Seen Not Heard || BOOK 1

Pompeii - My Salvation

Chapter One ~ Idina

Salvation. That's what my room was. A place away from school, away from my father, away from everything,  especially reality. It was the only thing, next to my journal, that was truly just mine.

Idina Jennings. Just your regular fourteen-year-old girl, but in a little less than three months I'll be fifteen. October twenty-second, a day for me, a day with just me and my mother, away from him.

Him being my excuse of a father. He hurts me and my mother. I've never told anyone; it's just too painful to talk about, so instead I quietly take it all. I take the pain, I take the hurt, but it never gets better. Just an endless cycle.

School use to be my escape until I basically went mute. I never talked unless called upon. I never looked people in the eyes. I only talked to my teachers when needed, and was still courteous to the janitor and cafeteria staff. People call me a freak, nerd, geek, weirdo, but they always leave out what I truly was. Invisible.

But not today; today was my Pompeii. Today was the day my world came crashing down for the better. I was in the lunch line, waiting.

"How are you sugar?" Ms. Alba asked.

"I'm alright, how are you?" I ask as she hands me a tray with a sandwich and green beans on it.

"Oh, I'm fine baby. Now, you eat up you hear?" she said.

"Yes, ma'am. Have a good day."

"Alright, you to baby," she smiles at me, moving on to the next student. I grab my tray, and as I turn around I notice my shaking mother standing at the door, with fear in her eyes. They fall on me and she runs over to me. She smiles a nervous smile.

"Sweetie, we're leaving. C'mon." She says beginning to grab my hand. She throws my tray in the trash as I stand frozen in confusion.

"Wha-What's going on Mom?" I ask as she leads me out of the school. I throw my backpack in the back seat and buckle up in the front seat.

"I'm leaving your father."

"Wait, really?" I ask in shock but secretly am overcome with joy.

"Yes, our clothing, things from home everything, is gone. I shipped most of the things last night, and finished the last things this morning while your father is at work." She says driving forward, not even looking at me. I reach my head back to see a couple of suitcases peaking their heads above the back seat.

"Oh my God. So this is real? This is actually happening," I ask, "Where are we going?"

"To the airport. Your dad will be served with divorce papers tonight; we'll be in New York by then." I lean back in my seat, awaiting the sign for our airline.

As we settle into our seats on the airplane I pull out my earbuds and play my music, letting it stream through my body. My mother sits next to me, already asleep. I pull out the most precious item in the world from my backpack, my journal. It is a dark teal with a lock on it. It's where I keep my most private thoughts, song lyrics, memories, dreams, and it is basically my lifeline and best friend. The key is detachable, and when not in use is attached to my necklace, most people think it's just a charm, not the key to unlocking my darkest times. I detach the key and open my journal, promptly placing it back on my necklace.

Pompeii (Re-edited by yours truly)

I was left to my own devices, as the many days fell away with bruises to show. Now the walls are crumbling down in a city full of love. Great clouds roll over the hills, bringing light from above. And when I close my eyes, I almost cannot feel the pain anymore. And if I open my eyes, I'm scared that I'll be trapped in the city once more. It's time to be an optimist about this. I'm free to be an optimist about this.

I don't wanna do this anymore, I don't wanna be the one to take it all. I never had a shoulder to cry on who wasn't also affected. Pompeii came crashing down due to an eruption. A volcano had finally had enough, eventually blowing its top, reigning down fire upon its people. But now I wonder, did the people deserve it? Did they do something to anger the volcano, maybe they did it but didn't realize what they were doing. They never apologized, never cared about it, so it eventually had to make some noise.

My father is the villagers. My mother the volcano. And I am the sky, watching all this happen and yet still somehow affected.