Wild Life

Punished and forced

In the morning...

I woke up the next morning for school and slipped on a nice dark blue dress with a matching jumper and then fitted on tear-drop ear rings. I was over all pleased with my outfit. I brushed my hair and put it into two plaits. My reflection looked pretty good and I smiled to myself and went downstairs feeling quite happy.
However, it all changed when I got to the breakfast table.
"We found a letter outside your door..." Started mum.
"Why did you take it when it's mine?" I asked worried that they read it.
"You aren't allowed to have things that we can't know about!" She snapped.
"We also read the letter..." Carried on dad. I almost slapped my face. Why why why did I put that letter back?!
"Here you go Mandy, read the letter and tell us what you think!" Said mum giving it to me. I took it carefully trying to make out like I'd not read it. I scanned the letter and put it back on the table showing no expression.
"Well what do you think about it?" Asked mum impatiently.
"About what?" I said exasperating then both.
"Daniel asked you if you'd marry him idiot!" Said mum rudely just as Daniel walked in.
"Oh really?" I said putting a fork full of baked beans in my mouth.
"You just read the letter!" Shouted dad. I nodded.
"I know! But why are you asking me? Isn't my answer obvious?" I replied. I admit I was being very annoying.
"So you will marry him?" Asked mum hopefully. I laughed. Daniel was just sitting down at the table.
"Why would I do that?! Not on my life!" I answered. The room went silent. Daniel spat out his mouthful of water. Mum and dad just stood there dumbfounded and going red.
"But Mandy-" Daniel tried to say.
"I've made my decision!" I said and lifting my head high, I walked out the room. If he wanted an answer, he got one. If he wanted to play the game of rude, I just took my turn. I think I just won as well.

But to break that thought, dad pulled me back into the room and pushed me back onto a chair.
"Oh you think you won't marry him do you?!" He shouted.
"Well yes! You can't force me!" I shouted back.
"You will marry him! Otherwise we'll throw away every belonging you own and make you sleep in the attic for the rest of you life!" Yelled mum.
"All of my belongings?" I asked slightly quieter.
"All of them!" Hissed mum slamming her hand to the table.
Daniel was grinning triumphantly at me as if to say, "ha! I win the game! My reward is you!"
"Oh the things he put in that letter! He was thinking about us Mandy! Just imagine having dinner together! How lovely!" Sighed mum smiling at Daniel. I could imagine a dinner. I just shudder to think of it. Dark room, cobwebs, blood on the old table cloth, me washing up and Daniel staring at me the whole night...
"And you! You don't deserve a boy like him! How could you refuse!" Grumbled dad.
"Well I also don't deserve someone like Sam! My boyfriend!" I said slyly.
"Oh Sam!" Mum snarled darkly, "he won't be bothering is for long!"
I gasped. My 'family' was brutal!
"I... Will not... Marry Daniel!" I stuttered trying to recover from what was happening. Daniel knew what was going to happen. He deliberately put those things in the letter. He knew.
"In that case," dad said fuming, "all your clothes and belongings go! Get ready for nights and nights in the attic!"
I plastered a fake smile on my face and said, "better than nights and nights with Daniel!"

My mum dragged my up the stairs and held me there in my room while my dad and Daniel threw various different things out the window. They all landed in the huge bins outside.
I watched with pain as they ripped up my favourite dresses, T-shirts and jumpers that I'd bought with my own money that had taken me years to collect. Next went my accessories and make up. They smashed the earrings and necklaces with the same hammer that broke my phone. Everything was brutally destroyed and thrown onto the bins below.
"Happy now?" I asked once they'd demolished the last thing of my belongings. I was desperately trying not to cry or scream because I wanted to look tough. As if their evil punishment wasn't working.
"Oh we're not done yet!" Said mum with a strange tone to her voice.
"Tell her the truth honey!" She said to dad.
"We never really liked you Mandy. We were going to adopt someone else, but you looked strong enough to us. We only adopted you so that you would have to look after us when we got old. You got that old tiny empty room because we couldn't be bothered to pay for it to be decorated for you. We thought we were doing you a favour by adopting you so now you can do is one by looking after us until we die!"
All of this information was hard to listen to but I had suspected it before anyway. So that was what they were talking about in the adoption room!
"So you are basically just using me got when you get old?" I summed up their speech.
"Sorry to break it to you, well I'm not sorry, but yes, that's exactly what we planned!" He said bluntly.
I looked away. Was this whole thing a nightmare? I am just a slave to these people that claim to be my parents, and I have to be for the test of my life?! And I have to sleep in that awful attic. And they say that they're doing me a favour?!
"You're not really doing me a favour." I said still looking away.
"And just do you know, I'm not marrying Daniel now. Definitely not."