Darkness Descends

Sevian shut his bedroom door, the sound a stark contrast to the chaos that had erupted just moments before. He leaned against the door, his heart still racing from the argument with his dad and the sight of Ashley's battered face. He couldn't shake the image of her stumbling out of the room, her eyes red and puffy from crying. Ashley, on the other hand, curled herself up on her bed, her body shaking with sobs. She couldn't bear the thought of facing her dad right now, not after what had happened. She buried her face in her pillow, the fabric muffling her cries. But her peace was short-lived. The door to her room burst open, and Chris stormed in, his face a thundercloud. "Get your homework done, you brat," he growled, his voice dripping with malice. Ashley nodded, her eyes welling up with tears. She knew better than to argue with him when he was in this mood. She slowly got up from her bed and made her way to her desk, her legs trembling beneath her. As she sat down, Chris slammed the door shut behind him, the sound making her jump. Ashley took a deep breath and tried to focus on her homework, but it was no use. She looked down at her notes, and they made no sense. The words blurred together on the page, and she knew she would fail. The thought was a familiar one, and it filled her with a sense of dread. Her mind began to wander, and she thought about what Sevian had seen on her phone. She was embarrassed, ashamed even. How could she have let things get so out of hand? She had always been the responsible one, the one who looked out for Sevian. But now, it seemed like she was the one who was falling apart. Ashley's tears spilled onto her notes, smudging the ink and making her homework even more illegible. She knew she would have to face the consequences of her actions eventually, but for now, she just felt lost and alone. As she sat there, Chris's anger still lingering in the air, Ashley felt a sense of despair wash over her. She was trapped in this toxic world, with no clear way out. And as she looked down at her homework, she knew that she was in over her head.