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My first story so let me know what you think!
She was chilled to the bone. The heavy downpour had soaked through her father's thick fleece lined coat. Her suitcase felt three times as heavy as it already was. She trudged along the sidewalk as tears streamed down her hollow cheeks. She hadn't eaten in days. The small supply of food she was able to steal and beg for had worn dangerously low. She doubled over, cringing, her stomach growling in protest. She fell to the ground and lay there, letting the icy rain trickle down her face. 'Why,' she thought. 'Why did he do those awful things to me? I wasn't a bad girl, I really wasn't! I tried to get him to love me, or at least not hit me as much. But he didn't think of me as human, let alone his step-daughter.' A cold drop of rain landed on her pale face, reminding her of her step fathers icy hands as he gripped her hair and yelled in her face, his breath reeking of liquor and cigarettes. She remembered when he wasn't around. When it was Mom, Dad, and
herself. Before the accident, before her life and her happiness were crushed by this awful, twisted, sick man her mother had married before her death. When she could take a breath without being scoffed at. When she wasn't miserable. When she used to smile.
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Its was late September. The crisp air of Fall had begun to settle in the neighborhood. The tall oak trees in her front yard bore leaves with beautiful shades of orange and yellow. The sun had just begun to fade. The little girl was in her room playing with her birthday presents. She had just turned nine years old. Her family was throwing a bar-b-q in honor of her father's new job promotion at the factory. The whole town was invited to come, as several of the men had gotten a job promotion at this factory as well. Her mother called her outside as guests started arriving. She noticed one in particular, who's name she didn't know. He had shaggy blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes that pierced into her soul when she looked into them. His strong build scared her. He always wore a slight sneer on his worn face. She had seen him eyeing her family, especially her mother, around town. The grocery store, town gatherings, school musicals. As if he were stalking
them. The late evening waned into night as the stars shone brightly above the gathering. Everyone was dancing, laughing, and a few people were even drunk.
The man with the shaggy blonde hair was talking to the little girl's mother. The man slowly slid his arms around her waist and held her tight. This confused the little girl. Then, they laughed together as he whispered into her ear. Which upset her very much. Why wasn't daddy doing this to her? Why this stranger? The little girl began to cry. This man wasn't her daddy! This man was NOT supposed to hug or even TOUCH her mother!
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Just then, she heard a voice repeating her name over and over again. The voice she remembered from years ago. The voice she so often heard call her name when they were children. The voice of her only true friend. "Rosalind," it asked. "Rosalind! Oh my God! What are you doing here? What's the matter? Why are you crying? Why aren't you at your house? Rose, what happened?"
She looked up and her eyes grew large.
"Dylan?"
End of chapter one
