It was midnight when my mother rushed into my room frantically pulling me out and shoving me under the bed.
"Listen to me Stephanie." She craddled my face in her hands. "I need you to hide under your bed and no matter what happens don't come out. You need to be as quiet as possible there are some bad men coming and if they find you they will hurt you." I nodded and followed her instructions. I could feel my mother frantically making my bed in an effort to make it appear as if no one had slept in it tonight. I could hear banging on the downstairs door and soon heard what sounded like the door being knocked off its hinges. My mother ran out of my room and I could hear distinct voices mixed in with my father's shouting. The door to my room shortly reopened.
"Where is she?" An unfamiliar voiced asked.
"We already told you, tonight she had a sleepover at a friend's house." My father calmy stated.
"Then I guess we'll have to go with the second persuasion plan." I heard a scuffle and then my mother's scream pierced the silence. I felt preasure on my back and the bed sheet infront of me became crimsom. My mother, it was my mother's blood. I bit my hand in an effort to hold in my scream, if they found me I was sure my blood would mix with hers.
"No!" My father screamed.
"Unless you have the boss' money we'll just have to go find that pretty little daughter of yours. How old is she? Fourteen? Perhaps we can have a little fun beforehand." I cringed at the thought of what they might do to me, if I was found. But money what money were they speaking of? As far as I knew my father never owed anyone money. It all clicked into place as to why my mother had asked me to hide. They were protecting me because they knew these bad people would use me against my father. With a hand over my mouth I sobbed and tears cascaded down my face.
"Please just give me a few more days. I can get you the money by tomorrow morning. Please I just need time!"
"The boss gave you plenty o' time. You either hand over the money now or we find yo' daughter at her little sleepover and slaughter them all."
"No please just tell him to give me until tomorrow morning." There was a silence and I thought that the man was considering it.
"Yo boss Mark here says he aint got yo money but want to know if you'll give him till tomorro mornin'." There was a short pause. "Yeah I understand boss, sorry to bother you." I heard the distinct sound of a cell phone being shut. "Boss said forget you he don't wanna deal with you no more." I heard the sound of a gun being cocked.
"No please no! I have jewelry of va-" he was cut off by the sound of a gun shot. I bit my hand again to hold in my scream.
"Are we going to go find the girl?" Another male voice asked.
"Nah boss said he don't wanna deal with this family no more. The girl got nothin' he wants, now let's go I could go for a burger and shake right now." I couldn't believe that the man had murdered my parents in cold blood was thinking about eating. What kind of heartless bastard was he? My mother's blood began to drip into a puddle, the puddle of blood edged close to me as I tried to move away from it, I hit my head on the metal foot of the bed and yelped. I was immediately yanked out from under.
"What do we have here? I though you were 'pose to be at a sleepover?" I felt as if I was staring into the devil's eyes when I saw the man's blue orbs. His eyes were an inhumane color of blue almost white. I tried to fight against him but he had me sucured by the base of my braid.
"Maybe now we can have that fun you were talking about Ralo." I shifted my gaze to the other man standing by the door. He was a direct contrast to the man that was infrong me. He had dark skin and the darkest brown eyes.
"Ya know that aint a bad idea." Ralo pulled me into him and began to kiss my neck. I felt so completely disgusted. I tried to push him away from me but it was no use. "This room's a little crowded, how 'bout we go next door." No, no, no I couldn't let this happen. I had been in my cotton nightgown when my mother showed up and I wished for once I would have chosen pajama pants. Despite my flailing and kicking Ralo easily transported me to the next room which was my parent's. He tossed me on the bed and climbed ontop of me. He roughly and forcefully kissed me while pulling up my nightgown. He began to touch me in places no one else had had before and from the corner of my eye I could see the other man undoing his pants. That's when I became more angry than scared. Just like every other girl I wanted my first time to be special with someone special. There was no way I would let these two take that away from me. I used up all my anger to deliver a painful kick to Ralo's groin. He immediately balled onto the floor in pain. I took this as my chance to escape and made for the door. Unfortunately I had temporarily forgotten about the other man until he stood infront of the door.
"Where do you think you're going sweetheart." I looked away from him and saw that Ralo was slowly standing up. He looked as if he was going to tear me to shreds. He quickly pulled out his gun and shot. Everything happened within a second, I heard the shot and felt it. I instictly put my hands to my abdomen and doubled over. I laid on the ground in the fetal position, wanting to scream but nothing came out.
