Remember.

Introduction.

            When she awoke from her bed the doctor handed her the baby, she stared at it as if she just saw it for the first time… but, it was hers the doctor hoped that it would help her memory he had no background of the woman since she didn’t know her own identity.

               She observed the baby as it whaled making the room echo with its cries. Bravely, the doctor explained the situation at hand. The new mother soon went down to tears, not recalling her own child. She wept holding the baby close to her bosom making the baby only cry louder.

                     She looked up to the doctor asking to name the child, the doctor was surprised and smiled “Of course,” he stated retrieving a notebook and pen “what will it be?” he questioned.

She smiled looking at the babe who was fast asleep snoring softly. “Artemisia.” She answered bringing the infant closer to her face.

               She never did get her memory back, didn’t even know who the father was. However, she had to be strong. She worked two jobs that involved drunken men feeling on her as she was serving her other customers. She only kept going to those jobs just to keep the rent up.

          She has a boyfriend who took care of Artemisia, he’s the type that likes the celebrity look-alikes, so the mother had to constantly bleach her hair, and wear heavy make-up when he was around. Even though she wanted to dump him, she couldn’t she had to think of her now, toddler. He constantly badgered her to get plastic surgery to look more like this person or he threatened to call child services. She was cornered and had nowhere to go; she had to keep the child because it was her only family.

           When Artemisia turned 6, her mother got the plastic surgery and she did look more like the star. The man soon married her, and continued to tell her to work more and get more money for his bad habits. She wept every night after the surgery thinking she wasn’t herself anymore. She couldn’t displease her husband or he’ll continue to threaten to put the child up for adoption. The mother became involved with self-harm when Artemisia was only 10. One day Artemisia saw her, the mother was so shocked she accidently lunged the blade into one of her veins the blood slowly flowed down her wrist. Artemisia panicked and brought her mother paper towels. However… she no longer needed such a thing.

      There Artemisia stood her mouth open; her step-father stood over her mother’s body her cheek red as she breathed deeply. Her step-father spat at her mother’s face in disgust for not keeping her end of the bargain up… She soon coughed up blood that spilled all over his shoes “I-I’m… not your… s-slave.” She protested struggling to get to her knees. He chuckled at her remark and kicked her stomach making her fall to the ground once more trembling. He kneeled down yanking the woman’s hair to reveal her bruised face “You tryin’ to act tough in front of your kid?” He hissed, she spit blood in his face as an answer. He banged her head against the wall in irritation.

     Artemisia stood there shivering, not knowing what to do in a situation like this. “M-mom?” She called out as her step-father slowly approached her. “Why Artemisia, we we’re only having a talk.” He smirked caressing Artemisia’s cheek with the blood of her mother’s stained on his hand. She pulled away keeping her eyes on her mother, “Is she going to be alright?” she quaked “Am I not good enough to be worried of?” He questioned, his smirk growing ever so wider. Artemisia shook her head and looked up at her step-father with worried eyes… His smirk soon disappears as he slapped her, making her fall to the floor. “You look just like your mother.” He bellowed. Artemisia soon got up and ran escaping the capture of her step-father and escaped down the emergency ladder that hung beside her apartment.

           Her breathe grew louder as she reached the ground and sat on the wall wondering why her step-father did such a thing to her mother and her. As the thought went across her mind another person soon came down, Artemisia cover her face with her arms thinking it was her step-father. “Baby- are you okay?” a sweet tone whispered she moved her arms to see her mother’s beautiful face now bruised and cut up. She saw the redness form at her cheek quietly cursing her step-father. “We have to go now, sweetheart… I-it’s not safe here anymore,” she replied looking Artemisia in the eye “Remember when I said that one story where the princess had to go to another kingdom because the kingdom was attacked by a, big dragon?” she recalled. Artemisia nodded joyfully “Yeah, and she got to meet her prince and they lived happily ever after.” She acknowledged. “Yes, baby we’re going to find our new kingdom and live happily ever after.” Her mother smiled kissing her on the forehead, picking her up heading across the apartments to the parking lot.

       She placed Artemisia down fumbling with the keys starting the car up. Artemisia soon climbed into the back of the driver’s seat and buckled herself up. “That’s my girl.” Her mother replied now shutting the door. She now started to back up but, stared at Artemisia ...soon everything went black the last few things heard were her mother’s screams and Artemisia's shriek.