Riverside Road

Chapter One

I am a mistake of a sixteen-year-old girl who thought she was in love. When reality hit, she broke up with her drug addicted boyfriend and put her 6 month daughter up for adoption. I was the unwanted child born twelve years ago today and unfortunately, I am the disappointment of all four children. Well that's what I thought until today. The truth is vague. All I know is my mother and father are not who they say they are. As I walk home. I wonder what mood my "mother" and "father" will be in this afternoon. I wince as I remember last night's phenomenon and the black, blue and purple bruising around my neck that is just visible from under my school shirt. The heavy heat of the Australian out back's sun makes me sluggish and slow resulting in arriving to their house 10 minutes late. I duck down to avoid being seen from the windows of the house. He will be in the living room or kitchen drinking beer and she will be at the gym. Most afternoons it is easy to sneak past the living quarters. I take my normal route, Crawling under the living and dinning room windows. Climbing up the giant mango tree, through the open window and into my small walk in wardrobe sized bedroom. I drop my bag on my matters that is always laying on my tiled floor with a small old lamp sitting next to it. At this point I have tried to guess their mood by the weather, date, Tv programs and the errands they ran today. I just pray I won't be belted or strangled in last night's case. I go to unlock my door but resist as I hear the three devils walking up the stairs. Emily, Taylar, Zoe. All returning to their normal sized rooms where they will pamper themselves with the best products money could buy. Only after I hear all three doors slam do I dare to unlock mine and ease it open an inch so the air conditioning from the hallway can fill my over heated bedroom. I had air conditioning once but that was when I was to young to walk and it was taken out a year after it was installed. They said a girl like me doesn't deserve such treasures. I pull out all my year 6 homework and see that I have two hours' worth of work to complete in thirty minutes. I try to speed through it, the scene replaying in my head if I didn't finish it on time. It happened once before; one black eye, one less tooth and a broken and blood nose later. I was sitting on a bus stop in the middle of winter in my summer school uniform, waiting for three am so I could collect my school bag and makeup from my room and walk to the public park toilets. As my old smashed watch nears 4:28 pm my body starts to shake subtly, my dark brown hair sticking to the sweat collecting on the back of my neck. Breathing becomes difficult, writing becomes difficult. The constant ring in my ears becomes unbearable and my vision clouds so tremendously that the words I am writing merge together. I finish the equation and scramble all my work together the pages crumbling as I shove them into my tiny black school bag. I jump up and dust myself off, taking out my hair from a knotted messy bun and ripping a brush through it at top speed. I shove my bag into the corner of my bedroom and glance at my watch 4:30 pm. Shit! I swing open my door and peek around the corner before exiting. One deep breath and I am in the kitchen. She is here. Her eyes the colour of a moonless night, stalking my every move waiting for one mistake. My mouth goes dry. I wont escape without a scratch, not tonight. Carefully I wash the dishes, trying not to make a mistake. But it slipped and as it hit the green tiles, shards of clear glass scattered across the kitchen floor. I catch a glimpse of the smirk that was gradually spreading across her face. My vision goes blurry in anticipation for what is to come. The sharp stabbing pain in my left ear telling me she is now beside me. Her warm breath in sends chills down my spine. My head is thrown forward at the impact of her punch and quickly jars back as she pulls my long straight hair. I wince as pain washes over me.

"Clean this up now the get out my house!" Her voice loud in my ear making it ring. She then continues to throw me forward on to the tiles. As she walks away, I look to see blood everywhere. I go to search my face and neck for the source but find my hands and knees covered in cuts from the shattered glass. I roughly sweep it up and sprint up stairs to grab my school and emergency backpack. Slipping out the window I start to climb down the tree but as I near the bottom I hear him barge into my room.