Ashes

Chapter 2

I wince as the belt repeatedly whips my back and shoulders sending shocks through my body.

I'm almost unconscious from the pain when my bedroom door swings open revealing my mothers unconcerned expression.

"Dinner is ready Rob." my mother states, not even looking in my direction.

"I'll be down in a minute Katherine! And where have you been?!" My father yells as she walks down the stairs.

He whips me three more times before my vision goes blurry and all I can see is him tossing the belt to the floor and strolling out of my room.

--

When I wake up it's daylight. I roll out of my bed over resisting the urge to scream out in pain. I sit up in bed examining the welts on my back in the mirror and carefully trace my fingers over them cringing at the slightest touch.

I slowly creep down stairs to get ice for my back knowing my father has already left for work. As I approach the kitchen I see my mother leaning over the counter drinking coffee out of her favorite floral mug.

"You know," she begin "I never meant for this to happen Riley. You don't deserve this kind of life. No one does." she whispers not lifting her eyes to meet mine.

"It's fine. Shit happens." I croak, choking back tears.

"Dammit Riley no it's not!" My mother yells slamming her mug against the counter splattering coffee.

"I should have told you this sooner..but I didn't know how to say it. I love you Riley I really do but this isn't where you belong."

I stare straight into her eyes, confused but intrigued.

"Riley, when you were born there was a-umm incident. St. Joseph's Hospital was evacuated the night you were born due to a fire engulfing the whole building. Many babies were brought out alive but not all of them. You were one of the lucky ones but our daughter wasn't."

I sit there for a moment processing what she has just said. Then it hits me. I'm not her daughter. These people aren't even my family!

She continues,"There were so many babies coming out of that hospital and I was sure you were mine." she sobs. "Everything was fine until your father and I-"

"You're not my family so don't call him my father!" I screech.

"Okay sweetie..just hear me out. Everything was fine until Rob and I started to notice you looked nothing like us. You were a blond haired, blue eyed, bubbly little girl with two dark haired Hispanic parents. We didn't want to think that we had taken someone else's baby the night of the fire but the though was just eating away at me. We got you tested and that's when we knew. I'm so sorry Riley but I thought you deserved to know the truth."

I stood there in complete silence.

"Honey, please say something..."

With shaking hands I turned around and walked slowly up the stairs never looking back.