A Star's Last Days

TWO

THE sun shines lightly on my face as my sleepy eyes crack open slightly.

I rub my eyes forgetting my face is injured, causing me to groan in pain. I lift my self up so my body is now resting on my elbows. Wincing quietly I place my hand on my battered and bruised stomach.

Lazily, I get up to take a shower and wash the sleepiness from my achy body. Once I finished getting ready for the day I slowly made my way down the stairs not wanting to make any noise. I walk through the kitchen and grab the keys to the house. I don't like eating in the morning anymore, so once I put on the shoes at the front door I left the house quietly.

The sun was shining yet rain was coming down. Good thing I am wearing long loose clothes.

I walk the long exhausting fifteen minutes to the library. The library was like a safe place for me. It had anything you can imagine put into books that line up tall shelves.

I spent most of my summer here for more or less obvious reasons. At least obvious to me. A great sigh of relief leaves my lips as I step into the library. The man's eyes at the front desk gaze into mine when they meet and I immediately close mine and give him a slight nod.

Quickly I leave the entrance no longer wanting his eyes on me. I make way to the bathroom in the back and wash my face with cold water. I grab a couple of paper towels and dry my face and hands.

*No wonder he was looking at me like that.* Looking down, blood stained the soft white paper. I sigh and repeat washing my face with cold water until it stopped bleeding.

As I leave the bathroom I walk to the aisle that is labeled 'Mystery'. A grin flashed every so slightly across my face and is gone in a second. I trace my fingers along the books in shelf looking for one that piques my interest. I settle on a book called 'Haunting Adeline' by H.D Carlton.

It seemed interesting enough to entertain me for a while. So I take it from the shelf and head towards the front of the library and take a seat in one of the open chairs.

~~~~~

After I reached chapter twenty, I looked outside and the sun was starting to set. The rain had not let up but I need to start making my way back to that house.

I reach for my pockets to see if I grabbed the library card. I let out a sigh and put the book back where I found it. I forgot the card, so I start my journey back to the house but slower as I let the sky engulf me in its sadness. When the sun finally set I had already made it to the house with the keys in hand. Placing the key in the lock I turn it and pause.

*Today is the last day.* Pushing the door open I take off the wet shoes and socks at the front door. As I get up to head into the kitchen to put the house key away a slap crossed my face almost knocking me down.

My ears ring out and loud words are shouted in my face. It's not untill my ears calm down that I heard what is being shouted. "You insulant little w**re. Whose d**k where you fawning over that has you walking into my house so damn late at night? You know what, I don't even want to hear it. Go to my room right now."

Since I was still in a shocked state my body made no movements to go in the direction I was told. With my face still turned the other way and my eyes wide I hear the sound of a something being ripped out of the wall.

"So you ignoring me now." A statement. If I answered I would not be able to walk for, at minimum, two weeks. "If you are not there waiting for me with your clothes stripped~", a phone cord is swiped across my turned cheeked where I was previously punched yesterday and slapped a few seconds ago.

I flinch but try my hardest not to whimper. A beating...I have gotten use to them. I had clothes on that could soften the blow to an extent. But when he tells me to strip I am ready for the shadows to swallow me whole.

"~Hah. You know what awaits you." I lower my head and nod slowly before making my way across the house to his room. I hear him rummaging in the kitchen in search for something.

If there was a world record for how times you cry in a month, let alone a week, I might win. Today is Wednesday I believe, I don't even know, I lost track. But I know this is my tenth beating since Sunday, I think.

I reach his room and tears threaten to form in my eyes. I close them tightly and remove the clothes off my body. This is nothing new but every time he does this I barely make it out of his room alive. "Hopefully you are not crying. You knew this would happen." His voice sends chills up my spine.

Not the good kind.

I don't turn to face him, but I hear him untying his lavalava and my body almost vomits my insides out. Coming closer to me he slaps the sides of my stomach. I wince quietly at the still fresh bruises on my sides being slapped. My back straightens as he turns me around to face him. I drop my head with my eyes still sealed shut.

He picks up my chin so I look at him. I open my eyes before he fully lifts my head to avoid anymore than what he has planned for me. "You know I would not be doing this if only you didn't try to ruin our family." I feel my eyes glaze over with tears.

He painfully squeezes my cheeks, a sign for me to answer. I nod my head slowly without removing my gaze from his.

The front door opens and he calls out, "Honey is that you?" shuffling is heard before she answers back. "Yeah I just came in. The hospital had me go into three surgeries tonight." Her voice gets closer to the bedroom door with each word.

The door opens and her feet pad in as she kisses her husband on the cheek. "Oops sorry honey. I didn't know she was getting in trouble. I'm going to hop in the shower so let me know if you still want me to cook." She walked to the bathroom and the back her head was all I saw before she quietly shut the door.

My head snaps back to the man in front me when I felt something cold press against my stomach.

I wanted to run away.

I tried that and he caught me and punished me more. I would call out for the woman but she would never answer. The one time she did it was the first and last time her body was bruised.

"Face down on the bed. Now." I turned around and climbed onto the bed. There is no use resisting, I had to learn the hard way that it just makes everything ten times worse.