Chapter 1 Pure Hell
Zuri
She slammed her hand down on the alarm clock to silence the dreadful ringing that was piercing through her sleep. As she opened her eyes to look around groggily, she started to sit up and stretch. It's been 3 years since her parents died and ever since that day her life has been nothing but complete hell. She looked at her clock to see the time and then scrambled to put on clothes.
"Shit I'm late again, she is going to kill me". Rushing down the stairs hoping that maybe she is still sleep so she can run to fix breakfast but it seemed as if her luck was never on her side. Her adoptive mother Cleo was standing at the bottom of the steps waiting for her . Before the apology could even form in her mouth, she was hit with so much force it's caused her to stumble back grabbing the rails to the stairs to prevent her from falling.
Cleo gave her a devious grin which in return made Zuri feel like all the blood ran out of her body with just that one action. " You ungrateful little bitch, I could have picked any other child but I chose you to adopt". Her face started to burn from the hit but she dare not touch it because that action alone would only make the beating worse. As she raised her hand to hit her again a deep chuckle came from behind her that made Zuri start to tremble with waves of fear. Levi grabbed Cleo hand and kissed her before turning her back to Zuri. Zuri's fear surged when she seen both of their eyes held an evil glint within them.
Zuri mind went into fight or flight mode as she weighed her options. Zuri finally attempted to run just to get pulled back down the stairs as she was pummeled by punches and kicks. " I hate the presence of you and if I wasn't getting paid to keep you alive you would have been dead like you should have when your parents died" Cleo said while laughing. Levi joined in laughing as he kept kicking her. Zuri tried her damn best to keep herself inside a fetal position while trying to minimize the access.
Slowly the kicks and punches started to slow down but she didn't move. Instead, Zuri waited until she heard the footsteps leave as she peeked her head up cautiously. She slowly stood as she winced from the pain of the beating and crept into the kitchen to begin preparing breakfast. She could only eat what they left so sometimes that meant she didn't eat at all. Zuri used to sneak water when she took a shower but that lead to a beating from hell when Cleo found out and from that point on she could only get showers when Cleo felt like it. Only 2 weeks left and then I'll be free Zuri told herself. After she fixed breakfast, she set the table and quietly went back into her room to assess the bruises on her skin.
Zuri looked into the cracked mirror while tears threatened to fall. The once chocolate skin was now covered in black bruises on her arms, lower stomach and legs. Her face had a dark bruise forming on it that made her began to cry softly. She wondered why she didn't attempt to flee again but knew that if they found her like they always did they would just beat her into a bloody pulp and she couldn't endure another beating in this state.
Zuri knew she had to apply makeup to cover the bruise on her cheek and also wear clothes that would conceal all of her other bruises before going to work or else she would be questioned. She knew being questioned would lead to her getting beatened to death if cps showed at her door. She sighed and took out a beige long sleeve turtle neck shirt and denim jeans to put them on as she tried to keep in the cries of pain that it caused as the fabric touched her skin.
Zuri knew she would probably get into it with her best friend about her appearance due to it being the beginning of summer but she feared Cleo worse. After she finished getting dressed, she applied her makeup making sure the now dark bruise was no longer visible to the naked eye. She then pulled her long black hair into a bun and went back downstairs to wash the now empty plates. After she completed her tasks she headed to work not even bothering to inform Cleo she was leaving.
