The cry of my wolf

Chapter 1

"Dad, why don't you just leave me alone? And let me go out and see my friends!" Ah why is my dad always on my case?? I can't do anything without him being there. He even works at my school! Can you believe that?!

Hi I'm Annie Scott, I'm 15 years old and my dad has prevented me from having a private life! We live in northern Scotland, and for the past 2 years my mum has been in hospital. My dad is always hovering nearby, and asks me what I’m doing. If he doesn’t like my answer, he will make me do something else. This causes me to have very few friends – they’re probably only my friends to be on my dad’s good side. You see, my dad is the school vice principal and a science teacher, so he is always checking up on me at school too. That would be fine if he didn’t do the same thing at home as well.

It was okay before mum went to hospital, as she would help get my dad to let me be a little adventurous, but after the car accident mum had major brain damage. My mum was a very creative person. I learnt and was inspired by her creative ways. We would always do a piece of art work or just draw together for practise, my mother was a home designer. I don't like to talk about her as she is now. She doesn't know who I am. She doesn’t remember me. To me she is gone. I have no mother. I will visit her though but I don't see or feel the mother I used to have. She feels more like a friend than a mother now. She’s a friend I go see in hospital every now and again.

Since the accident my dad had just stopped me from going to friends’ houses. I haven’t asked to go out and see my friends for two years, I’ve had no me time and no friend time.

I know my dad loves me but it just becomes too much sometimes. I mean how would you like not being able to have a social life for 2 years, and aged 13-15 at that? My friends try to understand, but they aren’t the ones that are stuck at home twiddling their thumbs out of boredom. I can’t have Facebook or Skype, and I can’t create a secret account because my dad checks what I’ve done and everything, and has blocked those sites on my computer. The down side of him being a teacher is that he knows how, because at school it’s the same.

"Young lady you cannot just go out whenever you want. You have things to do round the house."

"Yeah, but I've not been out in 2 years, dad I need to learn about the real world. You can't keep me cooped up forever." I couldn’t even wait for his reply, I ran to my room and slammed my door, going straight to my bed. Once I was curled up on the bed I couldn’t hold in my tears any longer. It was moments like these where mum would help persuade dad because we have never really gotten along. Sometime I wish I could just get away. Away from my dad, and away from this lifestyle. I wouldn’t mind the hovering so much if only I could have a life. Instead I’m stuck at home drawing gloomy pictures.

After I had cooled off and stopped crying I went to my bathroom to wipe my face, then went down stairs to try and talk it over with my dad as it was the 'grown up' thing to do, but I also really wanted to get out of the house and see my friends outside of school, so why not give it another try. And I was hungry.

"Sorry dad for yelling at you." Trying not to sound too much like I wanted something, and that I meant it. I move over to the fridge to find something to eat.

"No, you’re right, but I know these kids and I don't want you to go out with them with no one to supervise." He said.

"Dad I'm a teenager! Have I ever acted like one? No, this is the first time in two years that I am asking for something. To go out and see some real people. Why won’t you let me do one thing that any normal person my age would do on a regular basis!"

"You don't know what it is like out there: how do expect me to be comfortable with you going out with your friends?"

"Yes, but that’s the point I don't know what it’s like out in the world, and unless I go how will I ever know what it is like and how will I ever learn?? As you say in our assemblies 'you learn best from your mistakes'. How can I learn from my mistakes if I am not allowed to make any?"

"Well yes but you are my daughter the other kids I only care about their school life. Outside of school is not my responsibility unless they come up to me, and I have to make sure you don't do anything foolish, both at home and at school. Whereas the other students I can only suggest what they should and shouldn’t do, out of school and I only have to look out for them at school."

"I can't be watched 24/7 I need some time to chill out and relax time why can I not have that time with the few people that will be my friends? Why do you make me turn them down all the time till I have no friends left? One day I will leave home and go have a job, how will I know how to look after myself if I can’t start practising now?" My dad can’t even form words to answer that. I can't hold it back any longer I run back to my room and cry, I get out one of my sketch pads and pencils and start to draw. My dad doesn’t even try to apologise me and try changing his mind and letting me do what every teenager does. My dad is a teacher because he wants to be one not because of the money, we have plenty of money as my grandparents from my dad’s side are billionaires they own a chain of five star Hotels and restaurants and they will get passed down from oldest child to oldest child so I will have them one day. One week every summer I go to one of these places and 'work' there a different place every summer. So I can have anything and everything but the one thing I actually want: friends. I have also never seen my mother’s parents’ mum and dad always leave me behind if they go see them, apparently they don’t like kids.

See having money is not a major thing. I would say it is a disappointment especially if you have no one to share your stuff with and no time to go out and buy some new stuff. My dad does try to make me happy but he worries too much. It could be worse, I could be a brat and use money to buy friends but nobody at school knows my dad and I are rich. There’s a riddle I once heard it goes something like this ‘The rich want it but can’t have it, the poor have it but don’t want it’ or something like that I’m not entirely sure.

Dad wants to expand our empire by buying a resort or two. I don't really care as no matter what this has very little to do with me until I want to take over. I just want to know if I will ever be allowed to live my life how I want, and not how others want me to.