Scratch of a Wolf

Life as I Knew It

I jolted awake. Sweat covered every part of my body. My breaths came fast and shallow as I struggled to contain my racing heart. That dream felt so real. It always does, like it was a distant memory. I threw my legs over the side of my bed trying to fill my lungs with the precious oxygen it so badly craved. Shadows appeared all around me, taking form. My eyes frantically darted around the room, searching for anything familiar in the black darkness. As the early morning sun let loose its first rays of light onto the world below, the shadows became more recognizable. Slowly the burn in my chest began to subside. Air flows through my body, feeding my starved organs and limbs. I slowly got up onto my feet. Their soles burned with the icy pricks from the floorboards. My body shivered violently as I wrapped my arms around myself. My bedclothes did me no good in this chill. All I had was a pair of baggy shorts, thinned out from the overuse, and a too-tight tank top, holes peppering the sides from stretching. I slowly stood and made my way over to my bathroom. The door creaks as it opens, and I step inside. Reluctantly, I stripped off the clothes that clung to my body and placed them in the hamper. My shivering intensified now I was bare. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror behind the door. My legs looked thinner every day. Long and spindly, just skin and bone. My hips would stick out in a way that looked unnatural, and bordered a barely existing stomach, sunken in and starved. Every rib was visible through my translucent skin. As my eyes traveled up, I found a pair of dull gray eyes staring back at me. Absolutely lifeless. Strands of stringy black hair fell near those eyes, cascading down like oil, all the way down to those skeletal hips. I quickly turn away, disgusted by this version of myself. The years have not been kind to me. I am still not sure how I came to this place. It was like I woke up and found myself in this room. Eyes staring at me as I came to. I began to scream. Terrified about the strangers that crowded my space. They simply continued to stare as I went through every emotion under the sun. Shock, fear, sorrow, all of them. I shook those memories away as I hopped into the shower and let the water flow over me. It was barely warm, as it always is, but that was better than if it was cold. I closed my eyes and let everything free from my tortured mind. Letting vast emptiness take over. This was my serenity. My time to pretend I was anywhere other than here. Sometimes I would be free just wondering around the woods, taking in the earthy smells and sounds of the different creatures, unseen to my eyes. It was never able to last long. I needed to get my jobs done before the others woke up. I found out the hard way what would happen if I didn’t. The sudden memory destroyed my peace as it echoed in my brain.

I could hear shouting and swearing as heavy footsteps pounded down the stairs to my area. I was confused as the sound woke me up before a horror-filled realization dawned on me. I shot up and tried to quickly dress before they came in. As the door burst open, I dropped to the ground begging them to stop. I would take any punishment if they just didn’t hit me again. It was all in vain as I received kicks and punches to every available space on my body. Degrading words were spat at me. I was useless, weak, not worth the energy they spent beating me. I could feel the blood run down my face, tinging my vision in a ghastly hue of red. I pleaded with them to stop, but it seemed like it fueled the rage they were feeling, so I just shut up.

I was out of commission for days after that. They became more careful about their punishments to ensure I would always be available to do the work they required of me. I dried myself the best I could with the stale old towel I had. It was beginning to fray with the years of use. I walked over to the mirror and began to attempt to finger-comb my hair. It tangled together so quickly. Every time I tried this, more would fall out. Soon, I will have patches of baldness. I moved to the main room and grabbed my clothes. It was nothing fancy. Just a pair of black tights and a black t-shirt. Stretching was becoming more obvious as I was beginning to outgrow the clothing. I sat on the bed and pulled on the black canvas sneakers I always wore and made my way up the stairs. I exited to the kitchen. Sunlight blaring through the windows, enveloping the room in a warmth that kissed my skin. I put on the old white apron and began the task of cooking breakfast. The smell of bacon and pancakes filled the air as I chopped up some fruit and placed it in the large glass bowl. I cracked the eggs into the frying pan, carefully timing my flip. Enuring they were cooked through, but the golden yolk was still running free once cut. I piled all the food in trays before placing them in the center of the dining table. I set the plates and cutlery as well as a range of varying condiments. I went back to the kitchen to clean whilst they enjoyed the fruits of my labor. I was washing the last pan and could still hear chatter happening from the room next door.

"Aribella, come here" a voice boomed from the room. I froze. What could they possibly want to do with me? I've done what I've been told so far. I haven't even had the chance to complete the rest of my morning tasks. I quickly removed the apron and wiped my wet hands dry. My chest felt like it was going to explode, as I made my way to the door. i opened it and quietly entered the room. i kept my head down to not offend any of them.

"You may look up" he said. I peeled my eyes from the floor to look at them. They were all there, all four of them. At the head of the table was William, head of the household. On his right was his wife, Samantha, and their daughter Georgina. To Williams' left sat Jarod, the eldest and only son. On the surface, they were a picture perfect family. All blonde-haired, blue-eyed and plain beautiful. Underneath the pretty features were heartless and ruthless personalities. They all treated me the same. Not one ounce of kindness was ever shown my way. I never expected it anymore.

"We, as a family, have come to a decision this morning", William began. "Soon you will be eighteen. A very special time in anyone's life. You will be known as an adult instead of a child. As an adult, you may be able to take on more challenging chores and errands within the house. To ensure that you ar more than capable of doing so, we have decided that you will attend the final year of school".

My head was spinning. There was so much information I had no idea what to do with. I have been kept in this house since I arrived. I haven't ever left, and now I'm going to school. This must be some kind of test.

"If you think I need the education, I will do as you please" I responded.