Prologue
As another dish shattered loudly on the floor, a young girl cowered in her room, praying that no harm came to her sister.
"Avarielle Brea! I am your mother and you will not talk to me that way!"
A gruff yet terrifyingly loud female voice screeched, causing the young girl to cover her ears with her hands, though it did little to muffle the sound.
"I will talk to you however I please! You are not my mother, and you sure as hell are not a mother to Chari," Avarielle shouted back her temper flaring.
They had been going at it for the last hour, and it was all because of Avarielle's tone of voice at dinner, when speaking to her mother about possibly letting Chari join the soccer team at school. It may have seemed like a minor thing, but their mother didn't want them joining anything that could possibly get her caught for what she does to them. The only reason they get to go to school, is because the teachers don't notice the bruises, or they simply don't care. Either way, it doesn't matter. Nothing has stopped their mom before.
"You nicknamed your sister after a plant?!"
Another dish was thrown at Avarielle's head.
Avarielle ducked, and the plate shattered on the wall where her head used to be.
Nice aim. Avarielle thought briefly, before remembering why her mother was chucking dishware at her head.
"Actually, she asked me to call her that. Now, if you don't mind, I have homework I have to finish. Not like you'd understand though," Avarielle mumbled the last part, rolling her eyes.
But apparently, her mother heard.
Her mother flew at Avarielle instantaneously, her jagged fingernails outstretched. When Avarielle's mother slammed her head into the tile, she could only hope that her sister was safely hidden from her mother, as she could do nothing now to protect her. She slipped into unconsciousness, feeling bursts of agony erupt from her chest as her mother begin to repeatedly kick her, shouting at her things that were all too familiar for the young girl.
When Avarielle regained consciousness, her sister was sitting beside her, a cool washcloth in hand, lightly laying the cloth on Avarielle's head.
"How long was I out?" Avarielle groaned, looking up at her sister, who didn't appear to be sporting any new bruises.
"About two hours. I was getting worried you wouldn't wake up. She's never hit you so hard before." Her sister said worriedly.
Avarielle slowly nodded, wincing as her head throbbed slightly. Slowly sitting up, Avarielle tried to give her sister a reassuring smile, but it probably looked like a grimace.
"Did she hurt you?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowing in concern.
Chari shook her head.
"No, she left not long after you passed out. Haven't seen her since." She explained, leaning back so her sister could use the counter tops to stand. She herself stood as well.
Avarielle nodded, and this time could manage a small smile.
"Come on, let's go finish your math." Avarielle said, limping slightly down the hall to their shared room, holding back a groan of pain.
Chari groaned in protest.
Avarielle leaned against the wall that her mattress sat against, her sister sitting in front of her, her math homework on her lap.
" Do I have to?" her sister complains, sitting down beside her.
Avarielle lightly laughs.
" How about I make you a deal? The faster you finish your math, the closer you are to having me read two more chapters in The Hobbit instead of one. Deal?" Avarielle wagers, holding her pinky out.
Her younger sister links her pinky with hers, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"Deal."
An hour later, Avarielle and her sister were snuggled up together, a tattered copy of The Hobbit in Avarielle's hands.
"Now, where did we leave off last time?" Avarielle asks, flipping through the book pages.
"The dwarves were about to escape Rivendell, so Lord Elrond wouldn't stop their quest."
Chari grinned excitedly as she reminded Avarielle of there spot in the story. It reminded Avarielle of the giddiness of a small child, though her little sister was fifteen years old.
"Right!" Avarielle said, smiling, as she began to read the story.
Charisse was entranced by the story of The Hobbit, and had been for quite a while.
That night as the girls were going to bed, Charisse wished on a star. She hadn't believed in such things for a while, but something about tonight felt different. She wished to go on an adventure, like the dwarves in the story. But more than anything, she prayed that her and her sister would find a family that loved them.
As her eyes closed, Charisse could've sworn she heard a voice whisper to her.
"Your wish is my command, sweet child."
Then, Charisse and Avarielle fell into a dreamless sleep, both wishing that they would awake without the horrors that came with living with their mother, but deep down knowing it wasn't possible.