Monsters

1. Under The Bed

Lizzie's POV
I pushed the girl back.
"Did you really just say that to me?" I snapped.
The girl shrunk a bit, "I didn't mean-"
"You better not come anywhere near me again alright bitch? Or you're gonna get it"
The girl ran. Didn't bother to look back.
"You showed her" One of my friends Cara said.
"I sure did" I said it like I  felt badass but I didn't. The look on the girl's face as she ran away, she was terrified of me. And I didn't even know her name. And that wasn't even close to the worst I could do. Three years ago, that would've been me but a Mean Girls situation brought me into this mess. But unlike Cady, I haven't been able to get out of it.
"Alright, I've gotta go guys. My mom will kill me if I'm not home in five minutes" Another one of my friends Amy said.
"Okay, see ya later guys" I waved to them.

I turned and walked the last few blocks to get to my apartment. I didn't even bother going in the front door and to the lift. It was easier and healthier to go up the fire escape, plus I didn't want to see my parents and the fire escape happened to lead to my room. When I reached my floor, 11, I opened my window and climbed in. I could already here the muffled arguments from down the hall. I hated it when they fought and it happened all the time now. Whenever they fought it almost created inspiration for my art, the one wall my parents allowed me to put a huge canvas on was covered with my masterpiece. The fighting might give me inspiration but it didn't mean I didn't want it to stop. I turned on my music and let Ed Sheeran play, loud. Not only did doing that drown them out but it also made them aware of my existence. I'm the youngest of four. My two older brothers and my sister have long since moved out but I still had to wait three weeks for my senior year to finish and I could leave. I know my parents love me but ever since they started fighting and there was less people around, they started forgetting I was even there.
I opened my closet to get my paint then threw back the curtain that covered my canvas. It was a painting of my bedroom, mess and all, brighter colours on the edges but they got duller and duller towards the centre. There was a picture of me on my bed, half finished, and I was facing the doorway my back from the artist. I wanted someone to stand in the doorway but had no idea who yet. I continued paint my hair, on the canvas, trying dull my red hair a bit. The reason I hid my talent, and the real me, was because of one thing and one thing only. I know no one would ever except me for who I am, after all the terrible things I've done to them why would they? I know they'll never see the beauty in my beast. So of course, everyone sees me as what I know I am. A monster.

Hunter's POV
June 3rd 2015
Only three weeks until this cursed thing called school ends. I'll finally be able to leave this old house and maybe go to city I actually have a chance in. New York? Paris maybe? I don't know. I'll miss the kids across the street, they're cute, but I know it's time to move on. Mum and Dad will want me to go to Oxford or something and I know it won't be easy but I'll try to convince them to let me take a year off. I don't even know what the real world is like. This stupid house has been nothing but a cage. I can't wait to leave. 'Till next time.
-Hunter

I closed his journal and threw it on MY bed. Tonight was the night. I was going to tell them. I was going to get out of this house once and for all. I'm eighteen for crying out loud, I'm legally an adult, I should be able to make my own choices. I was going to tell them at dinner.
There was a knock on my door, "Mr Everton? Dinner is ready" It was most likely Harold. But I wasn't really sure, I never learned all the names of the staff.
"I'm coming!" I quickly tucked in my shirt and raced down the stairs to the dining hall.
My parents were at their usual seats, at the opposite ends of the relatively long table. I sat in the middle between them and dug into the usual fancy dinner the cook had prepared.
"So, Hunter" I looked at my father, my mouth full of food. "We understand that school will be ending soon and that you need a university to attend to"
"Dad"
"You're mother and I know how good you are in the genetic part of science and think we've found the perfect school"
"Dad!"
"Oxford is the best school in Britain and it will get you the best education. We've paid for the first semester to see how you like the Genetics Department and if you don't you can always switch majors-"
"DAD!" My father finally gave me  the attention that I was looking for.
"I'm not going to Oxford" I simply stated.
"Hunter, we've made the decision. You should listen to your father" My mother said.
"This is my life, I was thinking about taking a year off to-"
"To do what?!" My  father stood, he was never one to keep his temper. "Let your brain rot?! Listen to me boy-"
"I'm not a boy anymore! I'm eighteen! If I can vote, drink and go to war I can certainly choose how to live my life!" I was standing too.
"Then you can do it without our help!"
I almost fell back in my chair.
"Are you cutting me off?!" I practically screamed.
"You'll already have enough money on your card to get you a round trip anywhere" My mother always seemed to have a bit of a calming affect on us. But she was still very cross with me, I could tell. "If you don't like where you are you can always come back but then you have to go to Oxford"
"Fine"
"Fine" We all sat down. The tension in the room was unbearable. I couldn't stand it anymore so I stood up and left. Didn't even bother to take a jacket. I had never been so angry is his life. Who did they think they were? Bossing me around like I was a little kid, they had no idea how to be good parents. I stomped off to the nearest underground entrance he could find and rode all the way to downtown London. It was quite late at night but I didn't think much of it, pickpockets would after the herd of tourists bustling around not me. I walked into a random pub and just kept on drinking and drinking and drinking. But I couldn't forget, even while intoxicated, the looks on my parents' faces.
It was nearly midnight so pub sent me off. My parents probably didn't even know that I hadn't returned yet. I stumbled towards the underground entrance, oblivious to the man about my age sleeping on the street. I didn't realise he was there and tripped over the man's feet. The young man sat up fast, ready to run.
"Sorry" I slurred. I was becoming a bit more sober now.
"It's fine" The man rubbed his eyes. "Do you have a few pounds on you?"
"Why?" I was starting to get annoyed. Since when did this man think he could talk to me?
"Well, my brother and I, he has a job and pays for our flat and we're a few pounds off rent and they kicked us out, could you-"
"Why do you think I'd help you?" I said interrupting the man.
"It's just, I need a few quid to-"
"Well, these are your problems not mine. I could have a thousand pounds and I wouldn't give a single one to you" I left the man hurt and confused on the side of the street. And I went home, my parents didn't even notice, I took a sleeping pill and collapsed on my bed. I never did think about the man above the underground, asking for a few pounds and I never cared. This was my  monster. And I didn't even know it existed.

----------------------------------------------
A/N: Tada!! My first book. Okay, not actually. I'm in the middle of writing two other ones that I started a long time before this but I had a severe case of writers block. So here's Monsters. There will be relatively slow updates cause I got school and all that. 'Kay that's it bye!!
-JustANormalDay