Wild

Chapter 5

This Chapter is dedicated to jiawen_fjw, go check out her work it is absolutely amazing. You will have your eyes on her book once you start reading it. Anyways, back to the story.

Xander's POV

"So class, today we'll be discussing with each other Shakespeare's way of writing. It's a unique writing in the 16th century. He is known for using..." English, so boring. The only thing that I'm interested in in this class is Astrid. She knows how to make me laugh whenever I'm getting bored of the class. But she was paying attention in class today, and I wonder why. Maybe she likes Shakespeare? Romeo and Juliet? "Come loving black browed night"?

I stopped wondering too much. My eyelids were getting heavier by the minute, and I wasn't sure when I dozed off. I dreamt. About my past.

Dark. Limited space. Breathe. In, out, in out. Heart beating fast, shivering spine and sweating forehead. Footsteps approach the door, each step was faster, louder, as if the pounding was in my ears. I screamed. "Stop! No!" No one heard me. He opened the door and came in with a stick. Steel, shiny in the dark. Rose it high and swung it down onto my back. My face was touching the cold floor as my eyes witness a cigar fell onto the floor. Hs stepped on the cigar and spit on the floor. It was so close to me. I shrugged and shrieked as the stick landed on my leg. I'm pretty sure it dislocated my bone or something. Then he hit me again, this time the hardest, along with screams and all his might, on my head. Unconscious.

Everything blackened in front of me as I hear fainted screams and shouts.

I woke up in a white room- hospital. Mom came in with tears telling me I'll be okay. I was just a skinny eight year old. I don't know for sure if I will be okay. I think I might. At least for my mother I have to. She then told me dad was imprisoned for child abuse. Cameron, he stood beside my mom, emotionless. I will never forget his face.

I healed. Surprisingly quick. Mom was delighted. A year later dad was released from jailed. The cops said he was behaving. The cops lied. Dad was back worse. He would gamble away all our money, and then get drunk. He'd come back and beat me and mom, but never Cameron. Cameron stood in the corner as always, emotionless, just looking at the whole process. He never did a thing.

17th March when I was nine. Dad came back, the smell of cigar mixed with alcohol was all around the room. Mom hid me well behind a mattress. When dad stormed in asking for money, mom started arguing with him. I heard slaps and loud screaming. And then it all stopped. Nothing. Silence. I peeped behind the mattress, facing the worst news anyone could tell me.

Mom is dead.

"Hahaha..." I woke up shivering a little to Astrid's laugh. My forehead was sweating but I dried it on my sleeve when she wasn't watching.

She can't know about my past. Not now, not ever. I'm not risking another person I love. Not when my insane father is still somewhere out there, not like I enjoy calling him that. Not insane, but the word father. He was never meant to be one.

Astrid's POV

"...and that is why Shakespeare decided to write his play this way." Then the teacher paused. Her glasses slid down her nose a little as she scanned the whole class with her small, small eyes.

"We'll stop here for the day, class." She finished and the bell rang on time. I looked over at Xander, he was almost asleep. He's so lucky the English teacher did not catch him dozing off into dreamland. When everyone was gone leaving only the squeaky sound of the fan, I sneaked out my phone and took a picture of sleeping Xander.