My Story (Ghost Bird) •••

Chapter 1•••

~Few Months Ago~

Running through the woods, tears stream down my face as I go. My mother punished me again, I don't even know why, I didn't do anything wrong, not that I ever do when she punishes me. Although Mary could have told her another lie.

Stumbling, I land on my hands and knees, staying there. My knees ache from the hours of kneeling, and more from falling. Letting out a sob, more tears fall.

Feeling a hand come to my back, I flinch away, not liking the touch while also not expecting someone to be out here. "Are you okay?" Turning to the kind voice, a blonde girl is crouched next to me.

Her eyes look so kind but even kind people can be mean. Scooting away from her, mother is going to be mad if she sees dirt stains on my clothes, she'll know I went outside when I wasn't a loud to.

"You don't have to be scared of me. I won't hurt you." She says but I shake my head again, standing up on shaky legs.

Her eyes scan down my body, landing on my knees which probably look red and raw. Her eyes flash with anger before softening again when she meets my scared eyes.

"I can help you," she says, holding her hand out to me.

Looking around, I try to find a way to escape her, but I see no way. She isn't blocking my way, but she could try to keep me here by giving me a false escape route.

"Serenity," the girl in front of me looks behind me, before she takes a step back, giving me more space.

Taking a quick look behind me, another girl stands there, her eyes don't look as kind, but they are more calculating than Serenity's. "Don't mind her, she's as harmless as a fly." The girl says, giving me a kind smile before moving towards us. "I'm Patience," she doesn't hold her hand out to me, almost like she knows I won't shake it at all.

"I was just asking my new friend why she was crying," I didn't even notice that I stopped crying but I'm thankful that I did.

"I can see that, but you need to give your new friend some space. She is uncomfortable with you being so close."

"Sorry," Serenity says, apologizing as she takes a few steps back.

"Sang!" I hear Mary call; the two girls look in the direction of my house and then at me.

Not saying anything to them, I leave back to the house. Finding Mary on the porch steps, looking at my dirt stained clothes in disgust.

"What are you? A pig?" She sneers.

Walking past Mary, I ignore her, not letting her taunt me at all. I've learned to not let Mary get to me, not anymore anyways, I've had to live with her for the past sixteen years.

Sitting on my truck by my room window, I look out into the woods. Blinking, I reel back when I see Serenity standing in the tree line, looking up at my window. What is she doing out there?

Getting up from the floor, I look again, this time I don't see anybody. Shaking my head, maybe it was just a figment of my imagination.

Moving away from the window, slightly creeped out, I sit on my bed before flopping backwards, huffing out of boredom. Jumping up when Mary barges into my room, she goes straight for my closet, riffling though it before pulling out my favorite top and a pair of old ripped jeans.

"Those are mine," I say, trying to grab them back.

"No, they're not. They're mine, mother says so." Mary leaves back to her room, coming out minutes later in the too small of clothes.

Her belly is exposed in the too tight shirt, and the pants look like they are about to bust at the seams. I don't know how she is managing to breath, but she moves as gracefully as she can down the stairs, not even looking my way as she heads into mother's room.

Closing my room door, Mary has always been my mother's favorite, there is no doubt about that. When she does something wrong, I can only assume she gets punished like I do but I never see it happen.

Hearing a tap on my window, I turn in surprise, only to let out a scream when I see a person. Although my scream isn't a scream, more of a squeak, I cover my mouth so my mother doesn't hear. Getting a better look, Serenity sits on the roof, looking in.

She makes a motion for me to open my window. Giving her a skeptical look, I'm not so sure, about this. She could be a kidnapper that is just trying to get close to me.

Looking at her eyes again, something in them makes me open the window. "Thank you," she says quietly, almost like she knows that I fear my mother hearing. "Come with me," she says, taking a step back to the window, swinging her leg out.

Seeing my hesitation, her smile gets softer if that's even possible. "Don't worry, I promise I won't harm you."

"How do I know you'll keep your promise?"

"Because we are friends, I would never go back on a promise, especially not one to a friend." Weighing the pros and cons, I decide that the pros outweigh the cons.

I don't want to be here anymore, not with mother or Mary, but the fear of knowing that mother could call me at any time scares me. "We won't go far," Serenity says, going to the edge of the roof before jumping off, easily landing on her feet.

She looks up at me, waiting for me. Gripping the edge of the roof, I slide off backwards, feeling my feet dangle in the air as I death grip the roof.

Hands come to my ankles, gripping them gently. "Let go, I got you," Serenity says, and I do because I really don't have any other option.

She catches me easily, setting me on my feet gently. "Thanks."

"No problem," she says before walking towards the woods, confusing me.

I thought we were going to go the other way, to the road. That thought makes me slightly uncomfortable that I would rather get into a car with a strangle than into the woods where I could hide if things got weird.

Following Serenity like a puppy, we don't go far before she plots down under a tree in a clearing I didn't know existed. Sitting across from her, she looks more at peace than I've seen anybody ever.

"Doesn't it feel good to relax?" She asks, opening one eyes, looking at me before closing it again.

"I guess. I wouldn't know," I tell her truthfully.

"I know the feeling. I used to have an abusive parent. Always wondering when the next beating was going to come, or when the last one was going to end. I may not look like it, but pain and suffering are what I got as a kid and it's what haunts my dreams." Looking at her, she just smiles at me.

"Why tell me that?"

"I want you to feel like you can tell me things since we're friends. Aren't we?" She tilts her head in curiosity, reminding me of a puppy with her eyes almost seeming like their begging me to say yes.