• Get up you useless piece of flesh.” Madame Lily screamed at me with a kick in the ribs to prove how mad she was. I quickly sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, as she continued to shout orders at me. “Clean the floors, walls, and bathroom. Make sure to pick up the dry cleaning for the girls.” With that she pivoted around and walked out the door. As soon as she really left and wasn’t coming back to shout more orders. I got out of bed walked into the bathroom and cleaned up. Soon as I was presentable I started cleaning before I had to leave for school. I was thankful for that fat butted Madame Lily for getting me up at four in the morning. It gave me three hours to clean. Which took up all that time and almost made me late to catch the bus. Thankful for the track team. I made it to the bus stop in just enough time to look back at the Victorian style house. Its white with a light blue door. Shuddering I stepped on to the bus.

    I head straight for the back where I sit with my friend Stephanie or as she calls herself stevie. She is five foot 5. With brown shoulder length hair and blue eyes. She’s skinny but strong even though she doesn’t look like it. She had three piercing’s in her left ear and two in her right ear. She was working at the local farm to get enough money to get the third earring. I plop into the seat next to her and look at what she is reading. Waterfall’s story. “Haven’t you read that book four times already? Why don’t you read something different for a change?” I asked her. She looks up from the book and says “so what if I have read this book four times. It’s really good. You should read it sometime. Any way I do ready other books. It’s not my fault that you don’t notice when I do.” She marks the page for late and puts it away for later. “So how its it with the crazy and her two nieces? Have they been working you to hard because you can still move in with us at any time you know.” She said. “My mom says if you ever need to get away the room is open for you to use. But Alice do you think you can live a year and a half more with Madame Lily and the two nieces. I mean we’re already half way through our junior year and still have senior year left to go. Unless you have something planned for senior year that you’re not telling me.” I sighed and looked at my hands. Actually I did have something planned I was going to publish a book that I had written in my free time a few years ago. Hopefully It would go great and I would be able to use the money to buy my own car. I mean I was seventeen and had a license but no car. Stephanie and her mom let me drive their car around when we all had spare time. Steph’s mom felt more like a mom to me than my own mother. At least she didn’t abuse her own daughter and treat her like a slave because of the fact the father left when she was eight months pregnant. Ever since I was able to take care of myself at the age of four my mother treated me more like a slave than one of her own. She treated her two nieces better than she treated me. She counted letting me live, sleep, eat, and washed my clothes in the house as being nice. In a way it is.





    Though in what way is abusing your daughter by hitting and kicking her and her having bruises for days after words is being nice? Looking at stevie, I didn’t have to say anything for her to get what I was feeling. We left it at that. When the bus stopped at the school, stevie and I walked to our lockers and headed to class. It wasn’t till lunch did we brooch the subject of our senior year and talk about my plans. Stevie was happy with the plan except. “So you’re still going to live with her till graduation? I mean how much more bruises are you going to take from her when she’s mad?” steph asked angrily. To prove her point she grabbed my arm to shoe the recently fading bruise on my forearm. “That’s not the only bruise you have, besides the physical abuse when she’s mad, you also have to deal with the emotional abuse too. She’s your mother for god’s sake. You can’t tell me she treats you with respect and care. Unless she wants you to do something really horrible. Like the time when she made you dumpster dive just to find the ring she was wearing that fell off into her uneaten food.” I open my mouth to argue but knew she was right. “I’m not going to live with her till graduation. Just till I gather the courage to tell her I’m leaving and that she can find someone else to abuse. Until then I’ll live with her and deal with her mean word and physical abuse when angry. This seems to be a lot lately. Tell your mom thanks for the offer again. If I change my mind I’ll let you know.” I go up and dumped my tray just in time for the bell to ring. Waved a good bye to stevie and walked back to class. Fifth, sixth hour seemed to fly by fast. Seventh hour was the slowest. It was probably because the fat I have math that hour. Geometry is the most hated subject that I have. Finally when the bell rang I almost ran out of the class room until I remembered that the track meeting was canceled and that I would have no escape from Madame Lily and the two nieces which probably have a long list of chores to do. I waited by my locker as Stevie took her time getting the books she needed. It was silent between us as we walked to our bus and on the way home. I broke the silence by saying ‘good night Stevie.”

    Before walking off the bus. As soon as I stepped through the door, Madame Lily came storming down the stairs. Big butt and boobs, skinny waist and red waist length hairs that was pulled up in a pony at the moment. She had green eyes. She was wearing her party silk dress and high heals. She was going to party all night. “There you are. Where is the dry cleaning? Did I not tell you specifically to pick it up? Also why are you just standing their? You have chores to do. Its on the table. I want it all done perfectly by the time I get back tomorrow.” She snapped. Shoved her way past me and out the door. I stood there rooted tot the spot till I heard her suv leave the drive way. As soon as she was gone I dumped my back pack in the little room I slept in and headed to the kitchen to see what chores that had to be done. As usual only about 40 to 50 chores to do and I still had homework to do. I decided to pick up the dry cleaning up first and then do the other chores. I checked to see if the nieces were home. No sign of them which made doing the chores easier to do. I snuck into the garage and opened the door to drive my mothers old mustang out. I made it safely there and back in one piece. In just enough time to make it look like I was busy before the nieces tiffany and heather walked in. just back from the dance class that they were recently taking. Tiffany dropped her bag right by the door and heather did the same. They both came over to me and said “Alice, my sister and I would like to have medium done steaks with salad and champagne. Before 8 o’clock because that when were going to meet aunt lily at the club so start now.” As I watched their blond heads bob up and down I was tempted to grab a apple on the counter and through it at heather’s head. Only I didn’t. Lucky for her. I immediately started on the dinner, slicing apples to soak up the grease. As soon as the steaks were cooking in the oven, I started on the salads and rushed to the cellar to get the champagne. I got everything don’t for the nieces. On my way carrying their dinner to them, I grabbed their stuff they dropped by the door and took it to them. Luckily for me they didn’t complain at all about the food. The went on ignoring me, so I went to my room and did my homework. I only got up to wash the dishes at eight when the nieces left. Then back to homework then bed, only to wake up to being kicked my Madame Lily shouting orders again. So the pattern starts all over again. Months passed and I start to notice that there was this evil feeling that was at the moment boiling in me and was ready to reach the breaking point. I usually wasn’t so mad at my mother for hurting me but as junior year came to a end and summer coming I felt restless and wanted to blow up.

    The ‘blow up” day as I called it happened on the second week after school ended. Madame Lily was ordering me around and stuff when I reached the boiling point. She continued to yell as I walked to my room and grabbed my cell and called Stevie and said two works “room ready.” Then I hung up. I started first by packing the book I wrote then my clothes in a spare backpack with all the other little stuff I had which by then I was almost done. I put my laptop in my school bad tugged it on my shoulder and grabbed the 1 duffle and back pack. In the middle of my packing Madame Lily noticed that I wasn’t behind her. She only stood there quiet as I came down walked past her put my bags in the mustang and came back in. when I stopped in front of her did she seem to speak again. “Where do you think you are going?” I looked at her straight in the eyes and glared at her. Snarling I said “I’m leaving this freaking house and living with my friend Stevie because I can’t take the abuse anymore. And I might be tempted to hurt one of you.” To prove my point I drew back my fist and punched her four times and when she was on the ground kicked her in the ribs for good luck. Then I leaned down and said one word “bye.” And left. Walked right out the door got into the mustang and left that house forever.


    That summer I had the best time of my life. I was adopted by Stevie’s mom. And got the family I always wanted. But that is another story for another time. I also got my book published.