"Let's go find somebody that will put out." Ralo said before crouching in front of me. "You shouldn't a done that. But now you get to feel my pain." He got up and stepped over me. "She'll be gone in a few hours, slow and painful."I could hear the bedroom door shutting and retreating footsteps. I was still paralyzed with fear and my abdomen was on fire. I laid there crying just waiting for death to take me but after a few minutes the pain subsided. I thought that I had finally crossed over and that was why my pain had gone away. I relalized that I was still in my parent's room and to confirm my injury I looked down at my hands. What I saw completely flabbergasted me. In my hand was a bullet, my nightgown had a hole the size of a bullet but there was no blood. I quickly lifted my nightgown to examine my stomach but there was nothing to prove that I had been the victim of a gun shot. I stood up unsure of what to do or what to think. The only thing I knew was that my parent's had been shot and they needed help. I didn't want to go back into my room to retrieve my cell phone. I knew I wouldn't be able to handle seeing their bodies. Instead I ran down the stairs out the front door to my next door neighboor.
"Please, open up I need help!" I pounded on their door while gazing behind me hopping that the thugs had left. Shortly after the door opened and I collapsed onto my neighbor Ms. Marshall.
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I tossed a white rose onto my mother's coffin after it was lowered in the pre-dug grave. My eyes were devoid of any tears. I had cried myself out and not only that but any thoughts and feelings of sadness were overcome by feelings of anger and thoughts of revenge. I had vowed that no matter how I would find my parent's murderes and take them out myself.
THE ORPHANAGE
"Stephanie will be well taken care of here I can assure you." I sat in front of woman who seemed to be in her early 50s and next to me was my social worker. Since I had no close relatives and no open foster homes the state decided to send me to the Oakbrook Home for Children. It was just a nicer way of saying an orphanage. The woman who was Headmistress Gloria analyzed me behind her spectacles. I already knew she was someone who would not take a liking to me. I tuned out the conversation about me that was taking place between Gloria and my social worker Gabby. As usual my thoughts were morbid, I imagined over and over again the different ways I would kill the bastard that killed my parents. Never before did I think I would be having these thoughts, I was always a good girl. Your classic nerdy girl who wore typical jeans and a hoodie and always had my hair in a messy ponytail. I was such a happy person, I had a good life and wonderful parents. But since the day my parents were murdered something inside of me snapped, I would never be able to think happy thoughts again I would never have my family again.
"You have my number, call me if you need anything." Gabby squeezed my shoulder and I nodded before she stepped out of the room. Soon after a youger woman showed me where I would be staying. Fortunately or unfortunately for me I was currently the only teenaged girl in the home. The rest were younger girls between 2 and 10 as the woman who showed me where I would be staying informed me. It was dark due to the lights being turned off, we had arrived late, something that the headmistress wasn't to happy about. I could see the rows of bunk beds all containing sleepings figures. I placed my pillow and blanket on my assigned cot and wondered if any of the other children had their parents murdered, before falling asleep.
The next morning when breakfast time arrived all of the girls were ushured to the cafeteria by Mary who was the woman I had met last night. I could see that there were a few teenage boys but most of them younger. There was one boy in particular who looked to be 16, when he caught me staring he winked and I scoweled. I grabbed my breakfast tray and sat at the corner of the farthest table. Immediately whispers began by the table's occupants and I zoned them out. I must have looked crazy to them. I had stopped caring about my appearance my hair was unkept and messy. My clothes were dark and I'm sure I gave off an aura of leave me alone or else! I picked at my food too busy thinking about the usual revenge, revenge, REVENGE! I was snapped out of my thoughts when the blonde boy from earlier took the seat in front of me.
"Hey my name is Tyler." He extended his hand for me to shake. I simply stared at it keeping a scowl on my face.
"What do you want?" I pretty much growled. The old shy me would have blushed and would have been flattered that a boy was talking to me.
"Just wanted to welcome you to Oakbrook and warn you that you must choose your alliances wisely here."
"I'm not looking for friends nor do I want any." I went back to picking my food.
"Alright, I'll give you some time to think about it." Was all he said before he walked away. The rest of the day was like attending any school, we had our lessons though we weren't divided by grade but by ages. I was in the 12-18 age group which only consisted of myself and the few teenage boys. Mary was our teacher and often stepped out of the room at the headmistresses call. During these times we were suppose to be reading silently I choose to doodle on my notebook instead. As I doodled it was snatched from me, I looked up to see Tyler flipping through the pages.
