You're Family Now

Part 1

Gem's pov-

I woke up to the sound of girls and boys yelling through the house telling each other to get outta the way and stuff like that, which means I need to get up and dressed for my shift for 'work' on the pier. I sit up groggily and yawn, stretching my arms and looking around the room. As silently as I can I stand up and move over to the mirror and look at my appearance.

My brownish-blonde hair that fades to various pinks (pastel and neons) cascaded down to my hips, wavy and slightly tangled. I brushed my hair out quickly since it wasn't too knotted, and then started on what little bit of make-up I wear.

Applying a powder base, I look at my crystal blue-grey eyes that lack their usual life from just waking up. I apply cream colored eye shadow and dark brown eyeliner with a wing at the end with some black mascara. I look atthe time to see that its luckily only seven forty five, and I don't have to leave until eight thirty so Miss Lane thinks I'm going to school.

I shuffle over to my closet slightly more awake then I was and look at my little selection of clothes. I flip through my t-shirts that are various grays and blacks with a few splashes of white. Pulling out a plain grey v-neck, I also grab a dark grey sweater, a silver beanie, all of which are old but I've kept good care of my clothes so even though they're hand me downs, they look almost brand new.

I look at the shelf below my few shirts and grab a pair of dark blue (almost black) skinny jeans and old brown worn combat boots. I turn from facing my closet and literally take one step to the window where my back-pack (that has my actual job uniform in it) and my guitar case with my only pieces of jewelry sitting on it. One is a hand-made Minecraft bracelet, and the other is a necklace that made of string and a turquoise gem. Putting on both pieces of jewelry, I grab my only bottle of perfume and sprints some on me only getting a little bit because it's basically gone.

I head out of the attic called my room to the thing Miss Lane calls my room and slip into the bathroom that luckily everyone is out of because they are downstairs eating breakfast I made about 2 hours ago, and I brush my teeth. I race down the final set of stairs to be greeted with and angry Miss Lane "What the hell took you so long!" She shouts and pulls my hair "You're supposed to serve us and your upstairs relaxing?!"

I look at the counter top that has the food I made spread across it untouched, still very warm since it's on a heated counter top. "Yes Miss Lane, I'm sorry, it won't happen again" I say as quickly as I can even though I'm trying to sound calm."You're damn right it won't, and thanks to that stunt you're not getting ANY food today!" she snaps then begins to walk away

"But-" she spins around quicker than the speed of light.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY!?!" She shouts and slaps me across the face even harder than she did yesterday, making me fall to the ground and she kicks me in the stomach "YOU NEVER EVER EVER TALK BACK TO ME!!"

She finishes and a few of the other kids get up from their chairs to help me up. Miss Lane never laid a hand on the other kids, just me, but at least they treated me with kindness and sympathy, both boys and girls. The few kids getting up to help me only infuriated Miss Lane. "Leave her! She deserved what she got, and if you help her you'll be treated just like her!"

They all look to her and then to me, and I wave them off and whisper, "No, go back to your seats, I'm okay."

They all nod even though everyone in the room knew I wasn't okay. After all of that I hadn't spilled one tear, it's happened so much that I can hardly feel it anymore, I cant feel anything anymore, physically I can still feel pain but it doesn't bother me too much.

I stand up slowly, my hands and arms shaking and my legs barely able to stand from not eating for so long and being beaten. The kids sometimes save bits and pieces of their food for me when they know I'm not allowed to eat but it's not really enough even though the thought is sweet. After a few painful seconds I found myself upright and behind the counter making the plates of bacon and waffles.