Forgotten (original version)

Chapter 2

I got up the next morning and put on a soft, black sweatshirt, and white sweatpants. I put on the necklace that Voletta had made me the month before she died that said, never lose hope. It obviously didn't look like a designer necklace or anything, but it was my favorite one.

"Morning, Honey." Mom said from the kitchen as I stepped out of my bedroom.

"Mom? Why are you awake so early?" I ask her. The sun wasn't even up yet.

"I couldn't sleep." Her voice shook. I wrapped her up in a hug and asked the question I've been asking myself for years.

"Why do you let him stay here?" I whisper. She pulls away.

"Because I feel bad kicking him out." Mom always had the kindest heart, but sometimes she needs to put her foot down.

"Mom, he can't stay here. He literally whipped you last night."
"I know . . . I'm just not ready." I sigh. She hasn't been ready for years. And if she isn't ready soon I'm gonna take matters into my own hands.

"I'm going to school." I mumbled.

"Sweetie, it's 5:03 in the morning."

"Perfect." I responded. I walk out the door and head to my best friend Dani's house. I climb up the tree next to her bedroom and knock on her window.

"Luci what the heck. It's way too early." she complained. I laughed. She was never a morning person. She was the only person I let call me Luci.

"Sorry, I just don't want to be there when my dad wakes up . . ."

"What did he do this time?" she asked as she pulled me through her window.

"He um . . . he whipped me and my mom with a belt." Dani covered her mouth.

"He did not." I nod, "Let me see it." she says. I lift up my sweatshirt and show her the slash which has gotten way worse over the night.

"Luci, that is really bad." She reminds me, "You need to report this."
"I can't. I don't want to be taken away."

"You probably won't be. They'll just take your dad away."
"No, because my mom let him stay. She isn't innocent in this."

"That's true . . . I just hate that you're scared to go home at night. You should feel safe at home."

"Trust me, no one wants that more than me." No one seemed to know what to say after that. I am the one who eventually breaks the silence.

"Enough about me. How are you doing?" I asked her.

"I'm very good actually. I was looking into colleges last night and I found one in Iowa that is pretty affordable. Mom said that she could help pay for over half the cost. I want to be an actor."
"That's great Dani!" I told her, "What's it called?"

"The University of Iowa. They have an amazing acting program."

"That's wonderful. Congrats!" I told her. But Iowa is really far away. Twenty hours away.

"What are you thinking about colleges?" she asked me.

"Oh I don't know. I don't exactly have enough money to pay for it at the moment."
"Aw come on. It doesn't hurt to look into it!"

I sigh, "Fine." I pull out my laptop and look at colleges. The first one I look at is the college in Iowa that Dani wants to go to. Then we wouldn't have to be apart. I've always wanted to be an author, and apparently they have a great writing program.

Remember, this is just for fun. I say to myself.

"That would be perfect! You're such a good author, and we would get to go to the same college!" she exclaimed. I wish I could be excited, but I have about as much money as a three year old kid.

"Yea!" I said, pretending to be excited. I would love to go to this college. It's just so much money.

"Well I have to get ready." Dani tells me, "I'll see you at school!"

I climb down her tree and walk on the sidewalk, slowly, back to my house. It's 7:00 am now. Dad has to be awake.

When I open the door I see Mom and Harry with puffy eyes.

"What? What happened?" I ask them worryingly.

"Your dad left the house last night, and he got in a car accident." I stare at her in disbelief, "Your dad is dead, Luciana."

I'm taken aback at how devastated I am. Sure he was awful to me, but he was still my dad. And now he's gone.

Harry wraps me up in a hug and I sink into it, but I don't cry. I have to be strong for mom. I walk up to her and hug her around her neck. I can feel her sobs shaking her body. I hug her tighter.

"It'll be ok." I told her, and I mentally punch myself for saying it. Whenever I'm sobbing because of something bad that happened, I hate when people tell me it'll be ok. It's almost like it makes everything real. It makes you realize that this is something you'll have to live with forever.

She pulls away after a few minutes of sitting there, "You should head to school." She says, "I have to go to work." At first I'm shocked that she's still going to work after all of this, but then I realize that it's her way of coping. To keep busy. It masks the real world and has you focused on something else.

I walk out the door without looking at my brother. I don't want to see the look on his face. He always takes things like this way harder than I do. It takes him longer to bounce back. Sometimes days, sometimes months . . . I feel like this one will take a bit longer than that, though.

I get to school and head straight to Dani, wrapping her in a hug and letting the tears that have been begging to be released slip out.

"What happened?" she asks in a comforting tone. I shake my head and keep sobbing. When I finally pull away I turn around and see Harry covering his mouth, staring at me with his eyes misted over. He turns around and walks away without a word.