The pain comes on again this time worse. It rips through my spine, I can hear my father screaming from behind me "Why did you do it?" I can feel the tears fall down my face and see them fall to the floor. His grip loosens from my wrist and I mange to work up the strength to run from the room, filled with the memories of my past beatings.
Not the typical life of a 11 year old. I live in the shadows trying not to show my face. As I walk from school I see a moving van pull into my neighbour's house. From what I can see there is a boy about my age. Finally, someone who didn't know my stories. I go introduce myself because before my mom died she told me to always be polite. I see their son walk to the creek, so I follow him. He starts to skip rocks, a strange habit for someone our age. As he does this, I hide behind a small pile of rocks so he can't see me. I admire the way the rock skips on the calm water making a small disturbance and then quietly sinks to the creek bed below.
I follow him back there every day for a week but not showing myself, afraid of what he will think. I decide to be brave and find a way to talk to him. So I start to skip rocks back towards him. Not seeing me throwing them back, he gets confused so he throw's it back with all his might, but the third stone came skipping back. After this I stepped out from my hiding spot wearing my pretty pink dress that my mother left me before she died and being as though my father has not fed me much, it still fits me. I walk on a rock path across the creek and place my hand on a rock to get my footing. I tap the boy on the shoulder and he turns around and looks at me. His eyes are a brilliant blue and his smile lights up my world so that I can see clearly for the first time.
I put out my hand out and say "hi I'm Sarah, I saw you move in but I was always too scared to talk to you" He takes my hand. "Hi Sarah, I'm Sam. I have seen you around here, you're my new neighbour right?" he replies to me. But Because I am shy, I look towards my feet. He speaks again but this time his voice is very soft it says "Sarah, I think there is something missing with you." This catches me by surprise since I though he was going to tell me off. "It looks as if you are always sad, like you have never had a friend." I don't know if I should tell him my secrets. I don't want to start a friendship on lies and what will I say if he starts to ask about my mother and father. I think to myself maybe he won't be scared of me like everyone else. He seems like a nice person as he seemed to have concern for me before. I decide to tell him. " I need to tell you something but you have to take it seriously." "I will...I promise," "okay here it goes" I take a deep breath. "My mom died when I was 5 years old and my dad lost control of himself and found away to turn it on me." I lift up my dress so it's just above my knees so some of my worst scars are showing. "This is what he does to me!" the tears are now falling from my eyes. "I need you to know this, don't be scared of me! I am not a monster please don't treat me like one." I look at his scared face and then down at my feet, but I feel a hand under my chin and makes me look towards him. "I would never call such a hurt person a monster especially after what you have told me." He wipes my tears away with his hand and then wiping away his own tears, he hugs me. I hug him back and for the first time in forever I feel safe thanks to my new best friend Sam.
