Twisted Moon - Mate's & Magic Book 1

Chapter 1: Cristina

            I'm pulled from sleep by the sun seeping through the window in my room. Still groggy I turn to look at the alarm clock on my nightstand. 8:00 am, I decide it's too early to be awake. I close my eyes and try to get back to sleep but after twenty minutes of trying I give up. Tossing the covers off, I swing my legs off the side of the bed. As soon as my feet hit the floor I hear my mother.

            "CRISTINA! Get up and get your lazy ass in here NOW!"" she yells from her bedroom.

            As I make my way to her bedroom, dread pools in the bottom of my stomach. I quickly knock on the door and wait for her to tell me to come in. She then yanks the door open seething.

            "Where's the money you stole you little bitch?"

I have no idea what money she is talking about and I just stand there with my mouth opening and closing like a fish, not knowing what she's talking about. Inside her bedroom, her latest boyfriend, Phil is sitting on the bed in nothing but his underwear. Phil is a real piece of work, but at least he has a job working at the factory on the out skirts of town.

"I know you fucking stole it, what did you spend it on? That was my hard-earned money. What do you do all day other than sit around and eat my food and do absolutely nothing? You're completely worthless and now you're stealing from me?"

She continues to scream in my face and when I don't say anything back to her she raises her hand and slaps me across the face before she shoves me hard enough that I lose my balance and tumble to the floor. I look up at her in shock just before she slams her bedroom door shut.

            It's not the first time she's ever hit me, but it's the first time she's shoved me down like that. I press my hand to my cheek and stare at the closed door in shock. Normally she just pretends I don't exist. She's been home more since Phil moved in with us last weekend and things have been getting worse every day her for me. They had only been together for two weeks before she moved him in and now he just sits around drinking and complaining about how I worthless I am when he's here. I try to stay as far away from him as possible.

            I decide to head into the bathroom and to take as quick of a shower as I can. Once I'm done, I head downstairs and try to find something to eat. I throw a can of ravioli into a bowl and heat it up in the microwave, stopping it before it starts beeping. Eating as quickly as possible I finish in under five minutes. I wash the bowl and fork I used and put them away before heading out into the forest for the rest of the day trying to avoid my mother and Phil.

            My mother works at the diner in town and for some reason everyone just adores her, how she manages to keep the charade up and not have anyone know about her drinking I have no idea. They think she's an angel and works hard to take care of her daughter by herself after her husband left her.

I spend the next few hours walking the hiking trails and exploring the forest before heading back. When I open the back door, the trailer is quiet. Walking to the front window I see my mother's car isn't in the driveway. Relieved, I release the breath I didn't know I was holding.

            After I get to my room I lock the door.  I grab the book I got for school and start reading ahead. Tomorrow starts my Junior year of high school and I already can't wait for it to be over. I would absolutely love school if it weren't for most of the people that go there but it's still better than being here most of the time.

            After reading for about an hour I put away my school book and stand up stretching. I glance at the clock and realize it's already 8 o'clock. My stomach starts rumbling and I remember I only had something to eat this morning.