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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Teens
- Theme: Love stories / Romance
- Subject: Courage / Heroism
- Published: 11/18/2015
Introduction
Her name was Angelica. It wasn't an unusual name. Nor did it mean anything out of the ordinary. But then again-her life was far from normal.
When her Mother died, killed by the man who was meant to be her Father, it got worse. She spent every hour of the day, terrified of what the so called 'Man' of the house could do. A mistake - that was what she was known as to her family. From the moment she was born, all the way to the present day. But she never understood why. Her Father was an angry man, she knew that. What she couldn't quite comprehend, was why this temper was always directed towards her. Because, you see, she wasn't the only child living under that monster's name.
Her twin sister, Cynder, should have been her best friend in the world. The one she could rely on to protect and watch over her. But instead, she was exactly like him. Every single bone in her body, was as rotten as their male descendant's. And who was always on the receiving end of it? None other than sweet little Angelica. The girl who never knew where she belonged. Until now.
Who knew that the world could be so unforgivable. A beautiful girl, left to survive only with the help of life support, continuously failing to respond to the people who care. And although this nightmare is over, one question still remains unanswered. How did this once troubled young girl, end up back in the situation she tried so hard to avoid. Soon, this question may be answered.
My name is Ash Rosen. And this is the story of my now broken angel.
Chapter 1-The beginning
''Angelica!''
That's where it all began. That single word. That tone of voice. That man.
''Angelica! Get down here you stupid girl!''
She spent a few moments, hiding under the haven of her bed sheets. She felt safe there. As safe as she could feel, living in the prison she was forced to call her home. But the feeling of safety never lasted long. It couldn't.
''I swear if you don't get your backside down here right now, I am going to kick your bedroom door in. Your lucky there was a lock on that door in the first place!''
Angelica closed her eyes, preventing any tears from forming. She pushed herself slowly off the bed, the bruises on her legs making it extremely difficult to gain any sort of balance. Whenever her Father had threatened to kick her down the stairs beforehand, any family members that were visiting, would be inclined to write this off as just a joke. But even the mere mention of this phrase, could cause shivers to run down her spine. Because, unlike the rest of her family, she knew how serious his threats could be.
She stepped down each individual step, being careful as to not cause any more pain to her legs. As she suspected, her Father was waiting for her at the bottom of the staircase. She knew that whatever speed she took to get down the stairs, would revoke the man's unbelievably short fuse. His arms were crossed into his chest, the look of disappointment aimed towards his unwanted offspring.
''Father'' Angelica acknowledged the man quietly. She lowered her head slightly, as if she was ordered to bow to him, whenever they spoke. Even the very feeling of her Father's gaze of her head, became ever more intimidating for her with each passing day. The older man continued to stare at Angelica. As far as he was concerned, she was a child that was never asked for in the first place. The kid that was delivered unexpectedly, after his only pride and joy had arrived into the world. He didn't even bother to name her. Instead he left it to their Mother. She was the happiest woman in the world, a Mother who didn't care whether she had one child or two. And that's why he made her life a misery. Every single day of their so called 'married life'.
''You took your time'' the man snapped, spitting his verbal venom at Angelica's face. The young girl recoiled, more in fear than in disgust. ''Get in that kitchen'' he latched onto her arm, virtually throwing her in the direction of the room. Her Father couldn't care less if he caused his youngest daughter any sort of injury. Because to him, Angelica was not his daughter.
She was greeted with an equally as disgusted look. But this time, it was from her sister. Cynder stared at her twin, watching as she limped towards the line of chairs. She didn't help her. Instead she just smiled in the satisfaction of her sisters pain. Unlike Angelica and their Mother, Cynder was exactly like her Father. Right down to the ice cold heart inside.
The matriarch marched swiftly into the room. He joined Cynder in watching his youngest daughter struggling to pull herself into one of the island stools. He took the opportunity to throw a nod in his favoured child's direction. After yet another couple minutes silence, he stabbed a kitchen knife into the chopping board, causing Angelica's body to tremble in fear.
''Right'' he began, keeping his hand wrapped firmly around the knife's handle. ''Things are going to change around here''. He pulled the knife up, pointing it towards Cynder. ''Firstly, your going to take more time studying and less time working. You need all the energy you can get, if you want to join University when your older.''
''Thanks Dad'' Cynder replied smugly, whipping her long ponytail to the side, so that she was able to whip the side of Angelica's face. Her Father smiled. That smile disappeared almost immediately disappeared, when the man turned to face Angelica. The girl continued to lower her head, still acting as though she was a slave in her own house. Because that's what she was. A slave.
