Nightmares and Fantasies | L.H | supernatural au

Ch. 9

Ch. 9

| Noreen's pov |

I wake up to the sound of shower water and I know it's time I get ready for school. I wish that it wasn't Friday so I don't have to worry about being with my dad for the weekend. I slowly swing my legs over the edge of the bed and rub my eyes. I sigh and stare at the ground. It'll stop one day, one day I tell myself but it sounds like a lie. My father will never stop hurting me, not until the day I move out or runaway.
I get up to look at myself in the mirror. The bruise on my cheek darken, no make-up can cover it up. I want to break down and cry but I stand there with my fists clench and shaking slightly. If it was only so easy to get rid of my problem as Calum says, I would've a long time ago.

I hear the shower water stop and Calum walks out the bathroom. The steam clogs up the room and I feel his wet hand on my shoulder.

"You could stay here; you don't have to go to school." Calum says.

I shake my head and I feel my skin become moist from all the steam.

"At school I forget my problems, so I rather go." I say.

Calum doesn't say anything and I walk out the room allowing him to change. I go downstairs and I see Calum's mom. She notices me and smiles. I haven't seen her in so long its weird remembering that I know her.

"Oh Noreen it's been too long." She says as she hugs me.

I hug her back and it feels familiar. Now I remember that woman that would always invite me over, the one I can go to when my parents fought.

"I wish Calum told me that you were coming; I would've set you up a room and brought some clothes so you wouldn't have to sleep in Calum's dirty ones, or wear his oversize clothes." She says.

"My sheets aren't dirty!" I hear Calum shout.

I laugh softly to myself and smile at Mrs. Hood again.

"You hardly come anymore? Why?" She asks.

We sit down at a small table and I sigh. I'm pretty sure Calum has told her why I don't come over anymore, or that she has an idea.

"My dad never lets me out the house except for school..." tears sting my eyes and she puts her hand on mine.

"No need to further explain, Calum has told me about what he does, Richard isn't like he used to be..." she says softly.

It's odd hearing my father's name. I'm so used to hearing Mr. Oliver, only people who really know him call him Richard. We all really knew him once, but Richard is gone, replaced by someone else. He changed.
Mrs. Hood gets up and comes back with a plate of food. I stare at the food and my stomach growls. I can't remember that last time I really eaten. I don't dare to ask my dad if we can have dinner, we haven't have dinner together since I was 12.
He goes to lunch and stuff like that with his co-workers and I stay at home trying to recover from my last beating, too focused on the pain to eat. Life is no crystal stair, in Langston Hughes words.

I take the fork she hands me and starts eating. It feels weird actually eating something, but it feels good, and I don't stop until I'm almost scraping my fork against an empty plate. I drop the fork and start crying. I can't with this life anymore. I need someone who will actually care for me, not what my dad calls caring as beating me and starving me to death. I need someone who will fill my needs.

Mrs. Hood rubs my back and takes the plate away.

"You can have as much as you want." She says, but her words are strained.

I nod as she gives me another full plate. I eat the next plate with ease, trying to focus on how my food is digesting instead of how terrible my life is when I get home. I finish and close my eyes.