned and walked back to the front door. I could hear both his voice and my mother’s, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying; only that they were angry.

A moment later, he stepped back into the room with my mother following closely behind him. I watched her as she took in our home with a look of disdain on her face. Andrea Richards, also known as my mother, had aged greatly since the last time we had seen each other. At only thirty-six, she looked at least ten years older than her true age. Wrinkles lined the corners of her mouth and eyes, and her skin looked gray and withered. Her hair was still as blonde as mine, but it was unkempt and her roots were starting to gray. All in all, she was a perfect picture for the “after” portion of an anti-drug commercial.

Our identical blue eyes met as she sat down in the chair across from me. Hers were glassy and watery, but she was still able to show her dislike for me through them.

“When did you get so dramatic Chloe? You