Saint Ambrose Academy: Unlikelies

12

NOVA

When my adoptive parents came to get me the tension was palpable. But being in public I knew I was at least safe until we reached the estate. I'm in the car and still, the air is thick with the anger they haven't revealed yet. I watch the trees pass by, and the houses get further and further apart, as we enter into the wealthiest neighborhood in the city. It's a gated community, and this estate is just one of the many, they own. The largest property on the lot, my stomach grows uneasy as we near the cold unwelcoming exterior that is my 'home'.

"Nova I don't want to see you out of your room. It's bad enough we had to leave work and pick you up over this drama, now you better stay out of our way. Make yourself invisible, because I swear to god, you knew the rules. You were not to involve us in your bullshit, you were not to come back here, and you weren't to associate your pathetic self with our names." My adoptive mother, Alyssa Livingston is cold and hard, her voice dripping in disdain towards me. Her husband, Michel Livingston remains quiet, his face set in anger, but it's not at the way his wife speaks to me, he's anger lies solely focused on me.

I feel sick just being here. I keep my head down and do as I'm told, but he roughly grabs my arm before I make it into the house.

"You upset your mother with any of your drama again, you attempt to ruin my marriage again then I will not hesitate to end you, you should be so grateful we even took you in, that we afford you this luxurious life, but all you do is make trouble for us. Do not be mistaken, you are not a Livingston, you do not bear our last name, because you are not one of us. You are a pathetic little shit we took pity on, and we have only lived to regret the day we took you in.  Get on down there to your room, and as the Missus said, make yourself invisible. I won't hesitate to punish you if you don't." He drags me by my arm through the threshold, gives me a shove toward the stairs, and walks off without ever glancing back.

Their words don't hurt me, not as they did as a kid I feel rather relieved that their assault was only verbal. I head to my room in the basement and stay there. If I can just make it through this week.

~

I stay in my room all day, and when it is late enough that they'll be in bed, I sneak out of my room hoping to go to the kitchen and get some food.  I grab an apple and some slices of bread, not wanting to take anything that the cook needs for the meals they planned. I make my retreat back to the basement. The basement is finished so it's suitable for a bedroom and  I have the basic necessities, namely expensive furniture. What it lacks is anything personal, no photos, no sentiments, all my belongings are at school.

I go to sleep, not sure what else to do with my time. I wake up to my adoptive father sitting on my bed. I try to pretend I'm still asleep in the hopes he'll go away, but he starts pulling the covers off of me. I can smell the liquor on his breath when he says, "I know you're awake.I can see your breathing is uneven."

He kisses me, and I try to push him off, "Stop."

"Shhh, you should be more willing. You owe me for all the money I pay for that fancy little school of yours. You come onto my best friend and get him arrested permanently severing a decades-long friendship with the Russo's and then have the gall to be sent away as if rewarding your behavior" He's slurring his words as he kisses me, I keep trying to push him off. I've had it with guys taking advantage of me.

"You pay for it because your WIFE doesn't want me here because she knows you're a pig. And your best friend was a pig too, I was ten how could I have come onto him, he tried to touch me at the restaurant, I wasn't trying to get him in trouble I was SCARED I was only TEN. Get OFF of me."

"You little shit, get smart with me, getting brave?" He puts his forearm on my throat to hold me down and starts to unbuckle his pants. I panic a little, but I fight harder.