A punch. A kick. What does it matter to you? You'll never see her bruises. You'll never look under her shirt even just that little bit. That little bit is all that is needed to see the marks left from the belt. Her name is Sakura. She is now fifteen. Her step-father has been beating her since she was five years old and now I'm going to let her tell her own story.
It was the first day of school. I was six years old and my mum had bought me the uniform. I got dressed feeling very smart and very proud of myself. I was going to school. I never showed up on that first day. Nor on the second day. I couldn't. I had a black eye. When I did show up the teacher got mad when I couldn't provide a reason for my absence. I'm in High School now. Year Ten. The teachers don't expect me to turn up most of the time. And they know that when I do that they are not to expect me to do any work.
"My name is Miss Yuuhi. I'm your new English teacher." I was sat at the back, long sleeves, trousers. I was very covered. I felt as safe as I had since I was five. I wasn't paying much attention to what the teacher was saying. I was hurting to much for that.
"Sakura what do you think." I looked up. I would have shrugged but…
"I dunno." I muttered. Why was she asking me? I thought the teachers knew better than to ask me anything. I returned my gaze to the piece of paper in front of me. There was a doodle of a fist on it. High detail and very well drawn.
"Sakura could you stay behind at break please. We need to talk about your concentration." Said the teacher.
"Whatever." Not like she would get anything out of me. Before I had realised it, it was break time. I crumpled the sheet. This newbie didn't need to see that.
"Sakura did you pay attention to any of that." I did shrug that time…I shrugged and instantly regretted it. I let out a small 'ah' and my right hand flew up to clutch my left shoulder.
"Whats wrong?" Asked the newbie. Yeah. Like I was going to tell her.
"Nothing. I fell over yesterday and hurt my shoulder." I lied quickly.
"We should get you to the nurse."
"No!" I cried. I couldn't go to the nurse. I couldn't. If I did she would see the rest of my bruises. He would kill me if he thought I had snitched on him. I couldn't go to the nurse.
"No." I repeated, a little quieter this time.
"I'm fine. Honest. I don't need to see the nurse. I have Ibuprofen in my bag. All I need is something to eat." Miss Yuuhi nodded and stood. She returned a few seconds later with a cereal bar.
"Take it. You need it more than I do." I nodded and slowly opened and eat the cereal bar. I then stuck my hand in my trouser pocket and pulled out my little bag of pills. None of which were Ibuprofen but most of them were the same colour. I grabbed a random one and shoved it into my mouth and dry swallowed. I would be perfectly fine in a moment or two. I smiled slightly at Miss Y.
"Thank you Miss. Could I go now?" I asked. She nodded and so I stood and left…
Sakura's story ends there. She was not herself to tell the rest. I shall tell you as I saw it.
She was walking down the corridor. Her step giving nothing away. Her eyesight however was beginning to dim. She continued walking until she managed to get outside. She went straight to the weeping willow tree and sat underneath it.
"Just a small nap." She thought. She never woke up.
The teachers didn't think anything of it when she didn't show up for class. However Miss Kurenai Yuuhi Was keeping track of Sakura. When she noticed that she hadn't shown up for any other classes she went looking for her. She found her. By now Sakura had gone cold. Igor Mortis had begun to set. Miss Yuuhi ran back to school to tell them before running right back out to Sakura. She sat there till the headmaster came out.
"I could have saved her. If I had made her go to the nurse. I could have saved her." The headmaster asked her what she was going on about. "Sakura said she had Ibuprofen to deal with a bruise on her shoulder that was giving her pain. Since she said she had it under control I didn't insist on her going to the nurse. I don't think she took Ibuprofen." She gabbled. By now the Paramedics had arrived. Once they had been told this they allowed Miss Kurenai in the ambulance with Sakura.
They found the bruises but since Sakura was not alive to testify they could no put her stepfather away. They classed her death as 'suicide' and she was forgotten by the law and most of the country. A plaque was placed on the weeping willow were she died. It now holds more graffiti than a back desk. She has been forgotten by the school. There is only one person who has never forgotten her. And that is me. Miss Kurenai Yuuhi. I remember Sakura every moment. Because I know that if I had insisted on her going to the nurse she would have lived. And I would not be here telling this story with her. I commited suicide after two years, unable to deal with the grief of knowing that it was partially my fault a young life was ended. I can deal now. Knowing that things are truly much better for Sakura now. And for myself as well.
A/N: I was bored and I had just finished reading a book on child abuse. This just popped into my head so I wrote it down. I hope I didn't make anyone cry.
Thank you for reading. Please review.
Emily.