The Broken

What if your life flashed before your eyes and a tragic accident saved you from continuing a life of being abused? Would you feel guilty that you were the only one that survived or would you feel a sense of relief? For me, it was both that day a mix of survivor's guilt and freedom from my parent's abuse, but I never could have imagined what would come next or what I would find out once the truth about my family was revealed. (Flashback) We are driving home on a beautiful sunny day with a slight chilly breeze. My head is resting on my hand as I am in the back seat. Looking out the window, watching trees fly by as we pass. No one is in sight, just trees surrounding us. They create a beautiful canopy, with light peaking through the green blanket above. The leaves lightly cover the road beautifully. I take a deep breath to remember the beautiful, captivating scent of the forest just before it rains. I feel at peace in times like these, if only for the moment. My father's in the driver's seat, focusing on the road. He is a handsome man on the outside; his hair is a deep brown with light streaks of red flowing through that compliments his slightly tan skin and brown eyes like dark rosewood. My father is a very tall man, 6'2", with a muscular build. Still, he always has a stern face, never smiling or showing any hints of happiness. I always get the full brunt of his anger over the eight years I've been alive—his anger leaving many bruises and scars upon my pale skin. My mother is in the passenger seat, staring out her window. She has long, beautiful golden blond hair that compliments her pale complexion. Still, inside, my mother has a dark soul like my father. She never has a kind word to say to me and stands in silence, showing no emotion as she watches my father take out his anger on me. I wish I could run; no matter how many times I have tried, he always finds me. Dragging me back, beating me to submission, unless it's a day like today, sitting in the car, staring out the window with all the doors locked, making it, so I cannot escape. I have never had the opportunity to make friends or talk to someone who could help me. I am always filled with fear; I keep wishing that just one last anger outburst will take me away from this pain, ending it all. But it always stopped. Before that, he would wait until my wounds healed enough before they started again. Suddenly, I am pulled from my thoughts. I heard a scream come from my parents. I looked up to see a man in the middle of the road with an evil grin, his eyes a deep red like blood, sending a shiver down my spine. His eyes feel as if they are piercing through mine in the split second before I hear the tires screeching on the road. And squeezed my eyes shut, terrified at what would happen. I have a second of feeling weightless, and then I am tossed side to side as the car flips and rolls through the air. I could tell we flipped over a few times until we went into the ditch. BAM. CRASH. I have the feeling of being crushed. It is hard to breathe as the blood begins to rush to my head. I try to open my eyes but can't see anything, just blurs and outlines of what is around me. Then, I hear gurgling, which must be my parents. Fear hits me as I realize what is happening. "MOM, DAD" I scream with tears flowing from my eyes. There is no reply sending me into more fear. I am alone; I have no one. "MOM, DAD, PLEASE WAKE UP…." An eerily silence fills the air; the breeze comes through the window; as I struggle to get out of the car, "HELP HELP" I realize that second I am all alone, with no one on the streets, no houses in sight; I must fight as I have done every day. Using my full strength, I finally got the seatbelt undone. I came crashing down on the roof of the car. I don't dare to look at my parents; I am scared. Still, I get a slight relief, knowing I will never have to endure their wrath and anger again. "HELP" I yelled, hoping someone would hear me, but the only sound was the rain falling through the trees. "Please…." I said in a low, struggling whisper. I crawled as far as I could, landing beside the car and leaning on a tree. I don't know how long I had sat there when I started to lose hope. No one had come to help; scared, I took my knees up to my chest, burying my head in my legs, holding onto the only thing I had that was now tattered and torn from the crash. My white blanket has little roses covering the front and is decorated with small baby blue squares running along the sides. As I cry, the rain gets heavier, sending shivers down my spine as it gets colder, wondering if I will die here in this beautiful fairytale forest ruined by the crash's rubble. Our blood flowed down with the rain, and my parents brought evil to this place. Some time passed, and I cried all the tiers I could and started to feel numb, not knowing what to do, when suddenly a hand rested on my shoulder. I jump, terrified, as I look up at this beautiful woman, Freya. I recognized her. I saw photos of my parents from around the house. Her calming nature relaxes me a little. She is like an angel with piercing blue eyes like the ocean on a warm summer's day and wavy blond hair soaked in the rain. "Skylyn, is that you, sweetheart?" She says as I start to cry again, jumping into her embrace. "It's okay, sweetheart, I am here; everything is going to be okay, I promise." She says calmly that I believe she is telling me the truth and that I am safe with her no matter the future. I cried, soaking through her dress, mixing with the rain falling all around us. I don't know how she found me, but I'm glad it was her; she was an angel inside and out, the sweetest woman I have ever met. She tried her best to save me, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't, which only gave her the fight to keep trying. Yet, here she is, like the angel she saved me