Between Enemy Lines

Between Enemy Lines (Chapter One)

Between Enemy Lines

Chapter One

Eliza didn't have it easy growing up, her father was never there for her and her mother died when she was about sixteen. She couldn't pay the bills, she was just a high school student with a minimum wage job. She had a car that would get her where she needed to go, but she wasn't sure how long it would last her. She was miserable, she would stop by a homeless shelter to take a shower and get something to eat, but the shelter was too packed for her to stay so she had no choice, but to live in her car. A lot of students would make fun of her for wearing the same clothes. Most of them didn't know about her situation, she didn't talk to many people. She didn't need a doctor to tell her, she knew she had depression, sometimes she would think about taking her life. She eventually dropped out of high school because she knew that even if she finished, she would never be able to pay for college and get a job she actually wanted. The one thing that stopped her from taking her life was her faith. She always prayed to God that things would get better, she felt guilty for feeling down about herself, she was struggling, but she thought there was always someone in a worse situation than she was.

When a tornado ripped through her town, she was heartbroken by all the lives lost and damage it caused. Even though she was struggling herself, she wanted to help people. She wasn't sure if she would find any survivors, but she heard a cry for help. She looked around and finally saw a little old lady in her late sixties struggling beneath the rubble. It took Eliza all the strength she had to move the rubble off the lady and help her. She waited with the woman until help arrived, she didn't know why, but for some reason she went with the woman to the hospital. Once she knew the lady would make a recovery they started talking and getting to know each other. The lady thanked Eliza for saving her life. One part of the town that wasn't destroyed was where the church stood. When the lady made a full recovery, she welcomed Eliza to her church. Eliza felt out of place since she hadn't been to a church since her mom passed away. There were all kinds of activities Eliza could do. The lady helped Eliza learn how to sew. Eliza became very skilled in sewing and would make outfits for men, women, and children. Eliza did it just to help people, but people started paying her for it, eventually she was making more money making outfits than she was at her job. Eliza was happy to help people in need even if she was in need herself. She finally started making enough money to find her a small trailer. Bills weren't so hard to pay and she was happier. Everything seemed to be turning around.

One thing she didn't expect was for one man that lived near her to break in one night, beat her and rape her. He would have killed her, but after begging him, she convinced him to let her live. She promised never to tell anyone and told him that maybe she could be of use to him. He had a way of tracking her down and watching her every move. She could live her life pretending nothing was wrong. She was about twenty one the first time she was raped. For about two months the man would repeatedly beat and rape her. She would wear long clothes to cover the bruises and scars that covered her arms and legs. A few people at the church would ask her if anything was wrong. She felt bad about lying, but faked a smile and held back tears as she lied and told everyone that she was fine. Eventually the man that had been raping her started behaving differently. Eliza thought maybe he was changing his ways. He started to seem more loving and caring. Eliza was always terrified even when he changed his attitude. After being raped and beaten so many times, she became fearful of men and knew that if she made one wrong move, he could kill her. Sometimes she would wish for death every time he raped her, she began feeling worthless as he used to call her. After being raped almost every day for about two months, Eliza became pregnant.

Once she told him, he lost interest in her and finally let her go. He stopped watching her and communicating with her, but there was still fear in her mind about him returning to kill her if she ever told anyone. She was free physically from her rapist, but stuck with the fear and memory forever. Now she was pregnant with his child. She never imagined having a baby this way. She had always hoped to be happily married before having a baby. Other women who didn't want a baby could have easily got an abortion, but Eliza couldn't bring herself to do it, even though she had been raped and impregnated, she couldn't end the life of a baby growing inside of her. She was raised better than that, she knew it was wrong. People at the church would look at her in disgust since she wasn't married and didn't know who the father was. Nobody knew her story. She could never tell anyone. She eventually stopped going to church because she knew people were judging her. One day she heard someone call her a whore behind her back and she broke down in tears. She wasn't sure if she would ever go back to church again. She wasn't sure if she would ever find love. She wasn't sure if she would ever pour out her heart to someone or ever trust a man. Two years had passed and she now had a baby boy she named Noah. She would still make money making outfits from the people that would buy from her.