The Real World

Chapter 1

(Picture of Brooke )
Clara's POV
I quickly wipe the tears from my eyes and I pull down the sleeves of my old, dirty white dress to cover up my bruises as I walk.
I hold my school books tightly against my chest as I walk inside my school, I feel like it will keep me from falling apart. Walking into my classroom makes me feel like I'm free, and I know that no one can hurt me.
I sit down in my desk and take out my history book. Mrs. Hollen, my teacher, pauses and looks at my tattered dress but quickly glances back as she sees me looking at her.
When it's finally time for recess, I slowly walk outside, being pushed and shoved by an uncountable amount of elated 5th graders. I sit down at my picnic table and take out my favorite book, Seize The Day, and start reading it for the fifth time.
"Boo!" I jump and look next to me, I realize quickly that I didn't hear or see this girl sit next to me. She has blonde hair that falls just above her shoulders, her wide eyes are a very pretty turquoise color. She also has braces with a bright blue color.
"You seem really interested in that book, What's it called?" The anything-but-shy-girl asks me.
"Uhm... I... It's called Seize The Day, Do you read?" I ask quietly, trying to keep the conversation going so we didn't have to sit in awkward silence.
"Only when I don't have anything better to do. Why are you sitting all alone over here?" She asks.
"Because... I like to be alone."
"Nobody likes to be alone, they are just lonely." She replied slowly.
I instantly like her. Just something about her makes me comfortable. She seemed to lighten the mood.
"My name is Brooke by the way. What's your's?" Brooke asks with a warm smile that could easily brighten a cloudy day.
"Clara." I reply gingerly.
"I like that name. It's... strong. It's time to go back inside." She says indicating toward the school. I look over and see children running inside the building
"Bye, Clara." Brooke says quietly as she walks away as quickly as she sat down. I wish the school day never ended, going home is miserable.
* * *
I walk into my rundown house and sneak up to my room before my mama catches me. When I get upstairs and into my room I close my door as quietly as possible, trying not to wake her.
I tiptoe over to my bed and right before I sit down, I accidentally knock over my table lamp and it shatters into a million pieces all over the floor.
I stand there, completely still for just a second and then I bolt under my bed not knowing where else to hide.
"CLARA!" Mother screams.
Oh no! She is going to find me eventually and the more she looks the more mad she will get, but I cannot move. I'm frozen under there with my heart beating so fast that I think it might explode inside my chest.
"CLARA! GET OUT HERE NOW!"
I still can't move but I know I have to.
"Clara, honey please get out here... you don't what to upset mommy, do you?" She says in a calming voice as she walks into my room. She goes over to my closet and looks inside knowing that I was probably small enough to fit in there. I thank god that I did not choose to hide in there. I watch her feet as she walks around the floor. She walks to the side of my bed and pauses probably looking around the rest of my small room.
"Hon, I'm not going to hurt you." She says soothingly. I really want to believe her, but I know that she is lying.
"Last chance..." she says, knowing exactly where I am.
Then, she kicks away small shards of porcelain and kneels down on her knees and looks under my bed. A painfully wide smile spreads across her face as she stares at me wickedly.
"Why did you hide from me?" She asks, surprisingly calmly.
She grabs my arm firmly and before I have time to react, she yanks me out from under the twin sized bed.
"NO! PLEASE..." I scream desperately.
After she pulls me to my feet she throws me back down to the floor, making me bash the side of my head in the process.
"You really should listen to me." She says as she begins to take off her belt.
I start to try to wriggle away from her, but it's no use. She grips the belt tightly in her hands and begins whipping me with it until my back and my thighs are wet with blood.
Some people may think that getting beaten is a horrible experience, and in a way it is but in another way it's almost... peaceful. When my mother hits me, I just float away and leave it all behind. I imagine that I am somewhere different, somewhere where mothers don't hurt their daughters, they love and care for them. Somewhere imaginary.
The place I go is a beautiful castle where I am the princess. I have a caring and nice, gorgeous mother that loves me and my father is a strong, but loving man that never left us.
***
I step into the bathroom slowly and fill up the dirty porcelain sink with water. I take off my bloody white dress carefully, trying not to touch my skin. When I finally get it off, I put it in the water and try to get the dry blood out of it.
While the dress is soaking I step out of the bathroom and walk up the my room. I sit on my bed and begin to cry.
Does my mother love me? I ask myself, No! I don't care.
But that was a lie. I care more about that than anything.
I slowly bring my knees up to my chest and I bury my face into them, trying to escape this world.
The gates to my castle are open as if to welcome me in. I walk through with my long, clean, and beautiful dress following closely behind.
After finally getting to the other side of the castle I walk out the big rose-golden doors to the enormous castle garden and sit on the bench under the bioluminescent tree next to the pond.
I look over to the pond and see a light-blue skinned naiad looking back at me. She smiles wickedly and batts her eyelashes, her deep blue eyes reflecting the glowing leaves.
Naiads are so mysterious and yet, I seem to know them, even though I have never said a single word to her due to the fact that she speaks a completely different language. She sticks a webbed hand out of the water and looks back at the water with an emotion I don't understand. Maybe remorse?
I walk over to her as quietly as possible and I get so close, I can probably touch her, but she jerks her head to me in surprise, which makes me jump. With that she bolts back, disappearing back into the water with a foaming splash.
I go over and sit back down on the bench and think about how lucky I am to have everything that I have now.
My life there is so much better, in the Queendom of Saydara. I wish that I could be there all the time instead of having to be in the real world.
"The real world is for people who can't imagine anything better." I say to myself...
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I really hope that you liked it!
The book that I used as Clara's fav. is Seize the Day by Katie Spector it is an amazing book and you should really read that if you like fantasy.
Please add comments/votes/suggestions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am going to make the next one Brooke's pov.
The cover for this book is a screenshot of a part in the music video for Lies by Marina and the Diamonds, it is by far my favorite song so please go Check it out on YouTube.
Make sure you leave suggestions for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Also, yes the quote at the end is from The Simpsons. Buh-bye🙋❤️❤️❤️❤️