Aurora

I sat in the small, dark basement watching TV and downing math homework. For the past hour I’ve been trying to understand trigonometry but I just don’t understand how it works but doing little by little helps.

“BANG!” Is all I hear ten minutes later from the kitchen.

I run up stairs and see the floor covered in flowers and water running everywhere. I start to panic knowing that was my mother’s favorite vase. Then I look up to see Jasper (our cat) standing on the table looking at the broken glass on the floor.

As I cleaned up the mess I ran over and over in my head what I’m going to tell my mother. As soon as I finished cleaning the mess up I run down stairs, turned off the TV, run quickly to my room with all my stuff, and hurried back down and hid in the back corner of the basement. That’s when I heard the door swing open and closed. That’s when I heard bags moving and things being thrown, and that’s when I heard the garbage open.

“AURORA!” Is all I heard through plugged ears.

I sat there listening to the screaming get louder, listening to the stomping get closer, and watching the shadow get smaller. I was terrified. Fear ran through me faster each time she got closer. As my mother stood in front of me I huddled into a ball getting ready for the first hit.

Pain shot through my ribs as she smashed her fists against them. I cried and begged her to stop but that only made my mother more furious with me. After awhile I tried yelling to tell her it wasn’t my fault but that just made the beating longer. Finally, I tried moving away from her but she just grabbed my arm and dragged me back to the corner.

After twenty minutes of this tall, blonde haired women beating me it was over; the screaming, the yelling, the beating, and a minutes of the suffering. As I got up to leave to go to my room I didn’t dare show mother fear, pain, or anger. I showed her nothing. I walked to my room expressionless. In a doze of pain and anger sizzling in and around me.

As I walked down the narrow hall, everyone gazed at me. As I was passing my two little brothers rooms, they stared at me. They never talked to me unless they had to incase they would get the same punishment. When I passed two of they sisters rooms they just ignored me as if nothing had happened and I wasn’t even there. Then came the Atropos’s room and I all she did was laugh. I always hated Atropos the most. She was a selfish person who laughed at others pain. She disgusted me. I despised her. She got whatever she wanted and whoever she wanted with her long blonde hair and her big blue eyes the guys just couldn’t resist.

I finally could let my guard down. I had made it to my room, the safe zone. When I walked in I felt alone. No one was there to hold me as I cried. No one was there to comfort me while the pain took over. No one was there to love me as I suffered.

I felt it all come crashing down on me as I closed my bedroom door. As I slowly
slide down my door tires started roll down my face. I sat in front of my door as the rest of the world went on. Did the even notice the pain? Did they even notice the suffering? Did they even notice the real world or did they just cover it up?

“Aurora!” mother shouts out of nowhere.

That’s when I decided to do it. I opened my window and popped the screen out. I hopped down and ran. As I ran I took a left then a right. It felt good. I felt free for once. It wasn’t that cold out but it was a little chill for fall but I was fine everything was amazing. I felt the wind hit my face and let it twirl my hair around.

Finally, I reached the bridge. It wasn’t very long maybe a good ten or twenty feet but it was beautiful. The moon made the rocks on the bridge sparkle. The stars made the river glisten. While the sound of peace was wonderful.

After I was done taking in how beautiful it was during the night I sat down. I gazed at the stars while everything ran through my head. I didn’t cry well I was thinking about everything. I didn’t feel pain. I just felt numbness.

Later

I went home. I decided to live through the pain. Live through the suffering. I decided not to let it roughen my life but let it make my life. I decided to let it make me stronger. I decided to let it help me stand up for myself. I decided to let it build me not break me.

When I turned the corner on my street there was a police car parked in front of my house. I kept walking towards the police car when I heard someone yell my name. I looked all around me but didn’t see anyone. Then I looked at my house. People came running towards me. I was ready for another beating. My body went stiff. My arms went firm. I closed my eyes and imaged I was in a better place.

Someone hugged me. I opened my eyes and saw my mother crying on my shoulder. That’s when I knew I made the right decision. That’s when I knew someone actually cared.

“Your grounded.” Is all my mother could fit in between her gasps for air.

“ I know.” The only response I could choke out before I started to cry.

The end