Glass Facades

Chapter one

This wasn't a typical night. I couldn't remember a single day or night I was able to roam freely in the house for the past seven years I think. Both my parents had left to God knows where to do whatever it is they did when they weren't home. 

And they weren't home much, but usually one of them stayed behind. It's not that they were worried about their only daughter, but normally one of them was too tired after screaming their lungs out and the other left slamming the door. That was a typical day or night. Today was a special occasion.

After ten minutes I realized I was completely alone in the house and I ran to the kitchen to raid the fridge. I stole everything I couldn't even look at on normal days. There wasn't much, after all, mother never went to the market and if she remembered her groceries consisted mainly of beer and pre-made food. I still took everything I saw. The only package of cookies left in the pantry, a bag of barbecue-flavored chips and a can of coke.

I didn't even like coke, I hated coke, but it felt good to take it.

Upstairs in my room which was empty except for the bed and a desk I took the also stolen from my parents' bag and threw everything I owned in it. It wasn't much, and when I closed the zipper it felt like the bag was half empty.

My hand lingered a moment over the medallion hanging in the bed, my parents had given it to me years ago and after debating for a moment I finally took it and threw it in the bag. I still haven't decided if it was weakness or just the fear of finally doing what I was about to do.

I walked down the stairs slowly and checked the living room in case anyone had come back, even though I knew almost for certain no one would be home for hours. It was almost ten and they wouldn't return until at least three a.m.

It was a cold night and I was sure it was gonna start drizzling any moment; by the time that happened I wanted to be on a bus far away from here. I put on my coat, it was old, but still one of my favourite pieces of clothing. Of a military green colour, that coat was probably the warmest thing I owned.

I opened the back door and walked through the backyard, the grass that had once grown all over the place was long gone. I got the rusty bike we kept in the shed that actually belonged to my dad, I hadn't had a bike since I was seven. 

He hadn't touched it for years, he wouldn't miss it. For the past months, I had been repairing it the best I could, and I used some money I didn't know I had to buy new wheels and oil. The final result was something around usable, I was fine with usable if it meant it could carry me and the bag for a while. After all, it only needed to take me to the bus station, after that, I would leave it behind and whoever found it was welcome to keep it or get rid of it.

The screeching of the bike's chain seemed so much louder in the middle of the quiet night, it almost felt as if my parents were gonna jump right onto me ready to drag me back inside.

I made it to the street and after swinging the bag onto my shoulder I started pedaling down the road. Before I turned right towards the bus station I allowed myself to look back. The yellowish house with the cracked driveway and its huge bushes, growing out of control on every side and every direction because no one had cut them in a long while. I hated that house and I hoped to never see it again.

After that, I turned round the corner of the street and didn't stop until I reached the station.