In a single swoop both fists buried themselves against her collar bone, swallowing handful after handful of her shirt. Slammed against a plain white wall she is lifted, just barely off the floor. Whole body vibrating, her mother's lungs were pushing everything they could past her vocal cords creating one of the most familiar sounds the girl would ever come to know - her mother's screams. Eyes closed tight, the girl was trying to understand, wishing she could remember what she did to make her mother so angry. The vice grip released and she was thrust to the side, banished to a room at the back of the duplex. The room had a small balcony hanging off it like a dirty blanket.
The girls own chest was curling up into a ball inside of her. Fiery tears immediately slashing a wet path down her face. Her heart pounding incredibly as she stared out the window and down the street. Her body caught on to the idea before her mind did. She was going to run. She could make it. She could run.
To her left, a second bedroom also opened to the balcony. Beady little eyes peered out above the bottom of the window watching her. She knew her little sister would tell on her. Still, she found herself pleading anyway, and still, like any little runt of a sibling would do - her little sister lied and promised not to tell.
With a deep breath the girl jumped from the one and a half story balcony and ran. Oh my god she ran. Overwhelmed with fear and knowing that her little sister was at that very moment telling on her, adrenaline only heightened the terrified sensation already blanketing her from the inside out. It was as though a vicious dog had caught glimpse of her and was taking chase. There was no one on her heels, but it didn't feel like that at all. Everything in her was running... body and mind. She arrived at a dirty worn down strip mall several blocks away and found the first pay phone she could. Clutching the receiver she dialed her Aunt.
Safely at her Aunt's house, the girl sat in the corner of a wide open front room buried down in an oversized lazyboy chair. As though a terrible gust of wind - her mother shot through the front door and the girl's heart shot into her throat lodging itself there as a lump. Without pause her mother shouted out her full name followed by "get your ass in the car now." The girl's Uncle appeared from the kitchen and stood at the top of the stairs like a warrior. "No," he said. Frozen with dread, the girl watched the back and forth. "Calm down" he demanded. "She's my daughter," the mother blasted, "don't tell me how to mother my child!" "You're upset, you need time to calm down," her Uncle continued.
Through the bars of the railing which separated the upstairs from the entrance of the house where her mother was, the girl caught her mother's eye. Like a tiger in a cage, her mother paced with a deadly gaze. Enraged, but trapped. Furious, but behind bars. The girl wanted so badly to smile, she could feel it surfacing. But just as quickly she felt it sink right back down. Her mother's locked on gaze pierced through the whole escapade of running away and reality hit. She couldn't hide behind her Aunt & Uncle forever and when she did come home... there would be hell to pay.
The girls own chest was curling up into a ball inside of her. Fiery tears immediately slashing a wet path down her face. Her heart pounding incredibly as she stared out the window and down the street. Her body caught on to the idea before her mind did. She was going to run. She could make it. She could run.
To her left, a second bedroom also opened to the balcony. Beady little eyes peered out above the bottom of the window watching her. She knew her little sister would tell on her. Still, she found herself pleading anyway, and still, like any little runt of a sibling would do - her little sister lied and promised not to tell.
With a deep breath the girl jumped from the one and a half story balcony and ran. Oh my god she ran. Overwhelmed with fear and knowing that her little sister was at that very moment telling on her, adrenaline only heightened the terrified sensation already blanketing her from the inside out. It was as though a vicious dog had caught glimpse of her and was taking chase. There was no one on her heels, but it didn't feel like that at all. Everything in her was running... body and mind. She arrived at a dirty worn down strip mall several blocks away and found the first pay phone she could. Clutching the receiver she dialed her Aunt.
Safely at her Aunt's house, the girl sat in the corner of a wide open front room buried down in an oversized lazyboy chair. As though a terrible gust of wind - her mother shot through the front door and the girl's heart shot into her throat lodging itself there as a lump. Without pause her mother shouted out her full name followed by "get your ass in the car now." The girl's Uncle appeared from the kitchen and stood at the top of the stairs like a warrior. "No," he said. Frozen with dread, the girl watched the back and forth. "Calm down" he demanded. "She's my daughter," the mother blasted, "don't tell me how to mother my child!" "You're upset, you need time to calm down," her Uncle continued.
Through the bars of the railing which separated the upstairs from the entrance of the house where her mother was, the girl caught her mother's eye. Like a tiger in a cage, her mother paced with a deadly gaze. Enraged, but trapped. Furious, but behind bars. The girl wanted so badly to smile, she could feel it surfacing. But just as quickly she felt it sink right back down. Her mother's locked on gaze pierced through the whole escapade of running away and reality hit. She couldn't hide behind her Aunt & Uncle forever and when she did come home... there would be hell to pay.
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