Bullied and Broken

Chapter 5 ~

Madeline's POV

Botswana. Six months. Botswana. Six months. Botswana...

Those words had been on repeat in my head for the past week.

I remember back to the discussion where I learned of the new horrors of the next half year.

~~~~~Flashback~~~~~

"Wait, what?" I yelled. My mother, Lillian, shot a disapproving look at me, then glanced towards my father, unsure if she should continue.

My father started talking next. "Your mother and I have been offered a position in Botswana, for the next six months. You'll be staying here with a . . . Family friend." William, my father explained. He did so slowly, like he was talking to an idiot or someone who was dull-minded. His facial expression said What isn't there to get?

"So your going to be going to go, and leave me for six months while you go to AFRICA?" I said, quite angrily in fact. 

Lillian just looked at me and replied,

"Yes", In a tone that brooked no argument

And that hurt me more than words could ever express. She was my mother, and should be my most adamant supporter, but instead here she was, basically telling me I wasn't good enough. I wasn't good enough for my own parents, my own family. That was the real reason why they were always so distant.

After I realized that my jaw had fallen slack from this realization, I shut it quickly. I felt tears rising into my eyes also but blinked them away, and forced myself to keep up an emotionless facade. It was a facade with blank, unseeing eyes, and where nothing would hurt me.

I made sure that this emotional facade wouldn't slip, so that I wouldn't show weakness in front of the people who never cared. They never showed sympathy, they'd think I was weak. It was hard though, with the next bit of news.

"We will be leaving in one week from today" My mother, the woman of stone, added. It almost seemed like she was being... Sympathetic? She was never sympathetic.

My father then had to jump in with comment of his own. "You'll be staying with the Hunters. We expect you to be on your best behavior, and to be packed by tomorrow night."

I slowly nodded, feeling like they were just using excuses to get rid of me.

~~~~~Flashback Over~~~~~

From that night, everything has moved way too fast. It has been a week, but it hasn't felt like one. Everything has felt like I was in a dream which I would wake up from any second but I never did. I think I thought it was one because life in general seemed... too bright and colorful, and things like this never happened to regular people. I mean, Botswana for six months? Who wouldn't be in shock? 

Ever since that night I have been numb, both emotionally, and physically. I feel detached, unconnected from my body. I've been stuck in my mind, with only a few thoughts in my mind like What did I do that made them hate me? or Could I possibly fix my family? and the most important, Who are the Hunters, and will they be nice?

I have been mulling over those questions for the past seven days, but no answers have appeared. I just noticed that my "parents" have lead me into the car, along with my three large suite cases. I guess that we're leaving now, I thought.

We've been driving for a good twenty minutes before they turn into a side street, and finally a driveway. When I get out, I look up at the house. It was a large house, two, three stories maybe? It was an old house with a classic-looking pitched roof, and brown wooden planking. There were lots of windows, and a two car garage, nothing out of the ordinary. It was a basic house, but what interested me the most was the amount of life in the house. 

It's hard to explain, you have to feel the vibe of the energy from the house to really get it. All in all, there was a lot going on in this house and I was about to be thrown into the center of it all. Immediately after that thought, I got nervous. Like really nervous.

I slowly walked towards the front door and raised my hand to knock.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

After waiting for almost a full minute, and giving up hope of them actually answering the door, the door did in fact open. 

"Hello?"

~~~~~Author's Note~~~~~

Hello my dear Narwhal Ninjas!!! How was your week! I had a great one! First off, my school has a four day weekend this weekend (Friday and Monday off) and one of my close friend's sisters had a birthday party, so I slept over on the friday, and stayed all day today, to get ready and make sure the day would go smoothly. So I lost all of my typing time on friday night, and this morning, and I didn't get home until six o'clock in the evening. Good thing I started typing earlier, right? Sooooooo yeah........ That was my week/weekend. Comment how yours was/is below!!! 

See ya next week!!

~~~~~LilFunny<3~~~~~

A wretched soul, bruis'd with adversity,

We bid be quiet, when we hear it cry;

But were we burthen'd with like weight of pain,

As much, or more, we should ourselves complain.

~William Shakespeare