Chapter 1
Pov: Arina
Hi I am Arina Smalls; I live in a small town in Tennessee called Kingsport. In just 2 more months, that is all I have left and I will be able to leave this, what I call, my hell hole. I will be 18 by then and an adult, well in the eyes of the law anyway, my parents not so much. I know they know something is up, but I am hoping to throw them off by acting normal after my graduation which is in 2 weeks.
Between the abuse and starvation, I am surprised I have made it this far in my life. My parents have told me after every strike of the whip how I have ruined their lives, they literally hate my very existence. I always wondered why they just haven't killed me already, I feel at times they have come close, but I would always wake up a day or two later lying on the basement floor still covered in my own blood but almost healed, I never knew why I could heal so fast. They would scream and laugh at me and tell me how my life would end when I turn 18 and believe you me, I believe every word they are telling me that is why I must leave. I don't know why I have to be 18 for them to end me and truth be told I am not going to stay around to find out.
They would always tell me I was Satan's child. Well, I do not believe in the devil, nor do I believe there is a god, because how could a god or goddess let stuff like this happen to their child. That is what they say we are right their children. Well, I do not belong to him or my parents.
I truly believe in my heart of hearts they are not my real parents. I don't look like either one of them. My so called dad, Ralph is about 5'8 in height with blond hair and blue eyes, whereas my mom Kathy is about 5'6 and again has blond hair only with brown eyes. Me I am 5'7 but my hair is black and hangs down to my waist and my eyes are emerald green. See I see no likeness to either of them; of course it could just be wishful thinking.
So that is why I have made plans to leave when I am 18, unless something happens and I have to leave sooner. My backpack is packed and hidden in a hollow of a tree in the forest out back. They think I am scared of the forest, but I feel more at home there than anywhere else. So, if I leave it will not be through the front door, nope it will be out my bedroom window the day before my birthday and through the woods to the nearest town I can come to and on the first bus that comes, to who knows where. I just need my diploma, and I will be set to go.
I have had a job or jobs since I was 10 years old. I started with delivering newspapers, then to mowing yards in the summer and shoveling snow in the winter. My parents always thought I would give them all my money, but I have been putting some back at every payday. I started waitressing when I was 15; I would stash most of my tips away along with the extra money I would make on the side that they did not know about. I have me a good nest egg to start out on.
As the days get closer my so-called parents are acting weirder, well weirder than usual. This makes me think they are really going to end my life when I turn 18 like they said they would.
I can feel someone always watching me when I am going to school or to work and on my way home. I know it has to be one of my parents or someone they could have hired, they are not going to make it easy for me to escape but come hell or high water I am getting out of this hell hole, and that's what this place is my hell.
It's a beautiful place to live on the outside but on the inside it is ugly. The only good thing about this place is when they found out my parents had a child, which happened to be me, and they came and threatened them to send me to school, or they were taking me away from them.
Every day I do my usual, wake up, keep my head down and go to school, there is no eating I get one meal a day at the diner I work at and I pay for that. Little do they know I also eat lunch at school. I have to stay strong and as healthy as possible so my escape can happen. I feel something inside me at times growing or coming alive I cannot really explain it, or I could just be going crazy, that's a possibility.
Maybe I am the devil's child like they say well if so, he is just as bad as the gods for letting this happen to his so-called child. I know they say things happen for a reason I just wish I knew what that reason was. I know I am a survivor, if not I would not be here today. I have strength inside me, not so much out. Guess I could if I just let it out, but I keep my head down and do not bring any attention to myself if I can help it. If I want to survive, I have to get away from this place and my so-called parents.
A couple weeks later:
I have one more day of school after today, so I am headed to the principal office to get my diploma I had already talked to the principal about not being able to walk down the aisle to get it. This will be the last thing I need to get to be able to leave. Now I just need to be able to survive long enough to leave. I can feel all over my body how my nerves are on end. I get feelings inside, I cannot quit explain, maybe it's intuition or some sort like that, but whatever it is I make sure to listen to it.
I get my diploma then go to the lady's room to hide it just outside the window where no one can find it; I will come back for it before I leave. I learned at an early age to hide everything. I have work after school, so I head out early to head that way. Feeling I am being followed again I walk my normal way with my head down.
With the montage in my head, of do not bring attention to myself and do not talk to anyone so they do not think I am telling anyone who will listen to me about the way I am being treated at home.
Last day of school and I have no classes and my parents are acting stranger than usual, so I tell them I have to go into work early. I figured they would like to hear that it means more money for them.
I head to work go in and then out the back door making sure I am not being followed or spied on. I make it to school and grab my diploma and then run to the forest out back to my backpack where I put it in. I take a few deep breaths in and out then head back to the diner to go to work.
All day long while I am working I keep getting a bad vibe I can feel something is going to happen and it does not feel like it will be a good something. Now my whole body feels like it is on high alert.
So I decide today is the day I am going to leave I can feel it deep in my bones. In a lot of ways I am excited to be leaving but in others I am nervous as all get out. I will make it through; this will not be the end of my so called life. I plan to live life to the fullest from here on out no one will get me down ever again.
