Page 3 of Bound By Secrets

Unfortunately, we both know nothing is saving me from this.

I give him a reassuring nod, and his hold eases up. We both stand and slowly walk through the halls, avoiding the nails and metal poles that we can now see due to the dim lighting.

When we get closer to the ladder that leads up to the house, I squeeze Callum's hand three times before letting go. As I climb the ladder, I start pushing my thoughts and feelings out of my head, steeling myself for what awaits me.

When I reach the top, Cameron shoves his hand into my hair and pulls me up. I clench my teeth together to keep myself from screaming from the pain that prickles along my scalp.

"He's waiting for you, Callie. Best hurry; otherwise, he won't be the only one getting some enjoyment out of you tonight." I inwardly cringe at his words, but outwardly, I sneer at him until he releases my hair. I chuck a glance over my shoulder to make sure that Callum's climbed out of the hatch before I rush off towards my bedroom to go and be put through more hell by 'Uncle' Fraser.

He's not my real Uncle; he's my dad's best friend and most reliable criminal. Unfortunately for me, that means that he gets 'benefits' from my dad that others don't, benefits that involve using me for all of his twisted, perverted desires.

I only have two real uncles, one being Paul. He's equally as bad as my father, and he has no care or love for any of his family members.

My other Uncle is Johnny. He's also my father's brother, but the bad and twisted blood that runs through my paternal family's veins thankfully doesn't run through his. He’s nice, and he treats us as if we were his own children. I think that’s why my father doesn’t allow him around us much. He tries to keep Johnny out of our lives as much as possible.

Chapter Two

Callie

Bright daylight shines through the uncovered window and I slam my eyes shut tightly, groaning, and pulling the blanket over my head. I pray that the twins are still asleep so I can hopefully stay in bed for longer. I hear a gruff chuckle from the other side of the room that washes all my hopes away.

"I knew you'd react like that when I opened the curtains this morning. Time to get up. We need to get ready," Connor says from above me, ripping the blanket away. I groan and turn to glare at him, but the dickhead just smirks at me and throws the blanket onto his bed that's on the other side of the room.

"I should've slept in my room last night, you heathen."

He laughs at me again before letting his face drop back into his usual deep, menacing scowl. I stand and lift onto my tiptoes so that I can reach his head to ruffle his hair. "Put that smile back on your face for a little while. We're still alone at the moment. No need to try to kill people with your steely gaze," I joke. His face softens, and he pulls me into a tight hug making me wince.

"Are you still hurting?" I shake my head against him and squeeze him despite the pain in my ribs from where they werecontinuously forced into my desk last night. I mentally shake away the horrifying memory and pinch his arm to make him let go of me.

He stares down at me with a hint of worry, knowing I'm lying, so I plaster on a smile and give him a small nod to reassure him that I'm okay.

They never pester me with questions after I've had a visit from Fraser, not since the first few times it happened anyway. They just make sure I have a hot bath ready for when I come into either of their rooms once Fraser leaves mine, and they also give me fresh clothes. They always set up a pile of duvets and blankets on the floor in one of their rooms, so I don't have to sleep in mine.

"Remember to clean your hand up and any other cuts you might have. Don't need anything getting infected." I look down at my injured hand that I'd forgotten about due to what took place afterwards. The pain in my hand is minuscule compared to everywhere else.

"Hey, chop chop, we have thirty minutes until we need to leave. I want to get there on time," Callum tells us as he waltzes into the room. I roll my eyes and Connor grunts before we both separate and go to get ready. Today, we're driving to the college to get our schedules and locker numbers before we get shown around by some rep so that we're prepared for our first day tomorrow.

"Well, it looks nice so far; it seems quite small," Callum says beside me as the rep turns down another corridor, droning on about the school's history to the group of students, including us, following along after him. We’ve been told that some other students are new, but most are just starting a new year.

I’d hate to be one of the existing students who have to tag along on our walkthrough just to get their new locker numbers and schedules.

Connor lets out a grunt of acknowledgement to whatever Callum said. I’m not listening as I’m just trying to walk normally and avoid thinking about the soreness in between my thighs and the shooting pains across my bruised ribs.

"Brad, that guy sounds just like you with all the grunting he keeps doing," A hushed feminine voice says from behind.

Callum chuckles at the comment, catching on to the fact that the girl behind us must be referring to his grumpy twin. I look over my shoulder and see a petite girl, around the same height and age as me, with shining blonde hair and a timid smile on her face. "Sorry, I didn't mean for you to hear that.” I laugh quietly and turn to face her properly, walking backwards.

"It's fine. Grumpy doesn't talk much but he knows we find it rude, so he grunts to let us know he's paying attention."

Her smile widens a little, realising she hasn't offended anyone. I glance over at the two boys who walk on either side of her and holy cow. They're gorgeous and not to mention tall, although that's not hard when it comes to me, seeing as I'm only 5ft3.

My gaze slides up and down, scanning over the guy on the left who's about the same height as the twins.

He has beautiful curly blonde hair that frames his face, highlighting a smooth jawline and pale green eyes that sparkle as they wander over my body.

My eyes travel over him appreciatively. I can tell he has lean arms hidden underneath the long-sleeved top he's wearing and his legs look athletic and strong in the slim-fit jeans that he's sporting.

He looks like he’d be cast in a 2000s teen movie but instead of being a popular jock, I think he’d be the hot nerdy guy, minus the glasses that they tend to wear.

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