''As for you'' The man spat, causing Angelica to twist the ends of her hair with her fingers. ''I expect you to up your game when it comes to your work. You have no prospects for the future, so you needn't bother trying to study. And when it comes to your sister chores, I'm sure you'll have no problem with doing twice as much work as you usually do. Am I right?''
''Yes, Father'' Angelica agreed, refusing to look the man straight in the eye. She had to agree, because otherwise she would be emotionally tortured until she did. Their Father returned the knife back to the rack, allowing Cynder to smirk vindictively in Angelica's direction. The young girl swallowed down the urge to cry, blinking away more tears that continued to form in her eyes.
''May I please return back to my room now, Father?'' she asked, keeping her voice as steady as possible, so that he wasn't able to spot her weakness.
''You might as well. I have no use for you here''
Angelica said a quiet thank you, before she began to walk slowly back up the stairs. Once she approached her bedroom, she walked through the door, pushing it back until she could hear the lock shut on. Sliding her back against the door, she fell in a heap onto the ground, closing her eyes in order to refuse herself to cry. She noticed the individual patterns, sketched into the wooden floorboards. Running her fingers across the detailed artwork, she began to reflect on her life to date. She guessed that her Mother was watching over her, because as of late she wasn't buried in the ground next to her. But even if she wasn't, she felt like it most days.
''This is all I am Mother. A slave.''
Chapter 2-Meeting you
The first half of every day would be spent cleaning. The other half left for a few moments rest, before being violently kicked awake by her Father's steel toed boots. Then, once she is finally able to relax in the comfort of her bed, the cycle begins all over again. And no matter how long she spends praying each night, nothing ever changed.
And then, that one moment arrived to change everything.
Angelica sat up in her room, nursing the many bruises that covered her body from the previous day. She lied awake that night, wondering if there was anyway to make her life different. If her Mother had still been alive. If she had the chance to escape with her girls, before she became trapped, would life had been better for them? Would Cynder have learnt to be more like Angelica and their Mother? Would Angel have been able to live life how she wanted?
The young girl knew not to dwell too long on her past. Cynder was already awake, meaning that her Father wouldn't be too long behind her. Angelica reached over to the familiar frame, that sat comfortably on her bedside cabinet. As far as she was concerned, this single photo was the only memoir left after her Mother's passing. Everything else had been burnt to a crisp by her Father, all those years ago. When other family members had inquired over her Mother's jewellery and clothes, the older man had simply stated that he had packed them away in a memory box for his daughters.
''How were they ever not able to see past his deceitfulness, Mother?'' Angelica asked the picture, with a quiet murmur so to not attract any unwanted attention, from outside her room. Both her Father and sister had ears much like a bats. They could hear nearly every word that would pass Angelica's lips. No matter how softly she spoke.
Angelica looked towards her bedroom window. The early morning sunrise, had projected a faint pink tint throughout the room, reflecting off the mirror hanging off the wall. She took the rest of the time she had left, to think more carefully about something that had no left her alone in the hours previous.
Her bedroom window was big. Big enough for a human to climb through, if they needed to. Angelica looked back to her Mother in the photo frame.
''If I was to escape now, would I be able to make it, Mother?''
Only silence met her question. As Angelica expected beforehand, she would have to work out the answer by herself. She could hear the faint sound of footsteps, retreating for the upstairs bathroom. Her Father had woken up minutes before, meaning that Angelica would be thrown out before too long. She silently began pleading with her Mother to answer. She couldn't work it out on her own. Since her Mother's death 8 years ago, she hadn't stepped one foot towards the outside world. Her Father kept her locked up, much like a caged animal, more or likely a direct cause of his disgust towards the young girl.
And now the 13 year old was going to do something, she had once thought impossible. She was going to leave. She was no longer going to be the slave, they all thought she was.
Angelica quickly pulled the picture out of the frame, shoving it carelessly, but still rather neatly, into one of her dress pockets. She'd momentarily decided against taking anything else with her. Her Father was a fast man. If whatever she carried slowed her down, she would be in trouble. Big trouble.
As she placed her foot on the windows ledge, she mentally thanked God for giving her the chance to leave. People would wonder why she she'd never escaped before. She had plenty of chances to do so, but she never had the courage to go against her Father's orders before. At the age of 13, she had gone to hell and back in order to survive. But looking at her Mother this one time, she now realised that she had lost her freedom when she got married. She had her freedom taken away from her. Angelica couldn't let that happen to her.
