Sincerely Zanobia [Book 1]

Chapter 1

Zanobia

I scrubbed each tile as hard as I could, each child in this house has to do work. While there told to do things like, sweep, wash dishes, vacuum or mop. I'm told to get on my hands and knees and scrub the tiles, and around the bottom of the toilet.

The only reason I do it, is so I can receive my allowance.. of fifty dollars a week. I've been saving my money since I've gotten here, five years ago. I have close to four thousand dollars saved. All the other girls take their money and go buy unnecessary things. I take half my money and buy what I need and save the rest.

No one knows about my notebooks or my stash and I plan to keep it that way. Sweat trickled down my forehead as I continued to scrub the tiles. It was a very hot, sticky, July afternoon and I was stuck cleaning Mr. Daveli's bathroom.

I swear he did most things out of spite like, leaving rings of urine around the toilet. Or letting toothpaste harden on the countertops. Making it so much harder for me to clean. Imagine being on your hands and knees scrubbing the urine off the floors. Its disgusting.

I scrunched my face up and held my breath, quickly cleaning around the toilet. My hair was sticking to my forehead and my clothes were becoming drenched in sweat. I could hear the other kids outside laughing and having fun. I sighed and got up from the floor, looking around the bathroom to make sure I gotten every spot.

I'm only sixteen and I do more than your average thirty year old housewife. I don't understand how someone could hate me so much. I have never done anything to anyone.

I crept through the halls, careful not to step on a lose floor board and wake up the devil. The halls were narrow, I peeped into his room.. fighting the urge to grab a pillow and hold it against his ugly face.

But I kept going, entering the room that I had to myself. It was the only room in the house that had a lock, which had its disadvantages. On days that I got on Mr. Daveli's bad side he locked me inside. Not allowing me to eat or see the outside world.

My room had a bathroom in it, so that was a good thing. I closed the door and stuck a chair under the knob, knowing he'd come and bother me the minute he woke up. I picked through my chest of clothes and found a pair of yellow shorts and a white shirt.

I laid my clothes across the bed and headed to my bathroom. I stood before the tall mirror and looked at myself. I am a fairly nice looking girl, I had a bit more body than most of the girls my age. Removing my clothes I stood in my bra and panties. My brown skin had a glow, I  love my skin.. I love my body but sometimes I wish I didn't have such a womanly shape.

Having men and older boys stare at me with so much lust in their eyes is uncomfortable. The group home that I live in is, in the worst part of the city. Drug dealers on every corner, prostitutes walking around looking for customers in broad daylight. Fiends and homeless people walking around, ghetto women and thuggish boys and men.

The short, shorts and colorful weaves.. pants sagging, no shirts, the smell of weed constantly filling the air. I'll admit some of the guys around here are fine, but they don't have any thing to offer that I need.

I glanced up at the small window in the bathroom. The windows in my room have been stained. He doesn't even want me to enjoy the view of outside. Even if it's seeing the local hoodlums fight or that very fine man that I often see boss his workers around.

Sometimes I think of running away, but without a plan I'd never survive. I cannot afford to die on the streets because my dad is somewhere out there and he needs me. I shook my thoughts away and got into the shower. I washed my body and then my hair. I don't have the best hair, it's fairly curly and shoulder length.

I heard banging on my door so I hurried and shut off the water. Jumping out of the shower I ran into my room, the door knob was giggling. The chair wasn't allowing the person on other side to get in, so I calmed down.

I dried off quickly and put on my clothes, Mr. Daveli pounded on the door demanding that I open it. My heart sped up, I was afraid.. I never know what he's going to do to me. I shoved the chest with my clothes in it under the bed and slowly walked towards the door.

I removed the chair and set it aside quickly. If he found out I was putting that chair there, I'd lose that too. The door flew open causing me to hit the floor. I was looking into the eyes of the man I hate so much. That face that could give you nightmares his light skin.. piercing green eyes, he had a very strong bone structure that made his jaw look sunken in.

He glared at me and came over to where I was, I looked at him scared to swallow, breath or move.

"Why was the door locked?"

"Um.. I-I was taking a shower"

"Did you finish your chores, and  scrub all three hundred tiles in my bathroom precisely twenty three times each?"

I nodded even though I had only scrubbed the tiles a few times. Not exactly as many times as he likes but c'mon seriously..

He walked over to me and caressed my cheek. I moved my face away from him, causing him to grab me by my chin. He inched his face closer and closer until our lips were basically touching. I fought so hard to ignore the lump that was forming in my throat..

"You listen here.. I can touch you if I like, you belong to me remember that"

He released me from his grip, instinctively I rubbed my chin and got up. I watched as he left the room, leaving me with so many thoughts on just how I could innocently kill him in his sleep.

I hate this place so much.. being treated this way is unfair and wrong.   He's treating me this way because of his hate for my father. Who has never done anything to anyone. If taking his abuse will keep him from messing with my dad then I'm willing to simply deal with it. I will protect my dad until the day I die, right by his side or not..