Silently Suffering
Story of how a young girls life changes after her mother dies of cancer!
Prologue:
Jenny and her older sister Louise walked quietly back to their step dad's flat, their quietness reflecting their moods that the past events had left them in. Jenny thought how she wished never to be separated from her sister from then onwards. In her head she pleaded, but she knew very well that this could never happen. Louise after all was going to uni next year. She had saved up the money and everything, she wasn't going to quit now just because her clingy little sister couldn't stand being on her own for a little while.
They both, deep in thought now walked side by side, listening to the only sound to be heard which was their feet clicking against the linoleum floor. After what had happened, after their mother had died a couple of days ago, nothing had ever seemed the same. They had had a few days off school but it had hardly made a difference on how they couldn't possibly get over that fact, even though she had had cancer for a while.
As they walked along the corridor they both nearly walked straight past their flat.
"Louise, we're here!" Jenny had to remind her older sister before she walked into a bunch of people going down in the lift.
"Oh yeah!"
Jenny sifted through her bag for their key only to find the door unlocked, which could only mean one thing. Martin was home, which for 5.00 in the afternoon was rather surprising. This broke them both from their trances and as Jenny slowly swung open the door they both looked through in anticipation.
On the table was an empty bottle of vodka and a glass, they looked up, and there were two boxes full of stuff. Their stuff! At that moment their step dad Martin, who had never particularly warmed to the two girls, came swaggering into the room hauling two rucksacks and luggage bags. The two girls were too shocked to say anything. They both just stood with their mouths open wide.
"Now your mother isn't here there is nothing stopping me from leaving. I'm not wasting my life here in this dump looking after two girls who I am not even related to when I could be in London having my own life!"
"What?" Louise just managed to blurt.
"Come on take your bags, you're going to live at your uncle's. With any luck I'm never going to see you again."
"Uncle James, mum's little brother?" Jenny said vaguely remembering the man
"Yes who else could it be you idiot!"
"I can't go there!" Louise seemed to state out of the blue.
"Why ever not?" Martin asked snidely.
"Remember Jenny, the scary uncle who used to beat us every time we did something bad?"
"Him?" Jenny asked in horror.
"I can't live there! Anyway you just want us to go and I'm nearly eighteen. I don't have to do what you say, and I'm going to my boyfriend Ronan's!"
"That maybe but she is only fifteen and has to do what I say!" He said pointing at Jenny.
"No Louise you can't leave me, come with me, I can't face him on my own!" Jenny pleaded.
The next thing Jenny knew she was alone in a taxi on the way to her uncle's house. Jenny was scared, tired and sad but dreaded what was in for her when she got there. She stared at the estate buildings as the taxi grinded to a halt.
"41 Terrace lane, Northwood estate." The taxi driver turned and waited for her to get out.
"Thanks!" She said as she paid the man, and dragged out her big bags on to the street. She had left the box behind because she couldn't carry it and besides, it was mostly old books and toys she never used.
The taxi then sped off as she turned to look at the small house. The streets seamed strangely quiet for an estate at 6.30. It had taken her a good twenty minutes to get there because it was on the other side of town. On the plus side she could walk to school instead of taking the bus.
Jenny slowly walked along the cement and stopped at the doorway, reluctant to ring the doorbell. But as she did she could hear her uncle complaining upstairs but not moving. It took her a few more rings until he came plodding down the stairs.
"All right, I'm coming!"
As he swung open the door and recognised the girl his face turned sour and angry and he dragged Jenny inside by the front of her shirt.
"YOU!" He said accusingly.
"You didn't look after my sister. And now she's dead and it's all your fault."
Her uncle James dragged her inside and pushed her up against the wall and slamming the front door shut. As he did so Jenny's head crashed against the corner of the filling cabinet behind her and she could feel the blood pouring out but he continued to bang her against the wall and yell insults.
"I trusted you and it's your fault she's dead! My Harriet is dead!"
"I'm sorry. I couldn't help it." Jenny whimpered helplessly.
"Yes you could've. You could've protected her from that swine Martin who dumped you ungrateful bitch on me!"
He punched Jenny hard in the stomach as she fell to the ground. She felt him kick her a few times but after that she drifted into a deep sleep. Whether he carried on beating her or dragged her up the stairs she could not tell. She could feel her head burning of pain and her back banging against wooden boxes but her body hurt so much that she just lay still and waited for the pain to stop. It didn't.
