Forced to be Luna

Walking home alone at night never ends well. Everyone knows that, especially the residents of Devil’s Den, Wyoming. Devil’s Den was a place where gangs ruled the streets and prostitutes were found on every street corner. It was a shitty place to grow up in, but it was my home. After school, I went to the library outside of devils den because, you know, books. They were my escape from this ugly reality. Anyways, I had lost track of time and was now returning home at a time where every respectable person was already indoors with their doors firmly shut. I walked down the street at a fast pace worried for Bella, my younger sister, she was only ten years old and was on her own more than was appropriate. I had no choice though when I was not in school I was working as a waitress so we could feed. I shivered, there was nothing my light leather jacket could do against the cold. There was an alley between two buildings dark and dangerous, I usually avoided it but today I was cold and hungry so against better judgement I went in that direction,walking at an even faster pace. Suddenly, I heard a loud bang followed by a shout from someone who was in extreme pain. My heart hammered in my chest as I walked faster desperate to reach my home. I stopped short at the sight in front of me. One guy was pushed against the wall by a tall well built man. Two others stood behind him as backup. They were all armed and the big man was holding the injured man by his neck with his feet dangling off the ground.My brain screamed at me to leave but my body stood in place. With a sickening crack the man's neck was snapped and his body was discarded like trash. I barely held back my scream looking back at the scene just to notice three sets of glowing eyes staring at me. Without even thinking of it, I broke in a full sprint running for my life at a pace that surprised me. I could hear footsteps behind me but after a while all I could hear was my own heart beating at an impossible rate. I ran all the way to my home never stopping to look back for once. Filled with dread that those men where about to kill me too. It was only when I reached the gate to my house that I stopped to catch my breath and make sure that I had not been followed home. I looked around and after seeing no one, I entered in and shut the gate behind me. It wasn’t the best of a home, but it was still a place to live in and was the only place I felt safe. I dropped my backpack on the couch and took of my shoes. The shoes where utterly destroyed, it seems like the run home had completely dismantled whatever fabric that held it together. The run home was confusing and weird. If felt wild and natural at the same time. I was only just beginning to get tired now, but I was to mentally exhausted to try and figure out what happened. I watched as scraps from my arms probably gotten from shrubs or trees I had brushed through on the way closed and healed almost immediately. I was a normal girl and the parts of me that were definitely not normal I tried my hardest not to think about them. My alcoholic mother was passed out on the floor which was no surprise. She will wake up in a pool of her own vomit and I will have to clean up her mess as usual. Just as I was walking past Bella’s room, she walked out. Her inherited blonde hair glowed against the highlights of the moon behind her. She clung to her dirty teddy bear that I had gotten for her, she was getting a little to old for the toy but I guess she needed the comfort. “Sophie, where have you been? I missed you.” she said softly, hugging me like she depended on it. I let out a forced chuckle and patted her hair. “I was out, little B.” I answered, bending down to her height. She looked at me with her big, doll-like eyes. So much innocence ruined by what she had experienced in her life. It broke my heart to know that she would never live a life as good as it should be. “Mommy was drinking her special juice.” Bella whispered, as if it was some sort of secret. She called beer “special juice,” a phrase I taught her to say. “She was being mean today, Sophie. She hurt me . She hit me, Sophie" Tears welled up in my eyes. If I hadn’t been so caught up in the library, maybe I could have stopped it from happening. “Bella, I’m sorry.” I mumbled. “She wasn’t thinking clearly. I'm so sorry, my love. I promise I won't let her hurt you again" “Now give me a hug and go to bed.” Bella wrapped her long arms around my shoulders. I held her for a second and then let go. She gave me a toothy grin and clambered back into her own room after a moment. I stayed kneeling, thinking about everything that happened tonight. It didn’t take long for a headache to begin flowering up in the back of my head. I got back up and went into my own room. I blasted music as loud as I could from my phone, trying to forget about the world. I changed into more comfortable clothes and went to bed, fighting back tears. I closed my eyes and the image of the big man snapping the other man's neck came to mind with a startling clarity. he threw the mans body down with disregard and contempt. How can a person be so callous with life. I knew I would not be able to get a good night rest today. I suddenly realised that I was a witness to a murder and started to panic again my life and that of Bella were at risk. Thinking of Bella then made me angry. An anger directed at my mother. How dare she lay a hand on Bella. I counted the ceilings squares and tried to calm myself nothing good ever came from my anger. However, tomorrow my mother would know to never touch bella again. Never!!!!!