The Remains Of Me

Chapter 6: No Where To Hide From Me

It was May. The air filled with the scent of sweet flowers. What a lovely smell. Another year had pasted. I was 9. Again not much had changed. At the moment we lived in Texas. It was a change in climate. Neither of us were used to the constant heat. Our original home was Oregon. When we fled, we went East. First to Idaho, then Montana. Couple months later we lived in Colorado. My father worried we weren't far enough so now we are here. Texas. Hot. That's the best word to describe it. The air condition was broken. The house was boiling. I felt as if I were in a pot just slowly dying. Sweat dripped down my face to my shirt. I went to the bathroom and wiped my face with a towel. I grunted in the mirror. Looking at my mouth. I lost some teeth a while back and it looked like someone knocked out my teeth. I could see them growing. Not as fast though. My smile was incomplete. I sat there and made the weirdest faces in the mirror, laughing at myself. I entertained and talked to myself a lot. I mean my father was there but I didn't have anyone else. That kinda ate at me. The fact I had no one to talk to. I used to talk with my brother and sister. Well my cousins actually. It was fun playing with them and at times not so much. I was the youngest so sometimes they didn't want me around. It hurt. The feeling of being neglected. I wasn't a person to hold grudges. I forgave and forgot. I loved them and I still do. Whenever I'm older I'll go visit. Hopefully if they are living in the same area. I was 100s and 100s miles away from them. It still made me feel bad about leaving them. They must miss me. One day they'll understand what I did. Why it was the right decision. For everyone. I belonged with my father. Whether they liked it or not. I sometimes questioned if it was the right choice. Then I think of my mother. It would be right by her.

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I was home alone. My father went into town for groceries. It wasn't the first time. He often left me so we wouldn't be noticed. At first I was scared to always be alone. As I got older it wasn't as bad. I made sure all the doors were locked. All windows sealed. Everything. The fear of someone coming made me paranoid. So when he'd leave, I'd just stay in my room. Reading or doing chores my father left me to do. I helped out. Cleaning the house from time to time. My main chores where to wash the dishes and clothes. I didn't mind it. It was something to pass the time. Reading helped with that as well. I loved reading stories about mystery. It always left me hanging and wanting to read more. My father picked up a book here and there. I had a few. Once I was done, I usually reread them a few times. I read them so much I could probably tell you each one by memory.

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It grew nightfall. My father still wasn't back. I started to worry. My hands were sweating. My heart was racing. I was panicking. The room started to spin. I sat down. I closed my eyes. Tears started to come out. I tried to hold them back but they flowed like a river. He was usually never this late. Something must have happened. I thought what if he was caught? It worried me sick. My stomach turned upside down.  I became calm and kept telling myself it was alright. I peered through the window seeing if there was any sign of him. Nothing. A took a deep breath. Walked to my room and kneeled at the side of my bed. I closed my eyes and folded my hands. I prayed. I prayed my father would come home safely. That our family would be okay. I got up, wiped my tears, and sat in my bed. I went to lay down, but I heard the door open. I made no sudden movement. When father would come home he'd knock. No one knocked. They just opened the door. I could have sworn I locked it. Maybe they broke the lock or picked it. There was just silence.  I heard no voice. Its like the world had stopped. Footsteps made there way around the house. My heart stopped. When I had the urge to move, I tip-toed to my closet. I opened the door and stepped inside. I slowly closed it and locked it from the inside. The footsteps grew closer and closer.  I covered myself with clothes to somehow hide myself. I brought my picture and held on to the picture of my parents as tight as I could. Hoping my mother would keep me safe. I held back my tears and controlled my breathing. The footsteps were in my room. I could hear every step. Every creak. As they made their way around. At that point, I couldn't hold anything back. I was panicking again. Everything was spinning. I couldn't calm it down. I was crying into my clothes. Soaking them all. I heard the footsteps stop. They stopped at the door. I froze. Everything froze for a spilt second. Then they attempted to open the door. They jiggled the handle. When it didn't open. They stopped. Not even a moment later, in all the silence I hear,

"Tori. I know you're in there. Come out."

All of a sudden everything went black. I fainted.