Run Away

It's A Hard Knock Life

It has been two weeks since I got kicked out of my 12th foster home. I can tell that Headmistress Cromwell is growing weary of me, as I am growing weary of this place, Cromwell Orphanage. I have been in the foster system ever since I was 1 years old. My mother abandoned me at the front door of the orphanage, or at least that's what I've been told. I grow bored of the endless, quiet dinners and the drab bedrooms. As I am quietly daydreaming in my bed, I hear a muffled thump, growing louder and louder as it gets closer. Then all of a sudden I hear...

"KYLEE!!! KYLEE, GET OUT HERE THIS INSTANT!!!"

As I look at the clock, I think to myself, "OH NO!! I DIDN'T KNOW IT GOT THAT LATE!!". Meanwhile she is calling my name, I quickly hop into my beige uniform and bolt for the stairs. I make haste towards the staircase, where the witch, I mean Headmistress Cromwell is waiting for me, impatiently.

"You are 15 minutes late. Were you daydreaming again? I told you what would happen if you did that again. Go to my office and I will deal with you later", said the old bat.

As I am sitting in her bleak office, I'm growing more and more anxious the longer she makes me wait. My palms are sweaty and I'm as pale as a vampire. I'm extremely thirsty, but I'm afraid to leave the office. I don't even want to think about what she'll do if I'm not back by the time she gets here. I mean the water fountain is just 5 feet away, and I could be back in seconds. Maybe.... no, what am I thinking, she'll blow a gasket if I'm not in her office like she told me to be. I slowly get up, but then I see her white, poofy, curly hair just around the corner, so I guess I should sit back down.

As I look her dead in the eye she says, "You know why you're in here. You have broken many rules, and I have been patient with you, but not anymore. Slip off your skirt and turn around."

I slowly slip my skirt down, trying to hold back the tears. I hear her grab the paddle out of the utility closet, and I know what comes next. Seconds later, I feel a sharp pain on my bottom. She whacked me 20 times... I know, why am I counting? It sort of helps take my mind off of the pain. After 15 minutes of being in her office, I walk shamefully to the dinner table, and I can feel the other girls staring dead at me. I take my seat, and I can feel myself about to burst out into tears.

"Let's all say grace. Kylee, would you say grace for us please?", she said in her solemn voice.

I know she singled me out on purpose, trying to make me look like a fool. Anyway, I said grace and then we all sat down to eat, but of course there was nothing on my plate. I went to bed, starving I might add, but as usual I started to dream about my mother, who she might be and what she might look like. I did this every night, and strangely it calmed me and made me feel at peace. I know right... me thinking about the woman who abandoned me at this hellhole. Well, it's better than thinking about my life here with that witch.

The morning after, I woke up to that annoying alarm clock, the sun was bright and the birds were chirping. As usual, I got out of bed, got dressed in that annoyingly drab uniform and went downstairs to eat breakfast. Today we were having oatmeal with a side of fresh fruit and orange juice. The witch, I mean Headmistress Cromwell was giving me a stern look this morning, as I was making my way towards my seat. The cook plopped a bowl of that "delicious" oatmeal, and I waited as they passed around the fruit and orange juice.

As I was sitting there another girl whispered in my ear, "That old bat will find any reason to hurt us. So don't feel bad about last night."

"Thanks", I said quietly, "And I don't."

Headmistress Cromwell was staring at me through all of breakfast, waiting for me to do something wrong. I made sure that I did everything right, so that she could sit there with her thirst for hurting me or anyone else unquenched. Everyone started to finish up their breakfast, so it was time for our daily lessons.

Everyday, after breakfast, we went into a little classroom for our daily lesson. Each day it's something different, like today is language day. We are learning how to speak French, but I can never get it right. Each one of us have to go to the front of the classroom and say a sentence in French. Headmistress Cromwell always makes me go first, so that she can torture me if I get something wrong. But today, I had a little something up my sleeve.

I stood up there and confidently said, "La directrice Cromwell est un gros gros cochon, qui prend toute la nourriture et la mange dans sa porcherie."

None of the girls in the classroom knew what it meant, but Headmistress Cromwell did. She angrily walked up to me and slapped me across the face, leaving a red mark mark on my cheek. Then, she grabbed me by my ear and dragged me to her office. I knew what she was gonna do, but I struck back. I grabbed the paddle and broke it on her rock hard desk. She was so angry, so she tore my necklace off of my neck and broke it.

"I.... YOU..... NO, YOU CAN'T! THAT'S ALL I HAVE LEFT OF MY MOTHER! YOU WITCH!! I HATE YOU!!!", I said almost choking up.

She stared at me with her evil witch stare and I burst out into tears. She dragged me into my room and locked me in there. I pounded on the door as loudly as I could, but no one answered. After this, I knew what I had to do.