Raina's POV
Mother Gothel was the first in the car rider line as usual. She always made sure of it only to be absolutely positive that I would not have any free time to engage in conversation with any of my peers. She would put it, "I will not stand for you mixing in with any of those school crowds, you're enough trouble as it is without any influences. It's bad enough that you are allowed to sit with just any riffraff in the cafeteria."
I sighed and pushed through annoying students, who would only move if you touched them since they are so repelled by others. The other students are most commonly kind to me, until they find out that I am never allowed out of the house for any activities by Mother Gothel or when the old witch discovers any of my budding friendships and harasses them until they steer clear of me. This time it wasn't too hard, I seemed to be parting the crowd easily enough. That's when I noticed a shadow looming over me, following me in my footsteps on my way to Mother Gothel's expensive car, like a hawk stalking a mouse.
I peeked over my shoulder and realized it was only Christopher Bjorgman. He was always casted out of groups because he could never afford to be in them and most people were terrified to appraoch him anyways because of his strong build and tall frame. Everyone was whispering about his black eye today. The usual gossipers said that he beating up some thug the other day, but of course they had no clue.
Relieved it was only him and not a bully, I smiled and gave him my usual meek smile. However, to my horror, he began to walk beside me and talk to me. I could see Mother Gothel's face scowl.
"Hey, Raina! Oh, wait, is that your car?"
I nodded, hoping he would leave so as not to face the wrath of my wicked adoptive mother. He was such a kind person and I really wouldn't be able to stand it if he was victimized by that detestful hag. Unfortunately for him, he stayed beside me.
"Well, I guess since I'm going in basically the same direction, I can walk you on to your car."
I shook my head, "Oh, you really shouldn't, Mother- I mean, my mother doesn't like to see people, um, talking to me."
"Well, that's strange," was all he said, but he still didn't take my warning.
Mother Gothel pulled out of the line and parked in a visitor's spot. I gulped and looked at him nervously, I hoped he wouldn't hate me because of what was coming. I walked quicker, hoping that if I got straight into the car, she would leave it be.
He tried to strike up a casual conversation as we walked through the car rider line traffic, "I heard someone ended up in the nurse's office today. Any idea who?"
I quickened my pace and almost was hit by a car, "Um, no." The driver of the car honked their horn and yelled at me, I yelled back, "I'm sorry!"
I reached Mother Gothel's car and jumped in the front seat without so much as a goodbye to Christopher. Just as I hopped in, Mother Gothel hopped out and called to Christopher. He turned around as he was about to walk across the street with an innocent look on his face. I groaned and curled into a ball in the floor of the car, so nobody could see me.
I could hear her onslaught, "Who might you be, boy?"
"I am Christopher Bjorgman."
"Oh, so you're the mountain boy, are you not?"
I could hear the nervousness and confusion in his voice and I felt even more guilty if at all possible, "Um, I do live near a mountain, yes."
That's when she snapped. She talked about how little money he had and how he shouldn't be associating with me because he will give me a bad reputation and she called him trash. He would never speak to me again, I just knew it. Tomorrow, I don't even know if he would sit near me at the cafeteria table. That was how it always went for me, with any friend I've ever had.
The driver's door opened and there stood Mother Gothel with an almost pleasant- if not satisfied- look on her face. When she saw me she glowered and barked, "Get up off the floor, you filthy child!"
I quickly sat in my seat and pulled my seatbelt over my shoulder. In the distance I could see a head of blonde hair and slumped shoulders. My throat began to get sore and I felt like crying, how dare she try to destroy other people's feelings like this. However, I couldn't lose the game, if I cried she would win.
The whole ride home, I maintained a void stare out the window, ignoring her at all costs. I dared not even to acknowledge her condescending presence. This was a dangerous tactic, but it was the only thing I could do to strike back, whether she would hit me for it later or not.
When we reached Mother Gothel's miniature mansion, I ran up the many stairs to my room with my bookbag flapping against the back of my leg all the way up. My adoptive mother was a very rich woman, though I'm not sure how, and she had originally rented a small cottage on this land from The Chief, but eventually bought it out from him and built this mansion a while back.
I reached my room, the door leaning against the wall. Mother Gothel didn't want me to get any ideas of secrecy, so she had her handyman take it off its hinges.
Mother Gothel's voice trilled up the stairs, sounding happy as if she hadn't done a single abhorrent thing, "Raina, dear! I was just wondering when your training classes start?"
Since I am a senior who would like to go into the field of nursing, we have to take special nurse training classes. We get to go off campus and observe real people in their field. I was very excited, as this was the only thing Mother Gothel has encouraged me to do future-wise and it meant a longer day which meant less time with the witch of the house.
I shouted down the spiraled stairs, "Next Monday!"
"Oh, so soon? I hope you're ready!"
I flopped onto my bed and mumbled, "Of course I'm ready to get away from you."
Her cold voice at the door and made me jump, "Why is that?"
My heart felt like a racing horse and my throat was dry, I didn't ask how she got up the stairs so quickly, "I-I didn't mean it like that, I just meant to get started on my future."
She crossed her arms, towering over me with that fear inflicting glare, "For some reason, I feel like you are lying to me."
The closer she came to me, the farther I would scoot away on my bed, her voice became louder and I could tell what was about to happen, "I took you in and gave you everything you need, all I want from you is a little gratitude!"
I squeaked and Jumped off the bed, backing myself to a wall, "I am grateful, beyond words, I swear!"
She growled and stormed around the bed quicker than I could blink, "You lie!"
