Chasing the Storm (Chasing the Storm, #1) - PUBLISHED

Chapter Four

I lie alone on the floor in my small closet, unable to sit up, because my clothes are in the way. Ms. Pryce, my new foster mother, locked me in here about an hour ago so she can clean the house without being disturbed.

Her new boyfriend Ryan is coming over soon and she wants the house to look perfect, and warned me about opening my mouth. She promised to come get me when he leaves, but last week, her last boyfriend, John, stayed overnight, so I fell asleep in here without dinner.

Freezing, I pull down a t-shirt of mine and cover myself, but it hardly helps. I shiver and my teeth chatter until I simply can’t take it anymore. Ms. Pryce would get really mad at me if I pulled any more clothes down.

“Please let me out!” I say, hoping that I’m loud enough for her to hear. “Please, Ms. Pryce!”

“Be quiet, you-!”

“You have a kid?” Ryan asks. I didn’t hear him come in.

“I won’t in a minute,” my foster mom answers firmly.

My closet is forcefully opened and a handful of my curls are grabbed by Ms. Pryce, who, with my help, pulls me to my feet. In this way I’m pulled through the house until we reach the front door.

“You ruined this for me!” she shouts, opening the door. “You ruin everything! Get out!” My foster mother gets impatient with my slow steps and, instead of waiting, pushes me out. I stumble a few feet and then hit the pavement. The door is slammed and I’m sure she locked it, just like she did last time.

“Well, well, well. She couldn’t do it, I see. I’ll get rid of her troubles for her.”

Wiping the blood off my lip, I look up to see Ryan standing right in front of me. I’m about to get up myself, but he grabs my collar and lifts me up.

“I don’t mean to be trouble,” I say.

Ryan makes a fist and I immediately cross my arms in front of my face to lessen the damage, but it doesn’t lessen the pain his blow brings. That’s the last thing I remember before hitting the ground while everything around me disappears.

When I wake up, I feel that my face is distorted in a physically pained expression as if I have really just been hit.

This is the second night in a row that I’ve had a dream like this. Where are they coming from? It actually makes me a little afraid to fall asleep again tonight.

I look at the clock and see that it’s only 8:43. A far cry earlier than yesterday.

After finishing my morning chores, I go to my parents’ room and find that they’re both sleeping. Remembering that before I went to bed, my mother promised we could go to the mall today, I wake her up.

“Huh?” she says groggily, turning over. She looks at me through half opened lids.

“I finished my chores! Can we go to the mall now?”

“Shhh,” my mom whispers, telling me to bring my volume down, as my father is still asleep. “We can go tomorrow.”

“But your birthday’s tomorrow and I want to get you a present today!” I say quietly. “Please Mom!” I gently shake her again when I find that she fell back asleep. She rubs her eyes and asks for the time.

“It’ll be ten in six minutes!”

“Okay, I’ll be right out.”

While my mom gets ready, I hurry to the kitchen and start making breakfast. She usually takes a while in the bathroom, so I’m trying to beat her. This time, however, it doesn’t take her as long as it usually does, and she catches me with the eggs halfway done.