It took time, for Angelica to prepare herself to jump. And once she had, the feeling of excruciating pain, was quickly replaced by that of freedom. Angelica picked herself up off of the ground as quickly as she could. Her ankle had become twisted, from the impact of jumping two stories, but she couldn't stop. With all the energy she could muster, she pushed forward, trying her hardest to ignore how much pain she was in. The pathway she had ran down was in no way familiar, but nothing had been since the day she was locked away. It seemed as though the young girl had ran for miles, never once steering away from the one pathway she had stuck to the beginning. The path had taken her to what looked like a town centre of some sort. She had read about them in the previous years, but was never given the chance to see one in real life. The anxiety she had felt before, began to increase in intensity, as the many people surrounding her had taken to watching her limp pass them.
Angelica had continued to run forward, but took her eyes away from the path from time to time, to try and find somewhere that she could go an hide away. As a result of this distraction, she suddenly collided into the back on someone. She recoiled back, hitting her head roughly against the concrete floor. Her sight had been blurred, by the film of tears that welled up in her eyes. She could hear the sound of a young child's voice, but she was unable to give a proper answer at that given time. After a few moments silence, the child had moved over to hover above Angelica's body. She looked concern, but Angelica couldn't really tell if it was genuine. She'd never received any sort of concern in the past.
''Matilda, don't hover over her. I'm so sorry, are you alright?''
The other persons voice, caused the child to retreat away slightly. Angelica closed her eyes, before pushing herself up to rest on her elbow. Looking up in the direction of the voice, she was vaguely able to see what they looked like. The person who the voice belonged to, was male, seemingly around the same age as Angelica. He had dark brown hair, that partly stuck up in different directions. His eyes were a chocolate brown colour, covered by a few strands of hair that refused to stay up. He lowered his body down, trying to look straight into Angelica's eyes.
''Hey there, are you okay'' he asked, reaching his hand forward, to brush Angelica's forehead with his fingers. She responded only by shuffling away from him, only stopping as the light headed feeling ran through her entire body. By that point, quite a crowd had gathered, to watch as Angelica made continuously failed attempts to stand up. As she did so, the boys hand had moved forward again, this time preventing himself from touching any part of Angelica's face.
''Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to make sure that you're okay''
Angelica blinked away the tears, as she tried to calm her panicked breaths. She had to make sure beforehand that she wasn't dreaming, because this person hadn't tried to hurt her when they met. She had been brought up in an abusive atmosphere, but now she was facing a person that actually wanted to make sure that she wasn't hurt.
The young girl, who Angelia had gathered beforehand was named Matilda, had walked beside the boy again. She smiled down at Angelica, her face as gentle as she could remember her Mother's once being.
''What are we going to do, Ash?''
''Ash'' Angelica said to herself, watching as the boy smiled down at her. Her ankle began to throb slightly, causing Angelica to wince at the fact that she tried to move it before.
Ash beckoned Angelica to take his hand. After a few moments hesitation, she reached her own hand forward, allowing the weight of her upper body to shift to his arms. He smiled at her again, giving Angelica a unusual sense of peace and serenity. He pulled her up carefully, exchanging commands to his apparent younger sister, to help him support Angelica's injuries.
Once he verbally cleared the crowd of people, away from the scene playing before them, he took a step forward. Angelica followed alongside him, not knowing where she was going. But for some reason, she didn't care. Strangely enough, this Ash person didn't feel anything like her Father. With Ash, she felt different.
She felt protected. She felt safe.
Chapter 3-Waking up
Angelica awoke to a hand, placed firmly but gently against her forehead. She could hear the faint sound of a woman talking, in the far corner of the room. However at the time, she was unable to grasp exactly what she was saying, or who she was aiming the conversation to. Angelica tried to push herself up with the palm of her hands, but subsequently ended up falling back onto the pillows, placed conveniently beneath her.
''Whoa there, take it easy''
It was Ash. It had to be Ash. His voice was wracked with worry and concern for her, as she continuously made the effort to sit up, only to end up falling back down again. The woman had moved over to the other side of the room, crouching down beside Angelica. ''You're alright, darling. You're safe, nobody's going to hurt you here''. Angelica tried to sit up again, causing Ash to remove his hand from her head. She took in her surroundings. From what she could tell, with the lightheaded feeling still running through her body, she was in a house. Unlike the prison she'd been trapped in, the house was covered with photographs of family and friends. There was vase of fresh flowers placed in the corner, making the entire room smell fresh and clean, as opposed to the smell of condensation she'd grown up with. As she continued to look around, she noticed that she was laying on one of the sofas, with a fluffy pink blanket draped over the lower part of her body.
