A Glimpse Into The Life Of Scarlett Rowe

1: this is my life

How deep was I willing to go through this part of hell?

People have never failed to remind me that I was born lucky. I should have just eaten my food, sat quietly, and be thankful I was given this chance of a perfect life.

If my life was perfect, I shouldn't live in this constant nightmare.

I had woken up early to get myself ready for school. It was finally our senior year where everyone was skeptically planning for their future. Since mine was already set out for me, it was only a matter of how I was going to get through the last school year.

As I was about to go down to have some breakfast, a loud hysterical cry could be heard downstairs. I ran down the staircase as fast as I could towards the sound where my little brother was crying. My feet were frozen in place when I saw my vulnerable brother hunched over the floor. His left cheek started to swell and a bruise had started to form on his wrist.

I turned my head just in time to see my father's back. He was already on his way out to leave for work. My fist clenched, leaving an indent of nail marks onto my skin. The anger I felt was unbearably strong. If looks could kill, I would have snapped his neck at an awkward angle. All I could hear was this unsettling beeping sound. I could hear my pulse amplify in my ear. The feeling unfamiliar, yet, I didn't have the control to calm it down. The doors closed. My knees were buckling, about to give out.

"Scarlett, let it go," I felt a comforting hand, holding me down to regain my balance. Looking up, I saw Ellen encouraging me to take a deep breath and release it back. She told me to repeat it over and over.

When all my senses came back, I got on the floor to embrace my brother. I comforted him and just held tight. Ellen came down to my level, pulling us in a big embrace. I heard her sob, realizing what a mess this was.

"What happened, Ellen?" I croaked. My voice cracking as the tears began to sting my eyes.

She released an exhausted sigh, "I-I'm so sorry Scarlett. He just went into the room without warning and dragged him down here, so he could hit him. I couldn't stop him. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

I untangled myself from Ellen's embrace to check on Tommy. He got tired and had stopped crying. My hand grasped his chin gently to inspect his face. "You need ice," I murmured to myself.

"Can you stand? Do you want to ride on my back?" I gently pulled him up with me. He was still in shock. The poor boy didn't even know what he did wrong. I crouched down and offered him to climb on.

When we reached the kitchen, I put him down on a chair and went to get some ice. Ellen helped serve some breakfast on the table. I took some ice from the freezer then wrapped them with a towel.

As Ellen was finishing setting the table, I handed her the cold compress. "Here. Keep it on his cheek."

She gave me a sympathetic smile as she returned her attention to Tommy. I sat down and let out a deep breath. I began spreading some jam on the toast and ate it halfheartedly. I just couldn't digest it. It was bland. I pushed back my plate and drank a glass of water instead.

"You're not hungry again," Ellen stated.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't feel like eating."

"You're always not hungry, Scarlett." She deadpanned. I knew she cared for me as well. She was like a mother to me, but the fact that I just couldn't get any food into my system was a problem.

"Please. At least eat something in school. Promise me."

Speaking of school...I was late. Yet, again.