Elijah is a young boy that has been born and raised in a neglectful and abusive household. With his biological mother, Eliza, and his stepfather Paw.
His mother was severely mentally ill and Paw was a raging alcoholic, scarring the young child's min...
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I can feel the warm and beaming sunrise on my face through the tall window.
It was my first night sleeping here -if you could even call it that- I couldn't sleep a wink. The thought of spending the late hours in this still unfamiliar place made me so uncomfortable that I could barely close my eyes and relax. Thankfully it wasn't completely dark, due to the bright and colourful city lights down below.
I found myself admiring them the whole evening.
The current hour is unknown to me, there isn't a clock in this room. 'Not that I can read one anyways...' No one has ever taken the time to teach me how to interpret a normal watch. The more modern ones -with the numbers- that I've seen around my brothers' house, are much easier to understand.
While my mind is busy with clocks, I hear light footsteps slowly approaching my door. Scared of getting in trouble for still being awake, I rush back into bed, quiet enough to not get caught by whoever was about to get in. Or so I thought.
"CREEEAK." I shut my eyes tight. My heart pounding up to my ears. I can feel something heavy gently sink at the end of the bed, facing me. "...Eli." I try my hardest not to flinch by the deep but somewhat familiar voice. "I know you're awake..." Leo whispers. 'Oh no... am I in trouble?' I squint my eyes open, slightly in a panic.
"It must've been scary to spend the night somewhere you're not used to." My brother continues, surprising me with how soft his words are. 'Yesterday, Leo promised that he wouldn't hurt me... so maybe I'm not in trouble...' Still wary, I nod my head in agreement. Fully opening my eyeballs now.
He hesitates on what to say for a second, carefully scooting closer to me. "...this is your home Eli, and we're your family. You'll always be safe here... we'll make sure of that."
'Safe? I'll be safe here...?' I can feel my eyes filling up with water, but I fight against it. 'Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry!'
Leo seems to heed my teary state. "Eli?? Did I say something wrong?" There was a trace of nervousness in his voice. Making me huff a giggle. "N-No..." I shake my head, sitting up on the bed. "I'm just really happy." I let out a smile.
It's like a fairytale. I still find it hard to believe that I had a real family all along, and that I'm allowed to live with them in such an amazing house. And eat delicious food... and actually go to a real school too!
It all just feels like a dream come true. I can't possibly put into words how grateful I am.
My focus is pulled back into the present as I listen to my older brother's chuckle. "I'm really glad you're back, Eli." He smiles back. And as he does I can feel a warmth forming inside of me. "Alright, we have things to do today." He resumes, slowly getting up. "Go get ready, you still have to eat breakfast." And with that simple word, I hurry out of bed. Oblivious to what we'd be doing so early in the morning, but more excited to know what we'll be eating today instead.