Angelica managed to pull herself up with the arm of the sofa, resting her back against the mass of pillows behind her. Ash sat back on the chair he had placed next to her. He looked a little less worried than he did before. The woman ran her hand through Ash's hair, making Angelica feel slightly more nervous. Whenever her Father touched her hair, it usually meant that he would hit her around the head at some point. And it was because of this, that she was unable to trust anyone straight away.
''I think she's going to be okay, Ash. Are you feeling better, sweetheart?''
Angelica swallowed down the fear building up inside her. Because she was away from her Father and sister, she felt relieved. But she didn't know who Ash and the woman were. And she had to be careful to not make a wrong judgement too soon.
''May I ask where I am?'' Angelica said, trying but failing to prevent herself from shaking as she spoke. The woman smiled down at her, taking her hand away from Ash's hair.
''You're in our house, sweetheart. Ash and Matilda brought you back from the town centre.''
Angelica nodded her head slowly, looking over to Ash as she did. She gave her a polite smile, making her feel even more safer than she did before. All of a sudden, Matilda came bounding into the room. She catapulted herself onto the sofa, accidently knocking Angelica's ankle as she sat down. ''Ow'' Angelica winced quietly, pulling her leg back towards the rest of her body. Ash rolled his eyes, before walking over and picking Matilda up into his arms. She clearly felt as though she was too old, to be treat like a baby. Her leg kicking and finger scratching made that clear. Ash sat back down on his chair, causing Matilda to be forced to sit crossed legged on his lap.
''Sorry, Matilda's a bit too energetic for her own good.'' Ash said, placing a hand on top of Matilda's head. It was Angelica's turn to smile slightly, as she shifted her body to face Ash head on. Ash's Mother silently gestured towards the kitchen, leaving the room as she did.
''So, are you feeling any better?'' Ash began, allowing Matilda to jump of his lap and follow their Mother out of the room.
''I am feeling a little bit better, thank you for asking. And thank you for taking me into your lovely home''. Angelica held one of the pillows to her chest, still feeling as though she needed some sort of protection. Ash gave her a sympathetic smile. He could tell that she wasn't used to other people's company. Especially if these other people were complete strangers to her.
''You're very welcome. My name's Ash Rosen by the way.''
Angelica loosened her grip on the pillow. Ash seemed caring. More caring than anyone else she had grown up around. With the exception of her Mother, of course. ''May I ask what your name is?'' Ash asked moving the chair in order to get more comfortable. Angelica bit the inside of her lip in hesitation. After a few moments of admittedly uncomfortable silence, she finally felt as though it was an appropriate time to respond.
''My name is Angelica''
''Angelica'' Ash repeated the name to himself, much like Angelica did when they first met. She felt the unfamiliar sense, that she was welcome in his home. Ash was very polite to her, and he obviously cared enough to look after her. Ash stood up from his chair, deciding to instead sit right next to Angelica on the sofa. She turned her body to face him, still feeling the throbbing sensation coming from her ankle.
''That's a very nice name. Angelica''
''Thank you very much''
''I was wondering earlier'' Ash began the conversation again, running a hand through his messy brown hair. ''Do you remember how you hurt your ankle?''
Angelica closed her eyes. She'd only known Ash for the hour that she was awake for. He didn't need to know about her whole past at that time. The bruises that she had, were luckily covered by her clothing, so it wasn't necessary for her to tell him the whole story. Yet.
''I can't really remember what happened to me. I'm sorry if I'm not able to tell you anything right now.''
Ash smiled again. He then looked towards the clock on the wall, squinting his eyes in an attempt to read the exact time. ''Its getting a little late. We should let your parents know where you are. Their probably starting to get really worried about you.''
Angelica felt a tear run down her cheek. She didn't know how to explain everything to him. Too much had happened to her. For him to understand her situation, would be a miracle. Ash noticed the tear, rolling down the side of the girl's face. He reached his hand up to brush her cheek. ''Hey, no, please don't cry. Angelica, we need to let your parents know that you're okay.''
''I don't want him to find me''
''You don't want him to find you? Who's him?''
''Father''
''You don't want your Father to find you?''
Angelica was unable to continue. The tears had overcome her, as she buried her head in the pillow ,choking on her ragged breaths. Ash wrapped his arms around her, resting his face against her hair.
''Angelica?''
She answered with a sniff, that was muffled mostly by the pillow. Ash pulled away slightly, leaving his hand resting on her back.
''Angelica, what happened to you?''
''Do you really want to know, Ash?''
''Of course I do. I want to help you, Angelica''
Angelica breathed in, bracing herself for the big conversation she would have to have at some point. She brought her head up from the pillow, twisting her body in order to look at Ash with her bloodshot eyes.
''Alright. If you really want to know ,then I will tell you. I will tell you what happened to me.''
