Survive For Me

Chapter 1: Prologue

"You can't run from me Leonora," I heard him come up behind me.

I whirled around almost loosing my footing at the edge of the cliff. I looked up at his scarred face and for the first time in my life... I felt courage.

"Wanna bet?" I sneered at him. I saw his bodyguards a few feet behind him.

"You think you run from me? I own you. I made you. You will break by my hands like your pathetic mother did," he spat.

I saw red.

Memories of him beating my mom flooded to the surface. He took immense joy in hearing her pain filled cries, begging him to stop. Did he ever listen? No. He broke my poor mother's spirit.

"You may have broke my mother, but you'll never break me!" With that, I turned and hurled myself off the cliff, diving into the waves.

The wind rushed past me as I plummeted towards the dangerous waves. My body went numb when I finally crashed down. The salty water was freezing cold against my overheated skin. It rushed through my ears blocking my sense of sound. I looked through the murky water to try and find the surface.

I gasped for air as my head broke through the ragged waves. I looked up on the cliff to see my father looking down at me. The look in his murderous gray eyes promised hell when he finds me again. He said something to his men that flanked him on either side and they began climbing their way down the crumbling cliff, towards me. The waves sucked me under again and by the time I fought my way back to the top the black haired monster was gone. But his men were still there, trying to find a way to get to me, inching closer by each second.

If I didn't do something now... I was going to die.

I sucked in a sharp breath before ducking under the water again. I started swimming towards the beach on the other side of the cliff, away from his men. My lungs burned as the salt water rushed through my nose and mouth. I was going to pay for this later. My head started pounding and vision started going dark around the edges from lack of oxygen. I was almost there, just a little bit further.

I gasped for air, greedily sucking it in as I crawled onto the sandy beach. I looked up when I heard shouting. His men had found me. They jumped down the rest of the way and began to run towards me. I leaped to my feet and began sprinting away as fast as I could considering my broken ankle I had obtained from my dad a few hours back.

I made it into a small people-filled town. Some of them looked at me funny while whispering to their friends in Italian, probably about how I looked like a drowned rat. I hobbled into a nearby empty alleyway dodging past the citizens hoping for an escape route. But there was nothing but empty cardboard boxes and filthy grime on the crumbling walls.

It was a dead end.

Before I could turn around and find another way I could hear the thumping of footsteps closing in on me. I began to panic. I was never highly intelligent and I wasn't good at thinking under pressure. I looked below me when I heard the sound of rushing water below my feet. It was a fucking sewage.

Am I that desperate?

"She's over here!"

Yes, yes I am!

I grasped the lid and pulled with all my strength and the it popped open with a satisfying clang! I quickly clambered down, being mindful of my ankle, and pushed the lid back on not a second too soon. I hear their footsteps above me as they began to search the dirt grimy alleyway looking for me to bring me back to my father.

I don't think so.

I turned and began making my way through the sewage tunnels, trying to find another town, one that doesn't have my father's men swarming it. Or at least somewhere away from my dad and his pack of bitches. I didn't think I'd have it in me to stand up to him. I'm glad I did, I didn't want what happened to my poor mother to happen to me as well.

My poor mother.

She didn't deserve all the pain and cruelty my father inflicted on her. Her blonde hair ripped from her head, leaving an ugly mass of clumps. Her shining blue eyes turned dull and lifeless at my father's hands. I didn't know how my mother got caught up with him in the first place, but from what she had told me, he charmed her with sweet nothings and empty promises to give herself to him and leave her family behind. She said she couldn't regret it because her decision brought me to her. She said her only reason to live was to keep me safe from him.

She died protecting me.

On the day I saw him slit her poor weak and battered throat, I swore he will pay. By my hand or someone else, he will get what's coming to him. Soon, I hoped.

I cried out when both of my legs gave out underneath me. I crashed to damp floor. I couldn't remember how long I had been walking but it felt like hours. I panted as I tried to stay conscious. I knew if I fell asleep, I wouldn't wake up. But maybe that was for the best, maybe I'm supposed to die here, I certainly wouldn't mind right now. I was in so much pain. My mom was my only reason I didn't kill myself long ago, but she's gone now.

I'm all alone.

It struck me like some fucking wrecking ball. I had no one. I didn't have friends or family to turn to. I was on my own.

I struggled to prop myself against the wall. I pulled off my ripped and soaking jacket and wrapped it around my bleeding ankle. I sighed as I continued to sweat. It was so hot down here I thought I would burst into flames in seconds. I glanced down at my body and winced. You could clearly see my ribs poking out as well as all the bruises and scars along my body courtesy of my father when he was in a drunken rage.

I should just give up now. It would be easy, just to lie here and wait for death. I was already starving for food and water and sweating like a pig. What else could happen? I sighed sagging against the wall, letting myself shut down.

Death was easy, peaceful. Life was harder.

I thought of my mother. How she would hold at night while we both prayed for someone to save us. How she would protect me from father's wrath every time he came home. She was the kindest person to ever enter my life. How could I give up when she sacrificed her life for me? Would her sacrifice be in vain if I chose to die?

I couldn't let that happen.

I had to go on... for my mother. To honor her memory and sacrifices she had made for me. I would do my best to live on for her. So she could be proud of me.

I grasped the wall with both of my hands and heaved myself upwards. I gave a strangled cry as my muscles locked and stretched painfully, struggling to carry my weight. I leaned against the wall for a minute trying to catch my breath before limping onwards.

I'll survive... for you momma.

A/N: Why hello there and welcome to my first official story Survive For Me! I do hope you enjoyed the prologue because there is a lot more to come.

Now this isn't going to be a very long story as I do like to just get straight to the point, but I do hope you enjoy reading it nonetheless.

Any constructive criticism is welcome and if you see any spelling errors please do point them out, no matter how small. I will probably have a few typos since I don't have a beta and I hope you will help me out and point out where some are so I can fix them.

I do not own Twilight.