Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise...
Liza heard as her favorite song played through the bathroom for the fifth time tonight. She stood in the shower, letting the hot water rush down her body, leaving her numb. She was tempted to turn the water off, but then again she was tempted fifteen minutes ago when she completely shut off the cold water.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take the sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free...
She relented, sighing as she finally turned the water off. The steam clung to her body, the water slowing dripping off of her naked skin like a melting ice sickle.
Blackbird fly...
Blackbird fly...
Into the light of the dark black night
Liza turned her music off, the lyrics bouncing in her skull. Goosebumps began to cling to her skin as the numb sensation faded and coldness began to return to her body. She carefully wrapped the towel around herself, and tip-toed into her room, praying that she didn't wake her dad.
She silently slipped the door into its lock and places a vase behind it, a lessens learned when she she was 12. Thankfully the heater was already on, and she slipped the towel off, staring at her body in the mirror.
Three new bruises were added to the ones she received two days ago, including one coloring the side of her cheek. Today was the first day of college, and while other students prayed to make a good first impression to their peers, Liza wished she could fade into the shadows.
High school was easy. The girls called her "emotional" when she showed up in dark long sleeves and baggy pants during the summer. And the boys called her clumsy when a new bruise appeared on her arms. The teaches turned a blind eye, saying that she "did it for attention." In high school no one cared. In high school you could hide. Liza prayed that college could be the same.
She stepped into her walk in closet and pulled out an evergreen tee and black cargo pants. Most of the bruises were on her abdomen this time, so a long sleeve wasn't necessary.
Once changed, she sat down at her vanity, using as much makeup as needed to cover the blue-ish spot still growing on her face. She kept seeing it behind her eyes as his fist slammed into her face. She kept seeing his eyes. They were the same eyes that smiled when she learned how to ride a bike. The same eyes that cried at her brother's funeral. The same eyes that could make a man run in fear.
8 years ago everything was different.
8 years ago, her dad was a hero.
8 years ago, everything changed.
8 years ago, a mission went wrong and it led to her father being captured by his nemesis, Starlight. Liza's brother, Damion, was a super-in-training, inheriting the same powers as his dad, Sunburst.
Thinking that he could save him, Damion left his 10 year old sister alone, and flew into the night. Every eye watched in horror as Starlight broadcast his execution, right in front of his father. Then suddenly the room lit up as Sunburst released his power, creating a crater 5 miles wide. For two weeks, Liza was alone. For two weeks she wondered where her father was. But the man who returned home after two weeks was not her father. That night he packed up everything and moved his daughter halfway across the country, forever hanging up his cape. For weeks he blamed the accident on his age, saying that he was too old to be a hero. But then, the bottom of a bear bottle told him that Damion's death was Liza's fault. Liza could have stopped her brother, begged home to stay. That's why Robert blamed his daughter for the death of Damion, because she didn't stop him. So for the first time, Liza was hit by her father.
But that was 8 years ago. Since then, the only comfort Robert Queen found was at the bottom of a bottle. Since then, the only joy Robert Queen found was at the cries of his little girl. Since then, Liza Queen spent her life living in the shadows.
She prayed for change. But the only change she got was a drunker, angrier father.
At 16, she got two part time jobs in hopes that it took her away from the shell of her father, but then he would only hit her for never being home. And when she quit one of the jobs, he hit her for not having enough money. While they were the richest family living in Rose City, Robert Queen only took money from his daughter.
An alarm on her phone pulled Liza back from memory lane, telling her that her first class started in 1 hour. She grabbed her bag and shuffled downstairs and out the front door. Her 1969 Yenko Comaro sparkled in the early morning light, the pale blue paint job mirroring the sunrise perfectly. It was the only thing she loved at this house, but it was in her dad's name, so running away was out of the question.
She always asked herself why she never ran away. She was an adult now, so nothing could happen to her. But Liza knew that no matter what she did, or where she went, her father would find her. He would always find her. She sighed and hoped into her car, leaving those thoughts in the wind. She rolled down the windows and put in a cassette tape, The Beatles telling her that everything would be ok.
But little did she know that someone was watching her. He watched her as she pulled her wet hair into a ponytail earlier this morning. He watched her as she went to sleep the night before, staining her pillow with her tears. He watched her kick and scream and she failed to fight of her father's attack once again after he came home. He knew the secrets that went on in that house, and he watched her plaster a smile on.
Blackbird fly...
Blackbird fly...
Into the light of the dark black night...
"Someday," he whispered under his breath. "Someday I will save you."
YOU ARE READING
Living in the Shadows
Adventure****IN EDITING**** Liza was used to living in the shadows. By day she works in the cafe on the corner of 6th and Main Street. But by night, she lays in her room singing songs that no one will ever hear as tears stain her pillows. 20 years ago, her...
