Break Me

chapter two

I must have fallen asleep because I'm startled awake when I hear a faint knock on the door. I'm a very light sleeper, that's a trait I had to develop over the years. I wasn't always a light sleeper but one time I woke up screaming in pain. Turns out the girls in my orphanage put my hand in a mouse trap and drew all over my face to make me look like a mouse in permanent marker. It took me a week to get the marker off and I broke a finger.

They always liked to pull pranks on me so I had to force myself to become a light sleeper. Now I can hear footsteps before they get too close to me.

I have never gotten much sleep before though. At the orphanage I would sleep from ten at night to one in the morning. I would stay up until five just looking at the wall letting the silence consume me while most times finishing my homework or doing my assignments a week ahead of time. No one ever saw me leave for school, I would just be gone once everyone woke up. I liked disappearing every morning, it made me feel in control.

So on average I would get three to four hours of sleep, and I never took naps throughout the day. So the little nap I just took was very random and not like me, although I do feel slightly more refreshed.

Amy peeks in to tell me that dinner is ready and then closes the door. I assume that we are going to eat at the dinner table so I get up to go wash my hands in the bathroom.

When I come back out, I take my journal off the bed in the bay window and put it in the trunk under it so that only I can find it. I take a deep breath and then walk out the door.

I don't make it very far though. My eyes are glued to the ground when I crash into a tall figure in the hallway.

"Shit sorry" the figure says using their hands to steady me. I finally look up, literally I have to tilt my head up because he towers over me.

This must be their son. He is tall and has hair like John but shares more of Amy's facial features. But he looks around my age, maybe a year or two older. Why would they want two teenagers in the house?

"I'm Noah. You must be Vanessa" he says putting his hands in the pockets of the pair of shorts he's wearing. I nod my head. "It's nice to meet you" he smiles at me. I want to smile back but I decide against it because I haven't practiced yet. I should start doing that after dinner.

"Did you wanna walk down with me?" he asks. I nod my head and follow him downstairs and into the dinning room.

Noah sits on one side and I sit on the other while Amy and John occupy the seats on the end. I look down at my plate and see baked chicken, greenbeans, and mashed potatoes. It looks good but I'm not all that hungry and I'm also not used to having a meal at dinner. I lift the fork and take a bite of the mashed potatoes.

These mashed potatoes are the best thing I have ever tasted. They're perfect and my mouth decides that the only thing it wants to eat are the potatoes, so I scoop more onto the fork and take another bite of the delicious food.

"I noticed that you didn't unpack, is there something I can help you with?" Amy asks momentarily taking my attention away from my new favorite food.

I sit my fork down and glance between her and John. "Do-" I cough a little, clearing my throat. "Do you guys maybe have a smaller room that I can stay in?" my voice comes out croaky and raspy seeing as I haven't spoken all day so I take a sip of water.

Honestly the last time I spoke was probably weeks ago. Two or three maybe?

"Is there something wrong in your room?" John asks slightly furrowing his eyebrows. I hope I'm not upsetting them already. I've been with them all of six hours and I am already sounding ungrateful. I would be upset if I were them too.