Broken Angel(Mika-Ray)
Introduction
Her name was Angelica. It wasn't an unusual name. Nor did it mean anything out of the ordinary. But then again-her life was far from normal.
When her Mother died, killed by the man who was meant to be her Father, it got worse. She spent every hour of the day, terrified of what the so called 'Man' of the house could do. A mistake - that was what she was known as to her family. From the moment she was born, all the way to the present day. But she never understood why. Her Father was an angry man, she knew that. What she couldn't quite comprehend, was why this temper was always directed towards her. Because, you see, she wasn't the only child living under that monster's name.
Her twin sister, Cynder, should have been her best friend in the world. The one she could rely on to protect and watch over her. But instead, she was exactly like him. Every single bone in her body, was as rotten as their male descendant's. And who was always on the receiving end of it? None other than sweet little Angelica. The girl who never knew where she belonged. Until now.
Who knew that the world could be so unforgivable. A beautiful girl, left to survive only with the help of life support, continuously failing to respond to the people who care. And although this nightmare is over, one question still remains unanswered. How did this once troubled young girl, end up back in the situation she tried so hard to avoid. Soon, this question may be answered.
My name is Ash Rosen. And this is the story of my now broken angel.
Chapter 1-The beginning
''Angelica!''
That's where it all began. That single word. That tone of voice. That man.
''Angelica! Get down here you stupid girl!''
She spent a few moments, hiding under the haven of her bed sheets. She felt safe there. As safe as she could feel, living in the prison she was forced to call her home. But the feeling of safety never lasted long. It couldn't.
''I swear if you don't get your backside down here right now, I am going to kick your bedroom door in. Your lucky there was a lock on that door in the first place!''
Angelica closed her eyes, preventing any tears from forming. She pushed herself slowly off the bed, the bruises on her legs making it extremely difficult to gain any sort of balance. Whenever her Father had threatened to kick her down the stairs beforehand, any family members that were visiting, would be inclined to write this off as just a joke. But even the mere mention of this phrase, could cause shivers to run down her spine. Because, unlike the rest of her family, she knew how serious his threats could be.
She stepped down each individual step, being careful as to not cause any more pain to her legs. As she suspected, her Father was waiting for her at the bottom of the staircase. She knew that whatever speed she took to get down the stairs, would revoke the man's unbelievably short fuse. His arms were crossed into his chest, the look of disappointment aimed towards his unwanted offspring.
''Father'' Angelica acknowledged the man quietly. She lowered her head slightly, as if she was ordered to bow to him, whenever they spoke. Even the very feeling of her Father's gaze of her head, became ever more intimidating for her with each passing day. The older man continued to stare at Angelica. As far as he was concerned, she was a child that was never asked for in the first place. The kid that was delivered unexpectedly, after his only pride and joy had arrived into the world. He didn't even bother to name her. Instead he left it to their Mother. She was the happiest woman in the world, a Mother who didn't care whether she had one child or two. And that's why he made her life a misery. Every single day of their so called 'married life'.
''You took your time'' the man snapped, spitting his verbal venom at Angelica's face. The young girl recoiled, more in fear than in disgust. ''Get in that kitchen'' he latched onto her arm, virtually throwing her in the direction of the room. Her Father couldn't care less if he caused his youngest daughter any sort of injury. Because to him, Angelica was not his daughter.
She was greeted with an equally as disgusted look. But this time, it was from her sister. Cynder stared at her twin, watching as she limped towards the line of chairs. She didn't help her. Instead she just smiled in the satisfaction of her sisters pain. Unlike Angelica and their Mother, Cynder was exactly like her Father. Right down to the ice cold heart inside.
The matriarch marched swiftly into the room. He joined Cynder in watching his youngest daughter struggling to pull herself into one of the island stools. He took the opportunity to throw a nod in his favoured child's direction. After yet another couple minutes silence, he stabbed a kitchen knife into the chopping board, causing Angelica's body to tremble in fear.
''Right'' he began, keeping his hand wrapped firmly around the knife's handle. ''Things are going to change around here''. He pulled the knife up, pointing it towards Cynder. ''Firstly, your going to take more time studying and less time working. You need all the energy you can get, if you want to join University when your older.''
''Thanks Dad'' Cynder replied smugly, whipping her long ponytail to the side, so that she was able to whip the side of Angelica's face. Her Father smiled. That smile disappeared almost immediately disappeared, when the man turned to face Angelica. The girl continued to lower her head, still acting as though she was a slave in her own house. Because that's what she was. A slave.
