Just take of

II.

We sat on a swing in a beautiful garden. Mom held my hand and read me her new poems. She was always a wonderful and extraordinary poet. I admired her creativity, ideas, and optimism. The poem was about the stars. "Little star that is in the sky, show me the way that I should go and that I cannot lose." When she finished a short quote from her unfinished poem, she hugged me. She told me that she was doing well and that she was among the stars. "I'm proud of you, sweetie." She gave me her smile and a quick kiss on the cheek. I loved her smile. I returned it, but it soon faded. "I know it's hard for you right now, sweetie. But it's going to be okay, I promise." She paused. "I'm always here with you, watching over you even when you can't see me." She smiled.                

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My alarm woke me up as effectively as a bucket of ice water. At our house, even on the weekend, we got up early in the morning. It was my dad's motto: "The early bird keeps jumping." At least, that's what he always said... I don't know what happened yesterday, but to be honest, it scared me quite a bit. Dad wasn't like that... EVER. He was always cheerful and full of energy. He never hurt me. That is, until last night. I felt his grip even now. I was scared and didn't know what to do. I remembered my mother's words from that dream. "I know it's hard for you right now, sweetie. But it's going to be okay, I promise." I was pulled out of my thoughts by a twist in my stomach. "And yes, actually, I didn't eat anything yesterday," I thought to myself. "The last time I ate was at lunch. In the evening, we found out that we didn't have anything for dinner. Mom said she was going to go to the store across the street for something and would be right back, so she asked Dad to come with her. When she didn't come back for a long time, we went to meet her. We live in an apartment, so we went down the stairs. We saw the horror when it was too late." Remembering yesterday brought tears to my eyes again. As always, I wiped them on my sweatshirt, pushing my thoughts to the back of my mind for now, at least until I got back to my room. I was really hungry, so I decided to go to the kitchen. There must be something there. I opened the door and peeked out. No one anywhere; especially Dad, who was always the first at the table. I came to the true conclusion: nothing will ever be the same again. I quietly opened the door wide, entered the kitchen, and opened the fridge. My eyes sparkled with joy as soon as I saw the yogurt with wild berries. I took it and put it on the counter, then took out the milk. I quietly closed the fridge, opened the cupboard, and took out a glass. I poured milk into it and then quietly put it away in the fridge. I usually make tea, but heating the water might get his attention, and that was the last thing I wanted after yesterday. I opened the last cupboard and took out a plastic bag with croissants. I took my breakfast and went to my room. I couldn't take everything at once, so I took the milk and croissants first. When I went back to get the yogurt, the door to the bedroom flew open. "Good morning," I said with a slightly shaky voice. "Make breakfast now!" he snapped at me. "Or are we going to repeat yesterday?" he said when I didn't move. I started moving; I didn't want to repeat yesterday. Dad always had eggs with toast. I prepared and brought them to his table. "Are you kidding me?" he said, rolling his eyes. "Where's my coffee, you useless brat?!" Out of fear, I automatically started preparing it. Then I quickly went to my room and locked myself in. I jumped when my phone started ringing. One of my friends was calling me. They were writing something in the group yesterday, but I didn't have the strength to answer. I ignored it. I didn't know what to do. I read for a while, and I was halfway through the book when I noticed that it was almost half past twelve. I had planned to go to a fast-food restaurant not far from here for lunch. I dressed in a simple white t-shirt, leggings, and a black sweatshirt. I took my headphones, phone, and keys with me. I successfully sneaked out of the apartment. On the way, my phone rang almost constantly, and I always hung up on my friends. I didn't want to talk to anyone. When I arrived, I ordered water, fries, and a burger from the waiter. I paid and listened to songs, not noticing the world around me. It was beautiful. I finished my meal and walked around town, avoiding people I knew until dark, when I arrived home again. This time, it was not without harm. Dad didn't say anything to me; he just beat me up and let me go to my room. I locked it. I showered, got ready for school, changed, and remembered the feeling I had outside. I put on my headphones and just existed until I fell asleep.