They say that the Gods map out your fate for you in the stars, and you’re destined to follow the plan that they have set in motion. Well some God has been laughing at my expense. I bet they wrote my story for their own amusement, because there is only so much a girl can take. I mean don’t get me wrong there has been some good mixed in with all the bad that has been sent my way, but it just doesn’t even out. Take the last four years of my life as an example.
When I turned seventeen my life took a drastic turn. I went from having a home and a family to being cast out from that very home and family. Seventeen and homeless. Seventeen and no money. Seventeen and no one to count on. That’s probably the first time the Gods laughed at me but I can assure you that it hasn’t been the last.
My mother allowed me to take some of my things when she kicked me out. So I packed a variety of clothes, some hygiene products and a sleeping bag. The rest of my possessions wouldn’t help me survive, they would just weigh me down.
Giving my room one last look I made my way into the hallway. Walking down that hallway I came to the conclusion that I would survive if only in spite of Mara my mother. As I made my way to the stairs I heard my sister Nessie come out of her room. She gave me one look and pushed past me with a sneer on her face.
“It looks like mom is finally getting rid of you, It took her long enough.” Her pale blue eyes were like ice as she stared me down, that sneer turned into a wicked smile as she saw the look of shock on my face. “Oh and by the way happy birthday freak!” With that she flipped her hair over her shoulder and made her way down the stairs and out the front door slamming it behind her hard enough the pictures on the wall vibrated with aftershocks.
I could feel moisture collecting in my eyes and I blinked the tears threatening to fall down my cheeks back. With the mantra of ‘You’re strong, you will get through this, you will survive, you will show them’ running through my head I make my way down the same steps my sister Nessie just flounced down. The pictures on the way mocking me as I take each step. Pictures of Nessie and Mara smiling and laughing stare at me. So many pictures of the two growing up, aging before my eyes into the people that they are today. With every few steps my face could be found in some of the backgrounds, but never as the main subject.
After the timeline that was my life comes to an end I find myself at the bottom of the stairs with my backpack stuffed with my things over my shoulder. A feeling of shame washed over me as Mara walks into the hall from the direction of the kitchen.
She looks at me with a fake smile and says words that shatter my already breaking heart to bits. “Are you leaving yet? I’m having some friends over and I don’t want them to see you.”
My eyes must of shown some type of emotion that caused her smile to widen and here icy blue eyes to harder and shine with happiness at the pain she is causing me. “Well go on get out, leave, and don’t come back or bother trying to contact us, we don’t want you here. We never have.” And with those words she gave a laugh similar to a witches cackle and walked past me and up the stairs to her room.
Tears that I tried to hold back slowly leak out of my eyes and down my face to land on the floor and my shirt. As I gave one last look at my childhood home a sense of determination falls over me and I give a watery smile at my reflection of a weak and powerless girl in the mirror hanging besides me. Putting my feet in front of each other I make my way down the long cold white hall that leads to an equally cold white door that opens to the garage, the one last room before I leave this place behind for good.
One twist of a handle and a push of the door lets me into the bright room that has one black SUV parked in the middle of the room. Behind the SUV I could see down the driveway to the trees that make up the forest that Mara’s land brushes up against.
As I start walking into the unknown something causes me to look to my left. Propped up on the wall was a gun next to it a camouflage bag. With a shiver I slowly reach out with a cautious hand to grab the cold butt of the gun. As cautious as ever I look over the gun to make sure that the safety was on, a sigh escapes my lips when I find that the safety is click into place. With a small ‘Thanks’ to whoever is watching over me I sling the gun over my other shoulder and pick up the bag that was lying beside the gun. Peeking inside the bag I find four boxes of ammunition, a rectangular metallic looking stone, and a knife. I let my backpack fall from my shoulder and open it. Shoving down the material in the bag I place the camouflage bag inside and zip my backpack up again.
Overcome with emotion my head falls down to my chest and I stare at the floor. A genuine smile takes over my face as I think about how much this gun will help me. Determination once again washes over me as I look up and walk out of the garage towards the waiting forest the smile grows.
“I amstrong, I will get through this, I will survive, and I will show them! I will rewrite those stars, and well see who’s laughing then!” With a laugh at the words I said out loud I set off down the driveway and disappear into the forest not once looking back.
