Fight or Flight

Chapter 1

    She could barely see; everything was blurry. Still, she could just about make out a house, a cream cottage, she thought. The roof was thatched, and she saw flowers draped over the doorframe, though they disappeared after a few seconds. All in all, it was a very pretty cottage. She felt at home even though she wasn't inside. Lifting her bare foot to step towards the cottage, she thought she heard someone call her name. Electing to ignore it, she moved forward. 

      Except she didn't. She had placed her foot in front of the other and stepped forward. So why wasn't the cottage getting any closer? She had to get there, she had to!

     Again, she heard her name being called, louder this time. Heart thumping, she tried to run to the cottage, but it only got further away. What was happening? She tried again, only to trip over.

     She tried to get up, but the more she tried the further she fell, into the deep, dark black waiting to swallow her whole-

'ELLIE!' Screamed a rough voice 'ELLIE, GET DOWN HERE!'

      On the second floor of the grand house, a girl emerged from a pile of blankets on a grubby mattress, her spiky brown hair sticking up on end. 

' ELLIE! HURRY UP!'

'Coming,' Ellie mumbled, pulling herself upright. She looked at the time- and groaned. 6AM. Why didn't people get up at normal times anymore? 

     Whilst Ellie didn't care about tidiness and being prompt, the people she lived with very much did. You see, Georgina and Seth Sharp were the most pristine and well kept people you could have the misfortune to meet. Because of this- this, and a boatload of money, quite literally- they felt as if they had the priviledge to do whatever they pleased; including mistreating their adopted daughter.

     Seth Sharp was the CEO of a law firm, and he was very well paid, and highly respected everywhere in London. He was very well off in all ways, yet he never showed any sign of being grateful for what he had, and he looked down his bony nose on everyone below him.

     Georgina Sharp was no better. Her voice was unnaturally high, and her hair unnaturally blonde. Her spare time was spent watching cheesy cooking shows and lavishly decorating cakes. Her hobbies included pretending to not notice Ellie existed, and fussing over her other children, who were just as insufferable as their parents- except maybe Molly.

     Ellie was used to this, and had grown to bear it. She didn't particularly mind being left to her own devices, nor that her birthday and Christmas presents consisted of a small cupcake and a single present.

    ' Ellie, if you aren't down here in the next two minutes, I swear to God I will come up there and pull you down by the ear!' Seth roared.

' Charming,' Ellie muttered, speeding up her attempts to comb her wild brown-black hair. Giving up in a matter of half a minute, she threw herself out her bedroom door and into the grand hallway. Even in this house it was strange to be woken at 6AM on a sunday. What could Ellie possibly be needed for at such a stupid hour? Perhaps Molly had her head jammed in the cutlery drawer again. Or maybe Rebecca wanted her room repainted. Ellie feverently hoped not. That would make the second time in a month. 

     As she burst rather dramatically into the posh living room, three snide faces looked down at her in distaste. One belonged to the defined face of Seth, another belonged to the Sharp familys' eldest daughter, Emily, 16 years of age, whom took after her mother with flat and pinched features. The last was the face of Kai, 17, who would be very good looking, with floppy pale blonde rockstar hair, and bright blue eyes, if it wasn't for his abnormally large nose.

' Took you long enough,' Emily sneered, flicking her dyed brown hair.

     Ellie looked at her with an eyebrow raised. ' I took less than two minutes!' She protested. having timed herself, she knew she'd taken only a minute and a half. She also knew arguing back was pointless, but it was instinct.