"Give that back!"
"Why, what are you doodling?" I didn't mind that he saw my doodles they were pointeless anyway. What I did mind was that he felt he could just take something of mine. No one would ever take anything that was mine again.
"I said give it back Tyler!" I tried to grasp it from his hand but he was a foot taller than me and simply dangled it in the air.
"Or what?" I was so infuriated by this point that I launched myself on him. I knocked him down and with one swipe of my hand I practically scratched his left cheek off. He screamed in pain and tried to push me off him. One of his friends held my arms as I prepared to take another swipe but I bit down hard on my captors arm. He backed off and so did everyone else not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. I was blinded by rage and wanted to kill him. Lucky for Tyler Mary walked in and pulled me by the waist off him.
"What's mine is mine!" I screamed at Tyler.
"I was only playing around with you." He said as he held his bleeding cheek close to tears.
I was now staring up at the ceiling of what they refered to as solitary confinement. I would be here for the next three days all day except for meals. I would be escorted to the lunch hall where I would be supervised as well like a common criminal. I knew there was no point in trying to explain what had taken place, they wouldn't see my side of things. Tyler sobbed like a child as he stated that I attacked him simply because he was trying to talk to me. I actually like it here, where I could plot and plan. If it wasn't for THEM I wouldn't be here right now. I must find them... I must kill them...
My thoughts drifted back to the memory of that day. After I had collapsed on Ms. Marshall I tried to explain through frantic sobs what had happened. She didn't hesistate to call the police who arrived within minutes with an ambulance. I sat on the front steps retelling the events to a police officer who was jotting everything down. I broke into another round of hysterics when I saw covered stretchers being carried out the front door. The police man had to hold me back to keep from running to their bodies. A detective told the police officer to take me to the station. He nodded and helped me to his squad car. Once we arrived at the station he handed me a blanket which I greatfully wrapped myself in.
"Do you have any family we can call?" he asked as he took a seat next to me at his desk. Officer Michael Anthony as his desk plate read.
"No, we have no family here. My parents immigrated from the Phillipines when I was four." He jotted this information down. "They shot me." I quickly stated, I thought I might as well get that all out there.
"I'm sorry what?"
"They shot me. They tried to rape me and when I put up a fight, they just shot me." His eyes frantically searched my body.
"Where? I don't see any-"
"I know and I don't understand." Tears sprung from my eyes again. "They shot me here." I stood up to show him the bullet hole in my dress. He looked flabbergasted unsure of what to say.
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I was on my last day of solitary confinement and currently sitting in the lunch hall under the watchfull eye of my caretaker. I haven't had much of an appetite but the chocolate muffins that they were giving out today was to much to resist. Mary came in looking frantic and made her way to my caretaker.
"Beth! We need your help someone has completely flooded the boys bathroom!" My caretaker wasted no time in following Marry out the door. Just as I was about to take a bite out my delicious muffin something caught my attention from the corner of my eye. Tyler and his croonies were picking on a boy. He was a scrawny little thing, no more than 12 with dirty blonde hair and glasses.
"Hey newbie." Tyler ruffled his hair. "There's something you should know, newbies always share their lunch." His croonies were already taking items from his tray. The boy grabbed his chocolate muffin and held it close to him. "Especially this." Tyler swiped the muffin from his hands and took a bite. The boy looked like he was close to tears. My blood boiled, I hate people like Tyler who thought they could just take whatever they pleased whenever they pleased. I stood to thrown the contents of my tray into the trash. I walked towards Tyler and the boy with my tray in one hand and my uneaten muffin in the other. I saw a glint of fear in Tyler's eyes as I approched. "What do you want?" I said nothing turned towards the boy and handed him my muffin. He looked unsure but I gave him a small smile and he took it. I turned my attention back to Tyler as he tried to decipher what I had just done. Of course monsters like him wouldn't undestand compassion. In a swift movement I raised my tray and hit him in the head so hard the plastic tray splinterred off into pieces. The whole lunch hall went silent, Tyler lay on the floor unmoving, wishing him dead was too much to hope for. Scum like him deserved to die. One of the other lunch room attendants quickly made his way over to me and dragged me to my cell. I fluffed up my pillow knowing that this would be my home for a while.