''As for you'' The man spat, causing Angelica to twist the ends of her hair with her fingers. ''I expect you to up your game when it comes to your work. You have no prospects for the future, so you needn't bother trying to study. And when it comes to your sister chores, I'm sure you'll have no problem with doing twice as much work as you usually do. Am I right?''
''Yes, Father'' Angelica agreed, refusing to look the man straight in the eye. She had to agree, because otherwise she would be emotionally tortured until she did. Their Father returned the knife back to the rack, allowing Cynder to smirk vindictively in Angelica's direction. The young girl swallowed down the urge to cry, blinking away more tears that continued to form in her eyes.
''May I please return back to my room now, Father?'' she asked, keeping her voice as steady as possible, so that he wasn't able to spot her weakness.
''You might as well. I have no use for you here''
Angelica said a quiet thank you, before she began to walk slowly back up the stairs. Once she approached her bedroom, she walked through the door, pushing it back until she could hear the lock shut on. Sliding her back against the door, she fell in a heap onto the ground, closing her eyes in order to refuse herself to cry. She noticed the individual patterns, sketched into the wooden floorboards. Running her fingers across the detailed artwork, she began to reflect on her life to date. She guessed that her Mother was watching over her, because as of late she wasn't buried in the ground next to her. But even if she wasn't, she felt like it most days.
''This is all I am Mother. A slave.''
Chapter 2-Meeting you
The first half of every day would be spent cleaning. The other half left for a few moments rest, before being violently kicked awake by her Father's steel toed boots. Then, once she is finally able to relax in the comfort of her bed, the cycle begins all over again. And no matter how long she spends praying each night, nothing ever changed.
And then, that one moment arrived to change everything.
Angelica sat up in her room, nursing the many bruises that covered her body from the previous day. She lied awake that night, wondering if there was anyway to make her life different. If her Mother had still been alive. If she had the chance to escape with her girls, before she became trapped, would life had been better for them? Would Cynder have learnt to be more like Angelica and their Mother? Would Angel have been able to live life how she wanted?
The young girl knew not to dwell too long on her past. Cynder was already awake, meaning that her Father wouldn't be too long behind her. Angelica reached over to the familiar frame, that sat comfortably on her bedside cabinet. As far as she was concerned, this single photo was the only memoir left after her Mother's passing. Everything else had been burnt to a crisp by her Father, all those years ago. When other family members had inquired over her Mother's jewellery and clothes, the older man had simply stated that he had packed them away in a memory box for his daughters.
''How were they ever not able to see past his deceitfulness, Mother?'' Angelica asked the picture, with a quiet murmur so to not attract any unwanted attention, from outside her room. Both her Father and sister had ears much like a bats. They could hear nearly every word that would pass Angelica's lips. No matter how softly she spoke.
Angelica looked towards her bedroom window. The early morning sunrise, had projected a faint pink tint throughout the room, reflecting off the mirror hanging off the wall. She took the rest of the time she had left, to think more carefully about something that had no left her alone in the hours previous.
Her bedroom window was big. Big enough for a human to climb through, if they needed to. Angelica looked back to her Mother in the photo frame.
''If I was to escape now, would I be able to make it, Mother?''
Only silence met her question. As Angelica expected beforehand, she would have to work out the answer by herself. She could hear the faint sound of footsteps, retreating for the upstairs bathroom. Her Father had woken up minutes before, meaning that Angelica would be thrown out before too long. She silently began pleading with her Mother to answer. She couldn't work it out on her own. Since her Mother's death 8 years ago, she hadn't stepped one foot towards the outside world. Her Father kept her locked up, much like a caged animal, more or likely a direct cause of his disgust towards the young girl.
And now the 13 year old was going to do something, she had once thought impossible. She was going to leave. She was no longer going to be the slave, they all thought she was.
Angelica quickly pulled the picture out of the frame, shoving it carelessly, but still rather neatly, into one of her dress pockets. She'd momentarily decided against taking anything else with her. Her Father was a fast man. If whatever she carried slowed her down, she would be in trouble. Big trouble.
As she placed her foot on the windows ledge, she mentally thanked God for giving her the chance to leave. People would wonder why she she'd never escaped before. She had plenty of chances to do so, but she never had the courage to go against her Father's orders before. At the age of 13, she had gone to hell and back in order to survive. But looking at her Mother this one time, she now realised that she had lost her freedom when she got married. She had her freedom taken away from her. Angelica couldn't let that happen to her.
