Almost

FLASHBACK:

I sighed as I opened the door to my very run-down house. As I entered, I tried not to gag from the stench. If smells could kill, I would have been dead by now. Months ago, even. I lived in a small house in a council estate that was provided to us when John lost his job and couldn’t pay enough to keep our old one after getting a different job that paid less than his old one. Its once bright exterior and interior now covered in mould and dirt that none of us was bothered to clean.

I passed John's room quietly, making sure to step in specific places on our carpeted floor to avoid making the floor creak, and checked if he was there while passing. He was passed out on the bed with a small bottle of beer in his hand and there were other bottles scattered around his room. Some were of beer others were of wine, champagne, and other liquids that he counted on to make himself drunk on.

John is my Dad, but I do not consider him as my Dad he is the worst person to ever exist, the very spawn of Satan. How I wish I could escape here but I know I cannot. He was once someone I could call a loving and caring father but as time passed and he and I got older he turned into the complete opposite.

I went into my room and sat down on the almost broken chair and started to do my homework. There was not much to my room other than it being very small and plain. All it had was a bed large enough for me to sleep and, a wardrobe that had barely anything in it and a desk that was for homework. Not that I did it anyway, except to humour the teachers when they were close to popping a vessel.

"AVERY! Come down here right now!" John yelled.

I looked down at my books and continued to do my homework as though I did not hear him. Of course, I should have gone to him the instant he said my name, but I could not help but pretend that it was just my imagination pretending that he was calling me. My breath hitched in my throat as I heard him come towards my room, a clear indication that it was not my imagination but the real-life, breathing John that had called me. Even though I was already aware as to what would come next, I kept my poker face on because I knew if he saw how scared I was he had fed off my fear. Sounds creepy, I know but that is how it was.

"Did you not hear me call you?!" He yelled as he stood at the entrance of my room holding onto the frame of the door for support still drunk.

I shook my head but kept my eyes down looking at my book again pretending that he would disappear if I did not lookup.

"I thought I told you to look at me when I address you." He slurred coming closer to me. I tried to keep calm, but I could not help shaking in my seat anticipating what was about to come next.

"Look at me." He ordered. I shook my head again and he grabbed my chin tightly forcing me to look at him in the eyes. His nails were full of grime, he reeked of beer and the eyes were carved into his wrinkly face were as dark as night.

"Next. Time. Follow. Orders. Properly." He hit me after saying each word causing me to fall backwards off the chair and onto the floor. I wanted to cry; the pain was excruciating but I could not do anything because I knew he would do something far worse than hitting me if I ever tried to.

"OK," I said plainly still with my face showing no emotion whatsoever.

"I don't think you've learned your lesson enough. Maybe I should keep on punishing you until you get it."

"No! I'm fine!" I yelled and I cursed myself for talking back. Now I am in for it.

"Didn't I tell you no talking back either!?" He shouted. He took a step closer to me on the floor and I squeezed my eyes shut knowing what was coming next.

I heard him take off his belt. "Now as your father, I’m going to teach you a little lesson."

He beat me until I was almost unconscious. My body was filled with bruises and blood oozing out of all the cuts made by the metal of the belt.

END OF FLASHBACK:

I woke up with a start and took a deep breath.

"Did you enjoy your nap?" I looked up to see my math teacher glaring at me.

I hated her, no not hated that was a word I used only for John, I could not hate anyone as much as him. No, I just strongly disliked her. She wore a black pencil skirt and a white blouse that you could clearly see her bra underneath. There was no doubt that she'd done it on purpose.

"Yeah it was great, your teaching was like a lullaby. It lulled me right to sleep." I said cocking my head to the side and looking her right in the eye.

"How dare you." She gasped putting a hand to her chest and I quirked my left brow.

Even though she knew this would be my exact reaction she just had to push it to make it more dramatic and make it seem like she was the victim.

I felt the eyes of the students I shared the class with on me. "Take a picture it'll last longer," I say at the rest of the class and they quickly averted their eyes somewhere else.

In school, I do not have friends and I am more than happy to keep it like that. It's not like when school is done, I'm going to see them again. I get into a lot of fights since people are just plain stupid, I have been arrested countless times for stealing, fighting even underage drinking but I don't give a damn. Life has already screwed me over so there is no point in trying to fix it. I probably should see a therapist, but I am broke as hell and I wouldn't even trust them anyways.

