The story of my life
I am Leah O'Stella I'm 14 years old and I live in North Dakota. I come from a rich family which has my older brother Harvey who is 17 and my younger sister Kim who is 8. My father is a hunter but refuses to kill wolves which is one of the things I love about him he's never told me why he doesn't he said he can't put it into words just yet. My first mother died when I was 8 she had a heart attack and have a self – centred and prejudice step mum who I never get along with and don't try to either and this is the story of my life.
Chapter 1
I open my eyes to a bright sunny morning; my sister still sleeps peacefully in her bed. I start walking down the spiral stair case down the hall from my room; I walk into the kitchen and put some bread into the toaster. Once it pops I spread some butter on them and eat them, once finished I go into the draw by the back door and take out my sketchbook, pencil and the book I'm reading. I step out the back door and breathe the cool morning air then head out of the back gate and sit at the foot of my tree. I always come here to get away from life, the life of the rich is no fun, my step mum is always telling me to be formal but I just want to slouch and relax she don't understand me but my father does.
In north Dakota we get a lot of predators so as I read and draw I have to keep my ears out, I've never seen a wolf or mountain lion before but you can never be too sure, at most I'll see an owl, rabbit or the occasional squirrel, I read a lot about wolves they are my favourite animal of them all. When I'm out here around night I always listen because you can hear the wolves howling to each other it's the most beautiful sound you'll ever hear.
As I start to draw my sketches, then I hear some loud shouting from the neighbour's house. I don't pay much attention to our neighbours, all I know about their son is that he's my age and he goes to my school but I don't have many friends so I doubt he even knows me.
"You stupid boy!" His mum shouts "You get out of my sight until you think about what you've done!"
"Then I guess you won't see me for a while, will you" He shouts back and storms through his back gate, he storms in to the woods and walks back out in frustration. He starts walking in a circle and punches a tree. I'm not sure what to do, so I do the first thing that comes to mind.
"Are you alright there?" I ask
"Do I look OK" He snaps
"Just asking" I say "You look like you need someone to talk to"
"And how would you know?" He asks
"Well you just punched a tree for no reason and now your knuckle is all bloody, You look angry and need someone to talk to" I say calmly
He looks warily and sits on the tree in front of me, silence for a while so I start drawing again. After a long silence he finally speaks.
"What you drawing" He asks nicely
"My favourite animal" I smile "A wolf" I show him the drawing, he looks shocked.
"That's amazing" He exclaims "You've got a real gift, You must love living here if you love wolves"
"Meh... It's ok living here" I sigh "I love listening to the wolves every night... But I don't love my life style"
"How so?" He asks
"You wouldn't understand" I say glumly "If my parents don't then how can you?" ask
"But parents never understand their children especially rich parents there always pushing us around, making us be something we don't want to be"
"So you do understand" I say "I thought I was the only one, my parents are always trying to change me. That's why I come out here every day, to get away from it all"
"Well we all have different opinions on how to lead a life, it's up to you have you lead it, but that's not possible with me. My parents constantly try to change who I am and what I want to be" He sighs seeing a glint of sadness in his eyes I feel pitiful for him.
"I get the same feeling but with my step mum" I begin "I can't stand her. My father's fine but not that women" I almost feel angry not at him but at her.
"Perhaps our lives aren't so different" We fall silent for a while we just sit and stare, I draw he just stares into space with some hurt in his eye.
"So what happened?" I ask "To make you mother go off like that?"
"Heh... For stupid reasons" he begins "Eating in my room, acting like a teenager which makes no sense because I am a teenager. But the main reason was that I got really annoyed and threw a vase at the wall. Then she got mad... I'm not even sure if I'm allowed back in..." He pauses "Don't really care to be honest I'm so fed up with that family it's nice to just get away from it"
I smile "Why else do you think I come out here every day?" I ask rhetorically "To get away from that witch of a woman, I also love the outdoors I used to go out to the woods with my father to hunt before she came and said it's not lady like to fire a crossbow" I fall silent but he stares at me in disbelief. "What?" I ask.
"Sorry but I can't picture you holding a crossbow and shooting a squirrel" He chuckles.
"Well nonetheless I have... I just like the time spent with my farther"
"Well we've certainly gotten to know each other" He smiles "So lets at least know each others names"
"Leah"
"Carter" We shake hands and stare at the forest. This boy... I mean carter has the same life as me how coincidental, We've been in the same class and school for ages and we only just noticed each other, We're even neighbours and we've never spoke, I doubt much will come to be of this relationship but who knows .
"So what are you going to do?" I ask "Are you going to back to your family today? Or wait till she says you can go back in?"
"I'm going to wait, try to prove to her and myself that I don't need her, and how annoyed at her I am" He says
"Where you going to stay?" I ask
"I don't know" He answers