Mother Gothel struck the side of my head with her open palm. Her hand felt like lead as it brought a fog over my brain. The fog obscured my vision and disabled me from even crying out. The leaden hand's twin assaulted the other side of my head and I fell against the wall, sliding down it.
Her attack was shorter than the usual, but no less aggressive. When I looked into the dark pools of her eyes, I saw a glimmer. It was not the glimmer of a tear, but rather the glimmer of amusement, though the pout on her face told me that she was playing victim.
"Oh, Raina, dear. You know I hate doing this, playing the bad guy, but it just simply cannot be helped. Why do you make me hit you?"
Followed by the cool caress of a breeze, she floated out of my room and left me bruised on the floor. I groaned and sat up, my body aching and my face stinging.
I crawled into my bed curled into a ball underneath my blanket. I didn't want to check the damage, all I wanted to do was sleep, because I was so tired. My eyelids were already drooping and I fell asleep with the light on.
Swish. Thump. Clink.
Those were the sounds I heard when I rubbed my head and sat up, wincing through the pain. It was dark and someone had turned my light off. I knew it couldn't have been Mother Gothel because she would never care that much and her handyman doesn't come into the house unless instructed. So who could it be? Just then there was another swish.
It sounded like footsteps around my room and the swishing of pants covered legs as they brushed by each other. Another clink, like a glass hitting glass.
I grabbed the nearest hard item by my bed and at that particular moment, I was blinded. A violent white light hit my eyes and I ducked under my covers with my...bottle of lotion, I sighed, because that was helpful versus intruders. The blanket was ripped off of me and I gripped my bottle by the nob, ready to hit.
The intruder's flashlight was aimed around me rather than at me. I couldn't see anything of the intruder save the dark outline and a masculine hand gripping a frying pan. The frying pan was pointed at me and seemed to be a supposed weapon.
The shadowed intruder asked, his voice was somewhat charismatic and sarcastic, "Scream and I'll hit you with this very deadly weapon."
I jumped off my bed and held the lotion at arm's length from him, "Why are you here?"
The voice became almost whiney, "Oh, come on, I'm stealing from you obviously."
I forced my voice to come out as sternly as I could make it, which was a tad difficult, "Who are you?"
"Well that would defeat the whole purpose of the dark, wouldn't it, princess?"
I smirked and flipped the light switch on that I had shuffled to when I had jumped off the bed, "What darkness?"
He dropped his flashlight and blocked his eyes from the light, "Gah! You're blinding me!"
I dropped my lotion and grabbed my hairbrush, "What goes around, comes around, thief."
He blinked and lowered his hands, still keeping his frying pan ready in hand, well, I should say my frying pan, "So, blondie, you're big plan is to catch me in the light and hold me at hairbrush length?"
I stepped over the unspoken barrier and thwacked him on the head with my hard plastic hairbrush before he could react. I danced back on my toes to my side of the battlefield.
I studied his features as he rubbed his head and found him vaguely familiar. Sure I hadn't seen him with facial hair, I imagined him clean shaven and I gasped as I realized.
"Flynnigan?"
My old neighbor looked confused before his eyes widened and he dropped my frying pan, "Raina?"
He took a step closer to me, but I straightened my arm and gripped the hairbrush handle harder. It felt satisfying to think of the handle as his neck.
His tone was softer and he put his hands up to show he wasn't going to do anything, "This is where you live now?"
My tone was harsher than I intended, but I didn't mind, "Thanks to you."
He looked hurt and I would have smiled if I wouldn't have felt too evil about it. I couldn't be like Mother Gothel, smiling at other people's pain. That didn't mean I had to be nice, though.
I casually inquired, "How's dad?"
He looked at me with the first serious look, "Your father's gotten better, but you still can't go back there. Besides, isn't this place better? You don't have to handle his issues, worry about the bills he wasn't paying, you know where your food is coming from, isn't this so much better?"
My lower lip quivered and I tried to steady my shaky breathing, "I would rather take a hundred unpaid water and electric bills then live here."
He spread his arms, "Raina, you live in a mansion!"
All of a sudden he was right in front of me and my hairbrush was in his hand rather than mine I couldn't even pretend to understand how it happened, he looked concerned as he studied my face. I realized I hadn't had time to hide the bruises with makeup yet and I looked down, attempting to use my hair to cover them.
"What happened to your face?"
I mumbled, "Nothing."
He made me look at him, "That's not nothing, Raina. Is this why you hate it here? Be honest."
His voice was so gentle that I couldn't help but nod.
I looked into his eyes and pleaded, "You told on my legal guardian once, you could do it again, I could go back, I could leave-"
He looked away and interrupted, "I can't."
I backed away from him, feeling foolish yet somehow betrayed, I don't how it's possible to feel more betrayed, but I did, "W-why not?"
He rubbed his face and replied in a breathy voice, "I got into some trouble. It's best if I lay low for a while."
I crossed my arms, once again furious with him, "Oh, so thievery constitutes as laying low?"
"It's all I can do!"
I looked away from him, "I think you should leave, Flynn."
"Can you not spare me any food?"
My gaze pierced through him, if my eyes were lasers, he would be a crisp, "No. I'm going easy on you now, the next time you come here, or if you haven't left by the next five minutes, I will not hesitate to call the police."
He nodded, looking very much defeated. I didn't watch him leave, but I knew he would without any problems, and I could hear his light, sneaky footsteps all the way down the stairs and heard the soft sound of him closing of the front door.
That's when I let myself sink onto my bed in a puddle of tears and once again fall asleep with the lights on.
Today's song is I'm Wishing from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Thanks for reading!