I know I should tell someone, but that will only make it worse
I know I should tell someone, but that will only make it worse. My life's bad enough as is; no need to risk it. Plus, if she found out she would kill me; literally.
It's hard to believe that they didn't already know; how could they not? What could they not know, you may ask? The answer is simple. Well, kinda.
It started when I was just a little girl; around the age of five. Shortly after I was born my parents got divorced, my mother saying she was too young to be married and have a child. My mother moved down to Arizona, leaving me with my father. When I was around the age of three my father met Lilith, the young blonde receptionist for a nearby hotel, and "fell in love"; his words not mine. They dated for about a year before getting married. In the beginning our new little family was great, we went on family picnics, drove down to the amusement park, they tucked me in and read me stories at night; the whole kit-and-caboodle.
But as time wore on Lilith took less and less interest in me and more and more interest in starting her own family. My dad told her he wanted to wait until I was older to have another child, just to make sure they could handle it. Lilith tried for months to get my dad to reconsider; finally when he gave in they couldn't get pregnant. Long story short; Lilith was sterile, meaning she couldn't have any kids of her own, and she blamed me for it.
In the beginning it was just a rough spank or running the shower to hot; but as I grew older to abuse grew worse. By the time I was twelve she was burning me with hot wax from candles, slapping me across the face, feeding me once a day (one small sandwich) and many other things I would rather not remember.
Now at the age of sixteen, almost seventeen, the abuse is at its worst. Daily beatings while my father is at work and still only receiving one meal a day. On top of that when I'm not at school I'm working at the hotel as a maid, only to have my paycheck ripped out of my hands after I sign it. And even with all this going on in my home life I still manage to have a 3.87 GPA in school.
"ISABELLA!! WAKE UP, YOU HAVE ONE HOUR TO BE AT SCHOOL!!" Lilith yelled, while dragging me out of my bed onto the hard wood floor.
"What was that?" I heard my father ask from down stairs.
"Oh, Bella just rolled off her bed again." My step-mother replied sweetly.
"You ok Bells?" Charlie called. Lilith turned to glare at me.
"I'm fine!" I yelled to my father, watching Lilith carefully as she walked toward me.
"What have I told you about making noise?" She hissed.
"Not to make any noise because it might alert Charlie." I mumbled.
"Good girl, now get ready for school." She said her voice full of venom as she walked towards my door.
Once she had gone downstairs I grabbed my clothed for the day, long black jeans, a black long sleeve shirt, and a blood red zip-up hoodie; and walked into my bathroom.
While I waited for the shower to warm up I looked at myself in the mirror. My old bruises blended in with my more recent ones, making the pink scars from healed cuts and burns stick out. I sighed and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water relax my tense muscles, if only for a few minutes. After washing and conditioning my hair I stood in the warm water for a few extra minutes, dreading the rest of the day. I stepped out of the shower, dried myself off and got dressed. Once dressed I walked back into my room, dried my hair and then applied enough make-up to cover the fading bruise on my left cheek. I glanced over at my clock, 7:25. I had twenty minutes before I had to leave for school. Oh well I'll just wait around at school; not use in staying here. I slipped on my shoes, slinging my messenger bag over my shoulder at the same time. I grabbed my keys off my desk and headed to my door; careful not to make any noise. As I walked down the stairs I listened intently for any sign of Lilith, today was Tuesday; meaning she had the day off. Making sure my footsteps were silent was tricking for someone with balance problems, but some how I managed.
As I reached the door I heard her get up from the couch and walk towards the kitchen. I twisted the door handle quickly and bolted from the house, unlocking my truck only seconds before I reached it. I jammed the key into the ignition and started the truck as Lilith came running out of the house. I threw it into reverse and stepped down on the accelerator, hard. I flew down the driveway and into the street, shifted into drive and sped off towards school, not looking back.