Love Conquers All// A Jerika Story

~Chapter 2~

Day- Sunday 

Emily PoV :

Tomorrow will be the 6th year in a row in which i will not be attending school. My uncle Henry controls my life and what I do,he doesn't let me do anything and I mean anything. I live in a small apartment which includes a kitchen a bathroom and one bedroom. The bedroom has one bed so I usually sleep on the floor in the bathroom or in the broken bathtub using a ripped jacket to keep in some warmth. I wouldn't dare sleep in a bed beside Henry,only on occasion when he forces me to. The kitchen consists of a mini fridge,which provides me with gone off milk every morning there's also a cabinet that stores items such as coffee and plasters and a microwave which heats up our food.

Uncle Henry isn't the nicest of people, he's abusive and very interrogating. I can still vividly remember the day he first layed his hand across my cheek leaving a hand mark behind. It was the day my parents died. He was the person the social workers called to take care of me,he wasn't the best person to call I'll admit. When I arrived at the apartment I broke down in tears only then realising I wouldn't never see my parents again. I cuddled the teddy bear that my parents had given me for my 7th birthday. Then came the loud and terrifying noise from Henry's mouth,shouting and screaming. He pulled the teddy bear away from my arms and yanked the head off of it. The tears streamed down my face as if I was the edge of a cliff and the tears were a waterfall. His hand then rose above his shoulder and came down striking my cheek, leaving a bruise which was there for 2 weeks. Spit flew out of his mouth as I heard the first swear word of my life.

Henry: "Shut the fuck up bitch before your permanently  black and blue,your in my hands now and you must do as I say".

I have been doing what he has told me to since that day. I was 11 back then,now I'm 17. You could call me Emily or a slave there both the same thing at this point. I wash Henry's clothes, I make his food, I show up at his work on occasion when he's too lazy or drunk to do so himself,that's rare though he doesn't trust me and so never lets me leave the apartment. Obviously we don't receive enough money and so were poor, Henry loses his job very regularly.

I really like to take pictures, now you may ask how can I take pictures of we're poor and cannot afford a phone, well one day while I was coming back from working for Henry I found a smashed up phone. This is what I used to take pictures it may be smashed but it works perfectly fine to me. I keep the phone in my shoe so Henry doesn't find it, if he did he would sell it and I dont think I'd be able to survive without taking pictures.  I don't refer to Henry as my uncle anymore. It just baffles me how someone can be related to one of the nicest people in the world(my Mom) and yet still be so cruel.

I heard the apartment door slam shut,which awokened me from my sleep.

Henry: "Emily,Emily where the fuck are you,you bitch".

He shouted as his feet trampled along the ground.

I quickly stood up from the cold hard floor removing the jacket I had over me and reluctantly walked to the kitchen and nearer to Henry.

Emily: "I'm here".

Henry: "Finally now make me some coffee I'll be in my bedroom, I had a long and difficult day at work".

I'm sure he'd did,I mean sleeping and sitting on his ass is what he usually does so if that is what he calls difficult I wonder what an easy day at work would be.

I grabbed a mug from the cabinet,poured some water into the vibrant red kettle, the only thing in the room which was bright and boiled it. I raised my hand up to the cabinet and searched around for the coffee. There was none which only means I would be in deep shit.

Emily: "There's no more coffee left".

I mumbled.

Henry: "What did you just say, bitch".

Emily: "We haven't got any coffee left".

I spoke loud enough for Henry to hear.

Henry staggered out of the bedroom and walked right up in front of me. I took a few steps back, but he crept forward towards me. My back was now against the kitchen wall. Henry snatched the mug out of my hand and threw it at the wall behind me. My heart raced as I heard it smash into millions of pieces. Henry bent down to the ground and picked up a broken piece of the mug. He glided the broken piece against my sweaty skin. Blood beginning to drip down my face aswell as some tears.

I pushed passed Henry and ran towards the bathroom taking the key I keep in my back pocket out and locking the bathroom door once inside. I climbed inside the bathtub and covered myself with my jacket .I fell asleep inside the bathtub to the terrifying sound of Henry, the sound I fall asleep to every night.

Henry: "Fuck you, you little worthless piece of shit open this door right now before you regret it"

I always do end up regretting it but it's better to be safe then sorry. Usually Henry's words don't  get to me or make me sad because I'm used to it at this stage, but why did this time it hurt me deep inside why did I feel like I had nothing left to live for.

/Hey,

Hope your enjoying the story so far,sorry I haven't been posting and sorry if I haven't included Jerika yet! Please vote and please comment any ideas that you may have for this book because I'm open for suggestions!!  :) :)