"Avery Moneece please report to the principal’s office immediately!" A voice boomed on the intercom that was placed in the corner of every classroom and bathroom.

"Detention after school." My teacher said as I got up.

I purposely pushed my chair backwards making a loud screeching sound causing my teacher to grimace at the noise and picking up my frayed.

"No thanks."

"That was an order, not a question." She glared even harder at me.

I smirked. "Well, thank goodness I don't give a damn about what you say." I left the room leaving the teacher speechless as I made my way to the office.

If you have not noticed at school, I tend to put on a mask so that no one knows what's going on. Ha. Who am I kidding I always have a mask. It just consists of me being emotionless and rude, just to scare them off. I really cannot afford anyone knowing at all because one slight mistake could probably lead to the end of my life and I am serious about this. I’m not talking about the end of my life that everyone says when one small thing goes wrong, I’m talking the literal end of my life.

I ignored the sign on the office that said to knock first before entering the room and sitting down on a chair.

"Didn't you see the 'knock first sign' on the door?" My principle asked nodding her head towards the door.

"Yup." I looked around the room bored but still with a poker face on. As I looked around the room, I noticed that there was a man standing behind the principle and I immediately tensed, sitting up properly in my seat.

The school councillor.

"Anyways... I just called you here as there's someone who would like to talk to you." She jabbed her thumb behind her towards the school councillor. "I'm going to leave the room now and he'll have a small chat with you. Alright?"

Not even letting me say yes or no she stood and left the room leaving me with the councillor who took the seat in front of me.

"Hello, Avery. Nice to see you again." The councillor said.

I didn't respond and just continued to look around not wanting to look at him.

"So, how's everything at home?" He asked as he picked up his pen and opened a large binder. He looked at me waiting for me to reply.

"Fine," I responded with my usual poker face on not wanting to make the error of giving anything away.

John told me that this was the response that I was to give if anyone asked me that question. He also said that if they asked more details, to make up a believable lie. I know you are like, why don't you tell how life really is so that you can be taken away and he can be locked up for the things he's done.

Well, you see... It isn’t that simple. You do not know how many times I have come close to losing my life at his hands, you do not know how many times he has threatened to take away my innocence. I think, no not I think, I know that he will keep his promise and he will not back down. No matter how far he must go, no matter what extremities he will keep to it.

The reason he is like this is that he thinks it's my fault my mother left me behind with him to get a new family. He thinks it is my fault that their marriage got ruined. I do not blame him it probably is the reason she left but what can I say?

I am like a walking curse.

"I don't think so." He said calmly. My eyes widened nervously thinking that maybe without realising it I let something slip.

"W-What do you mean?" I stuttered.

"Just last night your father came to work. Drunk. And high. Completely off his head causing havoc. Of course, the guards were called and while investigating and questioning him he told them everything." He revealed.

He sat forward in the seat intertwining his fingers together on the table, while I did the complete opposite and sat back.

My eyes widened in shock. "He what?! No. I think you have got the wrong person. He would never do that. He'd never let whatever he told you to slip like that." My heart started pounding in my chest trying to deny the reality of what was happening.

"Yes, he did. He told us all the things he did to you and earlier today the police visited the house again while you were still in school. The house of course was a mess. Bottles everywhere. And Avery, the fact that you are reacting to this, like this, is even more proof to what he was saying was true. "

I could not believe what I was hearing. As much as I wanted this to be true, I could not help thinking that my imagination had got the best of me this time and this wasn’t really happening.

"You will be sent to a new family that will take you into their care." He said interrupting my thoughts.

I froze. Literally froze. No. No way has this happened. This is definitely a dream that I will probably wake up from. It’s not true.

"Avery! Calm down!" The councillor shouted and I suddenly realised that I was having a panic attack.

My head was spinning, and I was breathing faster than usual. I should be happy that I was finally escaping from John. All these years of wishing, dreaming, and hoping were finally coming true but... I really do not know.

Coming back to reality I found I was somehow on the floor, clutching my chest and the councillor called for help before taking out his phone.

What for, I did not get to see because soon everything went black...