The Moons Change

Chapter One

You useless b***h what the hell do you think your doing. Why isn't my food on the damn table yet. Get your ugly black ass up. My mother yells as she bangs on my bedroom door if you can even call it a bedroom, its more of a closet. Think Harry Potter's room under the stairs of his aunt and uncles house.Its tiny and I still have to share it with the cleaning supplies that no one but me even touches. I have to roll to get in and out or my head would hit the shelves that line the inside. "Coming Mistress" I yell trying to scooch over toward the door and push it open. When I get the door open she then kicks me in the head making my nose bleed. " Next time I don't want to have to remind you. Hurry up." I sigh getting up to yet another day of misery. Sorry I have not introduced myself  I am Badriyah. Im a 14  year old african american girl living with my "mother and father" in Cedar Iowa.  I have long tightly curled black hair that I usually keep in a puff on the top of my head. Making my 4'11 hight seem a bit taller. I haven't looked in a mirror in a very long time but I feel like I look the same as I did last time I saw myself when I was ten. then with slightly sunken in cheeks. Small nubs on my chest the beginning of a chest but bigger now and eyes that seem dull and a little lifeless from a long life of maltreatment. Did you notice the air quotes around mother and father, yeah thats because I don't really consider them my real family I've seen what real families are like when I sneak a peak at the TV in the living room while Im serving them dinner. The kids on TV don't call their parents Master and Mistress. and the TV parents cater to the children and not the other way around like I have to and that a child should not have to fear their parents or that one day one more hit would be their end from the severity and pain they are inflicted. I realized when I was around 10 that I am more like cinderella without the prince. Snow white without the dwarfs. I am a maid that will never get paid or a day off. In so many words I am a slave. I am beaten on a daily if I move too slow or if they just feel like it. I have no freedom to leave the house or go outside unless Im doing the shopping. The only reason I was taught the fundamentals is so I can do the house work and cook per the instructions  in cook books and the like.  Its not like I haven't tried to run away. I tried it when I was 8 but I had no where to go and no money. The police brought me back when they noticed me walking down the street in the middle of winter shivering without a jacket on checking trashcans for any left over food people threw away. The master worked as a Police officer captain so they so when I told them that I was being abused and by who they threw away the report. Not caring about me but their captain who would get in trouble. I learned there and then that the police is to never be trusted. So I was taken back to my own personal hell and when I waled through the door I was given a beating so bad I was afraid that I would die I couldn't move without crying from the pain for two weeks. I think I broke a rib. So I stopped me escape  plans until I could learn to hid myself better. I started hiding bits and pieces of money in the laundry room because they never go in there. They are "beneath doing any sort of house work" or so thats what they say.  I decided I would have to be ready to run by my 16th birthday. The master said that I would be ready to take customers by then. I never knew what that meant until a month ago when he was talking to a friend of his. " The girl id becoming prettier with every passing year she is she available yet" the man said giving me a weird look. " No not yet Im planning to put her to work  after her 16th birthday that way she ill be nice and rip for the first picking. Im still trying to chose between giving her virginity to the highest bidder or taking it for myself " master said with a dark laugh that chilled me to my bones. But with the looks he has been giving me lately Im getting ready to try and leave earlier. " Good morning love is the b***h up yet" master asked mistress as she walked into the dinning room. "I got her up but I believe she needs a good beating for being so tardy" she replied. I walked in feeling their eyes on me. "Lets do it after she gets back from the store I don't want her being late coming back today. We have a guest coming over who has paid good money for her tomorrow and me must have a big meal for him when he gets here is a very important friend of mine. Plus he paid a very nice price for her I could not resist." " How much did he offer " mistress asked  he bent over and whispered in her ear. Mistresses eyes went wide. " he offered that much for this waist of space. well now I guess she is good for something". Hearing this I decided that I had to move my escape plan up to today when I go shopping. I quickly make their breakfast of bacon toast and eggs then run around doing chores and getting things ready to run. I will only have one chance of this if I want to live. " You stupid cunt where are you its time for you to get the groceries, here is the list don't miss a single item. " Yes mistress right away" I mumble and start to leave. I usually go shopping at around four so that people don't think its suspicious for a child my age to be walking around and not in school. Beforehand I left my backpack behind a tree a little further up from the house so that I could grab it on the way. It was very light.I made sure I had only The basics,two pairs of close (thats all the close I owned anyway) a few granola bars and two bottles of water. because I've been  saving as much money as I could for these last few years I have around 800 dollars plus the 300 they just gave me for food this month. Thank god they never checked receipt for how much I actually spent each month. I learned early how to use coupons to save money. I even got so good I once left with only paying 30 dollars. Now that I was all set I walked my usual rout to the grocer. the misses always watched me leave so I had to make sure I kept with my regular schedule as much as possible. Ive seen her drive by before to see if I stayed doing what I was supposed to. So I waled in the store and hid behind some posters till I saw her car go past. Quickly I walked back out hiding behind a family just in case she was still close and made my way to the bus stop six blocks down. I made my way to the pay terminal. " Hello miss where are you off to today" the ticket man asked? "Melbourne Florida please" I whisper. I hated the cold so I already decided that I would go somewhere warm." Melbourne? thats a long way from here" he said with a whistle.   I got my ticket and got on the bus. I had made good time, I still had two and a half hours before they would expect me back. I would be far gone after that. I am not stupid enough to actually go to florida the terminal guy would tell the master and mistress where Im headed when and if they come looking. Ill be getting off partway and headed to Arizona. backpacking as far as I can before getting on another bus. I never want them to find me again, ever. I find ma seat on the bus trying as hard as I can not to go noticed. I let out a long breath I didn't know I was holding settling down for a long ride.