Imagine a young girl even more beautiful that the Goddess Aphrodite herself. Many say that they would do anything to be pretty. They would do anything to have a pretty face. Well what do I say to them? I say they are fucking idiots. Maybe a pretty face comes in handy sometimes. But I'm standing here and I'm pretty sure that they are totally wrong. My name is Ariadne Hunters, and this is my story.

I walk home from school tiredly and try to ignore everyone stopping and staring. You would think that after I turned ten that the stares would be a regular thing for me. You Are So Wrong. I wanted to turn and glare and shoot bolts out of my eyes, like the monsters in my favorite book, "The Dark Curse." Scary right?

I side stepped a couple people and slipped down the alley to my building. I quietly climbed up the fire escape and slipped through my window to my room. I glanced around at my tacky room made by yours truly and dropped of my bag by my make shift desk.

I winced, as I smelled the beer bottle smell that I tried to keep away from my room. The smell was like rotting corpses and eggs. I sighed and turned towards my wall. The wall had nails sticking out of the blue- peeling paint. Two pairs of jeans, a long sleeve red shirt, and a blue V-neck were hung there. It was my "closet," for myself.

I heard that a lot of the people I referred to as the "plastics," had huge walk-in closets and designer labels. If you had anything below that, they hated your damn guts.

I sighed and stared down gratefully at my ripped jeans (that I had not bought that way), white long sleeve shirt, and gray convers. I turned my head to the bundle of blankets on the floor. That was my bed because at the moment my other cot had finally broken.

I glanced down at my clothes and stuffed my hair into my old jean jacket that was probably from the 60's. I steeled my nerves and nervously opened the door.

As soon as I popped my head through, the strong smell of beer and wine hit me. I stumbled back and gasped for air. It was getting worse lately. Usually I would be able to walk right through it to get to the lazy lump. After a couple minutes I steeled myself again and walked through the barely-livable air zone.

I walked to the kitchen table after picking carefully through the litter everywhere. I glanced around and spotted the lump holding a beer glass and reading a stack of magazines.

Yep, that stack of magazines was part of the reason I had no clothing, and barely any food. I walked loudly, hoping she would not get surprised like last time. Luckily, but at the same time not really, she stiffened and whipped around. I narrowly missed the flying beer bottle, and I stumbled backwards and fell back onto my butt.

Her weird cackle sounded in my ears, and hearing it made me choke back a sob. She used to have such a beautiful laugh. I glanced up at the hateful eyes, and stared into them, choking back the sob that was building up. Those eyes used to be filled with love and kindness. I stared at her half- smirk and half- sneer. I blinked back my tears. She used to have the smile that lit- up any room she walked into.

I glanced back up to her terrible eyes, and saw her hand flashing down. I gasped and stepped backwards, but not fast enough. Her hand struck the air from my body leaving me gasping for air on top of a smashed apple.

There goes my dinner.

I stood carefully up, and held back the shacking- shoulder sob. She used to treat me with the softest hands. Afraid she might scratch my check with her long nails.

I backed up quickly from her, and walked back to my room.

You might ask why I had to see my mother, if you could even spit that word out.

She had this weird thing that I had to see her when I got home, or she would chase me around. Freaking the crap out of me.

I sighed and glanced outside my window. My breath made frost on the window. I yanked myself back and controlled the tears in my eyes. I glanced around my room and picked up my ratty jacket. It was more like a piece of rags on me.

I glanced around my 'room' and I saw my backpack on the ground. I then glanced out to the huge empire state building in the distance. Yeah I had time to take a walk before I came back.

I glanced at the bag and then felt a weird sensation to pack it up. My body moving more on its own picked up my clothes, pocketknife, and stolen money.

I sighed and snuck out the window. For some reason, I felt weird. I felt…happy. I walked down the alley and said words I never thought I would say.

"I'm free."