Short Stories!

Escape

My face stings from the fresh new slap which came from the hand of someone who's supposed to be tender and loving. To the kids in the school I attend, this kind of abuse is unheard of. But to me, it's a regular occurrence, and from my own mother at that. My father left when I was very little, too little to even remember what he looked like, and I've never heard his name spoken from my mother's tongue, nor have I heard any stories. I don't remember what life was like before he left. I like to think of it being a happier time, with me always smiling and a man without a face or a name to match lifting me high up, then embracing me as the aroma of my once tender and loving mother's cooking fills our noses. I like to imagine that before my father left, my mother would read me bedtime stories, and tuck me into bed at night with a kiss. They're wonderful images really, but they're not reality. My reality now is much darker than that... Aside from the daily physical abuse inflicted upon me, I'm also bombarded with verbal attacks. Her words have left scars in my heart, but I've tried so hard still not to let them hurt who I am... I don't think I even have to say it hasn't been easy...
So what is she mad about this time? What causes the abuse? Well she doesn't always need a reason, but this time it's the fact that I accidentally ripped a hole in my jeans. Ones I've had for four years now. My mother doesn't get much pay from her job, so we can't afford the nicest of things, and that includes clothes. She's raged on for an hour now. I can see the time on the clock on the wall, 3:40 p.m., an hour after I arrived home from school, and she noticed the flaw instantly, despite how small and insignificant the tear is.
"You're worthless," her favorite line finally comes, which a lot of time signifies the end of the abuse, for now at least.
"You probably did this on purpose for attention because you're such a fucking attention whore. That's all you do, you do everything for attention!"
I try to block the words out but they pierce through the barriers I've built, which aren't very strong to begin with. My only goal is to not break down... At least not in front of her. She walks away finally, and goes to sit down in the living room, leaving me standing in the kitchen still by the front door. I'm finally free from this torture for now. I walk to my room as quickly as I can, closing the door quietly so as to not give her a reason to come back and start something new. Another reason why I'm worthless. Another reason why I shouldn't have been born. Or that's what she always says.
I don't even bother to turn on the lights of my room, since the light of the windows is enough for me. My footsteps on the hard floor echo off the bare walls as I make my way to my bed, already dreading the long days of loneliness and the same daily routine ahead since today is Friday. At least school is one place I can escape to. I'm too scared to run away, though I don't even know if I would be missed or looked for considering how much I'm told I'm hated every day. I wish I had a different escape... Somewhere I could never be found, and somewhere that isn't as horrible as this world... These are the thoughts that go through my head during the hours I'm, thankfully, alone in my room. They seem to be my only company, so I don't wish they'd go away, but rather replaced with happier things. That's why I imagine what it's like when I was younger, and how much happier it might've been. In fact, I imagine a lot of things like this. I could go on for hours, but I have homework to do now so I pick up my book bag and take out my work. This is another thing I'm thankful for, since it keeps my mind so active, and my mother can't deny me when I use it as an excuse, so it's like yet another escape. My maths teacher gave us a packet to be completed by Monday, so I'll be spending a lot of time on that over the weekend.
I glance out the window by my bed at the warm, sunny day. I'm not allowed to go outside with friends, but I see younger kids outside every day, with bright smiles on their faces like it should be. For some reason, I rarely see any my age, which I don't understand. If I had that pleasure, I'd never come inside! I would never come back here either though... I wish the TV in my room at least worked, but we can't afford cable. The TVs seem to be the only luxury items we own, but they just came with the house my mom can somehow still afford. My whole room is pretty bare with the exception of the TV, a dresser for my clothes, a bedside table and my rather small bed.
My attention is brought back to my homework even though I could stare out that window or imagine things for hours. The problems are all pretty easy for me, I barely even have to think and soon I'm already turning to the next page. I get lost within the world of algebra when my bedroom door slams open unexpectedly. My mother bursts in outraged, and I jump from the suddenness of it all. I could see already that the impact of the door left cracks in the wall... This isn't going to be good...
She storms over to me without a word and suddenly her fist collides with the side of my head, sending me backwards. I'm dazed, and my head pangs but I'm given no time for a reaction, not that I would have given her one. I feel my hair being pulled as I'm thrown off the bed onto the floor. I don't feel the collision my head had with my bedside table, and the last thing I remember seeing is my mother storming out of the room.

My eyes open and I'm still lying on the floor. Everything looks normal, as if nothing ever happened, but the pounding in my head said otherwise.
"You're awake."
Before I can even manage to scream or say anything, a cold hand covers my mouth. My eyes travel from up the stranger's arm and I'm greeted by bright blue, feminine eyes. A girl with short white hair in a white dress is kneeling on the ground where I lay, her skin is almost as pale as her hair and her dress, everything about her is pale.
"You have to be quiet."
She speaks softly and calmly. "I can take you away from here." She takes her hand away from my mouth.
"Who are you?"
"I'm sorry, I can't tell you that. But you have to trust me, and follow me. You don't belong here anymore."
"What do you me-"
"You can't ask questions," the mysterious girl cuts me off. But I have so many... Why can't you tell me who you are? What do you mean by, "you don't belong here anymore?" But I oblige, since it's obvious that this girl isn't going to take no for an answer. And what else do I have to lose at this point?
The girl stands up and offers me her hand and I stand up, now taking notice of how soft it is. My head throbs even more from the movement, and I want to let out a whimper but bite it back in case my mother is near. The girl lets go of my hand and goes to the same window I was looking out of earlier and opens it with swift motions. Something about her seems so strange but I don't know what it is... Besides the fact that I have no idea where she came from and how or why she's in my room.
I'm beckoned over to the window where the girl has already easily climbed out, and I follow her, still trying to be as quiet as possible. Nothing is said between the two of us as I follow her through my neighborhood which, despite living here for quite possibly all my life, I've never seen that much of. All the people we pass never acknowledge us even though I recognize a lot of their faces, some from school and some from them passing by my window every day or once and awhile.
We walk until we come across a wide, open field of grass. The girl then turns back to me. "Here, you have to close your eyes. But don't worry, you'll be okay." Everything about this feels wrong, but I still obey and close my eyes. She takes my hand and I'm gently pulled forward. I feel some sensation wash over me, and it's at this point that I've realized the pounding in my head is gone. In fact, I feel nothing but warmth embrace me. My feet no longer move, nor do I even acknowledge them. All of a sudden, I feel the soft lips of the girl in white touch mine. At the same time, my heart not only skips a beat, but stops beating all at once, as I finally have the escape I so desperately longed for from the pain of this world and reality.