Chapter 1
Scars: Forever Wounded
Where do I go? What will I eat? Who and who is not safe?
My mother left me when I was only seven years old, out alone to care for myself. I was to young to understand what she was doing and my situation at the time but now I understand completely. She did not want me.
The first week was the hardest, the only shower I received was the pouring rain late one night. Many nights I would go without dinner, my roaring stomach keeping me from finding sleep. Sometimes I would find food from dumpsters and trashcans and slept on cardboard boxes or park benches. I avoided people as much as I could; afraid they would abandon me or hurt me.
While I was hiding in an alley one day watching people pass by, a middle aged man noticed me. He walked over to me and asked me if I had a home or family. He held out his hand for me to take, but I was hesitant. Although I promised myself I would never trust anyone again, his warm smile and caring eyes made me decide to give him a chance. He took me to his car on the curb as he explained himself. His name was Ray Kipler, and I introduced myself as May. He asked for my last name, but I sadly shook my head and said I did not remember. My mother never told me. Probably to avoid me trying to find her. He said he would love it if I would come live with him and be his family because he lived alone. The thought of having a real family excited me, and I immediately agreed. I was young at the time, and I did not think twice about legal adoption and making it official.
"I'm your family now," I remember him saying.
Ray was like the father I never had. We did everything together and I soon grew happier than I had ever been. But things changed after a few months. Ray met a tall blonde woman named Becka. She was horrible to me, and soon so was Ray.
At first it was just yelling and harsh words, but soon it became more than that. Ray would treat me like a slave and make me do many things a kid should not have to do. If I did these things wrong; I would be punished.
Ray would beat me, and Becka would watch. My arms were covered with large bruises, and sometimes all I could see was black and blue. While I could stand the pain in my arms; my feet were unbearable. Ray would throw shattered glass all over the floor and make me walk across it. He said it made me stronger, even though the entire time I would quietly sob to myself.
By the time I was fourteen, my whole body was covered in scars.
Asking Ray if I could go to school was a bad idea. After I asked he locked me in his closet for two days. After I got the nerve to ask him why I could not go, he shoved an old yellow bar of soap in my mouth for my next meal. I have gone outside only a few times, because Ray said I had too much to do inside. He just wanted to keep me a secret so he was not reported.
Many times I had attempted to run away from him, but he had me being watched by him or Becka at all times. Aside from the fact that I was being watched all the time, I really had nowhere else to go.
* * * * * * * * * *
One day I decided to attempt my escape again, because anywhere would be better than here.
While lying on the floor, which was my bed, I silently waited for Ray to go to bed. Becka would have been there watching me, but she had "other plans", which made this the perfect night to escape. The lights clicked off outside my room, and I waited an hour for him to doze off. My heart was pounding as I slowly sat up, holding my ribs in pain from the last beating. I would have packed a bag to take with me, but I did not have anything worth taking.
I tip-toed to the door, my eyes and ears completely alert. I felt the cold metal on the doorknob as I slowly pushed it open. It creaked and I froze; listening for any signs of Ray being awake. After convincing myself that he was still asleep, I opened the door a little bit more and slid my body through the opening.
As I crept past Ray's bedroom door, I almost went back to my room in fear. I slowly kept going; never taking my eyes off of his door handle. I somehow made it to the front door, and a sense of relief flooded over me.
As I opened the door, I felt the cool night air chill my body and goose bumps rising on my skin. The grass was wet on my bare feet sending more chills throughout my body.
