Beautiful

Prologue

The Beginning

Lei

Abuse isn't a story line. It isn't something to put out there to your friends to pity you. It's a real thing.

My father abused me when I was younger, my mother too. But one day my mother couldn't handle it any more and called the police, having him immediately arrested. Over the years I have recovered. No you haven't, you never did.

I have made some friends. Some sharper than others. And I'm perfectly fine, now.

_

I strech my arms and feet out across my queen size bed, yawning. I sit up tiredly and look over to the clock. 9:07. Mother would probably throw a bucket of water on my head if I don't get up now.

I stand up, slightly wobbling, and walk to my bathroom. My hands rest on two sides of the sink, me looking in the mirror. The first thing I see is my shoulder-length blonde hair, slightly wavy. My green eyes slump in the sockets, still tired.

I'll try to fix that later if I time. This is good enough for now. It's only us.

I walk out of my bathroom, my room, and down the stairs to the living room where my mother lay on the old couch, fast asleep. The television is on some random channel with a little girl sitting at a table, sad. Then a man, I'm assuming would be her father, comes in and sits too. After talking a while the girl smiles and they hug.

I smile to that. I admire it when kids have someone to hug, because I never had someone like that to hug me and tell me everything's going to be alright.

"Lei?" My mother asks groggily, taking me from my trance.

Tears well up in my eyes, and I bust into tears in my mother's arms.

She has never seen me cry before, not even when my father abused me. I was always strong, not letting anyone hurt me, but seeing how someone else can easily talk to their dad can be a breaking point.

_

This morning was different. Mother didn't force me to eat something, I actually enjoyed picking up my food and throwing it down my throat.

It may just be binge eating but I will need it anyway.

"Has Natalie called? I haven't heard from her in a while. You two still friends?" My mother asks while chopping up some ham for a work thing she has tonight.

"Yeah, I talked to her yesterday. Her and Sam went to some historical camp or something so she won't be calling for another week. I feel bad, they can't use phones or laptops and that girl will die without internet connection." I chuckle.

"Okay, you'll be alright home alone tonight?" She says and her voice cracks. Other than school, Mother doesn't usually leave me alone. I look down at my stomach and back to her face in a millisecond.

"I'm sorry," I whisper. "I just wanted to ask, you don't need to apologize."

I nod. "I'll be fine. I swear I won't try anything."

"Okay." She smiles. "How about you go to the library, there might be some good book in and you haven't been in a while."

"Mo-"

"Just go, not for reason but to read."

I'm done arguing. "Fine." I sigh, walking to my coat and picking it up, before walking out the door to the library.

_

I spent hours at the library trying to stuff my brain with some damn words clashed together to make no sense.

"Excuse me, ma'am," I look up to see an elderly lady staring down at me. "The library is closing."

I immediately slam the book together and put it back on the wrong shelf. I must have fell asleep. Ignoring the lady, I pull out my phone and pushes the square button, making the screen light up.

11:02 It read. "Oh, I'm sorry." I say before dashing out the door and out into the cold of the night.

Mother is going to be so worried. I speed up my pace. The outside is dark. Only street lights light up the night.

_

Ten minutes later I'm on Marie Drive again walking toward my home. I spot blue light flash toward my home and everything is in slow motion before my mother's word finally fade into my brain. "He escaped."

A day in the life of Lei Renee Moore.

- Hi, hello, hey, hej, ave, I'm Cara and I got bored so here's what my crazy mind made up in a family reunion. Hehe. Please excuse errors -