Memories that Never Fade

Chapter 1

A/N: Hi, everyone. If you don't know me, my name is Cierra and I'm a writer, on obvious terms. This book was writing for National Writing Month, which is the month of November. It's already almost finished, but I'm going to upload it a bit at a time.

If you're wondering if I won - no, I didn't, but I came very close and gave up :) BUT I TRIED. All right, all. Let me introduce you to Lucia Patton's story....Memories That Never Fade.

© Cierra Stanley

Chapter 1

It wasn’t everyday that Lucia was able to steal a glance outdoors, so she took her time doing so. Often when she did, she’d see little girls and boys with their mothers and fathers. Today, it was a mother/daughter that she’d seen before.

Lucia pressed her hands against the window. The mother had long, brown hair that matched the little girl’s – as Lucia remembered hers, matched her own mother before she’d left, and Joshua had taken her in.

She returned her attention to the woman and her child. As she stared at her, she seemed to stare back at Lucia, as if she knew her.

A shiver ran down Lucia’s neck and she snapped herself away from the window, burying it in the curtains once again. She could feel his hot, moist breath on her neck, crawling up and down it, tickling it.

“What have I told you about looking out there, Lucy?” Joshua’s deep, thick voice trailed to the girl’s ears.

“I’m sorry, Josh, I just wanted to look one more time. I won’t do it again, I swear,” Lucia whispered, closing her blue eyes. She tilted her head, taking in the thick scent of alcohol that clung to Joshua’s breath. She shuddered. He was drunk.

“I don’t give a damn what you will and won’t do, I told you not to do something,” Josh growled. “So don’t do it!” He spun Lucia around, and it was only then when her blue eyes caught his brown. She wasn’t afraid; she was too use to it to be afraid of what was coming. She was calm as her pale fingers touched his shaggy, blonde hair.

Joshua shook Lucia by her shoulders roughly, growling at her, as if he were a wild dog. It wasn’t too long after when she felt his hand against her cheek. She wanted to cry, but she knew better than to do so. She only closed her eyes, waiting for more.

A chuckle left his throat as he threw Lucia onto the ground. He stood to his feet, stumbling as he did so. She gazed up at the man, no expression showing. She wanted to run, to leave…but she knew it wasn’t possible.

This was all that Lucia had known since she could remember. Sometimes there were glimpses of when she was four or five when she still had her parents, but other than that, she didn’t remember. There were times when Lucia wished that her parents hadn’t given her up. She knew that there had to be a flaw, something had to be wrong. Why would they do this to her? She didn’t understand, then again, she didn’t understand very much at all.

Throughout the years she’d been with Joshua, she hadn’t really been outside. He’d gone to get everything to supply them. He’d taught her what he thought she needed to know. He’d done everything for her, yet she felt so alone with him around. Lucia always wished that she could go outside. It was her one wish.

Lucia had wandered around the house while Joshua was asleep in his bed. There wasn’t anything special about it; tan walls in every room but one. When she was younger, Josh had let her paint her room whatever color she wanted. It was now the same chestnut brown it had been ever since then. She had always been an odd child – loving such dull colors.

There was no doubt in Lucia’s mind that she was in love with Joshua. She didn’t know his last name, or his mother. She didn’t know his favorite food, but she knew other things, didn’t that count? She knew that he loved whiskey more than any other drink. She knew that when he was mad, he usually punched first, and then used his legs.