Song for this Chapter is:
Fly- Maddie and Tae
"So keep on climbing, though the ground might shake
Just keep on reaching though the limb might break
We've come this far, don't you be scared now
'Cause you can learn to fly on the way down"
*Ophelia's POV*
"Where is she, b-tch?" I hear my stepfather growl. My mother pleads with him.
"She isn't here. Please, you said you had it. Where is it? I gave you everything I had." I watch from my room in horror as my younger sister pads down the hallway, oblivious to the threat. I reach out and wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her into the room with myself and my brothers.
"She is here! I just saw her! Give me my daughter!" My stepdad roars. I shove Alivia to my brothers. "Do not leave this room until I give you the okay." I snap. My eyes water, and I choke down the crack in my voice. I stand and leave the room, coming face to face with my stepfather.
"Give me Alivia." He growls. I shake my head.
"Absolutely not. She is a little girl. My mother might be able to sell herself to you, but she is not about to sell Livvy." I snarl back. I see a blur, and then I'm shoved and pinned against the wall by my throat. Jeff has his face so close to mine I can smell his rancid breath. "She is my daughter, you will not keep her from me." He growls. A steady stream of saliva falls from his mouth. His bloodshot eyes stare me down, glaring through me, it seems.
"If I can't have Alivia, I'll settle for you." He snarls. I grit my teeth as he releases me, and I fall. Jeff reaches for his belt buckle.
"Last chance. Give me her. Give me Al." He says, pausing with his belt.I spit at him, every ounce of hatred leaving my body. His mouth curls into a sneer. "I always knew you were a wh-re."
"Scarlatti!" I wake with a yelp, scrambling to sit up. I'm sweating, and fight to catch my breath. Rabelista looks at me, concerned . Everyone is sleeping, except the two on watch.
"Easy, breathe. You're fine." She says softly. She holds out her hand, reaching for mine, pulling it so our hands hang between our bunks when I accept. "Nightmare?" She whispers. I nod.
"Yeah." I sit up, suddenly burning up, and shed my jacket, laying only in my thin long sleeve shirt, shirt sleeve tee, and trousers. I don't remove my boots or trousers. If anything were to happen, and we were to have to fight, or leave quickly, I'd get held back. Rabelista rubs my knuckles. It's reassuring and foreign.
"Wanna talk about it?" She whispers. I shake my head, then nod.
"I... Yes. No. I don't know. That would give you way too much leverage on me, and I don't think I want to give anyone that power yet." I say. "Maybe another time, Drill. Thank you for comforting me." I say. She rolls over and faces me, switching hands. "I'll be here until you fall asleep again, Scarlatti." She whispers. I barely hear her, I'm already being pulled back under by sleep.
******
"Hey. Hey. Guys. Come on. If you're leaving today, you have to get up." Drill Sergeant Rabelista kicks the bunk as she walks by, making her rounds, waking everyone up.
"Come on, I want to be on the road by six!" Reyes.
I rub my eyes and sit up, my back cracking. My eyes take a second to adjust, and I groan.
"Get up sleepy head." Rabelista says to me. I roll my eyes. "Drill, I will end you." I say. She laughs, leaving to the front of the bay. My voice is deep, threatening, and for a second, I remind myself of my stepfather. Shaking the thought off, I stand up and retrieve my backpack from underneath my normal bunk as Price walks over, rubbing her eyes.
YOU ARE READING
500 Miles
Teen Fiction*Title and Cover to be Changed!* Ophelia Scarlatti has had a difficult life. In and out of foster care from ages three to eight, dealing with her parent's addictions, and handling the loss of her grandmother, she and her brother take guardianship o...