It took time, for Angelica to prepare herself to jump. And once she had, the feeling of excruciating pain, was quickly replaced by that of freedom. Angelica picked herself up off of the ground as quickly as she could. Her ankle had become twisted, from the impact of jumping two stories, but she couldn't stop. With all the energy she could muster, she pushed forward, trying her hardest to ignore how much pain she was in. The pathway she had ran down was in no way familiar, but nothing had been since the day she was locked away. It seemed as though the young girl had ran for miles, never once steering away from the one pathway she had stuck to the beginning. The path had taken her to what looked like a town centre of some sort. She had read about them in the previous years, but was never given the chance to see one in real life. The anxiety she had felt before, began to increase in intensity, as the many people surrounding her had taken to watching her limp pass them.
Angelica had continued to run forward, but took her eyes away from the path from time to time, to try and find somewhere that she could go an hide away. As a result of this distraction, she suddenly collided into the back on someone. She recoiled back, hitting her head roughly against the concrete floor. Her sight had been blurred, by the film of tears that welled up in her eyes. She could hear the sound of a young child's voice, but she was unable to give a proper answer at that given time. After a few moments silence, the child had moved over to hover above Angelica's body. She looked concern, but Angelica couldn't really tell if it was genuine. She'd never received any sort of concern in the past.
''Matilda, don't hover over her. I'm so sorry, are you alright?''
The other persons voice, caused the child to retreat away slightly. Angelica closed her eyes, before pushing herself up to rest on her elbow. Looking up in the direction of the voice, she was vaguely able to see what they looked like. The person who the voice belonged to, was male, seemingly around the same age as Angelica. He had dark brown hair, that partly stuck up in different directions. His eyes were a chocolate brown colour, covered by a few strands of hair that refused to stay up. He lowered his body down, trying to look straight into Angelica's eyes.
''Hey there, are you okay'' he asked, reaching his hand forward, to brush Angelica's forehead with his fingers. She responded only by shuffling away from him, only stopping as the light headed feeling ran through her entire body. By that point, quite a crowd had gathered, to watch as Angelica made continuously failed attempts to stand up. As she did so, the boys hand had moved forward again, this time preventing himself from touching any part of Angelica's face.
''Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to make sure that you're okay''
Angelica blinked away the tears, as she tried to calm her panicked breaths. She had to make sure beforehand that she wasn't dreaming, because this person hadn't tried to hurt her when they met. She had been brought up in an abusive atmosphere, but now she was facing a person that actually wanted to make sure that she wasn't hurt.
The young girl, who Angelia had gathered beforehand was named Matilda, had walked beside the boy again. She smiled down at Angelica, her face as gentle as she could remember her Mother's once being.
''What are we going to do, Ash?''
''Ash'' Angelica said to herself, watching as the boy smiled down at her. Her ankle began to throb slightly, causing Angelica to wince at the fact that she tried to move it before.
Ash beckoned Angelica to take his hand. After a few moments hesitation, she reached her own hand forward, allowing the weight of her upper body to shift to his arms. He smiled at her again, giving Angelica a unusual sense of peace and serenity. He pulled her up carefully, exchanging commands to his apparent younger sister, to help him support Angelica's injuries.
Once he verbally cleared the crowd of people, away from the scene playing before them, he took a step forward. Angelica followed alongside him, not knowing where she was going. But for some reason, she didn't care. Strangely enough, this Ash person didn't feel anything like her Father. With Ash, she felt different.
She felt protected. She felt safe.
Chapter 3-Waking up
Angelica awoke to a hand, placed firmly but gently against her forehead. She could hear the faint sound of a woman talking, in the far corner of the room. However at the time, she was unable to grasp exactly what she was saying, or who she was aiming the conversation to. Angelica tried to push herself up with the palm of her hands, but subsequently ended up falling back onto the pillows, placed conveniently beneath her.
''Whoa there, take it easy''
It was Ash. It had to be Ash. His voice was wracked with worry and concern for her, as she continuously made the effort to sit up, only to end up falling back down again. The woman had moved over to the other side of the room, crouching down beside Angelica. ''You're alright, darling. You're safe, nobody's going to hurt you here''. Angelica tried to sit up again, causing Ash to remove his hand from her head. She took in her surroundings. From what she could tell, with the lightheaded feeling still running through her body, she was in a house. Unlike the prison she'd been trapped in, the house was covered with photographs of family and friends. There was vase of fresh flowers placed in the corner, making the entire room smell fresh and clean, as opposed to the smell of condensation she'd grown up with. As she continued to look around, she noticed that she was laying on one of the sofas, with a fluffy pink blanket draped over the lower part of her body.
