Abandoned

Chapter 1

Madeline POV

I opened my tent and peered outside.

I was met with darkness.

This place really was abandoned.

Thank God.

I made a good decision when I decided to put my tent here.

Finding an abandoned storm shelter behind the school was like finding a gold mine. I was close to school, my tent was protected from rain and snow, and I could sleep a little longer because I was basically living in school.

I shivered when the cold air entered my tent.

I zipped it back up quickly and covered myself with my blanket.

It was time to get ready for school.

I opened my backpack and took out my toothbrush, toothpaste, a plastic cup, and a bottle of water.

I put a little bit of toothpaste on my toothbrush.

It was a challenge to do all this with only a flashlight, but I've gotten used to it. I already had six months of practice.

I had to use only a little bit of toothpaste because I didn't have a lot of money left. I had to get another job. I saw that the city had a library. I saw a few coffee shops. Maybe they needed some help. I hoped that I would find a job soon.

While I lived in the small town close by, I worked at the coffee shop. I liked the town, and I liked the people. I didn’t want to leave. I had to because I saw my foster parents’ friend. I couldn’t be sure if he saw me or not, but I couldn’t risk it. I couldn’t risk him telling my foster parents where I was. I couldn’t let my foster parents find me.

I was confident that they would not report me missing because they would no longer receive money for me. The only reason they wanted to find me was because I was their little toy. They enjoyed beating me. My foster dad enjoyed…

No.

I couldn’t think about that. It was over. I escaped. I would never have to see them again. I would finish my sophomore year and my senior year, and I would go to college.

I took a deep breath and pushed the memories away.

I had to get ready for school.

I brushed my teeth and grabbed the soap out of my backpack.

I stepped out of my sleeping bag, stripped down, and washed myself as best as I could.

Surviving the winter inside the tent will be a challenge. I was freezing, and it was only October.

It was better than living with my foster parents, though. I wouldn't survive another one of their beatings. I had better chances of surviving the winter in a tent in an abandoned storm shelter.

I put on my underwear and the clothes I prepared for the first day of school.

I didn't have many, so I had to be careful with the clothes I did have. I put aside two pairs of jeans, two sweaters, and two hoodies. I would wear those to school. I had two sweaters and two hoodies to wear when I was in my tent. I only had one jacket, and I had to take care of it. I had two pairs of Chucks. The black ones looked a little bit better than the white ones, so I decided to wear those to school.

I would wear the white ones to work. Maybe I could earn enough to buy myself a new pair. It would take me a while, though. I had to earn money for necessities, not for shoes. I needed food and water. I needed batteries for my flashlight. I needed toothpaste and soap. New shoes were the last item on my list of needs.

I really cared about my appearance. It was partly because I didn't want to give the other students a reason to bully me, but it was mostly because I didn't want the teachers to notice that I was living alone in a tent. A smelly, dirty kid screamed that something wasn’t right, and I didn’t want anyone to know. They would take me back to my foster parents, and that would be like taking me straight to the morgue.

I glanced at my watch and saw that I had 20 minutes until school started.

I ran a brush through my hair and checked myself in my little broken mirror.

I looked okay for a girl living in a tent.

I grabbed my jacket and my backpack for school and opened my tent. I stepped outside and put my jacket on. I zipped my tent back up and put my backpack on my shoulder.

I walked to the door, pushed it open slowly, and looked outside.

Nobody was around.

The storm shelter was behind the school. It was facing the forest. Nobody would be walking around in this area.

At least, that’s what I hoped.

I stepped outside and closed the door gently. I didn't want to make too much noise. I didn't need to draw attention to myself.

I walked away, glancing behind my shoulder to make sure that no one was around.

I reached the entrance and walked inside. I kept my head low. I knew that people would stare, and it always made me uncomfortable when people did that.

The hallways were already filled with students. I could hear them talking and laughing. I could feel their curious gazes on me. I was a new girl in a small town, and I knew that everyone would notice me immediately.

I just hoped that they wouldn’t bully me. I just hoped that I would finish my sophomore and maybe even my senior year here. I just wanted to go to college. I just wanted a normal life.

I didn’t want to be the girl who was left outside in the middle of the winter when she was only four. I didn’t want to be the orphan girl anymore. I didn’t want people to laugh at me or pity me. I had enough of that.

I wanted to start living my own life away from group homes and abusive foster parents.

I reached the administration office and knocked on the door.

“Come in.” I heard a voice say.

I opened the door and saw an older woman smiling at me.

“Hello, dear.” she said. “How can I help you?”

“Hi.” I said, giving her a small smile. “I’m new. I’m here for my schedule.”

“Okay, honey.” she said as she looked down at her desk. “What’s your name?”

“Madeline Reed.” I said.

She rummaged through the pile of papers on her desk before finding what she needed.

“Here you go, honey.” she said, looking back up at me and handing me a bunch of papers. “Here is your schedule and some forms for your parents. I need your parents to sign them. You can bring them back to me tomorrow.”

I nodded and smiled, putting the papers in my backpack.

“Welcome to our school, Madeline.” she said, smiling warmly at me.

“Thank you.” I said as I turned around and walked back toward the door.

I took a deep breath and stepped back into the hallway.

Here we go.

I hoped that everything would be okay. I hoped that I would finish high school. I hoped that I would be invisible and that no one would pick on me. I hoped that I would find a job and earn some money for necessities.

But most of all, I hoped that my foster parents wouldn’t find me.

If they did, they would kill me.