A Better Life

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She woke up to the sound of shouting yet again, wondering if it ever stopped since last night. She straightened her head and felt a sharp pain in her neck from resting it on the chair in an unusual position for hours. Her back ached from resting on the wall and ass complained for sitting too long on the hard floor.

She slowly stood herself up, taking support of the chair and table nearby. Her whole body came to life and could feel every hit from the night before. She stood there for a minute or two, trying to get accustomed to that pain. And when she thought she could handle it all, she took a step forward and fresh wounds came to life as her body stretched. She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths, trying her best not to cry, not to shout out from the pain. She stood there for another few seconds and then, willed herself to move again, chanting in her mind that she had done this before and she could do it again, no matter if the wounds were worse than before.

She tried ignoring the loud voices and things being thrown around downstairs.

She walked into the washroom, ignoring the mirror, not wanting to see her battered face. Turning on the tap, she let the water flow for a few seconds, before she willed herself to splash the warm water on her face. She hissed. It burnt, every cut burnt on her face. She closed her eyes, pushing the tears back.

Don’t cry, don’t cry. It’s okay.                                                                                    

She caught a glimpse of her battered self and flinched inwardly. Her blue eyes, the eyes everyone complimented her about, the eyes that she got from her father were now red and swollen. Her skin had become pale. She had bruises everywhere – below her eyes, on her cheeks, right next to her lips. Her auburn hair, which used to be her favorite thing about herself was dirty and messy.

Closing the tap, she exited the washroom, dreading the bath she will have to take. As soon as she sat on her bed, which she hardly used, the door of her room was banged open. She turned to see her mother standing in fury.

Her mother walked towards her and grabbed her by her already hurt arm, looking with all the hate in the world. “You, it is because of you that I have to endure your father’s brutal behavior. You have made my life hell, you bitch!” shouted her mother, having a few bruises of her own.

“B..But mother, I..I..” she started to speak, stuttering, unable to say what she wanted to.

But what did I do, she wanted to ask. What did I ever do for his brutal behavior? He is ill-tempered; he hates us for no reason. How am I to blame for this? But she didn’t, she didn’t say a word.

“SHUT UP!” her mother shouted. “I don’t want to hear you non-sense.”

She looked down, not wanting to see the hate in her mother’s eyes who she still loved, no matter what.

“It was better if you were not born; my life would have been better that way.” Her mother said and left her all by herself.

She sat on the bed; the tears she had been trying to control now flowed freely. Her father hated her for no apparent reason and he took out his anger on her mother and her. She never knew why he hated her so much, what she had done to deserve so much hate. But she never dared to ask.

“Your daughter has made my life hell, that little piece of shit. And it is all because of you.”

She heard her father shout and then, a loud slap followed by a small cry of her mother.

She wiped the tears and made her mind. She had thought about this a lot but now, it was time. She remembered something in the bathroom that will help her. She went and grabbed it and sat on the bathroom floor. Closing her eyes, she remembered all the good moments in her life, all with her mother, because her father never loved her.

The times when she was little and her mother sang her to sleep – she had a beautiful voice, when they went for grocery shopping together, when her mother took her to park and played around with her, the time when her mother was the one who saved her from her father.

She smiled for the very last time. With that, she strongly gripped the scissors and slit her hand, with only one thought in her mind.

I hope, they have a better life now.

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Hi everyone, I'm entering this story into the Wattys as short story. Please Vote and Comment before kill be for disapearing for so long.

Thanks and love,

Ana

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