Angelica managed to pull herself up with the arm of the sofa, resting her back against the mass of pillows behind her. Ash sat back on the chair he had placed next to her. He looked a little less worried than he did before. The woman ran her hand through Ash's hair, making Angelica feel slightly more nervous. Whenever her Father touched her hair, it usually meant that he would hit her around the head at some point. And it was because of this, that she was unable to trust anyone straight away.
''I think she's going to be okay, Ash. Are you feeling better, sweetheart?''
Angelica swallowed down the fear building up inside her. Because she was away from her Father and sister, she felt relieved. But she didn't know who Ash and the woman were. And she had to be careful to not make a wrong judgement too soon.
''May I ask where I am?'' Angelica said, trying but failing to prevent herself from shaking as she spoke. The woman smiled down at her, taking her hand away from Ash's hair.
''You're in our house, sweetheart. Ash and Matilda brought you back from the town centre.''
Angelica nodded her head slowly, looking over to Ash as she did. She gave her a polite smile, making her feel even more safer than she did before. All of a sudden, Matilda came bounding into the room. She catapulted herself onto the sofa, accidently knocking Angelica's ankle as she sat down. ''Ow'' Angelica winced quietly, pulling her leg back towards the rest of her body. Ash rolled his eyes, before walking over and picking Matilda up into his arms. She clearly felt as though she was too old, to be treat like a baby. Her leg kicking and finger scratching made that clear. Ash sat back down on his chair, causing Matilda to be forced to sit crossed legged on his lap.
''Sorry, Matilda's a bit too energetic for her own good.'' Ash said, placing a hand on top of Matilda's head. It was Angelica's turn to smile slightly, as she shifted her body to face Ash head on. Ash's Mother silently gestured towards the kitchen, leaving the room as she did.
''So, are you feeling any better?'' Ash began, allowing Matilda to jump of his lap and follow their Mother out of the room.
''I am feeling a little bit better, thank you for asking. And thank you for taking me into your lovely home''. Angelica held one of the pillows to her chest, still feeling as though she needed some sort of protection. Ash gave her a sympathetic smile. He could tell that she wasn't used to other people's company. Especially if these other people were complete strangers to her.
''You're very welcome. My name's Ash Rosen by the way.''
Angelica loosened her grip on the pillow. Ash seemed caring. More caring than anyone else she had grown up around. With the exception of her Mother, of course. ''May I ask what your name is?'' Ash asked moving the chair in order to get more comfortable. Angelica bit the inside of her lip in hesitation. After a few moments of admittedly uncomfortable silence, she finally felt as though it was an appropriate time to respond.
''My name is Angelica''
''Angelica'' Ash repeated the name to himself, much like Angelica did when they first met. She felt the unfamiliar sense, that she was welcome in his home. Ash was very polite to her, and he obviously cared enough to look after her. Ash stood up from his chair, deciding to instead sit right next to Angelica on the sofa. She turned her body to face him, still feeling the throbbing sensation coming from her ankle.
''That's a very nice name. Angelica''
''Thank you very much''
''I was wondering earlier'' Ash began the conversation again, running a hand through his messy brown hair. ''Do you remember how you hurt your ankle?''
Angelica closed her eyes. She'd only known Ash for the hour that she was awake for. He didn't need to know about her whole past at that time. The bruises that she had, were luckily covered by her clothing, so it wasn't necessary for her to tell him the whole story. Yet.
''I can't really remember what happened to me. I'm sorry if I'm not able to tell you anything right now.''
Ash smiled again. He then looked towards the clock on the wall, squinting his eyes in an attempt to read the exact time. ''Its getting a little late. We should let your parents know where you are. Their probably starting to get really worried about you.''
Angelica felt a tear run down her cheek. She didn't know how to explain everything to him. Too much had happened to her. For him to understand her situation, would be a miracle. Ash noticed the tear, rolling down the side of the girl's face. He reached his hand up to brush her cheek. ''Hey, no, please don't cry. Angelica, we need to let your parents know that you're okay.''
''I don't want him to find me''
''You don't want him to find you? Who's him?''
''Father''
''You don't want your Father to find you?''
Angelica was unable to continue. The tears had overcome her, as she buried her head in the pillow ,choking on her ragged breaths. Ash wrapped his arms around her, resting his face against her hair.
''Angelica?''
She answered with a sniff, that was muffled mostly by the pillow. Ash pulled away slightly, leaving his hand resting on her back.
''Angelica, what happened to you?''
''Do you really want to know, Ash?''
''Of course I do. I want to help you, Angelica''
Angelica breathed in, bracing herself for the big conversation she would have to have at some point. She brought her head up from the pillow, twisting her body in order to look at Ash with her bloodshot eyes.
''Alright. If you really want to know ,then I will tell you. I will tell you what happened to me.''
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