hello. this is the first chapter. please don't send bad reviews if you don't like it!
Alyana potter woke up strangely early. This was odd for Aly, as she was usually to tired to wake up this early in the morning.
'now why did I wake up?' she wondered as she lay in the gloom, keeping still, so she wouldn't roll onto the scars on her back. Then it hit her. It was Dudley's birthday. 'just great. The only day I wake, it's the day i have more work. joy! well, now dudley's 10, and it means that he's gonna get that special gift of joining in on hurting Aly time!
She got up, and decided that it was probably worth a shot to start on her chores. Maybe then her uncle might find it harder to have a reason to hit her, unless Dudley decided to be sadistic (like he could even say the word) and have her beaten for his birthday. early. Maybe she'd also be able to have some time to catch up her rest, and maybe she'd even be able to go to the library. It had been a while since she'd been, but at least she'd handed her books in on time.
Wincing, she quietly reached the wire hook she had made through the small air vent in the door, and gently pulled the latch, allowing the door to swing open. She regularly oiled the hinges, in case she woke the Dursleys. Tiptoeing out, she went to the kitchen, and found the table buried beneath presents. 'yay present mountain!' she thought sarcastically.
They looked like they would topple over any moment, so she started to re arrange them, so they wouldn't, putting the biggest at the bottom. Looking at the clock, she judged it to be around 3 in the morning. It was four by the time she finished. She quietly pulled out all of the things for breakfast, then wandered off to make sure that there wasn't anything lying around the lounge room. It was full of wrapping paper and sticky tape, boxes lying around on the chairs and tables. Her relatives probably wanted to wake her up early to clean it, and then beat her for not having breakfast done. Well, they were a bit late. She quickly started to collect the boxes, filling one with the scraps of her Aunt and Uncles wrapping. she lugged them outside, but had to stop when a gash on her side opened up and started to ooze blood.
'great, even more to clean!' she said, as she struggled to the backyard. She stripped of her shirt, and used the hose to wash the excess blood away, before reaching behind one of the flower pots for a bandage roll. Unfortunately, while she was in the process of bandaging herself, she heard her aunts shriek.
"You filthy Brat! Where are you?" screamed her aunt.
Alyana quickly cut the roll, and tied up the bandage, before calling out to her aunt.
"I'm out here Aunt Petunia!" she called, although her voice shook with fear. Her came storming around the house, fury written in every line of her face.
"What are you doing?" hissed her aunt.
"I just had to clean up something," said Alyana, dearly hoping her aunt was in a good mood, "For Dudley's Birthday," she added in the hope that it would help.
"Fine, but if there is anything wrong, you'll pay, you little bitch!" hissed her aunt, before she turned and walked into the house. Alyana thanked whatever God that was up there, and walked into the house, wincin with each step, now that her wound had opened up.
She quickly finished up the lounge room, and started on the breakfast, as her aunt walked up the stairs to wake her disgusting cousin. She had the bacon done by the time her cousin lumbered down the stairs. He scowled at her, but soon forgot her when he saw his mound of presents. Using the ladder that Aly had forgotten to put away, he reached for the top present.
Aly tried to ignore his feverish unwrapping and exclamations of what he'd gotten, and attempted to focus on the breakfast. By the time her uncle came down, she had everything done, and she quietly sat in the corner, having hidden some bacon in her pocket. She waited quietly for her uncle to chuck her something, and hoped it wouldn't be the vase.
"Happy birthday!" called Vernon as soon as he saw his pig of a son, "You're a young man now, being 10,"
She was in luck, as he only chucked some toast at her, and demanded more coffee. Wolfing down the toast in record time, she poured her uncle his coffee, and went off to start cleaning up all the wrapping paper. The phone rang, as it always did on Dudley's birthday. She ignored, and continued shuffling around the room after the shiny pieces of wrapping paper. Dudley had a habit of ripping the paper to tiny pieces in order to make it harder for her. To her immense surprise, Petunia walked in without the phone.
"Bad news Vernon," said Petunia, "Mrs Figgs broken her leg. She can't take the brat,"
For the first time in a long time, Aly felt her heart swell with happiness, finally, a chance to actually have a good day. She looked up with hope, but when Dudledy kicked her, she quickly got back to work, in case her aunt or uncle decided to take their displeasure out on her. usually on dudley's birthday, his parents would take him and a freind out to a special place where the two of them would have fun all day, while Aly was left with a neighbor. this year, as with the previous years, she was supposed to have been left with Mrs Figg, the batty old lady fro down the street.
"why don't we leave her with Marge?" grunted Vernon.
"Don't be silly, she hates the brat," said Petunia.
"What about that friend of your, Yvonne? She's not that bad," said Vernon, which Aly knew to mean that Yvonne was in on the whole 'hate Aly' thing.
"On vacation in Marjoca" said Petunia.
"You could leave me here," said Aly quietly.
"And come back to find the house in ruins?" asked Vernon, sneering at her.
"We could lock her in the car," said Dudley.
"That car is new," said Vernon.
"Wait!" said Petunia, "There's a new man on the block. He can take care of her,"
Vernon nodded, and Aly soon found herself being dragged down the road in the only good clothes she owned. A baggy t-shirt, and a faded pair of jeans. They stopped at house no. 7, and Uncle Vernon knocked smartly on the door. A young man looked out.
"How may I help you?" he asked, with a strange accent.
"I'm sorry, but my wife and I have to go out for the day. We were wondering if you could take care of our neice," said Uncle Vernon. This was one of the only times that Aly heard her uncle ever being polite.
"I'm sorry, but I simply can't," said the man, looking surprised, "I have unpacking to do,"
"I can help," said Aly qickly. She didn't want to be the reason the Dursley's didn't go out. That never ended well.
"I'm sorry, but…" before the man could finish however, Vernon had already left Aly there, and had managed to get into his car.
"It doesn't matter, I can go to the park or something," said Aly, when the man stood there in shock.
"But your just a little girl!" protested the man.
"I've done it loads of times," said Aly with a shrug, "Besides, I was hoping to go to the library,"
"Why don't you come in," said thr man with a sigh, hold the door open. When she looked around, she saw that the house was already fully furnished.
"you lied to him," accused Aly.
"I'm sorry, but I did have plans," said the man, looking sheepish.
"Don't be sorry. My uncles just a pig," she wandered over to look at a painting of a castle. It was set in the night, overlooking a lake. The artist was probably on a boat, or a small island. Everywindow was lit up, and the outlines of the towers were just visible against the stars.
"This is a pretty painting," said Aly.
"It was my brother in laws," said the man, "He left it to me after he died,"
"I'm sorry," said Aly.
"it's alright," said the man.
"Why don't you come and have something to eat," said the man.
"I thought you had plans," said Aly.
"They included sitting down with a cup of tea and a good book," said the Man, and Aly giggled.
"What's your name?" asked Aly, as she followed him into a shining kitchen.
"Michael Blake," said the man, "But just call me Kael,"
"Not Mike?" asked Aly.
"No. I never liked the name mike. It's too ordinary," said Kael, pulling out two teacups.
"I'm Aly," Said Aly, smiling at him.
She had a feeling that she might actually have fun.
well, this is all for now. i'll have the next chapter up in a bit.
please review and tell me what you think.
S.A. Syria