Augustana Markuson

It was a dreary night in late September, Augustana Markuson held her gray, hooded jacket all the more closer to herself. She had been seeing shadows dance around her, windows around her dark part of the city glow by the reflection of the moonlight. A reflection of a reflection.

Life had never been easy for young Augustana, at the tender age of 15 she had been through so much, it would have drove any sane person mad long ago. Her father, drunken and never around. When he was, he was distant, cold, calculating, sadistic. He enjoyed beating her, she was afraid constantly. She could never trust a man, none but Skylar. They had been best friends since day care. Nothing could tear them apart, he had always been so out going, willing to do anything for Augustana, she would gladly preform in the same manor for him. He was the only one who knew of her secret, one he vowed to tell no one, and to avenge what happened to his beautiful Augustana.

Earlier that night Augustana lay peacefully upon her bed, doing her AP Calculus homework, being the ever so intelligent girl she was, this was nothing. CRASH! BANG! By the sounds of it she assumed her father was home. It was times like these she missed her mother. The poor woman wasted away, the cancer had taken everything away from her and her family. The young girl barely 9 years old understood the situation all too well. She heard her door slam, in came her father, "You little bitch, I told you to clean this fucking house! Did I not?" She was horrified, he picked her up by her luscious violet locks, and slammed her against the chest of drawers. He beat her violently that night. Her face and body were a terrible shade of violet, much darker than her beautiful hair. In all of the mess the vicious man mutilated her cell phone, broke the dresser, her mirror and most of what was left of her room. The moment he left she grabbed her belongings intending to haul ass. She grabbed hold of a large black backpack and placed as much as she could inside; her clothes, shoes, laptop, what was left of her phone, her school things, and her precious books, as many as she could fit. She tip toed out of the room. She nearly ran through the hall way until she came upon the living room, what she witnessed nearly gave the poor young child a heart attack. Her father was asleep, looking so peaceful. She heard his voice, so quiet, sounding like a frightened child. He must have been talking in his sleep, "I miss, I miss you Irene. I can't do this. I love you...I...I love....I love you. No, don't go, don't.... please stop...I can't take this.." That's when the man began to scream. He was horrified, as was Augustana, she took this as a chance to run for freedom.

Once she sees street lights and beautiful houses, she knows she's in Skylar's neighborhood. It's always been expensive, and beautiful around here. She begins to miss when she once lived just down the street, before her father let their mortgage go, and rented that dump. Tears begin to sting at her eyes once more, and soon there are tears pouring, like the Niagra Falls. She can see Skylar's house in the distance, the light at the end of the tunnel.