Sometimes I think he wants me to die, like mom did. Everyday I wake up not knowing what's going to happen, not knowing if iI'll survive. Nick always drinks, all day long. I have those short moments of piece when he goes out to get more to drink.
That's how mom died.
Thirteen year-old Marley Rose is helping her mother, Millie, throw her clothes and a few belongings in a bag.
"Mom, where are we going to go?"
"I don't know Marley, but we are going to figure it out."
"I trust you, mom."
"Marley, I'm so sorry we've had to live like this. After your father died, I needed someone. But, Nick he trapped us in this hell and I will do anything in my power to make sure we get out. Everything will be better."
"Okay." Marley gave her mom a hug and continued to put things in the bags.
"We have to hurry before he gets ba-"
"Millie, get in here!" Millie's face turned to one of pure horror as she turned towards her daughter.
"I'll be back." Millie walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Marley walked up to it and listened as closely as she could.
"Where the hell is dinner?"
"I wasn't expecting you until later."
"Yeah, well you should have made something." Nick's hand collided with Millie's face and it was so powerful that Marley heard it from her room. "Now you know to have dinner ready, don't you? Where's that bastard daughter of yours?"
"Don't you lay a hand on her!" Millie started walking towards him.
"Yeah? Or what?"
"We'll leave."
"You'll leave." Nick let out a humorless and dark laugh.
"You have no where to go, no one to go to. You'll die out there."
"No we won't. We're leaving." Millie tried to walk past him but he blocked her.
"You aren't going anywhere."
Punch in the face.
"You can't do anything without me!"
Punch in the head.
"I'm all you have!" Millie falls to the ground.
Kick to the stomach.
"I. Will. Kill. You."
Kick to the head.
Marley opens the door slightly only to see her mother bloody and broken. Nick walks out the door and slams it.
Marley runs to her mother's side "Mom!"
"Marley, leave, run, get out of here." Millie's voice was broken and shaky.
"No mom, I'm not leaving you."
"Marley you have to go."
"No."
"I don't want this for you, I want you to be happy. I love you, Marley."
Marley was crying and holding her mother's hand. "I love you too, mom."
"Don't worry about me, I'll be waiting for you."
"What? No, mom don't talk like that." Marley was crying hard.
"Get out of here, be happy, be free. Goodbye, Marley." Millie handed Marley the necklace she was wearing.
Marley kissed her mom's hand and looked back at her face. "Mom? Mom! Mom, please come back. You can't leave me, I need you!" Marley was uncontrollably crying and was still kneeled next to her mom.
Nick returned over an hour later with more alcohol. "What the hell are you doing?" Nick walked over to where Marley was with her mom.
Marley hid the necklace in her jean pocket, afraid he would take it and looked up at him. "You killed her."
Marley could've sworn she saw a flash of regret on his face but it quickly dissapeared.
"Get away from her." Marley did as told, she was scared of him and now there was no one here to protect her.
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to get rid of her." Marley had no idea what he meant so she just went back to her room when he told her to.
Marley rolled the necklace she was wearing between her fingers. It was a bird, her mother had it ever since Marley could remember. Since that night, Nick has hit her almost every night. It was never as bad as her mother had it, but she was seventeen now and she was ready to leave.
Not long after her mother died Marley got a tattoo on the back of her neck to remember her last words. She had told her to be free, and that's what it said, along with feather representing the bird. Marley was ready to be free, ready to leave this hell for good. She had a job and got paid well, Nick didn't get home until nine at night so after school she would work and he didn't know it. She had a boyfriend for a long time, he was her first, but she broke up with Matt a while ago because she was planning to leave.
Nick never came in her room, but she still hid all the money she had saved up around her room. She had four hiding spots, if he ever found her money she didnt want him to find it all. Her first hiding spot was in her closet under the carpet that had come up in the corner. The second one was in an envolope taped to the pack of one of the pictures hanging in her room, the third was under her matress. The fourth and final hiding place was behind her tv, just barely under it. She had saved over eight thousand dollars over the last two years and was finally ready to leave.
Nick was in the livingroom passed out from drinking all day. Marley walked into the bathroom and took a look in the mirror. She had bruises on her arms and face, she didn't want to cover them up so she put on a hoodie that was big and covered her face well. She had on skinny jeans on and was glad they didn't irritate her pierced belly button, she also had on black sneakers that came up passed her ankle. Underneath the hoodie, she had on a shirt that made her body look good, at least in her eyes. She quietly checked to see if Nick was still passed out, he was. She wrote a note saying she was sleeping at a friends for the weekend, that way she would have a two day head start.
Marley walked back into her room and got all of her money, then she grabbed her duffel bag and put her favorite clothes and shoes in it. She also put in her cell phon and charger along with her money. Marley walked around the room in search of anything else she wanted, she grabbed a photo album from when she was little and her camera. She didn't want to risk waking Nick up so she opened her window and threw the bag out on the ground, she was thankful they only had a one story house. Marley took a look outside and saw dark clouds, she figured it would rain but she needed to get out. She hopped out the window quietly and shut it behind her. She didn't know where she was going to go but she just started walking.
She had been walking for hours, but she wasn't tired. Marley was walking across a bridge when it started raining, hard. She found a tree that would protect her a little and got under it, she was laying on the side of the road. Marley would watch the stars appearing in the sky, it wasn't raining anymore, however Marley was still soaked. She smiled and held her necklace, looking up to the night sky.
"I did it mom. I'm free."
Marley had been laying there soaking wet for hours when a car pulled up, it was a nice car, not new, but not old. It was silver and a man rolled down his window. She looked over at him and he didn't seem to be that much older than her.
"What are you doing, laying out here? You're soaking wet."
"I like the rain."
"You're going to get sick. Want a ride?" The boy had opened his car door and stepped out, he walked to Marley and held his hand out.
"Momma told me not to talk to strangers."
"Oh really, and where's momma?"
"She'd dead." Marley took his hand and stood up, her bag still draped over her shoulder.
"My mom's dead too. She died last year."
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry about your mom. How about that ride?"
"I would accept it, but I don't know where I'm going."
"So that's why you have a bag. Running away?"
"More like escaping."
"Me too." Marley was surprised at his words.
"Where are you going?"
"Anywhere but here. My name's Jake. Jake Puckerman." Jake reached his hand to shake hers.
"Marley Rose." She said grabbing his hand and shaking it.
"Well Marley Rose, since neither of us no exactly where we are going and you don't have a car, why don't we go together?"
"I don't know you."
"I don't know you, either."
"I'm soaked. You sure you want your car wet?"
"Not my car, I stole it." Marley raised her eyebrows.
"Kidding, kidding. It's my car. I have registration and everything if you want to see it."
"Okay, I'll go with you. But, I need to change, My clothes are stuck to my body. Turn around." Marley made her fingers do a motion for him to turn around.
"You're going to change here? In the middle of the road?"
"Oh calm down, you're the only car that's come by for hours. Now turn around."
"What if someone does come by?"
"Hopefully they'll like what they see." Jake smiled to himself and turned around.
"Okay badass, change." Marley changed her clothes and put on a new hoodie. She and Jake both got in the car.