Broken Promises [Part II]

Two years gone - our heroine covered up bruises with faulty smiles;
hiding the pain through candy coated lullabies
as her parents wrath continued to reign on her -
beating after beating...

Christmas Eve - the family gathered to share thanks and good fortune;
grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles all took their place beside the fire raging in the chimney;
the withered daughter sits idle in the corner and is beseeched by her mother's forlorn tone -
told to bring dinner from the kitchen to the table, she does just that with haste.

Family gathered 'round the giant oak table, herself included, and grandfather says a prayer -
everyone digs in but at her mothers command, she waits idle until everyone has had their share.
Forced to watch everyone eat their food and only get that scraps - her stomach rages like a gale storm;
thundering and growling in an utmost rage.

On and on the feast went without so much as a scrap to eat -
finally the family had ate their share and our heroine now cleared the table;
napping at whatever was left before putting it up in the steel refridgerator
that stood sturdy by the cellar door.

Joining the festivities of "family time", she takes a seat next to her ecstatic brother -
deep into the night the conversations purged and alas, the family took their leave.
The once full house now left bland and empty - save four;
and our heroine turned to her rageful parents.

Admist their bickering and subtle arguements, she caught a word or two here and there,
and a glimpse of unsatisfaction in her parents eye.
Wandering over to them in attempts to calm them down, she was met by the back of her mothers hand.
Picking herself up off the ground, our heroine stood trembling and crying.

Grabbed by her hair and pulled through the house to the spare room, she was drug -
thrown into the full size trunk that lay empty at the end of the bed -
she watched as the darkness enveloped around her
and then she heard the gentle clicking of the locks.

Curling up into a ball, our heroine sobbed endless into the emptiness of the cell -
a Christmas eve she will never forget as her night was spent in that prison.
Morning dawned and our heroine could hear movement outside the box;
more gentle clicks and her prison now shed light.

Hoisted by her hair out of the box and thrown to the floor against the wall -
she was given warning as to behave unless she wanted to be punished more.
She cowered and nodded then pulled herself to her feet and was met by another blow -
sharp cracks of a belt across her back from her fathers steady hand.

She pulled herself back to her feet and stumbled to the shower;
crying as the water and soap ran over her welts, our heroine sobbed endlessly.
Stepping out of the shower and gliding her clothes on gently, she took a deep breath.
She looked at the bathroom door then sighed and ventured out to "greet the day".

Another flash...